By STEVEN JUPITER
BRANDON—A few years ago, there was an intelligent, capable candidate for Selectboard who was fairly new to town and unfamiliar to most residents, a major disadvantage in a place where long-standing personal relationships are highly valued. Moreover, much of her campaign centered on what, in her estimation, was “wrong” with Brandon. She ultimately lost and publicly blamed it on “nativism,” a perceived hostility to newcomers. The assertion, however constructively intended, wasn’t well received. That candidate is no longer a resident of Brandon, but her criticism of Brandon’s culture lingered in the air and is still sometimes a topic of living-room debate. Does Reniche-Smith’s victory last week force a reconsideration of Brandon’s supposed “nativism” or was it simply a one-off exception, especially given the comfortable wins by Messrs. Hopkins and Coolidge?
Ms. Reniche-Smith has an admirable resume with a good deal of highly relevant experience, but much of her success was due to the savvy way she ran her campaign and the particular issues she chose to focus on. Rather than discuss all the ways in which she believed Brandon needed to change, she emphasized all the ways in which Brandon was already succeeding and made suggestions on how to build on them. The message seemed to be “I may be new, but I value this place.” Reniche-Smith had also gotten involved in various committees and organizations, making clear that she was committed to the betterment of the town. It was a successful approach, allowing her to gain a comfortable enough margin over Ralph Ethier, an incumbent with deep roots in Brandon, to say that voters had made a clear choice.
Those same voters, however, also chose to reward Seth Hopkins and Brian Coolidge for their many years of service on the Selectboard: both won re-election by wide margins. Residents seem to be generally pleased with the performance of the Selectboard. Brandon does appear to be in a secure position financially and many large infrastructure projects have been executed well, including the mammoth Segment 6 renovation of downtown. Voters recognized that Brandon is fortunate to have a competent town government, whether or not we all agree with every decision it makes. Competence deserves to be acknowledged. Marielle Blais, qualified as she is, was unable to gain an edge over Mr. Coolidge’s years of service on the board.
It’s also worth noting that both Ms. Reniche-Smith and Ms. Blais had applied for the board vacancy left after Michael Markowski resigned last year. There was some heated public discussion at the time about the need for “diversity” on what was then an all-male board. The board ultimately gave the vacant seat to Mr. Ethier in a closed-door process that many saw as ill-advised. To the great credit of all the candidates, even those who were frustrated by that experience, no one made the race personal. But it may be that enough voters kept in mind the frustrations of that episode to put Ms. Reniche-Smith ahead of Mr. Ethier, who was still barely settled on the board.
When those accusations of “nativism” were made a few years ago, they offended a good number of people who consider themselves natives and rankled a good number of people who good-naturedly accept the label “flatlander” as they find their places in the community. On the one hand, a lot of newcomers arrive with the best intentions and a sincere desire to contribute. On the other hand, though, there is indeed something to be said for demonstrating your commitment to the community before asking to lead it. It’s not “nativism” to ask that someone understand a place by meeting its people, respecting its culture, and pitching in to make things work.
In New York City, where I was born and from which I came to Vermont, everyone is always on the lookout for the “hot new thing.” The culture there sheds people and ideas like dogs shed hair. I learned very quickly that things operate differently in Vermont. Here, people cherish commitment and dedication. You earn respect by giving respect. What you did in your “past life” is nowhere near as important as what you do once you get here. Some may call it “paying your dues.” I have found Vermont, and Brandon in particular, a warm, welcoming place, especially if you’re willing to roll your sleeves up and help out.
Recently, a friend here in Brandon told me a story about a woman who was very involved in community life and who passed away several years ago. Whenever she met new people in town, she’d ask, “What do you do?” In any other place, the question would be taken to mean “What do you do for a living?” Here in Brandon, it meant “What do you do to contribute?”
The election results last week seem to confirm, at least to some extent, the continued validity of that question.
