BRATTLEBORO-Voters in Brattleboro heading to the polls on Tuesday, March 3, will face a crowded field of Selectboard candidates for three seats this year.
Current Selectboard Chair Elizabeth McLoughlin is being challenged for the three-year seat she now holds by current board member Amanda Ellis-Thurber, who is completing her first one-year term on the board, and political outsider Ken Fay.
In a second race, incumbent first-year board member Isaac Evans-Frantz is running along with newcomers Randall “Randy” Blodgett, Deena Chadwick, William “Bill” Harvey, and Eleanor “Nell” Mayo for two one-year seats.
Town elections are held from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the American Legion, 32 Linden St.
Following are profiles of the candidates for the three seats.
Elizabeth “Liz” McLoughlin
In 2007, after 20 years of visiting relatives here, McLoughlin and her husband, Tom, moved to Brattleboro and raised their family. She has more than 40 years of experience and a master’s degree in town planning and writes reports demonstrating compliance with land use planning and environmental laws. She also prepares analyses of town budget impacts from housing and other actions.
“Weighing the pros and cons of a given issue is what I do,” she says.
McLoughlin has volunteered for Groundworks Collaborative’s Empty Bowls Dinner and the board of the former Brattleboro Area Drop In Center.
She served on the town Planning Commission for eight years and was a Representative Town Meeting member for six years, as well as having served on the Finance Committee.
McLoughlin has also served on committees related to the Perseverance Skate Park, the Windham Regional Commission’s Aesthetic Evaluation Committee for the Interstate 91 bridge over the West River, and the New Hampshire/Vermont Connecticut River Joint Commissions.
She currently serves on the Vermont State Opioid Settlement Committee.
“Serving on this committee has allowed me to see the complexity of the opioid issue and the various ways that the state finds solutions to this very difficult problem,” she says. “I support worthwhile statewide and local initiatives. Every day this knowledge and experience informs my work on the Brattleboro Selectboard. My goal is for the continued well-being of our townspeople. Listening to you, the public, my understanding of the town continues to grow.”
McLoughlin says she’s seeking another term “because I believe the town is at a critical juncture and the decisions we make now matter deeply to the people of Brattleboro.”
“I believe my experience and expertise is more valuable than ever — bringing the judgment needed to weigh what we might do with what we can afford, especially in light of diminishing resources from the state or federal government.”
The candidate says she would be honored to continue to serve and that she has chosen to run for the Selectboard in particular because service there “matters to all of us.”
“I will continue work to balance the needs in our community with good intentions and sound judgment,” McLoughlin says. “I want a thriving Brattleboro that provides services to meet everybody’s basic needs. I believe we all want a safe and compassionate community where our resources are allocated wisely to the benefit of all.”
If re-elected, “I will continue to keep the day-to-day needs of all residents top of mind. I have the understanding and insights necessary to address the challenges facing our town,” she says.
Calling Brattleboro “a great town,” McLoughlin says she’s “grateful that I have the privilege to live here and be of service to the community.”
“I want everyone who lives, works, visits to have a positive experience. Young, old, families, individuals: I see you. We have and need to maintain a civil society that allows us all to conduct our lives freely and safely. To make this happen, we have town government — people who work to keep us safe and provide the services to our roads, parks, library — all the things we hold dear. And we have each other, pulling together to create the future we want for our town.”
Asked what she considers the greatest challenges for Brattleboro in the next three years and what she believes can and should be done in the short- and long-term to address those issues, McLoughlin says in the short term, she reviews the town budget “with the same attention I bring to my own checkbook and as I’m sure you do to yours.”
“I am always looking for additional efficiencies,” she says. “I believe in good government, efficiency, and good sense. I will continue to advocate for sound financial management and the efficient provision of basic services.”
For McLoughlin, key issues this year are the pay-as-you-throw (PAYT) trash program, economic development, public safety, the encampment policy, reforming the state motel program, and collaboration with the Legislature for state aid.
