MIDDLEBURY — Middlebury Selectman Travis Forbes resigned suddenly and unexpectedly Tuesday night, citing mounting personal and professional time commitments and frustration over what he indicated was his inability to influence operations at the Middlebury Department of Public Works.
Forbes, 35, was first elected to the selectboard in 2010 in a successful write-in campaign, and won re-election in 2013. He and his family run Case Street Redi-Mix Inc.
His civic interests, given his professional background, have been primarily related to municipal road, sidewalk, culvert and construction equipment matters. He has served on the selectboard’s public works subcommittee.
As previously reported in the Independent, Forbes threatened to resign this past January after alleging that department officials improperly rejected road sand from Case Street Redi-Mix and instead ordered product from a different company, in spite of the fact that Case Street Redi-Mix had won the bid to supply the town’s sand. Town officials reported at the time that the delivered sand in question had been too fine in consistency.
Case Street Redi-Mix had won the bid to supply the town’s road sand on Sept. 8, 2013. Forbes recused himself from the vote on that bid award.
Forbes backed off that January resignation threat after he and other town officials resolved the dispute. But he delivered his resignation emphatically on Tuesday during the “board members concerns” agenda item near the end of the meeting.
Multiple attempts to reach Forbes for comment on Wednesday morning via his cellphone and business number were unsuccessful as the Independent went to press.
The selectboard will now turn its attention to appointing another resident to fill Forbes’ spot on the panel until Town Meeting Day next March. The appointee would then, along with any other eligible candidates, be able to run for the remaining one year on Forbes’ three-year term. Selectboard Chairman Dean George said the appointment process will be discussed at the panel’s next meeting, scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 12, at 7 p.m. in the municipal building.
Reporter John Flowers is at [email protected].