The Bridge, June 2, 2016

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MON PELIER — Homelessness is a persistentand largely hidden problem in Montpelier and Washington County as a whole. his wasevident during a meeting held on May 16 atChrist Church hosted by the City of MontpelierHousing ask Force and the Good SamaritanHaven of Barre. he goals of the meeting,billed as a “Community Conversation,” wereto frame the problem, describe individualexperiences with homelessness, outline effortscurrently underway to assist homeless personsand brainstorm ways to address the ongoingchallenges.

During the first portion of the meeting — which

was preceded by a dinner for all the participants— officials with various local organizationsand government entities described the extentand character of homelessness as experienced intheir work. According to Liz Genge, co-chair ofthe Washington County Continuum of Care,the annual count of the homeless on January26 this year found 117 people homeless within Washington County. Of those, there were 17children, 18 adults fleeing domestic violence, 25veterans, 8 unaccompanied minors, 42 people with mental health issues, and 36 personssuffering from chronic substance abuse. hesenumbers don’t include people, often teenagersand young adults, who were couch-surfing.

Brooke Jenkins, executive director of the GoodSamaritan Haven in Barre, which is the onlyhomeless shelter in Central Vermont, told thegroup that the 30 beds in the shelter are fullevery night, as are the 14 seasonal overflowbeds in winter. Montpelier Mayor John Hollaroutlined issues specific to Montpelier, includingtransients, couch-surfers and folks who camp inthe area behind Agway and in Hubbard Park.Montpelier Police Chief Anthony Facos saidthat his major concern is the safety of “kidsliving on the edge” — those who have runaway or have been kicked out of their homes.om McKone, executive director of the KelloggHubbard Library, noted that there are homelessguests in the library every day and that, whilethe staff very rarely experience behavioral issues,

he has health and safety concerns, particularlyadverse substance abuse reactions.

Next to speak were several people who arecurrently or who have been homeless. Oneyoung woman spoke of being homeless for twoyears after she ran from “random violence”in her home. Later, once again homeless, sheand her two children camped out for fourmonths on land belonging to a friend. A manspoke of being homeless, off and on, for 25years, mostly in Montpelier. He said that thehomeless “deserve honor and respect and a placeto live.” Another man described 12 years ofliving without stable housing. He said that while

there are resources available, what is needed areindividualized plans using “practical, workablesolutions.” He added, “ he only lost causes areones given up on.”

During the third section of the meeting,representatives from many groups that servethe homeless population described programsin place to support the populations they serve.he Reverend Auburn Watersong, who servesas the Associate Priest of Christ Church, isalso an Economic Justice Specialist with theVermont Network Against Domestic andSexual Violence. She said that people, womenin particular, are making a choice betweenbeing housed or living with violence — that40 percent of domestic violence victims staybecause they simply have no other choice.

Dawn Butterfield from Capstone Community Action told the audience that in the lastnine months her organization has served 114households comprising 224 people, including 78children. A representative from the WashingtonCounty Youth Service Bureau, which works with youth aged 16 to 21 who are either at riskof homelessness or actually homeless, describedservices including two new emergency housingunits (for up to 90 days); a transitional apartmentthat can be used for up to 18 months; and rentalassistance vouchers, but added that they onlyhave funding for 19 percent of the youth on the waiting list. Eileen Peltier, executive director ofDownstreet Housing, mentioned the 27 new

affordable units in Barre, which will add to the500 available units in Washington County andthe discussed possibility of 18 new units in theFrench Block to supplement the 150 units inMontpelier.

Other programs include RISE Men’s SupportedLiving Program serving men in recovery fromsubstance abuse; Another Way, a daytimedrop-in location on Barre Street in Montpelier which has resources such as computers, acommunity kitchen, art and exercise spaces,and garden beds; Washington County MentalHealth, 50 percent of whose clients are eitherhomeless or have experienced homelessness; and

the weekday lunchtime soup kitchens sponsoredby Montpelier churches that serve 75 to 150people a day.

Many of these groups offer overlapping servicesand support overlapping populations. In aneffort to streamline the process, the CentralVermont Continuum of Care has created aPermission and Release of Information formthrough which a client gives permission to havehis or her case discussed by the Continuum ofCare team to determine which services are mostneeded and which organization can best providethose services.

Finally, according to a representative fromVermont Interfaith Action, a solution to housingthe homeless requires a three-pronged approach:create more housing; provide subsidies to makeexisting units affordable; and provide supportonce a person is housed. Vermont Interfaith Action is sponsoring a “Housing First 101” workshop June 4 at the Old Labor Hall in Barreto describe the Housing First model, which hasbeen successful in other parts of the country,and to outline ways in which interested peoplecan become engaged in solving the problem.

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Art Comes Alive on Langdon Street — Page 8

www.montpelierbridge.com

The Law Office of Amy K. Butler,Esquire, PLLC

Bankruptcy • Family Law Esta te P lanning

64 Main St., Ste. 26, Montpelier 802-371-0077

[email protected]

JUNE 2 – J UNE 15, 2016

IN THIS ISSUE:Pg. 4 Candidates Vie for

Klein's House Seat

Pg. 6 Support Youth Journalism

Pg. 7 Lost Nation Theater Presents "Red"

Pg. 13 A Profile for Father's Day

Homelessness Takes Center Stage by Mhairi Paget

“ Sleep, to the homeless thouart home; the friendlessfind in thee a friend. ”

-Ebenezer ElliottOne of the 30 beds at GoodSamaritan Haven in Barre.Photo by Carla Occaso

8/16/2019 The Bridge, June 2, 2016


PAGE 2 • JUNE 2 – JUNE 15, 2016 THE B R IDGE

The Bridge publishes every 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month,except in July when we publish only on the 3rd Thursday.

Our next issue comes out June 16.

8/16/2019 The Bridge, June 2, 2016


THE B R IDGE JUNE 2 – JUNE 15 , 2016 • PA GE 3

Elementary Students Evacuated for Bomb Threat MON PELIER — School officials evacuated Union Elementary School students at 9:15a.m., Wednesday, May 25, following a bomb threat that was called into the school, accord-ing to Brian Ricca, superintendent of the Montpelier Public School System, in an e-mail that was sent to families of the students who were involved. Montpelier Police Department wasimmediately notified."After all students were evacuated, the entire building was swept by the MPD and the allclear was given. As of right now, all UES students are back in their classrooms, except for thefourth graders who are on their field trip. We are telling the Union Elementary School stu-dents that this was just an evacuation drill," Ricca stated, adding that he had been forewarnedby the Vermont School Crisis Planning eam that there were "similar hoaxes" at other schoolsaround the country, including one in Rutland, recently. According to the Montpelier Police Depar tment website, officers responded to provide se-curity outside and to assist with the evacuation inside the building. Once all students andstaff were safely outside, officers and administrative staff conducted a sweep of the buildingas a precaution.Once the building was given the "all clear" officers assisted at several intersections with thereturn of the students to school. “Students and staff did a great job executing their safetyplan,” the posting states.

he call is believed to be part of a nationwide hoax called "swatting" which results in a largeemergency response to a false report.