The candidate says she championed the PAYT system “because we expect a trash collection system to be there for us.”
“The way we’ve handled the removal of trash, recycling and compost for the past decade is our central sustainability accomplishment,” she says.
“In a town as diverse as ours, equity matters, as everyone does not have the same opportunity to haul their own trash,” McLoughlin continues. “A townwide service is a public good. Moving the expense from tax to paying private haulers is no solution.”
While she says Brattleboro is a “compassionate, caring community,” McLoughlin says as a municipal government with limited resources, asking taxpayers to contribute more goes along with advocating for “responsible reforms” of the motel program because it doesn’t now take into account “the local impact of placing vulnerable people with complex needs in our midst.”
McLoughlin supports the town’s encampment policy, which advises town staff to connect unhoused people with social services and Groundworks personnel while removing personal belongings that might pose a threat to health and safety, calling it “another example of Brattleboro’s kindness and decency.”
“As we help the individual, we help ourselves as a community,” she says. “This is clearly the way forward to address folks with complex needs, reduce first responder call volume, and provide public safety.”
In the long term, McLoughlin is working hard advocating to the Legislature for funding to help the town implement a 1-cent-per-gallon gasoline tax, using opioid settlement money for needle clean-up, motel program reforms, and revenue sharing for “hub” towns.
“In the years since the 1% [local-option] sales tax — that I encouraged as an RTM and Finance Committee member — we have reduced the percentage of the municipal budget that depends on taxes by 6.4%,” she says.
McLoughlin points out that when the Vermont Department of Transportation (VTrans) demanded triple the customary municipal contribution for a new bridge on Western Avenue, she persuaded Selectboard colleagues “to join me in saying ‘no,’” she says.
“After telling VTrans to come back with a new plan, that is just what they did. We worked with VTrans and Sen. [Peter] Welch’s office to get federal funds to reduce our town’s share from 10% to 5% of the total cost. I saved the town approximately $750,000,” McLoughlin continues.
“Economic development begins with a vibrant community that is a place of trust and stability,” she says. “We must make living here affordable for all and attractive for people to come live and invest here.
“The Selectboard’s role in economic development is to ensure a welcoming community, provide a safe and clean downtown, and maintain all the things we love about Brattleboro: our shops, our parks and recreations programs, our hiking and bike trails, our diverse creative community, and the neighborhoods we cherish.
“We must all come together, as pieces of a puzzle, to put forward the picture of a thriving Brattleboro,” McLoughlin says.
Amanda Ellis-Thurber
Ellis-Thurber is finishing her first one-year term as a Selectboard member. She is co-owner with her husband, Ross, of Lilac Ridge Farm in West Brattleboro and she was a presidential appointee during the Obama administration to Vermont’s 10-member U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency board.
“I am deeply committed to the future of Brattleboro because my family and I are deeply rooted here,” she says of her 30 years farming on the family’s fourth-generation organic farm.
Ellis-Thurber also worked as a mental health counsellor in Greenfield, Massachusetts, prior to the Covid pandemic, when she returned to the farm full-time.
She has served on the Brattleboro Farmers Market board, on the steering committee for the Vermont Farm to Plate initiative, and the Working Lands Enterprise Board. She is a past member of the Brattleboro Community Chorus and Blanche Moyse Chorale and currently volunteers at the Beloved Shelter.
At Lilac Ridge, she oversees growing vegetables, fruit, and flowers, and she hosts farm education programs for local schools in addition to managing the farm’s organic creemee stand, where she mentors many young people in their first jobs. She also helps with the farm’s sugaring operation and milks cows.
Her daughter and her fiancé have now joined the business, her elder son works for Diamondback Flyrods, and her younger son was recruited to play football at the University of Virginia, where he is currently a first-year student.
“Our emerging adult children love Brattleboro, and our children’s friends love Brattleboro, but the fact of the matter is, it is difficult to find a good paying job here,” Ellis-Thurber says.
