The writer has served on the Brattleboro Selectboard since 2019.
BRATTLEBORO-Democratic voters in Windham-9 have the choice of two good candidates to replace Rep. Tristan Toleno in the State House. I was lucky enough to work closely with one of these candidates, Ian Goodnow, during our time together on the Brattleboro Selectboard.
Ian is serious, thoughtful, energetic, and hard-working. He cares deeply about all facets of our community.
From our time together on the board, I know that Ian is able to see issues from many perspectives and weigh those points of view carefully to try to arrive at a good decision.
Importantly, for one who works with others on policy matters, he's not so arrogant to think that his perspective is the only one that's valid. Because of these traits I can picture Ian working well in committee (a crucial part of the Legislature's work) to investigate complex issues and craft good policies.
During Ian's time as chair, I noticed appreciatively how he worked with other members of our legislative body. The Selectboard is a body of five people, and although the chair has the responsibility of running meetings, each member of the board carries the same weight.
During my time as vice-chair I worked with Ian and the town manager to set meeting agendas. I saw his interest in his fellow board members' opinions and proposals, as well as his desire for group cohesion and harmony wherever possible.
In his work with the town manager, I have seen Ian demonstrate respect for the professional judgment and experiences of staff whilst also making sure that we express our thoughts and questions about their proposals and not sleepwalk our way through decision-making processes.
From a policy point of view, I know that Ian understands the needs of Brattleboro very well. We have an extreme housing crisis with a serious lack of available units and very few levers at the municipal level with which to make a significant impact on that problem. I expect Ian to fight hard for Brattleboro to get the resources our town needs to make an impact in this area.
Ian also understands what it's like to be a young person trying to make it work in this community. We have an aging population and an aging Legislature. If we're going to represent our communities well, we need to have a diverse array of voices and perspectives both at the State House and here in our communities.
I have witnessed Ian listening to his constituents and making time to meet with them to hear their concerns.
I am confident that he would have the same openness and interest when representing Brattleboro in Montpelier.
Daniel Quipp
Brattleboro
The writer has served on the Brattleboro Selectboard since 2019.
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