It’s almost time for Vermont’s Town Meeting Day — the Super Bowl of local democracy. Tomorrow voters across the state will weigh in on local issues, and get to vote in the Republican and Democratic presidential primaries.
We checked in on some of the issues being voted on in towns and cities across Vermont, from Greensboro to Winooski. We also heard about a relatively new tradition that has cropped up in many Vermont communities—the mock town meeting. About 50 students at Woodbury Elementary School in Washington County gathered in their cafeteria-gym to vote last month on which activities they would pursue and how to spend some school money. Carpentry and cooking beat out maple tree tapping and sewing, and playground equipment got more votes than a footbridge.
Our guests included:
- Jeff Coslett, Cambridge select board chair, discussed the town's vote on moving to an Australian ballot
- Jon Rauscher, Winooski public works director, on the city's $4.6 million bond to pay its share of the Main Street Bridge replacement
- Jane Hoffman, member of the Greensboro Conservation Commission, on the vote to declare the town a "pollinator-friendly community"
- Jack McCullough, Montpelier mayor, on the city's vote on just-cause evictions
- Isabella May, a 16-year-old Brattleboro High School student, on voting for the first time
Broadcast at noon Monday, March 4, 2024; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.