“Many, if not the majority, of our emerging adult young professionals are moving out of state or are going to Burlington for jobs,” she continues. “I’d like to see those jobs in Brattleboro. I want to work toward getting more jobs and opportunities in Brattleboro.”
In her role on the Selectboard, she wants to put “an emphasis on economic development and increased and effective networking with our existing economic development agencies like [the Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation] and the [Downtown Brattleboro Alliance].”
“I see our community growing in positive ways,” she says. “As I see it, the moment is now for Brattleboro to roll up our sleeves and get things done.”
From her farm work, Ellis-Thurber believes she brings not only “a rural perspective to the board, but also a “hands-on, humble, work ethic that so many of our neighbors who live and work in our community understand.”
Asked why she’s running again, Ellis-Thurber says she’s “committed to the future of Brattleboro” and believes in a “hopeful future for our community where we work together for and with one another.”
“In my first year on the board I’ve witnessed the engagement and passion of our citizens towards making our town a more affordable place to live while looking towards future economic development potential that benefits the whole town and region,” she says.
This year, she adds, “I have witnessed and been a part of our community getting out of their comfort zones to work together toward the betterment of Brattleboro.”
The candidate says her first year on the board “illuminated fully that there is much more to do.”
“I bring a pragmatic, thoughtful approach to my role on the board. I listen to all members of our community. I hear unanimously the care and dedication that people bring to their work in and for our town,” Ellis-Thurber says.
“We here in Brattleboro are a community of workers. I am a worker, unafraid to roll up my sleeves to find creative solutions to affordability, economic development, environmental stewardship and the betterment of the lives of our fellow citizens and those who care for our most vulnerable.”
Ellis-Thurber says she’s seeking a three-year seat “to bring a fresh voice to leadership on the board that will continue to work toward solutions for Brattleboro regarding affordability, economic development, and creative solutions to increase our Grand List.”
Several weeks after she joined the board last year, Representative Town Meeting (RTM) rejected the FY26 budget as recommended by the previous Selectboard.
“This firmly stated position from our RTM said it simply: ‘we cannot afford what the Selectboard has brought us, and we will no longer stand for the tax increases that we have endured over the past three years.’
“So from that point forward, creative solutions to affordability have been top of mind and I pledge to uphold that momentum moving forward,” she says.
She believes that to move forward, the community needs to “work together to join forces across the spectrum of policy opinions to create some perhaps surprising partnerships to care for our community and grow our future.”
Ellis-Thurber says the most important “leadership” for the town now and for the coming three years is “creating dialogue that is respectful, open, and focused on trying to work together.”
“I believe that we all share a love and dedication to Brattleboro, but there are factions in our community that are constantly cancelling each other out,” she says. “This is not healthy because no one will win, and the risk is too great.”
She adds: “We can listen to one another, even if we disagree. We can seek to find compromises, if we are willing to come to the table. We can seek to understand one another rather than be dismissive. And we can work together to increase affordability in our town, create opportunities for economic growth, and lift up members of our community needing support and care.”
Ellis-Thurber says she’s had many conversations in the community and has found “a resounding cry for economic development — better paying jobs, quality infrastructure, increased efforts to have a town that people want to move to and build prosperity in.”
“I know that these efforts take work, time, and creativity. I will continue to bring these values to the board while also being kind and respectful,” she says, noting that residents holding differing views is good and that a common thread is caring for neighbors and helping the town prosper.
She pledges to continue to listen and find ways to connect those with different perspectives.
As to the budget, Ellis-Thurber points out Brattleboro isn’t “alone with our budget stress.”
“Every town in Vermont is struggling with budgets due to increased staff health insurance costs, materials costs, even the basics like heating and electricity,” she says. “Over the next three years, we need to put in the work to develop strategies for smart budgeting including short- and long-term planning for the future.”