$11,000 Raised by Concerts To Help Syrian Refugees About 60,000 Syrian refugees who are camped at a temporary location just across the Syrianborder in urkey will be helped with proceeds from two recent concerts. Also to be helped aresome 100 Syrian refugees who will be resettling in Rutland this coming October. According to concert organizer and noted pianist Michael Arnowitt who spoke toThe Bridgebyphone, about 300 people turned out for the Syrian benefit concert at the First CongregationalChurch in Burlington on May 21. hen another 500 people supported the Syrian relief effortat a second concert at Smilie Auditorium (Montpelier High School) on May 22. All-told theproceeds from both concerts raised about $11,000. Arnowitt said that half the money from the two benefit concerts will go to the Karam Founda-tion based in Chicago. According to its website the overall mission of the Karam Foundationis “to build a better future for Syria” by developing innovative education programs for Syrianrefugee youth, by distributing what Karam calls “smart aid” to Syrian families and by providingmoney to support sustainable development projects “initiated by Syrians for Syrians.” he otherhalf of the $11,000 from the two benefit concerts will help some 100 Syrians who are slated tobe settled in Rutland during October. hat money will help pay for a support center in Rutlandthat helps new Vermonters. According to Arnowitt the two benefit concerts featured 30 performers who presented Syrianmusic, poetry, short stories and drama with special Syrian-born guests from Chicago, Albany,New Haven (Connecticut) and Vermont. Arnowitt is inviting anyone who wants to make a donation to help Syrian refugees to send acheck made payable to “Vermont Fund for Syrian Refugees,” P.O. Box 94, Montpelier, V05601. Contributions are also being accepted through the website www.mapiano.com

Thief (Thieves) Steals Inspection Stickers WAERBURY — If you get a sweet deal on an inspection sticker, it might just be time tocall rooper Darryl Cremo of the Vermont State Police. rooper Cremo issued a press releasestating that, between the hours of 4 p.m. May 21 and 7:30 a.m. May 23, an unknown subjector subjects broke into the Snow Fire Auto at 100 U.S. Route 2. hey entered the building bysmashing a side window. After entering the building, cash and inspection stickers to vehicles were taken.

Anybody with information is asked to contact rooper Darryl Cremo at 229-9191 or CentralVermont Crime Stoppers at 1-800-529-9998.

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Nature Watch by Nona Estrin

It’s Wild Orchid Time

Last of the spring tree col-ors. Goodbye grey-greennew leaves of large-

toothed aspen and hello Junebugs banging on screens afterdark. he end of a glorious,long, slow May. And yes, ifyou have a special place yougo to see early wild orchids,either the lime-loving yellowlady-slipper or the more acidtolerant moccasin flower, nowis your time!

Yellow lady slipper orchidsPhoto by Jason Hollinger

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"Housing 101" workshop sponsoredby Vermont Interfaith Action.June 4, 9 a.m.–noon at the OldLabor Hall, 46 Granite St., Barre.Call 651-8889 or email

[email protected] for more info.

8/16/2019 The Bridge, June 2, 2016



House Seat Up for Grabs by Carla Occaso

EAS MON PELIER/MIDDLESEX — Sixpeople have thrown their hats in the ring tosucceed Vermont House Representative onyKlein, D-Washington 5, of East Montpelier.Klein announced this past term would be hislast during the legislative session. Klein hasserved for 14 years, according to his websitetonyklein.com. He was known for his workas chair of the House Committee on NaturalResources and Energy. He also worked onmarriage equality and support for the effort tolegalize marijuana for recreational use.

Six are vying for Klein’s former House seat.Of those, three submitted press releases toTheBridge:

Ginny Burley — education candidateGinny Burley of East Montpelier announced April 21 that she is a candidate to representEast Montpelier and Middlesex in the Houseof Representatives. he Democratic primary isscheduled for August 9.

Burley hopes her years of experience on local

school boards and her work with local non-profits supporting youth have prepared her wellfor the job. She represented East Montpelier onthe U-32 school board for 18 years, including10 years as chair. She helped create the FourCorners Schoolhouse Association, was thefounding director of the Central VermontNew Directions Coalition, a substance abuseprevention organization and the foundingDirector of Community Connections, whichprovides expanded learning opportunities foryouth in Central Vermont. She has a master’sdegree in English, is a graduate of the SnellingCenter’s Vermont Leadership Institute, andhas a certificate in non-profit managementfrom Marlboro College.Burley said, “My time on the U-32 boardtaught me to listen to the community, to workcollaboratively, and to find consensus. I helpedsee the building project through to fruition,and got the capital fund established to sustainthat work. Founding both New Directionsand Community Connections taught me tounderstand community needs, have a vision,think about systems, and find the rightpartners. hese skills will be invaluable inthe legislature. I have also spent quite a bitof time in the State House for the past fewyears, working on issues involving substanceabuse and expanded learning opportunities,including serving on three summer legislativestudy committees under the Pre-K through 16Council. I am ready and willing to serve ourcommunities.”

Carl Etnier — fusion candidateCarl Etnier of East Montpelier announcedhe is running to represent Middlesex andEast Montpelier in the Vermont House ofRepresentatives. He turned in his petitions bythe deadline to be placed on the ballot for theDemocratic primary. He has been active inboth the Democratic and Progressive parties,and he hopes to run in November as a fusioncandidate.

Etnier cited strengthened local food, energyand purchases as areas he'd like the legislatureto continue to help the state develop. "We havea statewide food strategy, and we've added over5,000 jobs to the food and agriculture sectorsince that was adopted in 2011. We have a stateenergy strategy, and Vermont has more than17,000 workers in the growing clean energysector. hat's a good start — and we can domuch more."

It's also important for Vermont to push theenvelope to rein in the influence of money inpolitics, Etnier said. "With new membershipahead on the U.S. Supreme Court, the dooris open to challenging Citizens United andrelated rulings that have thwarted Vermont'scampaign finance laws in the past. And undercurrent law, we need to use the best practicesfor campaign financing and legislative ethics."

A member of the Hunger Mountain CoopCouncil and the East Montpelier Select Board,Etnier brings experience in governing bodies.He is a graduate of the Snelling Center’sVermont Leadership Institute. He has coveredstate and local news for Goddard CollegeCommunity Radio (WGDR-WGDH), WDEV radio, Vermont Digger, the Times Argus, The Bridge, The World and otherpublications, and broadcast outlets.

Etnier works at Goddard College at theradio station. Before he got into media, hisprevious career was in sustainable water and wastewater treatment, which included fiveyears at Stone Environmental in Montpelier.here he consulted for municipalities andbrought ground-breaking ideas to thenational conversation in the field throughEPA-funded research projects. He has livedin Japan, Sweden and Norway, where he didPh.D. studies at the Agricultural Universityof Norway. His M.A. is in liberal educationfrom St. John's College in Santa Fe, NewMexico, and his Bachelor's of Science is insustainable agriculture (botany and cropecology) from Cornell University.

Matt Swenson — a ‘new vision’candidateMatt Swenson, a veteran of the environmentalfield, is running for State Representative EastMontpelier/Middlesex with a bold new visionfor Vermonters. In announcing his candidacy,

Swenson said, “I wanted a way to serve, to helpaddress the issues facing Vermonters and tobring a new vision of what Vermont can be.” And that vision begins with addressing head onthe economic, educational and environmentalissues facing the people of Vermont.

he economy: simply put there are notenough well paying jobs in Vermont due tohundreds of layoffs and closures of businesses. As a result, young people are leaving thestate; many people are working two or three jobs to make ends meet. Swenson envisionscreating a thriving economic environmentthat encourages, supports and attracts smallbusinesses and start-ups, especially high techcompanies that will attract young people.

