The Op/Ed opinion section
Here is a statement supporting Town meeting by Peter Elwell, our former Town Manager. He does not post on social media and wanted his view to be known.
February 9, 2026
Please vote to save in-person town meeting in Brattleboro. We have the rare privilege of coming together as a community to discuss and address the major challenges and opportunities facing our town. Voluntarily surrendering that privilege would be a shame.
My strong belief in the following candidates: “What’s going to differentiate them from the other 1-year candidates is that Nell Mayo and Isaac Evans-Frantz are working for the benefit of our entire community — not just the business community or property owners. Their ability to differentiate themselves — as candidates with experience serving Brattleboro who bring positive energy and a neighborly spirit in the context of disastrous policy — this is what’s going to win the election and bring our community’s future to a more equitable, sustainable, and prosperous and safe unified town for us and generations of our young planting the seed of hope for a brighter future and bring a Stabilized balance of Peace, Fair Justice for all and a Economical and Equitable Unity in Brattleboro’s Community in a already divided unstable society across the country!
Over the past year, I have been immensely impressed with the leadership of Isaac Evans-Frantz on the Selectboard. Isaac has shown willingness to listen to the community and has demonstrated his ability to integrate perspectives from the public into his decisions. Even when Isaac and I might see things from different perspectives, I trust that he is putting the community first in his work on the Selectboard. Whether that is committing to fiscal responsibility when our tax rates continue to rise each year, collaborating with members of the community by meeting them where they are – especially neighbors who are often forgotten or not listened to, or raising community concerns at the Selectboard table, Isaac has proven that he is a candidate who will listen to the people he represents while making decisions for this town. He is always available and responsive when I have questions or concerns, and he not only makes me feel heard, but actually listens and considers my perspective.
Like any other homeowner in Vermont, I dread property taxes going up. With pain, I look online at real estate in other states southward, and estimate how fast higher and more frequent humidity and heat, and an attack of strange insect bites could kill me. Don’t forget the air conditioning bill for many more months than you would use one in Vermont. I don’t even have an air conditioner,
I have a cool basement.
Voting for Australian (Secret) Ballot on March 3rd is a vote for including all Brattleboro voters in All decision-making.
Many voters cannot attend a Town Meeting or Representative Town Meeting.
Healthcare workers, hospitality industry workers, first-responders at the fire stations, shut-in seniors, or myriad others working at jobs where taking time off is not an option.
But every voter can cast their vote in person or by mail in the comfort of their own home. Yet they can’t vote on the most important issue on the ballot. Why? Because in Brattleboro the Budget can only be voted on by Representative Town Meeting.
Recently, I stumbled upon some inadvertent endorsements for a Town Meeting style of governance I thought I would share. These are excerpts from several podcasts: The first is entitled “I Drove To The Worst Place In Vermont. This Is What I Saw” (Spoiler alert: it’s not that bad) https://bit.ly/4nzDwEn
In this clip, a question is raised about the values unique to Vermont. While acknowledging the rise in polarization in the country generally, the podcaster zeroes in on “old school Vermont,” where everyone at Town Meeting argues with each other, but then has lunch and talks about what unites them.
At Thursday’s Brattleboro Selectboard meeting, I joined Amanda Thurber in voting against the proposed 27 million dollar budget because Brattleboro municipal taxes have far outpaced wage growth. At selectboard meetings, in the street, and Thursday at the Senior Center, I kept hearing, “Enough.”
We need to stick up for everyday folks who are working for a living, trying to save for the future, and wanting to give their children a better future.
The Brattleboro Selectboard, where I’ve served as clerk since last spring, has repeatedly committed to prioritize fiscal responsibility. Now the rubber meets the road — We have an opportunity to align our actions with our words.
The selectboard has tough decisions to make. At our meeting Tuesday night we prioritized honest budgeting for a more realistic picture of expected revenue and expenses. We restored funding for critical infrastructure for our bridges, retaining walls and bicycles. And we unanimously passed my motion to restore the finance director position. If we can stick with these decisions, we will set the town up for better financial health and stability.
The outrage never ends. Just when you hope Trump will be reined in and not be allowed to bolster his cred as dictator, he tells the world to go **** themselves. It seems like the worst possible situation is now unfolding in the Caribbean and Pacific as the U.S. military kills people wantonly.