Calling that work “creative and scrappy,” Ellis-Thurber says the town needs to “carefully address our needs and balance that with efforts to grow our Grand List, support small businesses, bring in businesses, and host visitors here to enjoy all that we have to offer in the arts, outdoor recreation, food and farms, and our incredible downtown.”
She notes the need for increased efficiencies within town offices “that are user-friendly and cost-effective.”
“This will take creativity, and I am thankful for the Brattleboro town staff in place to make steps towards the cost-savings happen while working to modernize our systems,” she adds.
Ellis-Thurber says she’s “hopeful and optimistic about Brattleboro’s future.”
“We are at an inflection point in our nation where our strength and lifeblood comes from our local community, where neighbors help one another and see each other eye-to-eye,” she says. “We can no longer spend our energy on fighting one another. We need to work towards a better future using the strength that we have in our abundant, caring community.”
Ken Fay
Fay grew up in Stamford, Connecticut, and attended public school before attending Northfield Mount Hermon School in Massachusetts for his junior and senior years of high school. He was nominated to the Air Force Academy, graduated from Duke University, and earned an MBA from the University of Connecticut.
Fay says he’s financed all his education but his freshman year through a combination of loans, a baseball scholarship, and earnings as a union construction laborer.
He started in public accounting and became a CPA, although he didn’t maintain the certification since he left public accounting. Over the course of his career, Fay says, he’s held 20 professional roles across 14 cities and boroughs.
“Most notably, I have served as a finance director for several nonprofit organizations and as assistant finance director and finance director for two different towns,” he says, noting he’s lived in 25 cities across five states and moved to Brattleboro nearly five years ago after spending about five years in Alaska and 15 years in New York City.
“Needless to say, the contrast between New York City, remote Alaska, and Brattleboro has been profound,” Fay says. “I’ve worked in many organizations, seen a great deal, and met people from all walks of life.”
He says he has also “relied on the social safety net,” including welfare (the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program), food stamps (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), and unemployment benefits.
“Those experiences shaped my understanding of how policy decisions affect real people,” Fay says.
“I believe I am neurodiverse, and that perspective — along with effort and resilience — has shaped both my challenges and my strengths,” he says.
He feels his “wide range of professional and personal experiences” that has given him “both breadth and depth of knowledge.”
“I believe I can use that experience to serve the people of Brattleboro effectively as a member of the Selectboard,” Fay says. “At my core, I am running because I like helping people, and public office is one of the most direct ways to help the greatest number of people.”
Fay says the challenges facing Brattleboro “are not unique” and says that “unemployment, underemployment, addiction, mental health issues, and homelessness — especially visible in our downtown — are real and complex,” he says.
The political newcomer, advancing a “KISS (keep it simple, silly)” agenda, believes that by “increasing voter participation and modeling civility, we can differentiate Brattleboro and make it a sought-after destination for individuals, families, and businesses who want to put down long-term roots.”
Asking for voter support, Fay says, “I will hear you” if elected.
“Changing the narrative about our town won’t solve these problems overnight, but imagine if thousands more residents voted and engaged,” he says. “The Selectboard would gain thousands of additional perspectives to consider, beginning March 4.”
Deena Chadwick
Chadwick is a third-generation Vermonter who has lived in Brattleboro, Vernon, and Guilford. A Brattleboro Union High School graduate, Chadwick has two children who attended Green Street School and were graduated from her alma mater.
For 31 years, she has been a hair stylist in Brattleboro, working at the former Whitman’s Hair Design for 17 years before opening and operating her own business for more than 14 years now. For the past eight years, she has co-owned a cooperative hair salon. She also previously co-owned and operated a cycling studio downtown.
For the past decade she has rehabilitated older homes, renovating them into business spaces and affordable housing.
“Through all of this experience I’ve developed a deep understanding of our unique community and its dynamics,” Chadwick says. “I’ve seen our town go through many changes and challenges, and I’ve had to pivot in order to continue to live and work here.”
She says she’s “always rooted for our town to succeed — and I strongly believe it can.”
