I always enjoy town meeting, but last Monday night at Ripton was truly special. We had two standing ovations (one for firefighter Jay Harrington, who had saved the life of a man who was there to thank him, and one for Warren King for a third of a century of serving on every possible board and committee). 

Plus we bought enough solar panels to power the town’s offices. And we had the best spread of cookies I ever remember, though Barry King’s maple cremes were, as ever, unsurpassed. 

I wish all of America could experience democracy Vermont-style; we’d be a far better country for it.

Bill McKibben

Ripton