We Deserve Better

by fidel | Politics

Selectboard Chair Elizabeth McLoughlin made some grossly false charges against former Town Manager Peter Elwell in her piece in the Reformer on February 17. Why? Could it be because he had the temerity to express concerns about her impacts on town finances and on the atmosphere of town politics? McLoughlin’s disproportionate and misleading response seems to prove his point.

McLoughlin says Elwell favors defunding the police. He doesn’t. She says, correctly, that at one point the police department was down to 13 officers but fails to acknowledge that, in his capacity as town manager, Elwell hired Norma Hardy, the police chief who rebuilt the department and who developed and implemented the Downtown Safety Action Plan that McLoughlin supported. She implies that he seeks to create a new Community Safety Department with over $100,000 a year for an executive director. Not so.

Brattleboro DRB March 18 Agenda

by bbannon@brattleboro.org | Town Plan

AGENDA

Call to Order
Review and Approve Minutes of previous meeting.
Review of Cases/Public Hearings to be reviewed under the Brattleboro Land Use Regulations as warned on October 12, 2015.
2026-16                Town of Brattleboro; Urban Center  District; request for Site Plan Approval to improve sidewalk, front plaza, landscaping and create new seating areas at 224 Main Street; Tax Map Parcel #275219.000

iBrattleboro Selectboard Candidate Interview – Ken Fay

by cgrotke | Politics
Ken Fay

Ken Fay is running for a three year seat on the Brattleboro Selectboard.

Introduce yourself. Who are you and what would you say are your qualifications for the job?

I’m Ken Fay running for the 3-year term on the selectboard. I believe that my qualifications for the position can be divided into two sections – what I have done professionally throughout my adult life as well as my life experiences. As a CPA with an MBA who has worked in finance and accounting and as a finance director for nonprofits as well as for an Alaskan municipality, I have hands on experience with municipal government. The towns in Alaska while smaller in size than Brattleboro had many of the same fiscal challenges – including that of doing more with less. Since graduating college in 1983, I have had 49 life events – 29 moves and 20 changes in employment. Having no children and never been married has allowed me that flexibility. 

Brattleboro Committee Meeting Agenda Updates

by Not Signed In | Town News

The Brattleboro Human Services Committee will meet on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, at 5:45pm in the Selectboard Meeting Room. (The Zoom link has changed.)

The Brattleboro Finance Committee will meet at 6:00pm at the Brooks Memorial Library. (The location has changed.)

iBrattleboro Selectboard Candidate Interview – Isaac Evans-Frantz

by cgrotke | Politics
isaac evans-franz

Issac Evans-Frantz is an incumbent running for a one year seat on the Brattleboro Selectboard.

Introduce yourself. Who are you and what would you say are your qualifications for the job?

My name is Isaac Evans-Frantz, and I’m the clerk of the Brattleboro Selectboard, running for re-election for a one-year term. I was born at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital and raised in West Brattleboro.

I bring a strong understanding of municipal finances and a willingness to dig into the details. I’ve consistently asked hard questions, advocated for responsible budgeting, and stood up for democratic processes, including voting against budgets I believed placed an undue burden on taxpayers.

Brattleboro March 3rd Election Information

by Not Signed In | Politics

Below is some helpful information for the March 3rd Town Meeting and WSESD School Board Director Elections.

Absentee Ballots

Absentee ballots for these elections were mailed by request. Please make sure to follow the instructions provided with your ballot, including: 

Signing the certificate envelopeand ensuring your ballot/s are insidethe certificate envelope.
Using ablack pen to mark your ballot.
Do NOT use a markeras it can bleed through to the back of your ballot, requiring a replacement ballot.
WSESD you may vote in all town’s races for School Board.
Only vote for the number of seats available. Voting for more than the number indicated in that race will result in an overvote, and that vote will not be counted.

Reminder – Brattleboro District 9 Meeting

by fidel | Town News

All Brattleboro residents of District 9 are invited to meet:

Tuesday, February 24 at 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm in the Quiet Reading Room (Room D) on the mezzanine.

We’ll discuss and, best we can, answer questions about the March 3 election on our form of government and next year’s budget, and whatever other issues people want to raise.

Winter Storm Expected Sunday Night into Monday, Feb. 23

by Not Signed In | Town News

A winter storm is expected to impact the Brattleboro area beginning during the late night hours of Sunday, Feb. 22 and continuing through Monday, Feb. 23, 2026. Possible impacts include:

Snow-covered roads, especially during the Monday morning commute.
Periods of reduced visibility during heavier snowfall.
Gusty winds that may lead to blowing snow and tree damage.
The potential for scattered power outages.