Education: Swenson backs an innovativeapproach to improving schools which incudesfocusing on better training in the skillsstudents need for high tech jobs and a strongemphasis on service learning similar to thatprovided by Americorps.

he environment: developers threatenVermont’s open land and farm land. In hisyears of experience working for governmentand private sectors, Swenson has seen thatthe right approach to environmental issuesachieves success. He calls for a long range planto protect the small farms and open spacesthat are among Vermont’s greatest strengths.he present government is fai ling to addressthese issues. hrough his work covering thepolitical scene for Public Access V, Swensonhas seen the need for a fresh approach that will get government back to its primar y goalof facilitating opportunities for all peoplein the state. His strategy? Swenson hopes tostart an independent movement that will getpeople engaged in a real political campaign.his, he believes, will bring people togetherto build on the great strengths of Vermontand create a strong and prosperous future forall Vermonters.

Also running for Washington-5 are Kimberly Jessup, Democrat, Middlesex; Bradford ‘Dexter’Lefavour, Republican, Middlesex, and KimSwasey, Democrat, East Montpelier.

MIDDLESEX — A Montpelier man was involved in a vehicle crash that sent twoCanadian people to the hospital with multiple injuries.

May 22 at 1:31 p.m., the 2010 Honda motorcycle driven by Jacque urcotte, 61, ofPotton, Quebec was struck by the 2003 Volvo driven by Scott Skinner, 73, of Montpelier,according to a report issued by the Vermont State Police. he accident occurred at theintersection of Route 12 and Shady Rill Road in Middlesex. Skinner sustained a minorhand injury while urcotte and his passenger, Nicole Dumont, 68, of Potton Quebecsustained multiple injuries.

According to the report, “Initia l investigat ion showed that Vehicle#1 (Skinner’s Volvo) was ma king a left hand turn onto Route 12 from Shady R ill Road when it struck Vehicle#2 ( urcotte’s Honda motorcycle) which was traveling southbound on Vermont Route12. urcotte and Dumont, sustained multiple injuries and were airlifted to Fletcher AllenHospital after being transported to Central Vermont Hospital. Route 12 was shut downfor a short time while troopers and rescue personnel dealt with the scene. he crash is stillunder investigation.

Shady Rill Crash PutsQuebec Couple in Hospital

Ginny Burley

Carl Etnier

Matt Swenson

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8/16/2019 The Bridge, June 2, 2016



O ur Montpelier city manager, WilliamFraser, made the news for a subjectmost of us would prefer remain

nobody’s business: his employment contract.

Problem is, because his salary is paid for withtax dollars, it is everybody’s business. Evenmine.

Recent public scrutiny both at city councilmeetings — where Montpelier resident Ken Jones spoke out against secret negotiatingproceedings — and a letter by Richard Sheir inthe May 19 issue ofThe Bridge (followed by anappearance by Sheir at a city council meetingMay 25), led me to look into how ordinary orextraordinary Fraser’s contract is.

Not looking for specific contract terms, Irandomly sampled different contracts fromnorthern, southern, eastern and western townsto compare norms and oddities of municipalcontracts.

Not surprisingly, when I Googled “townmanager contracts,” the controversial or unusualones appeared first.

I have a history of working with — rather,reporting on — town managers. I workedfor a daily newspaper covering St. Johnsbury(population of around 7,500) during a time when there was a fairly non-controversial townmanager in the person of amiable Ryegatenative Mike Welch (from 2000 to 2010). hemost controversial thing I recall him doing was dressing up in a Victorian era-type suit(including a top hat) and selling roastedchestnuts during the holidays in the center oftown when it was 30-plus below zero. As far asI can remember his contract never made waves.

It seems he got annual budgets out relativelysmoothly by bringing the department heads tothe table with selectmen and talking it all out.But peace was not to last.

Rocky times lay ahead when Ralph Nelson,a former Major League Baseball executive,took over the reins after being appointed townmanager in 2010. Nelson had one controversyafter another splashed in the local news pages, which culminated in his being dismissed without “cause” in April 2012. Rather thangiving specific reasons for terminating Nelson,the selectboard voted “no confidence” followingan executive session that excluded Nelson. heydid not name precise reasons. he selectboardargued that he worked at the “will” of selectmenand naming a cause was unnecessary.

Nelson disagreed and fought to be reinstated.his led to a lawsuit that ended in January 2015

with Nelson getting a settlement of $175,000.from the own of St. Johnsbury. Meanwhile, theSt. Johnsbury taxpayer also paid for a string ofnew town manager(s) that followed in Nelson’sfootsteps. And finally, the action ended upclarifying a state statute that says, in part, “thetown manager is subject to the direction andsupervision of the board of selectmen and holdsoffice at the will of selectmen who by majoritycan remove him at any time for cause.” Superior

Court ruled against Nelson’s reinstatement astown manager because he “holds office at the will of selectmen.” But the Vermont SupremeCourt held that in keeping with the last part

of that section, selectmen, “who by majoritycan remove him at any time for cause” had toshow cause.

hough it was not specifically cited as causeat Nelson’s termination, Nelson was abruptlydismissed in the wake of a big municipalrenovation deal.

his brings us to a more recent, but similar caseof former Norwich own Manager Neil Fulton, who resigned effective February 2016 withoutmuch explanation. Norwich has a population ofaround 3,400. In reading multiple documentsand meeting minutes, it is clear that at leasttwo selectboard members called into questionhow he was handlinga large construction

project, which was stillin the bidding stages.his led to scrutinyof his contract — but,oops! He had never hada contract. he Norwich selectboard appointedhim to be town manager on April 11, 2012, when they stated his terms of employment($95,000 per year with “the same compensationand benefits now provided as Interim ownManager.”) he motion passed.

his is according to a memorandum datedNovember 5, 2015, authored by NorwichSelectman Stephen A. Flanders. Flanders’ memoasserts that Fulton is validly town manager, andis protected by — and beholden to — Vermontstatutes pertaining to town managers. Flandersalso stated the Norwich board must adhere tothe findings of the superior court in Nelson’scase: he may not be stripped of his duties without “cause.”

As for terms, Fulton would get the samebenefits as other employees at his pay grade.But not everyone agreed, as evidenced bythe many written lawyer opinions and fiveexecutive sessions to discuss the town manager,according to a memo from selectboard ChairChristopher Ashley. he executive sessions ranfrom October 2014 through February 25, 2015.

Fulton resigned soon after without a contractever being agreed to.

However, it is interesting to note a few items on

the own Manager job description. In additionto “managing the affairs of the town,” includingroads, construction, town personnel, police, firedepartment, department of public works, parksand playgrounds and emergency management.“Physical demands” included sitting, standingand walking, bending, crouching or stooping.”

And as for other — less controversial — yeteyebrow raising town manager contracts, KevinDorn of South Burlington (Pop. 18,600) hasa three-year contract that sets his salary of$122,000 in fiscal year 2016, $124,440 infiscal year 2017 and $126,929 fiscal year

2018. he contract says he may be terminated without cause “at any time.” If terminationoccurs before June 20, 2018, Dorn will getnine months worth of salary to be paid within

30 days of termination. In addition, the City“will purchase and maintain in effect duringyour term as Manager a five hundred thousanddollar ($500,000) life insurance policy…”

And if that isn’t enough, the city will providea vehicle plus reimburse Dorn for any travelhe incurs using his personal vehicle. he city will also provide and pay for a cell phone.By comparison, Montpelier’s Fraser specificallyprovides his own vehicle and cell phone.

