By JOHN S. MCCRIGHT
WHITING — There was a bit of a race for selectboard at the Whiting town meeting this year. Whiting is one of the old-school Vermont towns that does all of its business on the floor of town meeting. After gathering in the firehouse last March and performing some work on the town hall over the summer, more than three-dozen Whiting residents met in the town hall Tuesday evening to perform their civic duty.
Several incumbents easily won re-election. They included Moderator Pat Mattison, Town Clerk and Treasurer Heather Bouchard, Lister Stacey Freeguard and Delinquent Tax Collector Rani Fallon. Four library trustees also were re-elected: Jaime Quenneville, Peg Allen, Tara Trudo and Tammy Wilbur.
The only moment of contention came when deciding a three-year seat on the Whiting selectboard. Incumbent Steve Quenneville faced a challenge from Jennifer Erwin for the spot that went to paper balloting. There, Quenneville prevailed, 32 to 10.
The one money item on the warning asked for $455,260 for town expenses, an amount that was $44,042, or 10.7%, higher than what was OK’d last year. The selectboard said this budget would require $289,304 in taxes, which is $1,784, or less than 1%, lower than was asked for last year. Bouchard reported that $1,000 was added to the budget ask — so it was $456,260 total spending with $290,304 coming from taxpayers — and it passed on a voice vote.
Also on that Tuesday, Whiting voters weighed in on a proposed Otter Valley Unified Union School District spending plan of $24,174,395, which will result in education spending of $18,629 per equalized pupil — 9.27% higher than spending for the current year. Across the six towns in the district — Whiting, Brandon, Goshen, Leicester, Pittsford and Sudbury — residents voted 755 in favor, 701 opposed.
Winning seats on the OVUUS school board where Kevin Thornton in Brandon, Fernanda Canales in Goshen, Brett Mullins in Pittsford and two at-large candidates, Brent Scarborough and Paul Lathrop. An open seat in Leicester did not earn enough write-in votes (10) to gain a winning candidate.