The U.S. is killing what they believe are drug dealers, without proof. They are targeting boats that they think are carrying drugs. Why is no one in the international community outraged about this illegal activity? Where are the international organizations such as the International Criminal Court? Why is no one trying to stop Trump’s murderous rampage as he pushes the U.S. closer to a war with Venezuela? The whole situation makes me physically sick because I feel so helpless to stop the killing.
CRIS ERICSON’s TAX REVOLT
alternate title: VERMONT TAX REVOLUTIONARY SNOW JOB CONGRESS IS PULLING ON US
I finally found the specific statute that I believe is the cause of the rich getting richer, and Bernie Sanders claiming he doesn’t take corporate donations!
How many times has U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, and other politicians,said that they do not take political campaign contributions from corporations?
I’m shocked.
I sent a message to relatives telling them to just come here to Vermont until President Trump gets impeached, which may be soon.
I have a 15 year old niece with tan skin in the Mecklenburg school system, otherwise known as Charlotte-Mecklenburg, NC.
An eye opener for me
My name is kendall lucy i work for brattleboro common sense (bcs)
I recently attended an announcement at 69a i found that there is more people that have a voice and are willing to use it to shine light on the emergency need for safe shelter from the freezing temps for the homeless i would like to say i am making a difference out here but i cant do it alone i need the help of other homeless and supporters of the cause to rally together and speak at the next select board meeting this coming tuesday 11/18/25 please contact me via email at lucy3robert@gmail.com to voice your thoughts and opinions on the homelessness emergency
I am guessing the government shutdown will continue all day on Wednesday Nov. 5, 2025. The problem is that news sources say some people will not get food stamps SNAP program benefits until Nov. 7th, and they will only get half their usual amount.
Hmmm, that means some children will be whining and some babies will be crying and some adults will have reached their personal frustration limit. This is not a good time for a big ol’ full moon, but we have no control over our solar system.
The last time I checked U.S. military murderers had killed about 40 or so presumed Venezuelan drug dealers. It is not only a shocking escalation of Trump’s mania for power, but it is also one of the more immoral and illegal actions he has taken so far.
No proof has been provided by the U.S. government of what has been in these boats they have blown up. Trump wants to play with his military toys and his lust for power knows no end. Never mind the rule of any law. Never mind due process. Who needs evidence when you are building a dictatorship and flaunting domestic and international law with abandon?
How many hard working people in Vermont will be laid off from their jobs November 1st because the Democrats won’t vote in favor of a Bill in the U.S. Congress that continues food stamps SNAP program benefits for the poor, but raises insurance premiums for middle class people? It’s not just people who work inside grocery stores and big box stores, truck drivers are also at risk.
I received a letter in the mail from the VT Department of Motor Vehicles, “Vehicle Registration Renewal Notice”.
“The registration for your 1999 CHEV SUB expires on November 30, 2025. So, I filled out all the online forms and paid for two years, $167.00 Then it instructed me to download a temporary registration.
The temporary registration cheats me out of 2 years and 3 weeks because the temporary registration says I paid up until Nov. 6, 2025.
What is the risk of our Vermont Congressional politicians and all of those across the United States of American voting in the United States Congress to protect the rights of the “middle class”?
The risk is that the poor could revolt.
After being a student at Goddard College in Plainfield, Vermont and University of Massachusetts, I wandered westward and experienced some formative years in Los Angeles.
Brattleboro Memorial Hospital (BMH), our small community non-profit hospital, is facing what looks like its most challenging financial situation in its 121 year history. It is frightening for the 807 employees (as of 2023 according to an August 2025 IRS 990 filing) who depend on the institution for their livelihood. The prospect of having to lose access to a local hospital would also change the lives of 40,000 people who live in Windham County.
Sadly, it is not clear what is going on at the hospital because the board of directors has not said much other than putting the CEO on leave. Hospitals are notorious for hiding their dirty laundry and BMH is no exception. I worked there on and off for about 14 years and I was always at odds with many of the higher level management team.
I think the biggest stories in the United States right now are the protests against National Guard Troops which President Donald Trump wants to send to various cities, all of which have filed lawsuits to stop deployments.
The problem, as I see it, is there is a full moon tonight, and that can get people going. How excited will protesters be during a full moon?
What are the best baby names for babies born to a homeless mother sleeping on the streets in the freezing cold in Vermont on Christmas?
According to WCAX https://www.wcax.com/2025/09/26/auditor-vermont-homeless-situation-worsening-despite-millions-invested/ Vermont taxpayers spent an average of $80 MILLION a year for the past TEN years, totalling $800 MILLION dollars, and there are still homeless people in VT.