Another eye opening contract is one that wasoffered to Peter Elwell upon hiring him to beBrattleboro’s own Manager. His salary isn’tthat big a deal comparatively at $95,000. He

gets nine months’ salaryseverance pay if he is

terminated without justcause (this is the firstyear of the contract, soamount of severanceis a little generous

compared to others). It is also interesting thathe gets a $5,000 per year car allowance plusmoving expenses form Jupiter, Florida, toBrattleboro.

hose above are the contracts that interestedme because of their comparative opulence.he following interested me because of theunusually tight and overreaching constraints.

Back up north to St. Johnsbury ... followingthe flap with Nelson, the town had a coupleof town managers before settling on Chad

Whitehead in 2015. You can bet they werecareful with that contract. his contract iscareful to the point of curious. Whiteheadgets $79,500 per year, payable in weeklyinstallments. However, the salary could beincreased upon successfully completing a six-month probationary period. He gets an annualevaluation and must agree to keep confidentialinformation confidential. Once Whiteheadsigns the contract “Confidentiality Survivesermination of Employee,” meaning even after

he leaves the job he is under a gag order fromthe town. Forever. In addition, “Employer shallhave the option to terminate the Agreement ifEmployee becomes permanently disabled and is

no longer able to perform the essential functionsof the position...”

No mention is made of a car allowance (exceptmileage approved ahead of time for attendingpre-approved travel to carry out official duties)or cell phone for Whitehead, however, theown of St. Johnsbury promises to “budget andto pay for registration, travel and subsistenceexpenses” if they send Whitehead on professionaldevelopment excursions. If he is removed “due toa court order to reinstate another person,” he willget two months worth of salary. Otherwise, thereis no mention of severance in any other scenario.Only if a former town manager is reinstated.

So. hat about covers some odd and interestingexamples of town manager contracts and the

absence thereof. I would say Bill’s falls right inline and is comparatively reasonable.

But don’t take my word for it. According toan executive summary put out by the Vermontown and City Management Association, themedian salary of a full-time manager is $85,000, with the average being $86,076. he reportincludes data from managers, administrators andadministrative assistants. he highest salary inthat report is the manager of Hartford own (est.population 9,812). hat person got $133,323in the year 2014-15. he lowest appears to bePutney’s manager at $59,186. (Putney ownest. population 2,683). Fraser gets $106,550(Montpelier est. population 7,755). wenty-sevenout of the 71 have severance packages rangingfrom one month to 10 months’ pay.

Note — the Vermont Town and CityMangement Association report includestown managers, administrators andadministrative assistants. Eighty onepercent of all managers and administratorsresponded. Of those who responded, onlythree managers were women, includingthe lowest paid town manager, CynthiaStoddard of Putney (est. population 2,683)mentioned above.

Editorial

A Tale of City and Town Manager Employment Contractsby Carla Occaso

Montpelier Man Dies in CarCrashMORE OWN — wenty-six-year-old Justin Weston of Montpelier died on the scene ofa car crash May 30 at 7:53 p.m., according to a release from the Vermont State Police. heaccident occurred on Lynch Hill Road in Moretown.

Details of the crash have not been released except that Weston was a passenger in the 1986oyota ruck being driven by Justin Humphrey of Middlesex. he weather conditions wereclear.

“According to the 911 caller one subject was unconscious. EMS personnel arrived andattempted to revive the subject. Despite their efforts, 26-year-old Justin Weston succumbedto his injuries while on the scene,” the release stated. Humphrey was charged with DrivingUnder the Influence with Death Resulting and was scheduled to appear in WashingtonSuperior Court May 31. he cause of the crash is still under investigation.

8/16/2019 The Bridge, June 2, 2016



Not Not Prepared by Hannah Eschelbach

W hen I started to write this, I did not think “What am I even going to writeabout?” Now, I am not proceeding by just winging it; I had it all figured outbeforehand. For you see, I am a teenager. It's not like I don't even know what

I'm doing tomorrow night: I am completely prepared for my meticulously plotted-outfuture.

There is a formula that all high schoolers follow. When you are 14 or 15, you start topick classes that will help you get into the college you want to attend, that will help youget the job you want. The average freshman girl talks about where she sees herself in tenyears and what she's going to do when she graduates from Yale. She does not talk aboutclothes or her friends or boys. She is already at the point in her life where she is capableof planning out her future, easily ignoring the partying and hookups and drama that allhigh schoolers are not subject to, and her focus is in doing her homework and finding a job so that she can pay for the university that she a lready k nows she wants to go to andget the major that she already knows she wants and won't change her mind about a dozentimes. The clubs she joins or the sports she plays are not just fun activities that she enjoysparticipating in, they are ways of padding her college resume.

High schoolers already know exactly who they are and who they want to be. It does not takethem several years through a frustrating process of trial and error to figure out what they want from life. They do not have any social problems; they are more than mature enoughto easily resolve conflicts with each other. They never fight with their parents. They never worry about things like social status. Even if there were problems like that, students are ableto deal with them because they have complete control over their hormone-caused emotions.

Yes, every single person around my age is just as well-rounded, intelligent, thoughtful andconsiderate as me, especially since cell phones aren't dumbing us down! We love being teen-agers! We love all our classmates and teachers and classes, all of which we want to take. Welove our parents and siblings 100 percent of the time, and we have no insecurities! We arein complete control of how we feel, and we know it. And because of this, all of us, not justthe anomalies, are focused and dedicated to figuring out the rest of our lives all the way upto retirement! I can't wait to go to the college that I know how to pay for that I have totallypicked out.

Hannah Eschelbach does not want to be a writer; she did very well in high school and is goito Yale for business or something smart like that.

Support A New Breeze — Journalism For Youth, By Youth

O nce again this summer, here atThe Bridge we are working with a range of middle school,high school and college students to create two issues ofThe Breeze, a “for youth, by youth”newsprint publication. One issue will be wrapped aroundThe Bridgein June as the summer

begins and another will come out in our August “Back to School” issue as the summer ends. Both willbe mailed as part ofThe Bridge— well known in Montpelier as the paper that was founded in 1993as a “free, independent and local community newspaper.”

Nathan Grutchfield of Montpelier, writes about the 50th anniversary of a community church in EastMontpelier. Hannah Eschelbach writes about chickens and the chicken controversy in Barre City.

Eschelbach, put it in her own words:

“Me at The Bridge, which is one of the few places that will hire someseventeen-year-old weirdo who just wants to write. Me atThe Bridge, where I got published for the first time. Me atThe Bridge, where wedon't have enough money yet for our side project,The Breezenews-

paper, where since we don't have enough money I might not havemy article put out. Look, I'm not one for begging for money, butPLEASE? It doesn't have to be a lot. The Kickstarter Link is below. ”

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/925717352/the-breeze-2016-youth-journalism

Each additional 4-page spread costs $1,500 to print, so the total costfor 2 spreads amounts to $3,000. With mailing and other costs, weexpect it to cost at least $4,500.00.

URGEN — Please pledge today by going toKickstarter.com. hen, in the upper right areaof the home page, there is an image of a spyglass and text that says “Search Projects.” ypein “ he Breeze 2016.” You will see he Breeze2016 home page. Select the project that says“ he Breeze 2016” by Carla Occaso. Here youcan play the videos and look at the project plan.hen, on the right, a green rectangle says “Backhis Project.” Select it, and follow instructions.Payment is by credit card only. Call us if youneed assistance at 223-5112 ext.14.

HannahEschelbach

Nathan Grutcheld

Please support youth journalism by making a pledge toThe Breeze on Kickstarter.com today!

