BY WILL ROSS & STEVEN JUPITER
Several weeks ago, The Reporter sent the five Brandon selectboard candidates a questionnaire with eight questions. Subsequently, the Brandon Area Chamber of Commerce hosted a forum with the candidates on February 21 during which they fielded questions from the audience. We have decided to combine both sets of questions into a single feature. Since there was some overlap between the two sets, we have omitted redundant material.
The candidates running for the three-year seat are Brian Coolidge (incumbent) and Marielle Blais. The candidates running for the two one-year seats are Seth Hopkins (incumbent), Ralph Either (incumbent), and Cecil Reniche-Smith.
Please keep in mind that the candidates were able to consider their responses to the written questionnaire for several weeks, whereas answers at the forum had to be provided on the spot. Candidates’ responses are presented in alphabetical order by the candidates’ last names.
Questions from our questionnaire will be marked with an asterisk (*).
Opening Statements (Forum)
Blais: I grew up in Northern Vermont, in the Northeast Kingdom. I grew up on a small farm with a large family. I have spent a lot of time going to school in Vermont. After high school, I went to UVM twice and also have a degree from Middlebury College… I have spent a lot of time in school. I feel that my career has involved a lot of service and I have taught people from preschoolers to graduate students. So, I have a lot of experience with lots of people. Education has always been important to me. Service has been important to me. And when I have been serving or teaching, I often volunteered or was recruited. I am very involved politically, both at the local and state level. And what I can bring to the selectboard is my broad knowledge of families in Brandon. I have also done some competitive grant writing.
Coolidge: I was born and raised in town. I care deeply about Brandon and am proud of our community. I served 12 years on the Chamber of Commerce board and tend to be an active member. On July 4th, you can find me cooking hot dogs, come auction time you can find me helping to prepare for one of the town’s most popular days. As a select board member, I’m excited to continue to serve the people of this community. The five members of the board are tasked with serving all of you…making sure our community thrives, grows, and works for all of us. I appreciate the diversity and thought that comes from members of this community. I am aware of the importance that our board continues to be inclusive by ensuring everyone feels value and respect.
Ethier: I come from a family of 11 children. I’m married. I have two girls. I have a grandson and one dog. As far as my education, I went to Seminary Hill School and Otter Valley, where I graduated in 1982. I live on Pearl Street and that’s where I work today in the business that I started back in 1998. I’ve coached several rec league teams. I sponsored rec league teams. I’ve coached at Neshobe, I’ve coached at Otter Valley. I’ve been a member of the planning commission, the DRB, and am currently a member of the selectboard. As far as the reason why I want to be on the selectboard, I think my business experience and my long background in Brandon would help.
Hopkins: My wife and I have lived in Brandon for 18 years in three different homes. We have run a bicycle-and-hiking tour business since we came to Brandon. We get to show people from all over the country and all over the world what a special place it is that we have chosen to make our home. I was part of the budget committee back when that was reinstituted during the tough times. And I’ve been on the selectboard for eight years now, completing my eighth year and my sixth year as chair of the board. I think what I might have of value to bring to the board in this election is that Mr. Atherton was a big part of Brandon’s activities as a town for the last number of years while he was town manager. And I think the town will benefit from some continuity. Just a little bit of a steady hand on the tiller as we look to transition to a new town manager and new priorities. Brandon has gone from a very intense rebuilding phase that lasted a number of years from the physical rebuilding. And now we’re going to look to do some more integration of the whole community.
Reniche-Smith: I only moved here in 2019, but even though I’m relatively new to Brandon, I’m not new to Vermont. I graduated from Vermont Law School many decades ago. And my mother was a long-time resident of Bethel. There’s so much that’s great about Brandon, the vibrant downtown, the active arts community, the recreational opportunities… We immediately started looking for ways that we could give back to Brandon and started volunteering. I am on the planning commission right now and I’m really excited about running for select board. I think I bring a perspective and energy to the board that will be very helpful.
Why are you running for Select Board? If running for re-election, why?*
Blais: It’s hard to get people to run for office. I’ve tried, without success, to recruit others to run, so I decided to run myself. My results in last year’s SB race indicate strong support for me among Brandon residents, several of whom have encouraged me to run again. Since moving to Brandon in 2006, I’ve been elected or recruited to fill positions with local teachers’ unions and nonprofit boards. I’m politically active at local and state levels. Democracy, as messy as it can be, works only when people step up, so that’s what I’m doing. I want to work with others who want to preserve the best of Brandon while continuing to move forward. New members on the selectboard would very likely add new ideas—lively conversations increase public interest in the work of the select board.
