John Owen Joins Selectboard
by Nancy Wood,
May 26, 2010.....

The Selectboard has appointed John Owen to fill Frank Thornton’s seat on the board until the next regular election at Town Meeting in March 2011. The appointment was approved at the Monday, May 24, meeting. Other candidates for the position included Moe Harvey and Clark Hinsdale. Patrice Machavern had indicated an interest but withdrew her name before the meeting.
Owen has accepted the appointment, and he has submitted his resignation from the Planning Commission and the Affordable Housing Trust Fund Committee. The Selectboard will be seeking candidates to fill those positions. John said he believed there was a conflict of interest to continue serving on the Planning Commission, as there are some issues that come up before both boards. He also felt the workload and time commitment would be too much.
John describes himself as a “process person” who hopes to bring his organizational skills to the Selectboard. He said he had concerns about how the Raven Ridge and LeBoeuf property purchase issues were handled, but felt that the process set up around Ancient Roads worked well. In that instance the Selectboard tasked the Planning Commission to establish criteria for reviewing the various roads and gather public input. Owen said, “There are many good committees in town, doing good stuff. The Selectboard should rely more on them. The role of the board should be to lead and coordinate the work of those groups to make things happen.” He cited the East Charlotte planning process as an example that is “really exciting” with the involvement of many residents.
He also said the work plan that the Selectboard is currently reviewing and prioritizing is a good first step.
Owen plans first to listen and learn about his new role on the Selectboard. He said he will probably run for the seat in March if he feels he is making a difference on the board. One specific area he mentioned was the need for a general committee on affordable housing to be reestablished that can continue efforts to provide housing in Charlotte, especially for seniors.
John and his wife Ann live on Cannon Point Road. In addition to public service he is actively engaged in his church, playing the cello, woodworking and sailing.