8/16/2019 The Bridge, June 2, 2016



Lost Nation Offers ‘Red’ – A Play AboutPainter Mark Rothko by Nat Frothingham

O n June 2, actors Kim Bent and LeviPenley will take to the stage at LostNation Theater for the opening

night performance of “Red” — a two-man

(Tony Award winning) show written by John Logan that dramatizes the increasinglyintense relationship and conversationalexchanges between celebrated Americanpainter Mark Rothko and Ken his youngassistant or apprentice.Rothko was born in Russia (now Latvia) in1903 and died in New York City in 1970. As the play opens, his young assistant Ken isin his 20s and the play takes us through fivescenes spanning a two-year period whenRothko was at the height of his powers— 11 or 12 years before his death. Ken isclearly the young assistant as the play opensbut as time passes and the play developsKen increasingly finds his own voice andconfidence and the two men who began bytalking to each other are increasingly lockedinto a relationship that is at once complex,at odds and intense.“Red” causes us to ask, “What wouldthe world be like without the savinginterventions and insights of its pioneeringartists, inventors, writers, thinkers — theadventurous men and women who testthemselves against the world and give usnew realities to supersede our worn-outdogmas and conventions?” A few days ago during a rehearsal break,Kim Bent talked by phone to The Bridge about “Red,” which was first performed inLondon in December 2009, on Broadwayin March 2010 and since then pretty muchall across the United States.Speaking about “Red”’s playwright, JohnLogan, Bent said, “Well, it’s a beautifully written script. John Logan is a professional writer, an Oscar-winning writer, who reallyknows how to tell a good story.”Part of that story shows off Rothko assomething of an iconoclast. After laboringfor four years to create murals for the upscaleFour Seasons Restaurant at the Seagram’sBuilding in New York City, Rothko waspaid the largest dollar amount commissionof any modern-day artist. It’s true thatRothko at this point in his career didn’tneed the money. But he returned the moneybecause he was convinced that once theFour Seasons Restaurant was completed, it was not the right environment for his work.

“It was an extraordinary decision to make,”said Bent about Rothko’s decision to keepthe murals and return the money. “It says alot about his commitment and passion forhis art. It makes a very intense story.” As the conversations bet ween Rothko andKen deepen and unfold, writer John Logantakes us beyond the niceties of social artif iceto expose the bare plaster and lathe.Rothko to Ken: “When I was your age,art was a lonely thing: no galleries, nocollecting, no critics, no money. We didn'thave mentors. We didn't have parents. We were alone. But it was a great time, because we had nothing to lose and a vision to gain.” Again, in anger, Rothko to Ken: ‘Beautiful.’‘Nice.’ ‘Fine.’ That’s our life now.Everything’s ‘fine.’ We put on funny nosesand glasses and slip on the banana peeland the TV makes everything happy andeveryone’s laughing all the time, it’s allso goddamn funny, it’s our constitutionalright to be amused all the time, isn’t it? We’re a smirking nation, living under thetyranny of ‘fine.’ How are you? Fine. How was your day? Fine. How are you feeling?Fine. How did you like the painting? Fine. Want some dinner? Fine … Well, let me

tell you, everything is not fine. HOW ARE YOU? HOW WAS YOUR DAY?HOW ARE YOU FEELING? Conflicted.Nuanced. Troubled. Diseased. Doomed. Iam not fine. We are not fine. We areanything but fine.” Again, Rothko to Ken: “There i s only onething I fear in life, my friend ... One day theblack will swallow the red.”Talking about the task of transforminghimself into Rothko, Bent said, “PlayingMark Rothko is one of the greatest actingchallenges I’ve ever undertaken. Physically,vocally, temperamentally, he’s not acharacter who’s particularly close to me.But I do feel a strong kinship with himartistically in the intensity of his devotionto his art.”“Red” will be performed at Lost NationTheater (Thursday through Sunday) from June 2 to June 19. For further informationabout the performance schedule please goonline to lostnationtheater.org

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8/16/2019 The Bridge, June 2, 2016



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8/16/2019 The Bridge, June 2, 2016



Thank you for supporting The Bridge!

Artist renderings courtesy of Ward Joyce

Montpelier’s ‘Most Charming Street’ To Get

Swathed In Artby Jessica Neary

MON PELIER — New York has Broadway, Paris has the Champs-Elysees. Now,coming soon to our own "Little Paris" as Montpelier is a ffectionately nickna med by some—trumpets and drumrolls please — is a newly transformed Langdon Street.

OK, this might sound a bit over the top, but Ward Joyce, who created the nowdisassembled parklet in front of Capitol Grounds and the pocket park next to CharlieO's was recently acknowledged by John Hollar with the Mayor's Key to the City. hatkey hangs prominently in Joyce's architectural office and brings to mind a medievaldungeon key. And that dungeon mig ht well hold a range of loca l ne'er do wells, the doubleparkers, the vacant lot loiterers and other local rabble. So it's Joyce who is directing theLangdon Street summer tra nsformation with a joy that's not unlike a child bursting wit hanticipation and enthusiasm for the city he has come to love and shape.

Imagine Langdon Street with a temporary (June 15 to October 1) art and sculptureinstallation. hat innovation is in the works courtesy of Joyce and his partner StephenFrey and it was financed by an 11-member steering committee of local business ownersand public art patrons including Utton's Muffler. Utton's has the dist inction of financi nga mural.

he Langdon Street Alive project will have its phase one installation from Wednesday, June 8 to Sunday, June 12. Fifteen commi ssions have been awarded to regional art istsbut there are still additional sites for artists to fill. Interested artists should contact Ward Joyce at wa [email protected]. A rti sts should also check out the LangdonStreetA live.org website for more information. Joyce prefers that proposals from ar tists be site-specific.He is encouraging artists to visit the site and prepare an original piece. he SteeringCommittee must then approve the project. While there is no dead line per se, arti sts needto know that because of the special equipment that's required to install the art pieces,those pieces will be installed over a few specific dates. And Joyce can provide those dates.

At a March 21 and May 16 Montpelier Desig n Review Commit tee meeting, a s wel l as aMontpelier Development Review Committee meeting, Joyce discussed the project's status.One issue resolved is respecting the city and state's strict historic preservation bylaws, amajor function of the Montpelier Design Review Committee. Frey's expertise with cables,special anchors and screws should satisfy history buffs ... and be easy to install the art.Instead of painting directly on bricks, artists will have their work printed on site-specificbanners, which Frey will then use all his ingenuity to have installed properly.

At the March 21 Montpelier Design Review Committee meeting, there wa s an interestingexchange between members Eric Gilbertson and John Rahill (also an architect).Gilbertson's primary concern was that the art not dominate the historic architecture.Rahill disagreed, saying, to the effect of, it's only when art overwhelms the senses, cansuch a project be appreciated.

I think we know where Joyce stands ... with Rahill, in the middle of Langdon Street,surrounded by flowers, banners, ducks in the Winooski, the flock of pigeons that always wheel around the Unitaria n Church steeple, and h is contr ibutions to the project, a l ightedgateway and floral bridge bookending the street (Joyce plans to fill the bridge withflowers, which he himself will choose and plant) ... an elfin sprite in the middle of his (andour own) Midsummer Night's Dream of summer. Many fun events, including a 200-foot-long table for an evening party, are planned for this summer so Montpelierites can fullyenjoy the exuberance of Langdon Street, a rguably according to Joyce, "Montpelier's mostcharming Street."

8/16/2019 The Bridge, June 2, 2016



Tell them you saw it inThe Bridge!

