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quartadecima t1_j252eja wrote

Reply to comment by 5teerPike in From a relatively new Vermonter who went back to the south for the holidays... by MissJudgeGaming

>>Crazy that nimbys don't consider public safety when you have kids walking home from school on the side of the road.

Or wireless towers for expanded broadband coverage, or renewable energy generation for our climate aspirations. Who wouldn’t want sidewalks?

>>when changes are discussed in your locale more people need to ask themselves what really makes Vermont, Vermont; and we should then ask if the changes proposed actually threaten that, because most of the time it doesn't.

Well said.

>>At one point there used to be more cows than people, and a lot of the forests we have now are because Vermont used to have a lot more farm land that has since grown over. Should we clear cut the trees to make Vermont, Vermont again by bringing the sheep farms back too?

I suspect a some people’s misplaced sentimentality about overcrowded forests that aren’t even old growth gets in the way of forestry practices that would actually promote a healthier ecosystem. “bUt yOu CaNT cHop dOwn TrEes!” they say, though.

>>I think a lot of people confuse preservation with never changing anything. But if your house is already rotting now, you're not doing anyone a favor by leaving it dilapidated for the next generation. . .

Excellent point. It’s incredibly frustrating to see so much crappy housing stock that people try to pass off as “quaint” or “having character” or “being unique,” as though being “unique” is an end in and of itself, even if it is uniquely bad.

Also: God forbid we build high rises or allow for increased density in our urban areas (That was sarcasm). It grinds my gears that people complain about a lack of affordable housing in the same breath as opposing development of denser housing.

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MYrobouros t1_j26ielz wrote

Luckily I think we snuck in some really good stuff in the last legislative term right? Like, iirc by-right 4plex creation and 1/8 acre minimum lots if you're on town water and sewer? Or am I totally off base there?

Either way seeing our State work with the Congress for the New Urbanism was really encouraging. There's a way to keep an authentic Vermont that isn't unlivable and I think there's the will there if we just keep hope.

Well beans I think I was wrong here. Maybe this year!

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5teerPike t1_j252w5m wrote

I don't think we need high rises in small towns to have more affordable housing, and the town i moved to just before the pandemic has been having the sidewalk debate for years. my neighbor, who is around my age aka millennial, is from Vermont and says it was a big issue when they were a child. It's silly! We also have unelected positions on our select board and it drives me nuts because they don't do anything!

Edit: I don't want to chop down the trees either, but they are an example of change that has taken place in the state that some would refuse to recognize for the convenience of their stagnant attitude.

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Vtjeannieb t1_j2599qw wrote

Unelected positions on your Select Board? Never heard of such a thing. Maybe you mean “ran unopposed “, a very different thing. And if you want change, run for a position. Many Vermont towns have a hard time finding people to take these poorly paid, time-consuming, and thankless positions.

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5teerPike t1_j25qugm wrote

Nope. They are unelected

Maybe they have a hard time because anyone who comes in and has ideas™ is called a flatlander & rejected outright lol

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-_Stove_- t1_j29o9ug wrote

Please point to these "unelected selectboard positions" within the state of Vermont.

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5teerPike t1_j29oo98 wrote

I don't want to say exactly where I live, so here's what the deal is in Stowe

"The Town Manager is appointed by the Selectboard and serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Town of Stowe. The Manager is responsible to the Selectboard for the day-to-day administration of local government. He is responsible for hiring and overseeing all non-elected employees, recommending budgets to the Selectboard and advising them, and ensuring that local government services are provided in a professional manner that is consistent with their policy direction."

So it is a thing and it's not just in my town either! The fact that many people don't know this should be a cause for concern, and we should raise our concerns about it.

Edit: East Montpelier has non elected officials as well

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-_Stove_- t1_j29tn05 wrote

So this is not a position on the select board. edit You are clearly conflating "Town officals" with "Selectboard members". Learn the difference.

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5teerPike t1_j29ub66 wrote

In my town several select board members are unelected, even the editor of the local paper told me this. There are unelected positions in other towns as well.

I don't want anyone making any decisions for a town to be unelected, and they are. Besides doxxing myself, what else do you want?

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-_Stove_- t1_j2a51k9 wrote

I don't want anything. I believe that you are wrong, I've asked for concrete examples. I totally understand your desire to privacy, but without providing any additional info, all I can say is...I believe that you are conflating "The selectboard appoints a person to a town position" and "Selectboard members are not elected" (again w/the exception).

If you want the full text: https://www.pantonvt.us/uploads/3/1/6/7/31673701/handbook_for_vermont_selectboards_1-9.pdf

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5teerPike t1_j2a5aq6 wrote

Welp that doesn't change what everyone I've inquired about this with has told me: some select board positions are unelected.

You can believe what you want, multiple people who work for my town have made it painfully clear that I'm not.

Ask around. You may be surprised..

Edit: I'm not reading an entire handbook on this. Can you point me to where it discusses this issue specifically? Which chapter of the document covers this?

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