Coolidge: I was born and raised in this town. I raised two kids here and I work two jobs right here in Brandon. I care deeply about this town, and I am proud of our community. I am running for re-election because I am very interested in making sure the diversity of this town is represented by the board. Through my interactions with many members of this community, I am always listening, so that I am able to bring to our meeting ideas from a diverse perspective. I have a vested interest in making sure that our town continues to move forward in ways that benefit everyone in our community.
Ethier: I like being involved in the decision making on issues that affect our town. I feel with my background I can bring a lot to the discussion and will be an asset to the board.
Hopkins: In general, I run because I believe I have heart, work ethic, management skills, and discernment that will help the board deliver on its charge to do what’s best for Brandon. In particular this year, I am running because the Town needs continuity in an acute way: I am the only present board member who was on the board that hired Mr. Atherton, and I was vice-chair or chair of the board he partnered with for eight years. We need to maintain progress and momentum, and my board service will be helpful in doing that.
Reniche-Smith: I am running for the Select Board because I love Brandon and I want to use my lived and professional experience to help keep Brandon the wonderful place to live, work and play that it is.
In your opinion, what is the role of the Select Board?*
Blais: Just one role? For starters, roles of selectboard members include engaging in honest and productive conversations with constituents, working as a team to prepare a fiscally responsible annual budget, overseeing town construction projects, presenting complex information in a way that makes it accessible to voters, creating a welcoming atmosphere at meetings, coming to meetings prepared to discuss local issues fairly and openly, and being gracious about admitting mistakes. Selectboard members should also promote the values delineated in the Declaration of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Coolidge: The role of the selectboard is a legislative one. We represent the entire Brandon community. Each year, with the help of a committee composed of volunteers from our community, we create the town’s operating budget. It is important for our board to prioritize the needs of the town in order to put forth a fair budget. Along with proposing budgets, the board is responsible for determining public policy and regulation that represents the ideals of our town.
Ethier: In my opinion, the selectboard should examine whatever issue is in front of them and make a team decision for the best interest of Brandon.
Hopkins: The selectboard has general supervision of the affairs of the town, per Vermont law. The board’s role is to translate the values of the community into thoughtful policy and budgeting. The board is accountable to the voters, answers to them, and takes the trust of the voters very seriously. I would like to bring in more voices from the community in all aspects of local government.
Reniche-Smith: The Select Board is the face of Brandon. The Board, through its policy decisions, has an enormous effect on how the town sees itself and is seen by the rest of the state. As the legislative and oversight branch of town government, the Board helps guide and check the work of the town’s administration. An open and responsive Select Board can help to create an open, responsive, and welcoming administration.
What do you consider your greatest weakness and how do you compensate for that weakness? (Forum)
Blais: I’m going to give you two. If there is somebody a lot of people don’t get along with, I will not get along with that person. But the other one is that I am a procrastinator. I have found ways of dealing with it. I think some of the things I have accomplished have shown that I can overcome my procrastination.
Coolidge: Probably public speaking is not my strong suit.
Ethier: My biggest weakness I think is being able to speak in public. That’s my biggest weakness. And I joined the planning commission, which helps. So, I started to speak on the review board and now the selectboard.
Hopkins: I have come to realize that one of my weaknesses is that I tend to believe that whatever somebody is telling me is what they actually believe. And that I can be a little bit naive in terms of how I trust people. I am trying to not lose my general optimism about people, but at the same time to rely on the good counsel of other people who might say you know, if you want to maybe pause a little bit first.
Reniche-Smith: My greatest weakness is that I tend to want to be the first one to have the right answer. And what I do to control that weakness is that I remind myself that I don’t always have the right answer, that there are often people that do have the right answer. And if I just sit down and shut up and listen to them, I will learn something.
What is your vision going forward for Brandon? (Forum)
Blais: In the short range I’d like to see Brandon really adopt the declaration of diversity, equity, and inclusion. And also it would be nice to get a sidewalk from Brandon to Forestdale.
Coolidge: Continue on the path were going. To keep as Many people satisfied and happy as possible. Keep the town growing.
