Thank you for electing me for a second term on Middlebury selectboard. I value working for a strong Middlebury and deeply appreciate your effort to participate in Town Meeting and voting. Brian Carpenter and I were uncontested though would have welcomed other candidates. I am glad for the interest in filling our Selectboard vacancy to complete Donna Donahue’s term for one year. I hope these candidates and others will consider running in coming years.
I began by attending selectboard meetings occasionally and using the first minutes reserved for citizens to comment and notify the board about my concerns or initiatives. I realized the value of the public watching this at MCTV. Mostly, I observed the Board and learned how local government worked and, importantly, got to know our staff, whom I could access conveniently for a quick question or clarification.
As I served on a town committee (energy), I attended Board meetings more regularly to report on it. I realized what was entailed in being on selectboard as I read their packets online at the Town of Middlebury website. Any of you can see the documents we get to prepare for meetings there under “selectboard.” I became interested in serving on the Board when we were divided on the Town Office and Recreation Center. I felt I could contribute to consensus building and was committed to the project being an energy star.
I hope that you, and especially the current candidates not chosen to fill the vacancy, will consider participating by attending selectboard when we meet on second and fourth Tuesdays of the month at 7 p.m. in our Town Office. Occasionally, these get rescheduled. This week’s selectboard meeting was postponed to March 21 due to a forecasted storm.
Please consider attending selectboard or joining our town commissions and committees. These are listed on the handout distributed at the polls and available at the Town Office and the Town website. Middlebury voters who responded to the Town Meeting Poll felt that you should primarily be from Middlebury to serve on one of our committees or commissions, unless special expertise is needed or there is a strong vested interest, such as from those from who work in Middlebury or own a business here.
One offered that sometimes a regional perspective can help. You can express your interest to be nominated by contacting our Town Manager Kathleen Ramsay ([email protected]) or attending a Board meeting. Hopefully, see you soon.
Laura Asermily
Member of the Middlebury Selectboard