The Norwich Observer asked the candidates for Selectboard the same five questions. Below is the fifth and final question and the candidates’ responses. A list of all five questions, without responses, is here.
Articles 12 and 15 of the Town Meeting Warning are pertinent to this question. They say:
Article 12. Shall the voters authorize the elimination of the office of Lister and replace it with a professionally qualified assessor hired by the Town?
Article 15. Shall the voters authorize the selectboard to appoint the town clerk as provided in 17 V.S.A. § 2651e(a)(1)?
QUESTION: Elected Listers/Town Clerk
Elected Listers/Town Clerk. Article 12 asks voters to replace the elected board of Listers with “a professionally qualified assessor hired by the Town.” Also, in the wake of the pending retirement of the Town Clerk, article 15 asks voters to authorize the appointment of the Town Clerk by the Selectboard. Currently, the Town Clerk is elected by voters. Do you support passage of either article or both? Why or why not?
RESPONSES
Candidates running for the three-year Selectboard seat
Marcia Calloway:
I do not support passage of either article.
Listers. “Common Level of Appraisal” (“CLA”) compares property appraisals to actual Fair Market Value to “equalize education taxes” so each town pays its fair share of education property tax. Norwich’s CLA is 74.48 percent: property is listed for less than fair market value. Town-wide reappraisal is required to adjust this. If we vote not to elect listers, we must find and pay for professional appraisers who report to a town manager under the selectboard. We have not budgeted for that; appraisers are in short supply; and, the legislature is reevaluating reappraisals. This is not the time to change our structure.
Town Clerk. An elected town clerk is a co-equal branch of government. If the town votes not to elect, the selectboard appoints, and the appointee reports to the town manager. We lose valuable balance of power if selectboard appoints officials.
Rob Gere:
Declined to respond.
Candidate running for the two-year Selectboard seat
Pam Smith:
I am not in favor of eliminating any of our elected positions. Individuals who are appointed need not be a resident of Norwich. In my opinion, this would result in a loss of local control and accountability.
Candidates running for the Selectboard seat with an unexpired (one-year) term
Aaron Lamperti:
These two articles arrived on the warrant by different paths. Article 12 was petitioned by voters and article 15 was put on the warrant by the Selectboard at the request of the retiring town clerk.
I support passing both articles. While it made sense in the past to have these positions filled by elected residents, today they are both better suited to career professionals with specific training and expertise. I firmly believe that we will have a better shot at the kind of dedicated, long-term committed service that we have enjoyed in the past with appointed professionals in these positions.
Priscilla Vincent:
I do not support either Article 12 (regarding the listers) or Article 15 (regarding the town clerk). Both articles would take away from town voters the privilege of electing these officials, placing such power in the hands of the select board. An elected official has autonomy that an appointed official does not have, being answerable to the townspeople rather than to a town manager or to the select board. I think it is unwise to concentrate too much power in one body, namely the select board. I prefer democracy.
CANDIDATES FORUM
The Selectboard Candidates Forum sponsored by the Norwich Women’s Club is scheduled for February 16 at 7 PM at the Marion Cross School.
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