Ethier: I think one thing in the future is that we’re going to have a new town manager and what skillsets they bring could add a lot to the town. You know, hopefully, we pick the right one that can lead us to even more economic growth. More housing, more businesses, more employees. We got to make it easier for people to move here, make it easier to be able to afford the state.
Hopkins: I think let’s let Brandon be Brandon and not try to force a model onto Brandon that’s not going to work for the people who have made Brandon what it is. There’s nothing wrong with Brandon that can’t be fixed with what’s right with Brandon. And I think that most of what we’ve seen kind of invigorating and enlivening the town has come about just by letting individual people and business owners pursue their dreams and the town trying to facilitate that and not get in the way.
Reniche-Smith: I’d like to see more young families moving to Brandon. My vision of Brandon is we’ve got this great vibrant community and we’ve got some industry and we’ve got some economic base. But my vision is growing that economic base and that tax base both by attracting more businesses that suit the Brandon way of life, that also attracting more young families. Bringing in new families, new life will help Brandon grow and prosper and continue to be the great vibrant town that it is.
What are Brandon’s biggest economic challenges?*
Blais: Brandon’s economic challenges mirror those of Vermont at large: lack of adequate housing for residents of below average and moderate means, shortage of affordable childcare, exorbitant health care costs, and finding and funding solutions for the climate crisis.
Coolidge: We have a wonderful town that has seen welcome growth and change over the past few years. We have many established businesses that are a vital part of our town. However, as with all rural Vermont towns, we are always in search of new ways to create new business opportunities. With increased business opportunities we create new ways to not only welcome new people to our town but to provide employment opportunities for the people living here in addition to helping our own young adults to be able to stay put right here in our town.
Ethier: Brandon’s biggest economic challenge is to make living here more affordable, to attract employees and employers.
Hopkins: Affordable housing came up multiple times in the candidate forum as a mighty economic headwind preventing workers and families from staying or moving here. This hurts all of us. Brandon is not alone in this; it’s a statewide problem. The median home price in Vermont is now more than $300,000, and tellingly, newly built homes sport a median price of $555,000, so there is attention being paid to the high end of the market and a corresponding shortfall in building at more-accessible price points.
Reniche-Smith: Brandon, like the rest of Vermont, is in the midst of an economic shift away from the traditional agricultural and small industrial economies that anchored our tax base. We need to find ways to attract small industries and businesses that will create employment opportunities and grow our tax base without changing the essential nature of our town.
How can the Select Board help address those challenges?*
Blais: The SB plays a crucial role in researching, weighing options, and allocating local, state, and federal funds for all of the issues listed above. My answer focuses on the housing shortage because, though it’s a big problem, it’s one that can be addressed at least partially on the local level, compared, for example, to health care costs. We need to create more low to moderate income housing by rehabbing and/or subdividing houses and apartment buildings and possibly changing zoning laws so there can be more than one dwelling on lots that are big enough. (The planning commission is working to change zoning to allow for accessory dwelling units.) We should encourage home sharing and help residents create spaces for home sharing. We need to continue working with agencies such as the Bennington Rutland Opportunity Council, the Housing Trust of Rutland County, and the Rutland County Housing Coalition. We should investigate the feasibility of using ARPA funds to update housing stock in Brandon.
Coolidge: We need to focus our economic efforts on supporting established businesses while finding innovative ways to attract new business to our town. I would like to see us also capitalize on the talent of our entrepreneurs. I would love to see more opportunities opened for these thinkers to be supported to grow their ideas.
Ethier: I believe the selectboard and new town manager should consider hiring a grant writer. Somebody who can help the town as well as local businesses, landlords, and individuals to know what’s available to them and help apply for them.
Hopkins: Several tracks can be useful; in order from least to most readily implemented: “drawing down” state and federal funding designated for specific types of construction; generally making the permitting and siting process responsive while keeping it responsible (will take local- and state-level efforts); and making our old housing stock more affordable to live in through weatherization offered by HEAT Squad, Efficiency Vermont, and other existing agencies.
Reniche-Smith: As the body that sets the policies and enacts the ordinances relating to economic development, zoning, and land use for the town, the Board can create a welcoming environment for small businesses. The Board also has the authority to enter into tax-stabilization contracts, a well-recognized and successful tool for attracting investment in the town’s economy and allowing for sustainable growth. I would be interested in exploring other methods, including potential cooperative partnerships with neighboring towns, to address these challenges.