“We live in a geographic area with tremendous opportunity for sustainable growth. In the various neighborhoods I’ve lived in, I’ve been grateful to meet countless different people in our community and to see the multiple skills, perspectives, and experiences they bring,” she adds. “I’ve also had the opportunity to meet diverse people through my outdoor activities and marathon training.”
Chadwick says she’s running for the Selectboard seat because, “as a lifelong resident of Brattleboro, I care deeply about this community and its future.”
“My priority is to help keep Brattleboro an affordable, safe, and welcoming place to live, work, and raise a family, while supporting thoughtful, sustainable growth,” the candidate says. “I value transparency, fiscal responsibility, and open communication, and I bring a practical, common-sense, community-focused perspective to decisions about town services, spending, and long-term planning.”
Chadwick counts her “ability to listen” as one of her greatest strengths.
“Over the years as a hair stylist, I’ve learned to truly hear the individual challenges and needs of my clients,” she says. “I’ve had thousands of conversations at my chair, helping people think through problems and improve communication. Through my business experience, I’ve gained management, leadership, organizational, and conflict-resolution skills.”
Chadwick says those experiences strengthened her “active listening and empathy,” qualities she says she’ll bring to the board “to find practical solutions to our town’s challenges.”
Saying she looks forward to “engaging with the community in the months to come,” Chadwick says she enjoys collaborating and speaking with people from all walks of life.
“I value gathering ideas from everyone to find common ground,” she says. “Our community needs to look ahead, plan for future needs, and pursue creative ways to generate additional revenue and grow our tax base, while continuing to support and expand affordable housing.”
Isaac Evans-Frantz
Evans-Frantz is completing his first one-year term on the Selectboard and serves as clerk. A political activist who has been involved in community health and LGBTQ+ advocacy, Evans-Frantz was appointed by then-Gov. Howard Dean as the first Vermont high school student with a vote on the Vermont Board of Education, where he helped oversee an $886 million budget.
He says growing up in a low-income West Brattleboro family taught him “the value of neighbors.”
“My father had various jobs, grew much of our own food, and my mother cleaned houses and worked as a child care provider,” says Evans-Frantz, noting at one time his family relied on the federal WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) nutrition program.
“We also depended on our neighbors when we needed support,” he says. “I have traveled far, but I have never forgotten where I come from,” says Evans-Frantz, who holds a master’s degree in public administration from the City University of New York.
The candidate says he’s running for re-election “because Brattleboro is at a crossroads and I want to keep doing the work it takes to move us in a better direction.”
“Over the past year serving on the Selectboard, I’ve gained first-hand experience with how decisions are made and where we can do better,” he says. “I’ve spent that time listening to residents, asking hard questions, and pushing for practical solutions.”
Evans-Frantz says he’s “motivated to continue that work and to help ensure Brattleboro remains an affordable, inclusive community where people are heard and supported.”
Asked to list the greatest challenges facing the town in the next three years and how they should be addressed, Evans-Frantz says one of the biggest is that “incomes aren’t keeping up with costs, which include rising property taxes, and the pressure they place on residents.”
“We need responsible budgeting in the short term and long-term financial planning that keeps costs predictable while still maintaining essential services,” he says.
Another major issue for Evans-Frantz is infrastructure.
“Neglected sidewalks, roads, retaining walls, and basic maintenance affect safety and quality of life,” he says. “In the near term, we should prioritize repairs that have the greatest impact on accessibility and public safety, while developing a long-term plan that prevents deferred maintenance from continuing to pile up.”
The candidate notes housing insecurity also as “a pressing concern.”
“We need practical, compassionate responses,” he says. “That means making sure we bring different voices to the table, listen to service providers and people struggling to find and afford housing, and invest in sustainable housing solutions over time.”
Finally, he cites the issues of parking and downtown vitality, which he says are closely connected.
“The current paid parking system can make it harder for businesses and residents to thrive,” says Evans-Frantz. “We should evaluate the system now and work toward solutions that support a healthy downtown.”
