Last Thursday evening’s Woodstock Selectboard Meeting could be described as democracy in action — as 60-100 residents gathered at Town Hall to attend the meeting, with an additional 60 or more connections joining via Zoom. The turnout came after Woodstock resident Alison Taylor encouraged her fellow residents to attend the meeting and make their voices heard.
At the outset of the meeting, chair Susan Ford reacted to the crowd, saying, “We usually speak to three people, so this is great. It’s going to take a little adjusting for us to get used to it, so bear with us.”
In an email correspondence with the Standard this week, Taylor explained why she felt the need to issue this call-to-action. She said, “I felt compelled to ask residents to attend the meeting because I had heard that the selectboard thought the number of people dissatisfied with our municipal governance was extremely small because no one ever comes to meetings.
“It seemed as though residents’ continual efforts to speak out about recent events were being dismissed and ignored due to the selectboard’s impression that this was a very small number/handful of vocal people repeatedly posting on the listserv,” she said. “My personal experience indicated otherwise, and I thought it was important for the selectboard to understand the breadth and depth of concern, frustration, and anger that exists in the community.”
Ford told the Standard, “I was given a heads up. I believe there was an outreach to try to get as many people [at the meeting] as possible who are not happy with what they perceive to be happening in the town. For many [attendees], it was the first time we’ve seen them in a meeting so I was thrilled they came and I was thrilled that a lot stayed beyond the citizens’ comments. I’m hopeful that they saw that we do have full agendas and we are actually working on matters for the town.”
Selectboard vice chair Laura Powell added in an email to the Standard, “It is always a win for Woodstock when many community members show up to a meeting. That level of participation is important for local government. What was clear to me from the members of the public that spoke is their desire for more transparency. I hope the community sees our board working hard to answer questions and concerns and that they keep attending our meetings.”
Many townspeople expressed frustration during and after the meeting, specifically about the lack of clear communication and transparency coming from the board. Woodstock resident Bonnie Clement told the Standard, “I have been paying attention for quite a long time. Now, questions are asked daily of the selectboard and the trustees and of [municipal manager] Eric Duffy, and no one gets answers. I said [at Thursday’s meeting], ‘At what point will people start getting answers? When will you answer these questions about Eric’s raise and about how it’s possible that he makes more money than the governor of New Hampshire?’”
“They couldn’t answer that because [residents] can’t ask a question at a selectboard meeting and get a response unless it is on the agenda, which I feel is the most ludicrous thing. You can’t go to a meeting during citizen comment-and-question time and receive an answer. That feels pretty unfriendly, especially when you know they have the answers. I don’t believe any of these questions are caught off guard; they are questions that keep being asked over and over and over again.”
For the full story, please see our March 26 edition of the Vermont Standard.