What are Brandon’s biggest social challenges?*
Blais: As a Vermont town, Brandon can hardly avoid being very old and very white. The combination of an aging population and declining school enrollment does not bode well for Brandon’s future if we don’t find ways of encouraging a greater diversity of young adults and families to move here. It’s difficult, though, for families to move here when there’s little housing available. There’s no easy or inexpensive way to solve this problem. If we want a healthy workforce, we need to provide more and better technical training. Low-income families suffer disproportionately from food insecurity, housing shortages, and educational challenges. Substance abuse is still prevalent.
Coolidge: My mom, Jane Coolidge, served this community in so many ways, and when she passed, I stepped into her role of helping to ensure that the people of this town have food to eat. Every Sunday, I pick up food from our local grocery store and deliver it to the doors of families. Like my mom did, I take time to talk and to listen to each and every family I deliver to, just as I take time to talk to the people whose houses I paint, and the people who stop me at the grocery store, or at the bank, or really anywhere I go in this town. In all of these ways, I have gotten to know many people I may not have otherwise known. With the diversity of this town, we must listen and learn from people whose backgrounds and experiences are different from our own. We must find ways to hear each other with respect and tolerance. It is important to find more ways to help all the members of this community feel they belong and that their voices are heard.
Ethier: People need to be able to respect each other’s opinion. Not everything is right or wrong. People need to ask questions in person and have conversations. NOT jump to conclusions.
Hopkins: Perhaps surprisingly, our community’s biggest social challenge in 2023 is not something that would have made a list even a few years ago: a disheartening intolerance of other points of view, coupled with a lack of civility in public discourse. This makes it needlessly hard for all voices to be heard and all people to be respected, and even causes some residents to disengage.
Reniche-Smith: Brandon’s population is aging. Having personally experienced the difficulty of finding services and accommodations to allow my mother to age in place in her small town, I am conscious of the need for towns to provide services and accommodations that will allow all citizens to fully participate in town life, regardless of age. We also need to attract young families to Brandon, both to increase our workforce and to ensure that we maintain the kind of diverse and inclusive population that keeps a town vital and inviting to visitors and employers.
How can the Selectboard help address those challenges?*
Blais: The selectboard can help by exploring housing options and making connections with people who are interested in implementing creative housing ideas, especially in currently empty buildings, such as the former Brandon High School, the former fire station, and the pilates studio on Rossiter Street, which has been on the market for several years. The lack of affordable daycare needs to be addressed. Brandon needs creative initiatives to make Brandon welcoming to young families. What about public transportation to places of employment: Omya, Middlebury College, Porter Hospital, Rutland Regional Medical Center? A supervised injection site could help reduce the number of lives lost to substance abuse.
Coolidge: The selectboard can be transparent and welcoming to all community members. Remembering that we are neighbors with good intentions who want what is best for Brandon will help us all keep a civil and respectful relationship.
Ethier: The selectboard needs to be open and transparent. Available to answer questions to clarify issues.
Hopkins: The selectboard must continue to hold itself to the highest standard of respectful interaction with all members of the community. At the very least, it should be a role model for mature and thoughtful deliberation. This does not mean every vote will be or even should be unanimous, but “to lower our voices” would be a simple thing that would strengthen our democracy.
Reniche-Smith: The Board can address some of the concerns of an aging population by ensuring the annual budget includes provisions safe walking and biking routes to essential services, and by encouraging the construction and operation of small-scale care homes and residences for people who may need more assistance with daily activities but who want to stay in the town they love. As for attracting new residents, a significant obstacle is the cost of housing in town; this is an area in which the Board may seek to work collaboratively with developers, other towns and state and regional planning commissions to come up with creative solutions.
What are Brandon’s most serious infrastructure needs?*
Blais: Several big projects have been successfully prioritized and completed, especially downtown, while others are ongoing: wastewater treatment and a new town garage should be installed and built as energy efficiently as possible. Future projects could include broadband internet, repeated attempts to Amtrak to make whistle stops, ride and bike sharing, a sidewalk from Brandon to Forest Dale as a beginning to better and safer integration of these two areas. Brandon’s Main Street is a busy state highway, which should, but often doesn’t guarantee pedestrian safety. Drivers routinely disregard crosswalks and pedestrians waiting to cross. The most effective crosswalk indicators I’ve seen are flashing lights on the actual crosswalk signs. Drivers of large trucks have a difficult time turning out safely from the new gas station across from Conant Square. A remedy for this problem, possibly yet another traffic light in town, should be decided upon without delay. A community solar project needs serious consideration. A rec center would be great. A community garden would be nice. Along with the local student art show, let’s start writing and filming projects. Let’s dream big—it’s free.