He adds: “Across all of these challenges, my focus is on affordability, fiscal responsibility, and inclusion — values I believe are essential to Brattleboro’s future.”
Also on the candidate’s mind these days is the need for community advocates.
“With potential future funding gaps to the tune of tens of millions of federal dollars in Vermont and the federal government persecuting some of the most vulnerable Americans, we need leaders who will stand up and fight for families in our communities,” he says.
“With a Selectboard that voted to eliminate every last dollar for human services organizations [in its recommended FY2026 budget], we need leaders who will speak up for the social safety net in our community,” he adds.
Evans-Frantz notes that in other towns in Vermont, residents have been illegally detained by federal agents. “Brattleboro neighbors have told me they are worried that ICE will come here next,” he says. (Local groups monitoring the activities of federal immigration enforcement officers have underscored that to date, there is no evidence of such activity in the area.)
He added that some constituents have asked him if Brattleboro Police Department surveillance footage is or would be shared with federal agencies.
“Lifelong American citizens are making contingency plans for what they will do if they are separated from their children,” he says. “Seeing activists killed in the streets of Minneapolis while exercising their First and Second Amendment rights, some Brattleboro residents are asking themselves what might be the price for standing up for their neighbors.”
With these realities in the United States, “we need leaders willing to ask hard questions and stand up for everyone’s rights,” Evans-Frantz says. “We need leaders with integrity who will work to protect all residents, no matter where they or their families are from.
“We need a moral compass at this moment, and to recognize that we are one community, and an injury to one is an injury to all.”
Eleanor “Nell” Mayo
Mayo grew up in Ottawa, Ontario, visiting Norwich, Vermont, for Christmas and summer vacations to stay with cousins.
“Growing up in Ottawa, the national capital, I was exposed to politics and community organizing at a young age,” says Mayo, who joined the New Democratic Party in Canada as a neighborhood canvasser at age 14 and, at 16, joined the Carleton Food Collective, a volunteer group that diverts viable food from waste streams and creates healthy and free meals.
In 2018, Mayo started a weekly free market in a local park to provide groceries directly to the low-income community they had grown up in — a neighborhood that was being rapidly gentrified. After working at the food collective, Mayo worked for Michael Goetinck of Snowdog Construction in Norwich.
After graduation from Algonquin College’s heritage carpentry and joinery program in 2023, she moved to Vermont and, ultimately, to Brattleboro.
“As I made my home in Brattleboro, I was introduced to town governance and politics,” Mayo says. “I was surprised and impressed with the level of community participation in Selectboard meetings compared to Ottawa, where I had experienced citizen input as being stifled.”
In March 2025, Mayo joined the Finance Committee, “wanting to more deeply understand the solution to the rejected FY26 budget. The experience on the Finance Committee has provided a framework to analyze our financial structures through and has connected me to a network of diligent and committed townspeople,” she says.
Mayo wants to serve “because we need more members who are committed to further improving our long-term financial planning.”
“There is continuous controversy surrounding our municipal budget amidst an overall rise in cost of living,” Mayo says. “I believe the board must work to ensure we confidently know our costs for basic infrastructure and municipal services. When we discuss budget cuts, we need to be able to compare what any services lost would cost residents in the private sector.”
And Mayo believes the board would be better served if it were more diverse.
“As a young person, and a tradesperson, working to support myself, I bring an understanding and experience that our board is currently lacking, and one that is representative of a large and vital portion of our town,” Mayo says.
Mayo would prioritize returning to a structurally balanced budget, further investing in realistic long-term financial planning, creating an accessible way for residents to understand town finances, creating new/retrofitted housing, maintaining essential infrastructure and promoting pedestrian accessibility and bicycle infrastructure, contributing to “a less divisive conversation surrounding our downtown,” supporting business, installing public restrooms, and encouraging government participation.
