LONDONDERRY, Vt. – The July 1 selectboard meeting opened with announcements, one of which was from town administrator Shane O’Keefe, stating they had received $487,087 in reimbursements from FEMA, adding, “I think we’re well ahead of most other towns.”
Board chair Tom Cavanagh moved on to announce the resignations from planning commission members. He said there were “so many” resignation letters, “I’m not going to read them out loud.” The letters can be found on the town’s website, www.londonderryvt.org/town/agendasminutes, in the July 1 meeting packet.
Elsie Smith had notified the planning commission in January of her resignation, which was effective June 1.
Richard Dale said, “I have been honored to have served for more than twelve years as an appointed planning commissioner,” seven of which as the elected secretary. He noted the time and dedication each member put in to their duties serving the community. “We each considered our work on behalf of the citizens valuable and important, both to the citizens and to the future of Londonderry, and were happy to devote our time and energy to do the job as well as possible.”
Mary Adams Lines submitted her letter resigning after serving seven years on the board. She stated, “Recently, I have developed a growing unease and disappointment about the culture and support at the highest levels of our town’s government. The environment has been tense, lacking a considered, deliberative process and attitude. It has driven me to focus on other opportunities that provide a level of conduct, appreciation, motivation, and inclusivity to which I’ve been accustomed in the past.” She added, “I would like to express my appreciation and pride for the opportunity.”
Sharon Crossman expressed her appreciation for the opportunity to serve on the planning commission for over 35 years. She wrote, “My parting wish is that, going forward, those in charge as volunteer town officials will consider and continue working together to restore a sense of trust and positive intentions overall for Londonderry.”
Heather Stephenson also submitted her resignation “with thoughtful consideration” after a “brief tenure,” expressing her gratitude for the planning commission. “I leave with the deepest appreciation for the volunteers who have given countless hours of service. I will miss their company, civility, kindness, and the invaluable experience they’ve contributed to our town.” She concluded, “I look forward to participating as a resident or in volunteer efforts aligned with my values.”
Maryann Morris wrote, “As an appointee, I believed that we were working under the guidance, cooperation, and with full knowledge and support of the selectboard and other employees. Despite working on, holding open meetings, and reporting to the selectboard about our projects regularly throughout my tenure, and in the years prior, we found out that the many hours of our work and consultant costs were for naught. Prior insight and guidance from our town selectboard – our town’s leaders – could have avoided the deep divide within the town that has since developed.” She added, “I am proud of the progress we have made, and I remain hopeful that future efforts will be met with the support, cooperation, and clarity they deserve.”
Larry Gubb regretfully resigned after serving on the planning commission since 1991. In his six-page letter, he said it was “an honor and a pleasure to work with many wonderful and intelligent people volunteering with a strong dedication to the town.” He noted that only a handful of people attended their meetings. “A lack of interest while the process of reviewing and revising both the town plan and zoning bylaws following the town plan has…been a common occurrence.” He continued, “In addition, because the planning commission exists under the authority of the selectboard, the work of the all-volunteer planning commission was constantly reviewed by the selectboard during the processes of revisions and rewrites…the selectboard could comment on them as well as the public.”
Gubb reflected on the years, “While there were always differences of opinion and revisions, never were there feelings of enmity, animosity, or the intonation brought forth that the planning commission was doing anything but working for the town and in the town’s interest, and trying to do so with little or no overall participation of community members… There was always the idea that concerns could be worked through cooperatively, not poised as an us vs. them entity struggle.”
“In spite of open meetings, publicized versions of the bylaw revisions, meeting minutes…sparsely attended planning commission hearings,” Gubb said it was somewhere suggested that “the planning commission was trying to do something underhanded, and to ‘sneak’ a bylaw through.” Gubb continued, “Instead of defending [our] work…the planning commission was presented as ‘not listening’ to a community that didn’t appear to want to be heard, or even interested in the process until most of it was done.” He added, “There appeared to be no problem alerting some of the apparently uninterested ‘community’ to review what they had constantly already had access to,” at the last minute. “The top leadership several times appeared to suggest that not enough time was given to read and contemplate the most recent small set of changes, and indicated that there were many more changes in particular to be addressed.”
Gubb concluded, “I am saddened to have to end those many years [of service] under these circumstances. I am saddened to see a number of dedicated volunteers who are also residents and members of the community be accused as I have, of trying to do something underhanded and not inclusive of the community.”
In response, board member Martha Dale expressed at the meeting, “I would like us to sit back and process what most of those individuals are talking about…to understand why there was a mass resignation.” She said the key topic was the lack of support the planning commission received during the process, which took five years. Dale continued, stating that they needed to give the new members the support they need. “It’s our job as a board to take interest in support of people volunteering their time.”
Dale asked how they could thank the committee for their time, to celebrate all the work they achieved. “That’s a good question,” stated member Taylor Prouty. He said in most instances, they could do that individually, “but this is an entire board.”
Dale suggested a letter from the chair, which produced no comment from Cavanagh. “A ‘thank you’ should suffice,” said board member Jim Flemming.
Dale then recommended warning for the vacancies, saying she wanted it to “be open to everybody.” Cavanagh stated that it is, and will be, open to everyone. The town would put posters at the post office and post the positions on the town’s website. Dale expressed the need to have an array of expertise on the planning commission, to have backgrounds that will work well together, and to be well-staffed with competencies in different areas.
Dale was later appointed to the housing commission, taking recently resigned Melissa Brown’s position. “I’d love to do that,” Dale said.
The next Londonderry Selectboard meeting will be held Monday, July 15, at 6 p.m.