Politics section
Thursday, January 15 Last day (5:00 P. M.) to file petition requesting that an article be placed on the Warning for Annual Town Meeting and Unified School District (47 days preceding election). Approx. 469 (5%) signatures of registered Brattleboro voters required. 17 VSA 2642
Thursday, January 22 First day to post Warning for Annual Town Meeting and Unified School District (not more than 40 days preceding election) 17 VSA 2641 (a)
Petitions for Brattleboro Town Officers, Windham Southeast School District (WSESD) Board Members, and Town Meeting Members are now available at the Town Clerk’s Office. Petitions are available in the Town Clerk’s Office Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Please note the following exception: From Friday, Dec. 5 through Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, petitions will only be available between the hours of 9 a.m. through 12 p.m.
Town elections will be held on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, at the American Legion, located at 32 Linden St., Brattleboro, VT 05301.
I’m a below poverty level living senior citizen, age 73, and the bank says my food stamps SNAP program benefits have not been depoisited today as of 2:25 PM and the bank manager is aware that other people are calling and have not received the SNAP program food stamp benefits that they expected to be deposited into their accounts. Apparently there are senior citizens and disabled persons, like me,who do not use EBT cards. Benefits are deposited directly. I shop online and have groceries delivered. Potatoes are tasting better and better every day now, even without butter.
October 1, 2025 may go down in history as the date that the United States form of government officially collapsed. As I write this, we are almost six weeks into the government shutdown. People are already beginning to suffer and things will only get worse if this does not end soon.
The Republicans (Trump) are saying that there is nothing to negotiate. House Speaker Mike Johnson has shut down the House and he shows no sign of being eager to do anything to help the American people. The Democrats are holding fast until the Republicans are willing to talk about health insurance and Medicaid cuts.
I bought the domain! http://snowballparty.org but I haven’t found 4 people in each of 10 Vermont towns to start a new minor political party yet. I started writing a platform. If you agree with it, please contact me Cris Ericson crisericson9@gmail.com
I’m still trying to get a straight answer from the Vermont Secretary of State Elections Division about how to legally start a new minor political party in VT.
On the way to a meeting …
To the Editor: On the way to a meeting, I encountered a 90-year-old retired businessman.
We talked about shoes and he talked about the past and what he hoped to do today.
I winced when the conversation turned to current politics and when he praised President Trump’s agendas. We disagreed. However, we continued to talk. We seemed to agree on two issues: that monopolies in the telecommunications sector is a negative; and, that government oversight of the health insurance industry is a benefit to the people. We need more of these types of conversations and interactions.
A Vermont registered voter in Ludlow, Vermont asked me why I am asking people to start a new minor political party with me while I am not stating a platform, and I said 17 V.S.A. says you organize the party in September of an odd numbered year and make the platform in an even numbered year. That made no sense to him at all so he would not join.
“17 V.S.A. § 2319. Party conventions for platforms:
On or before the fourth Tuesday in September in each even-numbered year, upon the call of the chair of the State committee of the party, a party platform convention of each organized political party shall be held to make and adopt the platform of the party.”
It’s political party organization time in Vermont, because Title 17 Vermont Statutes requires parties to organize in September of odd numbered years. For example, 17 V.S.A. Section 2302 (a) The chair of the State committee of a party shall set a date for members of the party to meet in caucus in their respective towns. The date shall be between September 10 and September 30, inclusive, in each odd-numbered year. (b) At least 14 days before the date set for the caucuses…
A Community Conversation with Former Lt. Governor David Zuckerman
Sunday, July 20th – 3:00pm at 118 Elliot Street
Brattleboro, VT
Join David Zuckerman and community leaders for a powerful community gathering to reflect on the past year’s political landscape and explore ways to move forward together.
Topics will include:
One parent or family member after the other is standing up with a photo of their loved one who died of fentanyl. Some of them thank President Trump for closing the border for which they are incredibly grateful.
There were a number of stories in Vermont about Vermonters rallying and/or protesting the arrest and detention of Mahmoud Khalil for being a Pro-Palestinian Activist.
Here is an update on the whole entire huge, enormous situation, which has grown and expanded exponentially because President Trump’s Administration will tolerate foreign students only if they keep their mouths shut.
It says July 2nd but it is actually July 3rd, so probably whomever might be running the website is fraudulently labelling the date to discourage American voters from watching this right now. After all, people want to see what is going on today, right now! This is fraudulent labelling!
The United States Senators are debating the
“One Big Beautiful Bill”
now on Sunday June 29, 2025,
119th CONGRESS
1st Session H. RES. _____ Impeaching Donald J. Trump,
President of the United States,
for high crimes and misdemeanors.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES June 24, 2025
Mr. AL GREEN of Texas
submitted the following resolution;
More than 2500 turned out to protest today in Brattleboro. The number was according to a speaker at the stage at the common, and was probably an undercount, as people were still arriving. Indeed, Brattleboro was filled with people today. Cars filled side streets and church parking lots. Church bells were ringing out. There were people marching, chanting, singing, playing music and holding their signs and flags up as they marched.
Date: June 10, 2025 Watching ICE immigration protests on YouTube at https://youtube.com/watch?v=G2mPQ4qShoM hosted by Steve Lookner who may be a regular guy sitting in his garage in Massachusetts and arranging for people he knows to send him “Live” protest footage. There are big protests in Los Angeles, New York City, and maybe Charlotte, North Carolina, etc.
After debate on H.R. 2243, the House will begin debate on H.Res. 352.
After debate on H.Res. 352, the House is expected to recess.
At approximately 5:00 p.m., the House will take a second series of votes on the Motion to Table H.Res. 353 – Impeaching Donald John Trump, President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors, passage of H.R. 2243, and adoption of H.Res. 353 – under suspension of the Rules.
District 9 residents in Brattleboro are cordially invited to attend a forum to express their opinions about the revised budget prepared for a special Representative Town Meeting (RTM); the new budget is intended to replace an earlier version that was voted down by RTM and will, if approved, guide spending in the next fiscal year which begins 1 July.
The forum will be held in the Community Room (third floor) of the Brooks Memorial Library at 7 pm on Wednesday 14 May. RTM members from District 9 are encouraged to attend to hear their constituents’ opinions.
Elected politicians, on all the levels, and the people who support government on a daily basis often have nothing in common. There are no requirements to run for office except for age in some instances. It is one of the great elements of democracy and, for better or worse, we end up with people in power who may have no understanding of how government works. If they have enough money they can win office and once they are in it is hard to get rid of them, That is also what democracy is about.
As we lose our democracy on a national level this disconnect could not be clearer. Trump and Musk have no interest in learning what all the people do who actually do the work of our government. If they even had a shred of interest in trying to understand how government agencies work they might have somehow found a little bit of common sense and talked to all these people and asked them how they might be more efficient.
Any citizen can draft a proposed bill in Vermont, but only members of the Vermont General Assembly (the House of Representatives and the Senate) can introduce it for consideration.
The Vermont citizen needs to pray that any member of the House or Senate will be willing to introduce the bill.
It is proving to be a concerning statistic that in cities across the United States of America where homeless unsheltered people live, in view of tourists who cringe in sympathy, that this upsets tourists so much that they are now avoiding places where homeless people are suffering in plain sight.