The biggest challenge Mayo sees is “affordability,” and finds this expressed in many different ways, notably “a need to reexamine costs in our municipal budget, to support local and small businesses, to ensure that those who work here can afford to live here and that our elders can afford to stay in their homes.”
“I believe affordability is hurting morale on an individual and town-wide basis,” says the candidate. “I see this exacerbated in my attendance at Selectboard meetings, present in a sentiment across viewpoints that people do not feel their participation is welcomed. One could cite this as a driving force behind the movement to adopt Australian ballot and rescind town meeting.”
“As a government and as townspeople, we must foster an environment that respects and cares for all of our neighbors, as well as protect constituents’ right to ask questions, and our government’s obligation to answer transparently,” says Mayo.
“We are lucky to have an immense amount of community organizing to support and grow Brattleboro,” says Mayo, citing “the push to develop our waterfront, the recent Festival of Miniatures, artisan markets, parades, and nightly music.”
“Brattleboro is brimming with art and ingenuity and does best when this is held up and shown,” Mayo says. “And it is crucial that the people who create this culture can afford to stay here. We need elected officials who understand and share these realities as I do.”
Randall “Randy” Blodgett
Blodgett hails from Pennsylvania and holds a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts with a concentration in marketing from Albright College. He says his career “has consistently focused on finance, entrepreneurship, and business development,” and started with New York Life Insurance Company, where he earned licenses in life, health, and securities.
He later founded and operated a successful photography studio for 22 years while also consulting within the studio industry on finance and marketing strategy. In 2011, he entered the agricultural publishing industry with Holstein World, a publication founded in 1904 and long regarded as the international standard for Holstein dairy cattle breeders, and DairyBusiness magazines. He also developed a real-time online auction platform and webcasting service.
He was later promoted to publisher of Holstein World. He says his professional work in the industry reflects his family’s multigenerational involvement in dairy farming and Holstein genetics.
Since 2017, Blodgett has worked as a consultant, focusing on business strategy, finance, and growth development. He has lived here since 2018, after marrying his wife, Lindsey, who has lived here since 2007 and works at Holstein Association USA.
Blodgett says one of the proudest moments of his life was earning the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America.
“Throughout my career, I have served and volunteered in support of various organizations,” he says.
Asked why he’s running for Selectboard, Blodgett says he cares deeply about the town and wants “to help the town during an important time.”
“The one-year term allows me to step in right away and work on current issues,” says the candidate, who says he wants to “bring a steady, practical voice to the board.”
“I don’t pretend to have all the answers, but like many residents, I think a lot about whether Brattleboro will remain a place where people can afford to live, work, and build a future,” he says.
Blodgett says he’s especially motivated “to improve openness in town government, ensure everyone has a fair chance to be heard, rebuild trust with residents, and focus on decisions that are good for the town in the long term — not just quick fixes. The current pattern of rising spending while pushing infrastructure needs into the future needs to change.”
What impresses Blodgett most about Brattleboro are “its people.”
“They bring a culture and commitment to the arts that most places can only dream of, all while living in a town beautifully situated where mountains and rivers meet,” he says.
What gives him the most worry? “A lack of economic development, a shortage of housing, and the absence of a clear plan for a balanced housing mix in the future, and a budget that all residents can truly afford,” says the candidate.
The three essential services/departments in the town, in his estimation, are Fire/EMS, the Department of Public Works, and the Police Department.
“All departments are important to the town as we know it, but these three are services we cannot exist without,” says Blodgett, who has also been an outspoken advocate for conducting Town Meeting by Australian ballot, one of several citizen referendum questions on the March 3 ballot that address the future of Representative Town Meeting.
“I believe all voters should have a say on financial matters, officer elections, and bond issues,” he says. “We will hear what voters decide on March 3 and then we will work to make whichever form of governance they choose the best it can be for Brattleboro.”
Asked what the biggest challenges facing the town are and what steps should be taken to ameliorate and/or fix them, Blodgett says his priorities are “responsible budgeting, transparency, and fairness.”
