Dear Editor,
I am writing this letter to endorse Janet Perry for Selectboard in the town of Athens.
I have held elected office in Athens for over 20 years in the position of lister; I am the assistant town clerk and previously have served on the School Board. I have also spent many years as a volunteer for various endeavors in our town. During this time, I have gotten to known Janet as she became more and more involved in our town starting with serving on the Town Planning Commission, to being on the Meeting House Committee, being an auditor for the town and also being a part of our town’s budget committee. She has also donated product from her family’s small farm to the annual community picnic hosted by Grafton Cares and to fundraisers held by the Meeting House Committee for the ongoing renovation of the Athens Brick Meeting House. I cannot say the same of the other candidate running for this office.
Janet has become familiar with the workings of the Selectboard in her capacity as a member of our “volunteer” budget committee. She is always willing to work and do research to find out where and if the financial burden to the property owners in Athens can be reduced. This knowledge has only been expanded by her position as an Auditor, which, unfortunately, she will have to resign from if elected, but I feel she will better serve the community in the position of Selectboard member.
I would also like to endorse Matt Perry for Road Commissioner. This elected position, in our town, has traditionally been filled by our road foreman, which Matt has served as for the past two years after the retirement of our previous road foreman.
Matt was the second man in our two-man road crew for over 20 years. He has intimate knowledge of the roads and infrastructure in our town roads. Matt has also been working on getting grants to defray the costs of upgrades to certain sections of our roads such as the area known as “Hedgehog” and continues to seek cost cutting grants for upgrades to our roads that have been mandated by the state.
Wherever Matt can help reduce the costs of running the road maintenance department, he has made a sincere effort to do so without endangering the residents of Athens or those that use our roads on a daily basis. Also while maintaining standards set by the state.
In all fairness the Road Commissioner’s position is merely one as a go-between for the Selectboard and the road foreman. This is why the road foreman has traditionally, in our town, held that position. I don’t believe we need another person to fill that position or in actuality that position even needs to exist. During my entire residency in Athens of some 40 years, Road Commissioner and road foreman have been one and the same person.
Matt has done an outstanding job in some very trying times, and I think we all need to continue to support him and Eugene, our newest road crewmember, by voting in Matt to continue in his position as Road Commissioner.
Sincerely,
Sandi Capponcelli
Athens, Vt.