T he Granite City has been making investments attractingyoung entrepreneurs who have opened up new business onMain Street over the last several years, but it hasn’t been

restricted to just Main Street. Recently, The Tree House Hardwoods

& Millshop expanded out of their South Burlington location into a10,000 square foot facility in downtown Barre. Owner, Lucas Jenson,sat down with me recently to talk about his move to Barre and therole his business plays in the advancement of Vermont’s workinglandscape.

Jenson’s story of opening his own business is a familiar one. Hemoved to Vermont from Boston to take a marketing position at Ben& Jerry’s. While developing marketing campaigns for the ice creammaker, Jenson spent his free time renovating his house and some addi-tional properties. After nine years, Jenson was ready for a change andmade the jump to one of Vermont’s other socially responsible busi-nesses, Seventh Generation. However, after three months it was clearto Jenson that he no longer had the desire to sit behind a computer allday long. He had developed his construction skills and working with wood gave him satisfaction, so he decided to start up a constructioncompany.

The construction company focused on renovations, cabinetry anddecks and was able to use local wood species in his work, which hefelt was important for Jenson in terms of environmental sustainabil-ity and contributing to the local economy. The shock to Vermont’seconomy after the Great Recession was felt by many, but destructionforces presented opportunities and Jenson was primed to take advan-tage of them. He opened up The Tree House Hardwoods & Millshopin December of 2014 with the goal of becoming the largest retailer ofhardwood lumber in northern Vermont.

His move to Barre presented a great opportunity to access largermarkets in the Mad River Valley, Central Vermont and the NortheastKingdom and the space came equipped with room to grow. Lucas

sources as much local hardwood as possible and currently offers kilndried hardwood lumber and live edge slabs in multiple species, includ-ing maple, birch, ash, oak, walnut and cherry. In addition, he sellscabinet grade plywood and other related products that professional

woodworkers, contractors and woodworking hobbyist will be pleasedto have access to in a convenient location that’s easy to shop. Utiliz-ing all of the milling equipment to create butcher block countertops,table tops, custom flooring and molding are all a large part of thebusiness model. As Jenson said “you never know what you’re goingto find here.”

Of course, not everything is from Vermont, but Jenson takes greatstrides to work with property owners like Shelburne Farms in theirforest management so that the wood that comes off from the farm isused in furniture and cabinetry that local residents can purchase. Justlast week the Working Lands Enterprise Board announced a grantaward to Jenson's young company to help them purchase a large truckso more local trees can be brought to market, which means more op-portunity for woodworkers to source local materials and means morelocal jobs. With the expansion into Barre, Jenson is currently lookingfor an experienced retail sales person familiar with wood species and

characteristics for their Barre location. He is a lso looking for an expe-rienced woodworker to operate machinery in the Millshop.

When not working with a slab of hardwood at one of his facilities youcan find Jenson volunteering on his community’s reparative justiceboard and working on projects for Rebuilding Together of greaterBurlington. The father of two high schoolers said that he is pleasedto be in downtown Barre and that the investments the city has made,along with the private investment, was ultimately the deciding factorto open up his second location in just a year and a half. As I left, Jen-son stated “everybody is so friendly here. You must have the friendliestdrivers in Vermont.” This author agrees. Joshua Jerome is executive director of The Barre Partnership.

Tree House Hardwoods Branches Out ToBarre by Joshua Jerome

Granite City Groove

Lucas Jenson, owner of The Tree House Hardwoods & Millshop,opens a new branch in Barre.

8/16/2019 The Bridge, June 2, 2016



Home Again! story and photos by Dot Helling

T his Rocky Mountain snowbird has returned home to Vermont. I stand with one footin Vermont, one in Colorado, not wanting to give up either, although my wanderingsdo make me yearn to be landed. I've spent a lot of time weighing the pros, cons, simi-

larities and differences of my Durango community versus my Montpelier community, bothof which extol the very unique qualities of our Central Vermont.

Both communities are primarily Anglo, well-to-do, more educated, fitter and healthier thanmost. Both are in the mountains, although the altitude differs significantly by many thou-sands of feet. Both cities are dog friendly and culturally astute. Both are tourist havens filled with vacation shopping venues and great bars and restaurants. The food choices are ethnicand diverse. Delicious burgers and homebrews are local favorites. Music venues are numerous,and the sounds are good from local talent and well-known artists. Both downtowns have astandard cinema and an alternative theater. Neither has a McDonald's or Burger King in thedowntown, although Durango has them within its city boundaries.

Both cities feature good schools and amazing libraries. The municipal leaders like to installstate-of-the-art features for traf fic, pedestrian and cyclist control, whether or not they work.Many in my view are expensive, frustrating, “cutesy” obstacles. In Durango there are seem-ingly endless curbs and medians, not designed for efficient snow removal. In Montpelier weinstall parklets to fil l up already l imited parking spaces and fake cobblestone crosswalks thatare easily damaged by the plows. Both communities have traffic issues, although nothing likethe concerns of downtown or interstate communities such as Los Angeles, Boston and Port-land, Oregon. Both communities are beautiful.

What has changed in Montpelier since I left last fa ll? I immediately noticed that the streetsremain the same, that there are some new “curious” people hanging around, and that thecrime rate has some residents anxious. I also noticed the new fancy wood fence along the bikepath in front of the Green Mountain Power station, a new workout feature on the NationalLife exercise path (a “wobble board”), and an increased amount of graffiti. Residents like meare a bit older and grayer. Exciting projects have popped up, such as the new policy at theGreen Mount Cemetery — “Natural Decorations Only” and the Tree Board's lining of St.Paul Street with trees that will grow into a gorgeous, cathedral-like passage. And there arethose amazing Montpelier experiences that never change — the beauty of the Statehouse andits landscaping, the cherry blossoms, the Coffee Corner music morning on Thursdays. I'mhappy to be home!

Graffiti in Downtown Montpelier

Thank You for Reading The Bridge

8/16/2019 The Bridge, June 2, 2016



Revised Fowl Ordinance Goes Into Effect:No Ducks Allowed by Hannah Eschelbach

BARRE CITY — "We have no intention of going out and becoming the duck police,"said Barre City Clerk and Treasurer Carol Dawes by telephone toThe Bridge. Dawes wasreferring to a part of the completely revised “Animals and Fowl” section of the Barre City

ordinances, which does not allow the keeping of ducks. She said, basically, that ducks areno longer welcome, but if nobody complains, then nobody will be hassled.

This comment would not have needed to be said prior to May 20. However, after six monthsof the only decision being to postpone making a decision, big changes have been added tothe “Animals and Fowl” ordinance. Section 3-25 “Poultry,” details the new specificationsfor keeping chickens, turkeys and quail. First, it has to be one of those species of birds only, which means that ducks are no longer allowed. Also not allowed are roosters, the free rang-ing of poultry, having more than 15 birds and the unlicensed selling of eggs. The biggestneeded-to-be-resolved issue was the controversy over the proposal that chicken enclosuresshould be 30 feet from the house and 10 feet from any property lines. Two council members,Charlie Dindo and Paul Poirier, argued that each coop should be 40 feet from the houseand 30 feet from the edges of the property. The 10-30 rule was kept instead, adding that nopoultry enclosure should be more than 45 square feet. The rest of the new specifications canbe found online at barrecity.org in chapter three of the ordinances.

