Letters
June 3, 2010, page 3.....
CCS Board, Robin Reid, Candis Perrault-Kjelleren, Louise Ransom

Thank you, Charlotte

The School Board is grateful to all voters who cast their ballots on May 18. We are pleased that CCS has a budget for the 2010-2011 school year and can move forward with the exciting changes that are on the horizon.
The board is now able to focus with renewed energy on the challenges and opportunities ahead. We hope that the increased attendance we have seen over the past few months will continue, and that residents will bring their experience and innovative suggestions to upcoming board meetings. Our school benefits from increased participation by members of our community and staff at our meetings.
As a board, we want to ensure that CCS is a place that is treasured by all Charlotters. We invite all Charlotte residents to come to CCS. Attend a play or sporting event. Come to a concert. Walk down the halls and enjoy the fantastic artwork that adorns our walls. Offer to serve as a mentor, or volunteer in the library, the cafeteria or a classroom. Once you have spent some time at CCS with our fabulous students and staff, you will see that we are providing Charlotte children with a great education while being prudent with our resources.
Thanks very much for the great turnout for the vote. We hope to see you at a meeting soon.

Charlotte School Board
Lynne Jaunich, Chair
Clyde Baldwin
Daniel Luce
Sue Thibault
Kristin Wright
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Robin Reid runs for State Rep

My candidacy for State Representative for Chittenden 1-2 District is official! New legislation requires Independent candidates to file their petitions by June 17, the same time that candidates running in the primary must file. Formerly, Independents were allowed to file their petitions after the primary election. I am a lifelong Independent, serving my third term as a Charlotte Justice of the Peace in this capacity.
As editor/publisher of the issues-based monthly Rural Route Today, I have journeyed often to Montpelier during the past five years. There is much to learn about the workings at the Statehouse, but I’m prepared for the challenge. I have served Charlotte as a minute taker for all town boards, volunteered and substituted at CCS, managed the Charlotte Beach for 15 years and chaired the Recreation Commission for five years. I was also Art Director and Production Coordinator at The Charlotte News for a decade prior to starting RRT. I am a good listener—prepared to hear about the concerns of our community.
I was born in Connecticut (1956) and attended Miss Porter’s School and Colby College, graduating with a B.A. in American Studies. I lived in New York City and Italy before marrying Robert Mack, Jr. in 1991. He is a native of Charlotte and a lifelong dairy farmer who served as a Selectman from 1985-2002. We have a 16-year-old son, Peter, finishing his sophomore year at CVU.
I look forward to a spirited campaign. With three Democrats running in the primary for this office and one declared Republican, it looks like we will have at least a three-way race on November 2. Thanks to Scott Orr for his six years of service as a Democratic incumbent—perhaps now our district voters are ready for revitalized representation.
I appreciate your support. If you have questions please call 425-3739 or e-mail me at agwarevt@gmavt.net.
Robin Reid
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Unified School Boards do not tell us everything

People rely heavily on all members of school boards to put forth thoughtful proposals. School board issues are usually complex, and not every person on a board is able to process information that leads to the right decision making no matter how well intentioned he or she is. Therefore, agreeing to support the majority on a school board does not lend to full disclosure or deep debate on important topics. People need to hear from a wider range of individuals who are well informed.
Wood-fuel conversion is the perfect example where the majority of school board members in South Burlington or Charlotte advocated in favor. Deeper investigation by others in advance of the vote clearly indicated that these proposals were not in the best interests of the public in both communities. Yet, the majority of people on both boards continued proceeding with the idea that there would be an energy savings. The cost for bringing wood fuel to either of these towns is a yearly $40,000 debt payment paid out of the school budget over 20 years of time.
Going forward it is important for people to hear the kind of thinking that drives each and every board member’s proposals whether they be of the majority or the minority. It is also important for community members to attend meetings and speak up when necessary.
This is the only way for increasing the probability of “fully informed” and “intelligent decisions” by all.

Candis Perrault-Kjelleren
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Chittenden County votes

The Champlain Valley League of Women Voters has long been concerned about the gap between the numbers of legally registered voters in the County and the number of registered voters who actually vote.  In an effort to reduce the gap, the league is pleased to announce the formation of a non-partisan experimental project which it hopes will increase the percentage of registered voters who do vote, in time for the crucial November 2010 elections.
These elections are arguably the most critical for the well-being of our nation that we Vermont voters have experienced in our lifetimes.  Surrounded as we now are by seemingly insurmountable problems of never-ending wars, gross unemployment, inadequate health care and a very depressed economy, it is our hope this year that irreconcilable differences might be allayed if the voices of all American citizens were heard in the land.  We plan to start in Chittenden County.
The Secretary of State’s office has prepared a list of the number of all the registered voters in each voting district. It also has a list of the number of registered voters who actually voted in 2008. The Town of Shelburne has an astonishing record: 90% of all the registered voters did indeed vote. Most of the percentages in Chittenden County districts were in the 70s and 60s, but some were down in the 50s.
Acting on the theory that a lot of people doing small jobs is most effective, we’ll recruit volunteers in each voting district in the county. Volunteers will work in only one of the three areas in their district vital to sound voting practice: 1) voter registration; 2) voter education; and 3) GOTV (Get Out the Vote). They do not have to be league members.
We will work closely with the Town and City Clerks who have ultimate responsibility for what happens at the polls in their respective districts. Our efforts should be helpful to these clerks.
The League of Women Voters has chapters in every state and in many cities and towns in the U.S.  It has a good record of careful monitoring of voting procedures on a non-partisan basis. We are challenged by the opportunity to make Chittenden County a model demonstration project that could be used elsewhere.
For more information, or to volunteer in your voting district:
call or e-mail Louise Ransom at 802-985-8706 or louise.b.ransom@gmail.com.

Louise Ransom,
Shelburne