Angela Earle Gray is an entrepreneur and human resources professional.
BRATTLEBORO-During the Selectboard’s explanation of votes related to zoning changes affecting 69A on Dec. 22, 2025, two members cited the volume of complaints they had received.
Peter Case stated that the number of people who spoke publicly opposed to rezoning “pales in comparison” to those who had contacted him personally, including by text.
Elizabeth McLoughlin, the chair, stated that she had received “many, many, many complaints.”
These statements suggested an awareness of the level of community opposition that extended well beyond what appears in the public record.
In light of those statements, I submitted a Public Records Act request seeking:
• Written complaints (emails, letters, texts) regarding 69A
• Any records memorializing verbal complaints
• Records from the period beginning when 69A opened in May 2025
The intent of the request was to better understand how many people privately complained to Selectboard members, what they complained about, and when those complaints occurred, based on the documentary record.
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The records provided reflect two people complaining or individually raising concerns to Peter Case.
In addition to those personal complaints he received, he forwarded 12 pictures, all either taken by him or sent by one individual who also sent multiple complaints to a broader group which included all Selectboard members.
No written record memorializing verbal complaints was produced.
The photos included in the records do not show anyone clearly engaged in illegal activity; the majority appear to document people being present in a public space rather than specific unlawful conduct.
Two photos were accompanied by a text message alleging illegal drug use; however, the individuals were not at 69A but rather in a nearby doorway where they would not have been visible to 69A staff. In addition, the images themselves do not clearly document illegal activity, and the conversation does not indicate they were reported to the police or any enforcement action was taken.
Assuming it was drug use, the fact that it was occurring off-site, around a corner, seems to suggest not that drug use was being allowed inside but that it wasn’t.
No distinct individuals are clearly documented as having individually complained to Elizabeth McLoughlin.
The records provided reflected a total of eight individuals having submitted written concerns related to 69A to any Selectboard member. Five of the eight are or were downtown businesses owners, and the impact on business was emphasized in their submissions.
* * *
The concerns reflected in the records largely centered on the visibility of homelessness downtown and related social issues, such as public behavior, safety perceptions, and the concentration of social services.
Included in the records provided were four statements of support for 69A or a desire to have them not implement the emergency zoning change: one sent specifically to board member Amanda Ellis-Thurber and three sent to the Selectboard as a whole. One of these was sent on behalf of six members of the Planning Commission.
This means prior to the meeting the Selectboard had eight documented individuals who had complained about 69A or contacted them in support of making the emergency zoning change and nine who had contacted them to advocate they not do so.
The records provided did not support the statements made by either Selectboard member.
This Voices Viewpoint was submitted to The Commons.
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