Coolidge: Brandon needs to continue to address its aging sewer lines. We need to strengthen these lines to prevent harmful pollution. Also, the Department of Public Works needs upgrades to its facilities to improve safety and efficiency while saving the town money.
Ethier: The sewer plant upgrade will allow for storm water surges and more capacity for new businesses and housing.
Hopkins: The North Street bridge near the Forest Dale post office is undersized; this is one specific location among several that have been identified to mitigate flood damage to roads and homes. The highway barn and complex are in need of attention for worker safety, equipment longevity, and operational and energy efficiency.
Reniche-Smith: As I’ve previously noted, Brandon needs more housing stock to make living in town more affordable. Suitable and sufficient parking near the town center for residents, businesses, and visitors is an ongoing issue. Because of Brandon’s growing reputation as a tourism destination, improvements in walking and cycling routes would not only benefit the town residents in their daily activities but would also have a potential positive effect on tourism revenues.
How can the Select Board help address those needs?*
Blais: See previous response.
Coolidge: Our town has around 22 miles of sewer line to maintain. We are replacing lines a little at a time and will continue to work to address this problem. The Department of Public Works facilities are a potential use of 1% [option tax] funds.
Ethier: This project is being done now. The selectboard can now focus on other projects such as sidewalks, roads, solar farms, etc.
Hopkins: Refitting our roadways for stormwater management will continue to be a priority. A methodical approach which chips away one project at a time will be the best way to leverage regular state funding and multiply local dollars. The 1% fund continues to perform and take pressure off the operating budget for capital needs like these.
Reniche-Smith: Some of the infrastructure needs I’ve highlighted will require the amendment or adoption of local land use ordinances to make it easier to construct new housing or to convert existing housing stock into multiple residential units. As the town’s legislative body, the Board would be the ultimate decider on such ordinances. Some improvements might require the expenditure of town funds to purchase land to use for increased parking spots, and the Board should also factor the need for sidewalk and road shoulder improvements (as necessary for bike lanes) into expenditure and budget discussions.
What energy could be generated between the selectboard and private citizens to get a trail system started in the town? (Forum)
Blais: Yes, I would definitely support Greenways and I was talking to one of the members of that committee and saying that if we’re going to be working on trails, we also need to be working on pollinator plants, the native plants, and all of that. I would also like to see a community garden in Brandon.
Coolidge: I’ll echo what Ralph said I think Greenways is getting there.
Ethier: I think some of it has started, like the Greenways. I think they’re working on a trail system. I know there was talk about one from Estabrook into town. So, I think it’s in the process. I would support that absolutely.
Hopkins: We’ve had more than one occasion of a request for a road to be thrown up and the town has preserved it as a legal trail or as a Class 4 gate road, things like that. So, in that way we’re at least not fracturing what could be components of a no-motorized-traffic kind of trail system.
Reniche-Smith: I agree that I would love to see a series of interconnected trails and the Greenways has started. Part of it is having to work with private property owners and getting the property easements to go across their property. Another thing that I would like to see is an off-the-traveled-highways bike path between Brandon and Forestdale. It’s a great way to connect downtown Brandon with Forestdale. Sometimes I think that there’s kind of a disconnect between these parts of the town and I don’t like that. I want everyone to feel part of town life.
Do you support a town-owned solar farm? (Forum)
Blais: [M]y sense is that a community or a town-owned solar project would be beneficial. I’d have questions about one that would be owned by the town, but I think it could be worked so that it would be beneficial for the town.
Coolidge: At this point I need more information. I think there are too many questions we don’t have answers to yet.
Ethier: I’m not sure if I support it or not, I’d like to see more information on it, on how much revenue we’d get from it, how much we’d save compared to somebody else owning it and taking all the responsibility for the cleanup down the road and just managing it and you know, those aspects of it. So, I’d like to see numbers on it before I make a decision on it.
Hopkins: Yes.
Reniche-Smith: I would have to see the numbers in terms of budget. In terms of technology, I’m satisfied about the technology and the benefit that it would have. But I want to see how much it would cost the town and how much we get back. Whether it’s something that we could own, one that was large enough that not only served the town but that we could sell excess electricity and raise money for other infrastructural needs. But I’m certainly not opposed.
