Wednesday, just one petition for candidacy had been submitted for Carol Wells’ soon-to-be vacant three-year seat on the Bristol selectboard. Wells announced in December that she would not seek re-election on Town Meeting Day.
That petition belongs to Brian Fox, a lifelong Bristol resident and president of the Bristol Rescue Squad, whose seat on the Mount Abraham Union High School board is set to expire this year.
“I’ve always been fairly active in the community,” said Fox, whose résumé also includes coaching baseball and involvement with the Cub Scouts. He has considered running for the selectboard for some time.
Fox was a police officer with the village police department for three years, from 2007-2010. He is currently employed as an officer with the Hinesburg Police Department.
If elected, Fox said he would make the town’s growth a priority. He will declare a specific platform at a later stage in his candidacy, but said that he has yet to sit down and put his ideas to paper.
Fox’s most likely opponent is Kris Perlee, a member of the Bristol Planning Commission. He told the Independent this week that he was holding off submitting his application because he is reluctant to give up certain duties as a planning commissioner.
“I’ve poured my heart and soul into this thing for three years,” Perlee said, adding that he believed that vacating his seat at this time would be a “disservice to the town.”
However, Perlee said that after looking over some statutes he believed he could retain some of his planning commission responsibilities, though it was unclear if he would be able to serve on the commission full-time. If he is given the go-ahead on keeping those responsibilities, Perlee said he would likely run for the selectboard seat.