As a result of recent Town Charter changes, counting votes for write-in candidates on Tuesday’s ballot has changed. If a Brattleboro citizen wishes to be considered a write-in candidate for any town office (including town meeting member) that candidate must now declare his/her candidacy to the town clerk no later than 7:00 PM on election day.

Only write-in votes for declared candidates will be counted after the polls close. Providing they have garnered the most votes in the race, write-in candidates for town officers need a minimum of 30 votes to win, town meeting members need a minimum of 10 votes.

Phil Kramer is running for a 1 year seat on the Brattleboro Selectboard. Here are his responses to our questions.

Why do you want to be on the Selectboard this year?

I am running for selectboard at this time because I want to make a difference. These are trying times for  our community, our country and our world. The decisions we make today will have a lasting impact on the future. I have a vision of what direction Brattleboro should be moving. Over the years I have gained a great deal of insight into the spirit of this town and the way things work.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 – Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) told the American Legion today that he is “deeply troubled” by unacceptable backlogs in processing veterans’ disability claims.

“I refuse to accept the status quo,” Sanders told the Legion’s annual conference at the Washington Hilton hotel. 

While the Department of Veterans Affairs has processed more than 1 million claims a year for each of the past three years, the number of new claims has outpaced the department’s ability to process the paperwork.

Watch the full Selectboard Candidate forum, which was held Friday, February 22, 2013.

This forum was sponsored by The League of Women Voters, and moderated by Francine Vallario.