Published on June 21, 2006

I served as a selectman in Stannard for 15 years.  Everything I know about the job’s pitfalls I learned from falling into them.

Governing a Vermont town is not a matter of political theory.  It is a balancing act between the democratic process of Town Meeting  and the practicality of the board of selectmen.

In Vermont, citizens tax themselves to carry out necessary town activities, and selectmen oversee those activities sticking to the budget given them by the people.

Because special Town Meetings take time to organize they aren’t that useful for resolving day-to-day problems.  For that reason the town selects a small group to act on the Town Meeting’s behalf during the year.  It is hard to anticipate what sort of problems may arise, so selectmen are given a great deal of authority.

The art lies in knowing when selectmen should act on their own and when they should seek advice from their fellow citizens — when they should exercise their full authority and when to call a Town Meeting.

Sheffield Selectmen recently signed a contract with UPC Vermont committing the town to support the company’s application to build 20 commercial-scale wind turbines in return for an annual payment of between $400,000 and $550,000.

I am sure the selectmen think the agreement serves the best interests of the town.  Max Aldrich, chairman of the Sheffield Selectmen, said recently that the agreement reflects the views of the majority of Sheffield residents.

It may well be so.  A nonbinding vote held in December supported the wind project in principle.

Nevertheless, it would have been wise for the selectmen to put the final agreement to voters for their consideration.

A contract that binds the town for years to come is not a light matter.  It is an issue that all members of the community should have an opportunity to consider.

It is quite possible that an open meeting might have revealed problems in the agreement the selectmen never noticed.  It may well be that the contract as written would have met with overwhelming approval.

Had it been ratified by Town Meeting the agreement would have a moral force greater than a contract negotiated in private and concluded by only three citizens can claim.

A Town Meeting is a powerful instrument, meant to convey voter assent or disapproval.  It is a means of settling questions — not a tactic, to be used or not depending on a desired outcome.

Discussion, however contentious, can clear the air and lead, eventually, to a renewal of civic harmony.

The Barton Selectmen erred in the opposite way when they recently decided not to seek standing before the Public Service Board in its deliberations concerning the UPC project.

The selectmen decided not to act because of a lack of public interest.  The result is that the town lacks a means of expressing its opinion should facts emerge, in the process, that would make it desirable for Barton to support or oppose the project.

Selectmen tread a narrow path. Sometimes they need the people’s judgment, sometimes they must act on their own.  The correct choice is everything.