According to an a rticle in the Times Argus by David Delcore, Dindo and Poirier wereconcerned about the effect of poultry keeping on property values and the quality of life.From what I've seen — err, smelled — the quality of life might go down simply because

the animals stink. There's also Section 3-20 of the ordinance, “Nuisance Animals,” whichdefines a nuisance animal as any pet that damages people, property or disturbs the peace,for example, because of constant whining or howling. This rule makes it easy to see whyroosters wouldn't be permitted, although there is some confusion about why ducks are nolonger allowed. They're quieter than chickens, I've found, and you only need one duckegg to make an omelet. Maybe it's this confusion that has prompted someone living nearme to keep her ducks, even though the new ordinance eliminated a grandfather clauseallowing ducks.

Despite such confusion, the revisions to the ordinance seemed to make good progress to- ward contributing to the quality of life in Barre City — that is, making sure the neighborsof chicken owners don't go insane from the noise or mess. And it must be a relief to endthe half-a-year-long poultry discussions in the city council. Personally, I would love to talkabout chickens each night for six months, but that's probably just me.

Duck Soup by Larry Floersch

Many folks in Washington seem to have “lame” ontheir brains these days. As in “lame duck.”

To some people it seems, any president who wins reelectionautomatically becomes a lame duck because he or she

cannot run again. Based on that premise, a presi-dent gets four years in office and can do thingsand then four years in office in which he or she isnot supposed to do anything but host galas at the

White House and play golf. That seems an odd way to run a country, especially because some of the people talk ing about lame duckinessconsider themselves to be “fiscal conservatives.” We pay the person in the White House$400,000 annually (along with a $50,000 annual expense account, a $100,000 nontax-able travel account, and $19,000 for entertainment). Not to mention the president andfirst family get to live in a mansion (albeit aging) rent free. That amounts to more than$2,276,000 over four years. Sure, that’s chump change to a lot of corporate executives, but we’re paying someone to do nothing!

Lame duckiness for presidents was established by the 22nd amendment to the Constitu-tion, which limits presidents to two terms. Before that, a president got one term and thenhad to win reelection. Oh, wait, they still have to do that. Just ask George H.W. Bush, Jimmy Car ter, Gerald Ford, Herbert Hoover, William Taft, Benjamin Harrison, GroverCleveland, Martin Van Buren, John Quincy Adams, and John Adams how easy it is to win reelection after your first term. None of them did. And, of course, before the passageof the 22nd amendment, if a president won reelection, he was expected to fu lfill the dutiesof the president until the next election, because he could run again and it would look badto voters if the president just played golf and hosted galas for four years.

Such an approach worked for FDR, who won an election, then another, then another,

then another, presumably because the voters felt he had done a good job. He is the onlypresident to serve more than three terms, although other presidents, such as Ulysses S.Grant, tried and failed to get elected to a third term. FDR had the good sense to die beforethe people could elect him to a fifth term, but his prowess in winning elections promptedthe passage, in 1947, and the ratification, in 1951, of the 22nd amendment. I guess hisdetractors felt that the voters had made the same mistake over and over again, and there was no other way to “protect the will of the people.”

Some have suggested we just amend the Constitution to give the president one term of

eight years. Such a change would certainly cut down on those annoying political ads onTV every four years. And it would make it easier on voters, who would only have to spendthat onerous five minutes in the voting booth once every eight years. But guess what?! If we did that, for some people the president would become a lame duck as soon as he or she was elected, and then we would have to pay the president to do nothing for EIGHT years.

The lame-duck commotion at the moment is about the current president nominatingsomeone to be on the Supreme Court. Detractors of the current president say the jobshould be left to the next president, and that allowing the current president to nominatesomeone to the court would “subvert the will of the people.” How they know the will ofthe people six months before the election is difficult to fathom. The last time the willof the people was determined was three and a half years ago, when they put the currentpresident back in office. And, as we all know from our third grade logic class, such an ap-proach can lead to an argumentum ad infinitum. If the nomination should be left to thenext president, would it not be better to leave it to the president after the next president,or the president after the president after the next president?

Let’s face it. Lame duckiness for a sitting president is that period between the election of anew president in November and the inauguration of that new president in January. If wethink about it that way we would only have to pay the current president for about two anda half months of doing nothing, which is a lot more fiscally conservative.

The whole thing is beyond lame. It’s Daffy.

New

s Views

8/16/2019 The Bridge, June 2, 2016



My Father, My Hero by Heather Connolly

The past six months have been ones of reflection for me, of deep grief and deeper grati-tude. My father was diagnosed with cancer about 18 months ago, a Myxofibrosarcomain his right leg. That was about the worst news I could imagine and something none

of us were prepared for. He was 64 years old at the time and extremely healthy and active. He went through six weeks of radiation and then had a major surgery to remove a large portionof his right thigh. Recovery was grueling but he didn’t miss a beat, did his physical therapyreligiously, walked every day and took notice of his many blessings. He was given a clean billof health in November.

By May he found another lump in his leg. He called me in a panic on aSaturday since I am the resident doctor in the family. I asked him all theusual questions, is it mobile, does it hurt, can you separate it from the sur-rounding tissues? He failed every question. I tried very hard not to scarehim since I knew it would be two days before he could see a doctor, butI couldn’t disguise the fear in my voice that the inevitable had happened.Two weeks later after a CT scan, MRI and PET scan, our worst fears wereconfirmed. His cancer had returned in that same leg and they found ametastasis in his left lung. We were all devastated. But this is where I sawmy father start to shine.

The day we got the confirmation, he cheered me up. He said, “Heather, it’s better to know

what we’re dealing with than to be waiting for results forever.” He made a choice on that daythat he was going to fight this with everything he had. He enrolled in a clinical trial at OHSUin Portland, Oregon and has been travelling there from his home in Bend, Oregon for histreatments. He has been undergoing chemotherapy treatments every three weeks for the past15 weeks and has his last chemo in early October. Then he is in for one or two more surger-ies, followed by post-surgical radiation. Through this whole ordeal he could have shut down,given up, become angry or bitter. Instead, he chose to fight. He is walking daily, started at 4miles a day and now is down to 1 mile a day, but he still goes out, no matter how he feels. Heis an author and he has spent weeks revising his compilation of children’s stories that he plansto publish this Spring. He took my six-year-old nephew and his best friend on a two day camp-ing trip this summer, something most healthy 66-year-old men wouldn’t even consider doing!

When I think about my dad, all I can think is that I want to be just like him. I hope to havehis courage and strength, his compassion, his calm through all the adversity life has given him,his love of nature and his devotion to family. He reminds me that life is about the choices we

make, and that we can shape our experiences in this life simply by how we decide to handleadversity. I don’t know how this is all going to work out in the end, but I can only face it withhope and the expectation that he will beat this and he will be here for many years to come, to

help instill these values into my children and guide me through my life. I am 35-years-old butI feel that I have never needed my daddy more than I do now. I am deeply grateful for everyday that I have him and for having such a strong, positive force in my life. He is an inspirationto me and to the hundreds of people who love him.

*This was written in late summer 2012. My father, Brian Connolly, lost hisbattle with cancer in June 2013 but he remains an inspiration to me and mydaughters. His nature writing also lives on and carries his messages of conneedness and respect for nature and for one another. His books can be found awww.bconnollybooks.com and on amazon. - Heather Connolly Heather Connolly is a chiropractor in Montpelier.

“I am 35-years-old but I feel

that I have neverneeded my daddy

more than I donow.”

Brian and Heather Connolly.Courtesy photo.

Profile

Featured Upcoming Event June 10–11: U.S. and ThemU.S. and Them is a live multimedia dance documentary "ripe with integrity, compassion, wisdom, deepexpression, honesty, and creative brilliance."

