a change is gonna come
Big shoutout to the Bookstock team for an amazing weekend! The kids tent was a marvel (though I am wondering if anyone has figured out how to preserve face paint through nap time?) And it’s beginning to feel like the weather we longed for in February (and March, and April) is finally here.
Votes of the last meeting
The Selectboard took the following actions at our first monthly meeting in May:
Appointed George Manter to the Conservation Commission.
Approved a dispatch contract with the Town of Weathersfield. Weathersfield had previously contracted with the Windsor County Sheriff’s Department, which contracted with Woodstock for dispatch services, so this removes the middle man from the arrangement. The win is additional revenue for services we were already providing.
Approved a single porta potty at the Vondell-Cobb Reserve on a trial basis. The contract is month-to-month and the cost will be borne by WAMBA. This is step towards making the land more accessible for many - including persons with disabilities and families.
Approved an allocation of local options tax funds for the Chamber of Commerce to enable seasonal tree lighting, flower baskets, Wassail logistics, and what I’m most excited for - restoration of wireless internet on the Village Green.
Approved a contract for MSK Engineers for water system improvement projects. They will be leading the work on Option 1B (the new pipe from the water tank on Cox District to the Rec Center bridge) and the new well.
Approved the creation and purpose of a new Housing Task Force to report to our Economic Development Director. If you are interested, please let me know and I will send you the application.
And now for something completely different
Last week, I announced my resignation from the Selectboard. I have been lucky to learn so much in this role and meet so many of our community members. I had a longer list of thanks in my statement during our meeting on Tuesday, but please know if you are reading this, I am grateful for your participation our town. We live in such a special place and I wish for many reasons that I could stay in this role.
In the days following my announcement, I received these emails, which only affirmed my decision:
This behavior is endemic here - why? I have yet to grasp it.
Over the past couple of years I have watched our community be ravaged by similar actions. Other nonprofit and public boards made to pause their work to navigate lawfare. Despite my belief in the essential goodness of people, I have to ask - are you more or less likely to serve your community knowing these risks? I don’t regret my choice to serve this community, and I don’t regret my words last week. But there is a threshold each person has for such destructive behavior. And this is mine.
Hope is not passive. It’s willful against contempt and cynicism. And I do have hope for our community, though I don’t know the path forward in this moment. I want to tell you to continue finding the ways you can have an impact, because there are many. I want to tell you that goodness will prevail. I want to tell you that this place is worth fighting for. I want to tell you that more than ever we need to show our friends and kids that we can do hard things.
But right now, I’m just doing one day at a time. And relying on Ben & Jerry’s for endorphins.
P.S.
I’ve heard from many of you how helpful these newsletters are so I’m planning to continue them (albeit less frequently) and my site will remain active. We also have some big races coming up in August (the universe has answered my prayer for a Phil Scott challenger) and I’ll be putting a voter guide together there.
