Q&A with candidates for selectboard

By Tom Ayres, Vermont Standard Senior Staff Writer

Voters in Reading, Woodstock, and Pomfret will be choosing among competing candidates for contested selectboard slots in each community on Town Meeting Day, Tuesday, March 5. The Standard reached out to the candidates in three towns with a standardized set of questions earlier this week. Three candidates from Reading and two from Woodstock all responded to the questions. The two candidates running against each other for selectboard in Pomfret — incumbent Steve Chamberlin and his opponent, Frank Perron Jr. — did not respond to the Standard’s inquiries by press time.

Powell vs. Smith in Woodstock

Incumbent Selectperson Laura Powell is vying against longtime Village businessman Scott Smith for a one-year term on the Town of Woodstock Selectboard. Powell was appointed to fill a vacancy by a unanimous vote of the board last year. Prior to serving on the selectboard she was the clerk of the Woodstock Planning Commission. She is a small business consultant and active community volunteer.

Scott Smith grew up in the Upper Valley and graduated from Woodstock Union High School. Smith and his wife, Kim, have lived in Woodstock for 23 years. They own and operate several businesses in Woodstock Village.

Q: What is it that motivates you to public service and to seek elective office?

Laura Powell: I was raised in a family and a community that instilled a strong sense of civic duty – my mother, who brought my brother and I to the polls as small children; my grandparents, who encouraged mock debates at dinner; carpool parents and teachers who helped me understand even small decisions have an impact. 

I am seeking office to continue serving my community. I care deeply about simplifying complex matters – whether it’s conducting research for the board or expanding voter education, and I believe that’s where I provide value on the board. 

Scott Smith: Having grown up in the area, living and owning businesses here for the past 20 years, I know the issues well and would like to contribute my experience and expertise. Woodstock is a wonderful place to live and work. I would like to help keep it this way.

Q: What are some of the key issues and challenges facing the Town of Woodstock and the selectboard in the coming year?

Powell: I think everyone can name the challenges facing the Town this year – the costs of the forthcoming bonds for the school, wastewater treatment plant, possibly the water company. But all these decisions point to a larger question which is: what kind of future do we want to plan for? The challenge for the Selectboard will be educating residents about the choices before them and what their impact will be.

Smith: There are four key issues facing the town right now and those are school, sewer, Village water, and housing. We need to provide an excellent education environment for our students and we need to repair our failing infrastructure. In addition, we need more housing for workers and families to be able to live in Woodstock. However, we need practical solutions that are within our means.  

Q: Is there anything else you’d like to add about your candidacy?

Powell: I’m no stranger to hard work. I have worked for myself for seven years and built a business solely from word-of-mouth referrals. Additionally, I created a website where folks can find explanations of the articles that will be on the ballot — powellforwoodstock.com.

Smith: I grew up in the area and graduated from Woodstock Union High School. My wife, Kim, and I have lived in the Town of Woodstock since 2001 and raised our two children here. We have three businesses in downtown: Woodstock Scoops, Red Wagon Toy Company and 37 Central Clothiers.  We also own commercial real estate, 39 Central Street, the building in which our stores are located, along with many office spaces fully occupied. My experiences in growing up here and owning and operating these businesses, as well as having an MBA in Finance, give me a great perspective on the issues and needs of the Town of Woodstock. 

Gallowhur, Rowlee, Hern Silvester in Reading

A trio of candidates are stepping up to run for a three-year term on the three-member selectboard in Reading. Longtime selectboard member and current Chair Gordon Eastman is not seeking reelection. Stacy Gallowhur and Dylan Rowlee are both multi-generation farmers in the community, while Lisa Hern Silvester is a small businessperson who provides equine massage therapy services. Each candidate took the time this past week to speak or write about their respective candidacies.

Q: What is it that motivates you to public service and to seek elective office?

Stacy Gallowhur: I think the largest thing that motivates me is that I want to be a part of the conversation. And I want to have the transparency, listen to the voters, and make sure we relay the information about what is going on in our local government to all of those in our community and not just a few. I want to move that process forward.