What qualities are you looking for when you go to interview candidates for the town manager job? (Forum)
Blais: I think people skills are really important. The town manager has to be able to be accepting or comfortable getting flack—because there will be people who have strong opinions about the decisions made.
Coolidge: Be flexible, be a good listener be a good problem solver. Just be open to the people they’re working for.
Ethier: I guess one of the first things I would be looking for is the person that we choose be willing to move to Brandon. I’d like to see our town manager living in Brandon or live here now. I’d like somebody that has experience.
Hopkins: I just want to first disclose to those of you who might not be aware that I put my name in for consideration for the town manager position. So, I’m speaking on a topic that I won’t take any part in as a selectboard member. I think Brandon, to become the fullest, Brandon needs to also work on the horizontals, which is incorporating more voices of Brandon people into all aspects of town government.
Reniche-Smith: The general skills I’d like to see is someone who definitely can work with people, can supervise employees, can work with other account managers. Specific skills I’d like to see are the ability to stay within budgets and the ability to get money through grants
Closing Statements (Forum)
Blais: I go to selectboard meetings pretty regularly and this is what I’ve noticed and is why I want to be on the select board: not everybody on the select board speaks out very much. I know when I ran for selectboard last year, I came very close to defeating an incumbent. I think as a selectboard member, I would want people to know how I feel about the issues that the selectboard deals with. And to do that you have to speak up…I think that Brandon can continue to grow. and one of the things I would say about me is that I have lived in different places, I have worked with a lot of different people, and wherever I’ve been, I have been somebody who has pitched in and has volunteered or been recruited to be on committees and I am ready to do that here. I do it already and I would like to do it on the selectboard.
Coolidge: I take my time making decisions, try not to rush and make hasty decisions. I have the best interests of everybody here at heart. I want the area to thrive and do well. My roots run deep in this town. I want Brandon to succeed. It is a wonderful place, but I recognize there is work to be done. We must continue to ensure that everyone is included in the effort to help our town thrive. We must understand the needs of the most vulnerable in our town and include them and customize the solutions that work for all of us. Our small town has an opportunity to shine a light on new and creative ideas and we recognize that inclusion is great to both social and economic development. I have the best interests in Brandon’s future and am excited to continue my work on the selectboard and help the community grow.
Ethier: I think every one of us up here would make a good selectboard member. We all have different opinions and views on things. I think it’s up to all the voters to pick who they think best fits the board. If you like my background and business and the long time I’ve lived here, I hope you consider that. I think that I would be the best one. I guarantee you I’ll give a hundred percent on the selectboard. Whatever decisions get made will be for the best of Brandon. You know, in my opinion, I have no personal agenda or anything. I just want what’s best for Brandon. Thank you.
Hopkins: I think that in eight years I probably conservatively sat on the selectboard for more than 200 meetings and I’ve chaired about 150 meetings and I cannot recall that I ever lost my temper with anybody. I think that for 200 select board meetings, I’ve been someone who’s demonstrated that I really value what the people of this town want the selectboard to hear. And I weigh all of those considerations. I think that having recently had our town manager resign, there’s some benefit from someone with a little bit of a steady hand on the till. I think that one of the most useful things that we can do as citizens today is to start hanging out with people outside our bubbles. And we we’re all in different kinds of bubbles and the more bubbles that you can get involved with, the more you’re going to understand the place where you live. And I think that in terms of what the selectboard does…we do have to be able to listen to people with all kinds of backgrounds, people from all walks of life, people in different stages of maturity and different stages of family and employment. And I feel like that’s something that I actually delight in. I think selectboard service and even just this interactive part of it is a great way to kind of break your bubble and to weave yourself in more successfully so the whole community becomes more integral.
Reniche-Smith: I have a background and skill set that’s currently not represented on the board. Before I came here, I was a government lawyer. Before I was a government lawyer. I was in private practice. I represented cities, towns, municipalities, and counties. So, I know how government works. I know the things that can get government in trouble. I know how to prevent that from happening in the first place and I know how to fix it when it does happen. I understand the law and I feel like it’s just an added skill that would help in making decisions. I love Brandon. I come from a family of public servants. Volunteerism is in my blood. What I do want is to serve. The people of Brandon have been so welcoming to me and to keep the things that I love about Brandon going and growing and to help Brandon with the challenges that we are facing. I just want to help Brandon stay the wonderful town that I fell in love with.
