Experience

I have thrown myself into community service since I moved to Shaftsbury in 2010.

Volunteer

As a volunteer I have been involved in Town affairs since I moved here in 2010:

  • Attended nearly every school board meeting from 2010 to 2016
  • Taught in the after school program
  • Organized volunteers to paint the exterior of the school building
  • Led the effort to lower the speed limit on 7A in the village
  • Member of the committee that organized the Town’s 250th anniversary celebration

Selectboard

I served as Shaftsbury Selectboard Chair from 2013-2021. Notable accomplishments during my tenure include:

  • Constructing a Public Works garage, a goal of the Town’s Selectboards for nine years
  • Constructing a new solid waste transfer station
  • A transformative second floor remodel of town offices Cole Hall
  • Support for affordable housing, including fighting for Shires Housing’s Paran Lake Village
  • Establishing an equipment reserve fund so that future highway equipment is purchased with savings and not debt
  • Providing for an external audit of Town finances every year
  • Rewriting the Town’s zoning bylaws

Southern Vermont Communications Union District (SoVT CUD)

I led the effort to found SoVT CUD and served as their first chair. I continue to represent Shaftsbury on the governing board as SoVT CUD moves closer to bringing high speed Internet service to under-served areas of Bennington County.

Economic Development

I have been deeply involved in regional efforts to improve the economy of Southern Vermont:

  • I supported the Putnam Block development
  • I was a member of the Regional Economic Development (RED) Group that joined with Windham County to create a regional Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS), opening the door to federal funding
  • I support Gov. Scott’s VOREC (Vermont Outdoor Recreation Economic Collaborative) and I am a member of Shires Outdoor Adventure & Recreation (SOAR), a group that formed to support that effort
  • I have personally undertaken uploading Bennington area hiking trails into the State’s TrailFinder.info online system