BRATTLEBORO-I urge Brattleboro voters to vote for Isaac Evans-Frantz and Nell Mayo for the two one-year seats on the Brattleboro Selectboard.
In the current climate of federal attacks on civil rights and the withdrawal of federal support for our most vulnerable residents, there has never been a more important moment to have courageous and principled people serving in our local government.
Isaac has been an essential voice on the Selectboard this past year. Last year he ran on the promise to listen to the community and bring all voices to the table.
The board often hears from business owners and people with relative economic stability, but throughout the last year Isaac has found ways to bring voices that are often ignored or excluded into the conversation. He often hosts meetings with constituents at the community center 69A, and has been thoughtful about bringing our concerns to be considered by the Selectboard. I have been impressed by his steadfastness and at times courage in bringing up difficult topics.
Isaac also consistently brings forward the perspective of Brattleboro voters in general, reminding the board that they are accountable to votes that have been taken by Brattleboro voters at the ballot and the 180 elected representatives at Representative Town Meeting.
For example, Isaac, along with Oscar Heller, voted to oppose the motion to eliminate all funding to human service organizations, citing the results from Brattleboro voters last March where 63% of voters supported allocating more than 1% of our town budget to our partner human service organizations.
Isaac also promised to focus on affordability and has been extremely consistent in pushing for our town to adopt more financially-responsible practices.
One example is replenishing our emergency funds and resuming long-term planning, a practice that had been abandoned since the retirement of former Town Manager Peter Elwell. Isaac voted against the budget that the rest of the board chose to put before voters because of his commitment to an affordable tax rate.
Adding more reasonable voices to the board will be essential in returning our town to the financial health and compassionate leadership that we have enjoyed in the past, and that is why I'm also excited to vote for newcomer Nell Mayo.
I first met Nell in the winter of 2024, helping to serve meals to hungry neighbors on Flat Street. In 2025 they volunteered to serve on the town's Finance Committee, providing citizen oversight on the Selectboard's budget. They have become well-recognized by those who watch Selectboard meetings for their consistent attendance, extensive notetaking, and thoughtful comments.
Due to their service on the Finance Committee, Nell has a deep understanding of our town's budget and the challenges the Selectboard faced in developing it. I have deep admiration for the way they connect with people of all perspectives on budgeting and on other challenges our town faces.
Nell has a calm, steady presence and an attention to detail that shows up in the way they engage in Selectboard meetings. Their comments have positively influenced the direction of Selectboard conversations and decisions. I think it's time we gave them an actual seat at the table.
I also have been extremely dismayed at the uncivility with which some of the Selectboard meetings have been conducted. I deeply appreciate both Isaac and Nell for their ability to always speak diplomatically and respectfully even when discussions on the board become very challenging.
I hope that by re-electing Isaac and adding Nell to our Selectboard, we can move forward as a town with dignity, thoughtfulness, and a deep understanding of what Brattleboro needs to thrive.
Robin Morgan
Brattleboro
This letter to the editor was submitted to The Commons.
This piece, published in print in the Voices section or as a column in the news sections, represents the opinion of the writer. In the newspaper and on this website, we strive to ensure that opinions are based on fair expression of established fact. In the spirit of transparency and accountability, The Commons is reviewing and developing more precise policies about editing of opinions and our role and our responsibility and standards in fact-checking our own work and the contributions to the newspaper. In the meantime, we heartily encourage civil and productive responses at voices@commonsnews.org.