Let’s Meet

by fidel | Op/Ed

A Town Meeting–be it open (OTM) or representative (RTM)–provides a critical opportunity for citizens to check the Selectboard.

Over the past several years, the Selectboard has made decisions that have had a tremendous effect on our community—adopting the Downtown Safety Action Plan, creating a Town emergency medical service, eliminating funding for human services, choosing a new arrangement for solid waste collection, adopting a community conduct ordinance, and allocating federal COVID funds. Not to mention, in the last two years, substantial increases in spending and related tax increases. You may like or dislike some or all of these decisions but, without a Town Meeting, there is little recourse to reverse a Selectboard decision and no avenue for publicly debating it.

Leda’s Kitchen (mostly Mexican) Menu for 2/26

by LedaS | Food

“Happiness is having one Leda’s meal in your belly and another waiting for you in the fridge!” —Tim W.

This coming week’s menu is mostly Mexican inspired:

Chicken Tinga (GF/DF): Chicken thighs simmered in a savory, smoky, and slightly spicy red sauce based on tomatoes, onions, garlic, lime, and chipotle chilies in adobo sauce. Accompaniments: lime wedges and optional sour cream $28 for 24oz container (2-3 servings)

Opening Doors Project Brings “Race & Song” to Next Stage Arts

by hahrenholz | Music

PUTNEY — Music, memory, and meaning will take center stage at Next Stage Arts on Saturday, March 14, when the Opening Doors Project presents Race & Song: A Musical Conversation with Pamela Means and Alastair Moock.

The performance begins at 7:30 p.m., with doors opening at 6:45 p.m., at Next Stage Arts, 15 Kimball Hill in Putney. Tickets are available at nextstagearts.org for $20 in advance, $25 at the door, or $10 for the livestream option.

Brattleboro Committee Meeting Agendas

by Not Signed In | Town News

The Brattleboro Finance Committee will meet on Sunday, February 22, 2026, at 11:00am in the Brattleboro Co-op Community Room and on Monday, February 23, 2026, at 6:00pm in the Hanna Cosman Meeting Room.

The Brattleboro Human Services Committee will meet on Monday, February 23, 2026, at 6:30pm in the Selectboard Meeting Room and on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, at 5:45 in the Selectboard Meeting Room. Both meetings will also be held over Zoom.

The Brattleboro Arts Committee will meet on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, at 5:00pm in the Brooks Memorial Library Community Room.

Media Bias and Kidnapping

by RDavis | Activism

In our world of celebrity worship, you can garner mainstream media attention if you are famous or a close relative of a famous person. That means that ordinary people who are not considered newsworthy by the media can wallow in obscurity even if they suffer indignities that media attention could help relieve.

Case in point is the incessant media attention that the kidnapping of Nancy Guthrie, mother of news celebrity Savannah Guthrie, is receiving. She was kidnapped on February 1 and, as of this writing, she is still missing. There are few clues to her disappearance, but the mainstream media and law enforcement have given her case an inordinate amount of attention.

iBrattleboro Selectboard Candidate Interview – Randall “Randy” Blodgett

by cgrotke | Politics
randall blodgett

Randall “Randy” Blodgett is running for a one year seat on the Brattleboro Selectboard.

Introduce yourself. Who are you and what would you say are your qualifications for the job?

I hold a Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts with a concentration in Marketing from Albright College. My career has consistently focused on finance, entrepreneurship, and business development.

I began my professional career with New York Life Insurance Company, where I earned licenses in life, health, and securities. I later founded and operated a successful photography studio for 22 years, while also consulting within the studio industry on finance and marketing strategy.

A Lifeline for Difficult Times: The Taking Solace Series March: Come See Me in the Good Light film

by CenterforSolace | Media

Wednesday, March 4th at 6 pm: “Come See Me in the Good Light”. This is a poignant and unexpectedly funny love story about poets Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley facing an incurable cancer diagnosis with joy, wit and an unshakable partnership. Through laughter and unwavering love, they transform pain into purpose, and mortality into a loving celebration of resilience.

This will be held on the Main Floor of Brooks Memorial Library.

Howard Prussack on “Here We Are”

by Wendy O'Connell | Education

HOWARD PRUSSACK works hard to produce vegetables, plants and hemp on his farm, High Meadows Farm in Westminster West – he serves our community and beyond. His bounty is available locally and at the Brattleboro Farmer’s Market which he co-founded. Howard also tells wonderful stories of his travels with an international farmer-to-farmer exchange program.

Brattleboro District 9 Forum

by fidel | Town News

District #9 Meeting

All Brattleboro residents of District 9 * are invited to meet:

Tuesday, February 24 at 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm in the Quiet Reading Room (Room D) on the mezzanine.

There is so much going on ….