Dylan Rowlee: There’s a lot to that answer. You know, I’ve lived in Reading my entire life. I’ll be 41 in February. I was born and raised in Reading, I went to the Reading school. I just want to basically do what’s best for Reading. I have a lot of history here. My father was on the selectboard for I can’t remember exactly how many years until he passed. He was still on the selectboard when he passed away. Reading is a very small and close community. I just want to do as much as I can to help the town. That’s basically it.

Lisa Hern Silvester: I have lived in Reading for over 30 years. I am a wife, mom and a small business owner of 19 years. Currently, I hold the position of Animal Control Officer for Reading. I became more interested in town government in 2020, attending numerous Selectboard and Planning Commission meetings. During this time I gained a better understanding of our Town Plan and how it reflects the wishes of the community for the direction of Reading’s growth and development. Observing the work of our local government and recognizing its importance to our community launched my commitment to serve the town as a member of the selectboard.

Q: What are some of the key issues and challenges facing the Town of Reading and the selectboard in the coming year?

Gallowhur: I think that we’re such a small community and we luckily have a unique environment where there’s not a whole lot of challenges that come across the table, so to speak. And again, back to communication: transparency, making sure that we’re reaching out to all of the community instead of just the select few. I believe it’s important that when we do have topics or issues that come up, we address them as quickly as possible with as much knowledge as possible, using the community as a great resource.

Rowlee: I don’t know if there are any specific issues. It’s the same things — there’s always the school situation and things like that. The other thing is the leaf peeper situation – some of the stuff we’re going to have to deal with is tourism and stuff like that. And honestly, I think small business in this town or even in surrounding towns is a big thing that we need to try to promote. We need to bring small businesses to this town, because that’s what’s going to bring people to Reading and keep the local people here.

Hern Silvester: First and foremost are the continued efforts of recovering from last summer’s flooding. The damage not only to infrastructure within the town but also the losses to individual residents remain a priority. Other key issues are the closing of two businesses in Reading over the last year and what can be done to help create opportunities for commerce. The Reading Town Plan targets the need for wastewater/freshwater upgrades in the village center, cell coverage and affordable housing as influences in forwarding this initiative.

Q: Is there anything else you’d like to add about your candidacy?

Gallowhur: You know, we have a few businesses that have closed, changed hands, they haven’t reopened. And one of the significant reasons I wanted to get involved is to figure out and find a way to work with the community to attract new investment into those businesses and play off the assets that we have in town. We have Spring Brook Farm. We have an issue with affordable housing that we need to address. And then we have the Hall Art Foundation, which is a great asset as well. So we have to be looking at the assets and the challenges that we have on a closer basis – having that communication and that dialogue with the community to figure out how we can make Reading vibrant again.

Rowlee: There are small changes that we need to address, but I don’t think there are immediate things. Reading has done very well — I have no qualms with the current selectboard whatsoever. I think some people don’t realize how much time some of the selectboard in Reading put in on a daily basis. I think a selectman does more for the town than people might see. And I would like to somehow, if there’s a way, bring a little light to that.

My daughter is the eighth generation to live in the same house in Reading. It’s a family farm and it has been in Reading for eight generations. I don’t take that lightly.

Hern Silvester: I have two personal goals if elected to the selectboard. The first is to ensure support to the Reading Elementary School. We have an asset in our town through the school to attract young families to live here. Our small school with its beautiful campus and low student-teacher ratios is sought after by parents. Reading Elementary is the heart of our community and its success is critical to the vitality of our town. The second is to explore what an “Age-Friendly Environment,” as outlined in the Town Plan, looks like in Reading. Aging in Place is working in the community currently, but are there other programs that could be utilized as well? I think we need to cultivate conversations with our older residents to hear what their thoughts are for Reading’s future.

In closing, I’d like to say that the opportunity to serve our town on the selectboard would be a privilege — and doing so as the first woman elected would be an honor.