“Town government should be easy to understand, guided by facts, and open to meaningful input from residents,” he says. “I believe in respectful collaboration, clear communication, and balancing the needs of taxpayers, town employees, and the broader community. We must protect essential services while being honest about what the town can — and cannot — afford.”
He also counts “economic development that creates living-wage jobs” and expanding affordable housing as top priorities.
“We must plan thoughtfully for growth while maintaining the character of our community,” he says.
Blodgett also thinks the town needs a “sustainable government structure that promotes better work-life balance for employees, preserves institutional knowledge, and encourages cross-training across departments to ensure continuity of services.”
Brattleboro’s financial challenges, he says, “require careful, long-term planning,” including a clear five-year financial plan and “better distinction between one-time expenses and ongoing obligations.”
“The budget process should begin earlier, allowing more transparency and public engagement before final decisions are made,” he says. “Even small tax increases can significantly affect households already under financial strain.”
For Blodgett, most of those challenges are interconnected.
“Solving them will require disciplined financial management and steady, community-focused leadership,” he says.
William “Bill” Harvey
Harvey is a Brattleboro native who has “enjoyed living my entire life” in his hometown. A graduate of Brattleboro Union High School, Harvey has since attended many other work-related study programs.
After graduation, he became a pressman and then entered the sales force with a beverage company, where he worked 34 years while running three side businesses — mobile home skirting, painting industrial equipment, and line-striping parking lots.
Harvey has served on several boards, including that of a church, a credit union, and a political party. He is a Justice of the Peace.
Harvey’s reasons for seeking a seat on the board include “to focus on our fiscal responsibility to the town’s taxpayers.”
“I believe we need to bring about job growth in our area,” he says. “We need to bring in more trade and skilled manufacturing jobs where people can learn a trade to make a living wage. Bringing in jobs would increase our tax base as well as provide personal freedom to employees who could then live in our town on their own without government subsidies.”
He says that “it’s truly a beautiful thing to live the American dream.”
“It takes effort, self-discipline, education, and a place to work,” he says. “Despite the challenges, the traditional American lifestyle is worth it: a job, a car, a home, and a family.”
His second reason for running is “the issue of affordability.”
“There are only so many taxpayers in the Brattleboro and Windham County area, which means there is a limited amount of money to spend,” Harvey says. “I believe we should live within our means. That means we consider how much money we have to spend before we spend it.”
To clarify, “that means we don’t spend money we don’t have,” he says. “Granted, we all want more amenities, more services, and more help. However if we ran our household the way we run our government, we’d all be broke.”
“Fiscal accountability” is Harvey’s third reason for seeking election.
“This requires result-based tax spending,” the candidate says. “Are we getting our money’s worth from the organizations [and] the people, administration, and the outside contractors we pay? Is there a way we could do it better?”
Harvey says he loves his town. “I love where it is in the heart of the Connecticut River Valley area. I love the many opportunities for young and old.
“To me, a centerpiece of our town is [Living] Memorial Park. The park was my second home growing up. I also spent a lot of time at the recreation center. The Connecticut River that flows along our east side has been cleaned up in my lifetime to the point where water sports and fishing have become enjoyable.”
Still, he’d like to see a few changes. They include “a more friendly industrial jobs outlook.”
“Our arts and entertainment segment is doing well. We need to continue to keep and develop our talented artists and performers. However, we also need the money to buy the art and see the performances. To think that all the money is going to be generated by tourists isn’t realistic.”
Harvey says bringing in new businesses “will probably involve an incentive for them to come.”
“I know we don’t want our air or water to be polluted, but we can find a good balance and welcome additional businesses that would be beneficial to our community,” he says. “I believe we can find businesses that are like C&S Wholesale Grocers: boxes in, boxes sorted, and boxes out.”
None of these things can be done alone, he says.
“I’m hoping to be able to express my views and work with a team that would make Brattleboro a more affordable place to live,” Harvey says.
This News item by Virginia Ray was written for The Commons.