Amia Cervantes, the project's Artistic Director and Choreographer, “hopes that viewers will experience thetrue and uneasy reality of undocumented immigrants and their loved ones.” I have seen excerpts from thisshow and recommend it highly.

It is being shown in Montpelier on June 10 and 11, 7:30 p.m. at Contemporary Dance and Fitness Studio(3rd floor, no elevator) 18 Langdon St. (above Onion River Sports). Suggested donation is $10.

This is a must-see for people who care about the travesty of our immigration situation and for people whocare about dance.

The Calendar is now only available online at

www.montpelierbridge.comMore events in more locations are now listed!Submit your calendar listing [email protected] use the event submission form at our website.

8/16/2019 The Bridge, June 2, 2016



Cemetery Lot Prices To IncreaseEditor:Montpelier’s largest cemetery, the Green Mount Cemeteryon Lower State Street, has cemetery lots — both full buriallots and cremation lots — on beautiful sites for sale. Pricesfor these lots will be going up in August, so if you orsomeone you know is potentially interested in purchasinga lot, it might make sense to contact the cemetery soon,before the price increase takes effect.

The prices of lots include funds dedicated to the perpetualcare of the lots.If you would like an information packet aboutlots, or a consultation appointment, please contactcemetery director Patrick Healy at 223-5352 or [email protected]

Jake Brown, chair, Montpelier Cemetery Commission

Volunteer to Spruce Up NonprofitOrganizations

Editor: June 21 is the official day set by the United Way as Day of Action, a day when volunteers come together and give severalhours of their time and energy to assist local nonprofit orga-nizations on projects for which they do not have the time orpersonnel. Green Mountain United Way is participating inthis year’s Day of Action and has outlined two projects indowntown Barre at OUR (One Unified Response) House andfor the Sexual Assault Crisis Team and one in the Mad RiverValley. In order to make this happen, we need volunteers. At 9 a.m. on the 21st, we will be staining the handicap ramps,painting exterior doors, sweeping and cleaning the parkingarea, lawn and street-facing flowerbed at OUR House. Paint-ing materials and snacks will be provided.

Then, in the afternoon, work will include power washingtheir building, mowing the lawn, sweeping porches andparking area and trimming bushes and plants outdoors, anddoing general spring cleaning inside. Bring a push broom,pruners, and garden gloves if you have them. We have also arranged for a second Day of Action in theMad River Valley on June 25 to do trail maintenance withthe Mad River Riders on some of their trails. Experiencedtrail builders will be on hand to lead volunteers. Wear good work boots and gloves.Please consider volunteering on either day and help make adifference for these local nonprofits. If your employer allowsfor time off for volunteering, get a group together and workas a team at one of these projects.For full details, visit www.gmunitedway.org/day-of-action where you can register online, or contact Carrie at GMUWat 622-8056 or by email at [email protected] B. Stahler, Director of Funding & Program Develop-ment, Green Mountain United Way, Barre

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[email protected] for the next issue is

June 10.

I.College was not an option.It was a where, not an if.

The really smart kids beganthinking about it at birth.

What was the sound of a black childtelling his or her parents they wanted totake a year off in order to find themselves?

You don’t want to know.

II.My hometown was, as my mother liked tosay —

a big/small Southern place whereconservative dreams were allowed.

And then there was Tommy — who received a scholarship to a college inMaine.

We knew it existed — where it was —and where it wasn’t.

When he said yes…fear and lower case optimism blossomed.

He was our Jackie Robinson —they even prayed for him at church.

III.But he fell like maple leaves in September.

No one knew why.Everyone knew why.I could smell the pain.

IV. About a week af ter he returned home,he entered the barbershop.

What is the sound of a black boy felled by the Great White North?

Even the electric clippersseemed quieter.

When Garrett joked withTommy about the blue fortunes of hisbeloved Dallas Cowboys-

He burst into tears and muttered-“I thought you all would make fun of me”

“You are next” — Garrett replied.

PoetryFor Tommy

by Reuben Jackson,host of Friday Night Jazz on

Vermont Public Radio

Do What You Do Best.

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Rick McMahanDistribution: Tim Johnson, Kevin Fair, DianaKoliander-Hart, Daniel RenfroEditorial: 223-5112, ext. 14, [email protected]: The Bridge office is located at theVermont College of Fine Arts,on the main level of Stone Science Hall.Subscriptions: You can receive The Bridge bymail for $50 a year. Make out your check toThe Bridge, and mail to The Bridge, PO B ox 1143,Montpelier VT 05601.montpelierbridge.comfacebook.com/thebridgenewspapervtTwitter: @montpbridgeCopyright 2016 by The Bridge

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HELP WANTEDTWO SUMMER POSITIONS ATORCHARD VALLEY WALDORF SCHOOL

Summer Camp TeacherPuppetry, Teater and Story ellingCampFor ages 4-118:30am-4pm, Monday-Friday, starting June 20 for three weeks (40 hours each

week)Located on our beautiful farm and forestcampus in East Montpelier

Summer Camp Assistant for SummerPlay Days Program at our Child’s Gar-den campus in Montpelier. June 13- August 12, 2016

Contact Linda Weyerts for details:[email protected]; 802-456-7400

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The Bridge Newspaper is seeking anad salesperson who will be responsiblefor prospecting and securing ads forour print editions and website. Thisperson will have a leadership role in theadvertising department and will also beresponsible for the management of ouradvertising database.

Send letter of interest and resume toNat Frothingham [email protected] to The Bridge, P.O. Box 1143,Montpelier, VT 05601

he fact of the 2008 financial collapse intothe great recession and the subsequentuneven, snail-paced economic recovery

are contemporary concerns. homas Piketty’s

recent book on the growth of wealth and incomeinequality has become a best seller. Foreign Affairs magazine in recent issues has featuredarticles on these aspects of the economy. BernieSanders in his presidential primary campaignhas made much of these concerns. However, inspite of all this attention, nary a mention is to befound anywhere of the reason that best explains why these problems plague our economy, nora whisper of the reforms such an explanationdictate as necessary.

Consider then the following:

he ups and downs in the economy’s grossnational product over the past centuries andup until today, have been exactly mirrored bythe ups and downs in the money supply. It is

intuitively obvious that this should be so, asrecognized by Adam Smith and his fellow 18thcentury philosopher, David Hume. he logicalconsequence of this indisputable fact is that anyparticular level of economic activity requiresthat a certain money supply be available.Furthermore, an increase in economic activitycan never occur without a corresponding increasein the money supply. Properly matching themoney supply required to achieve a desired levelof economic activity is thus the fundamentaltechnical problem that needs to be addressed.oo little money, and the economy will fail toachieve its growth potential. oo much money will mean the economy is unable to meet thedemand created by the money supply and theresulting price inflation will adversely affect the

value of the currency.

he technical solution to this problem requiresthe scientific analysis that will produce astatistically strong mathematical connectionbetween the workings of the economy and the

money supply necessary to sustain it at anoptimum level. Once this model exists, a robustmeans to ensure the required money supply isactually available, needs to be put in place.

However no such well-defined mathematicalmodeling is used in the current approach tomanaging the economy, and the manner ofcreating this money supply is far from robust.hese serious defects guarantee an economy that

will continue to produce the current problems.

An effective modeling procedure requiresa careful scientific review of the quality andcompleteness of the economic statistics requiredfor effective analysis. For instance, data thatidentify the extent to which price increases inthe economy (as currently determined by the

consumer price index), are driven by non-marketforces (indicating a need to further expand themoney supply), or by excessive demand in theeconomy (indicating a need for a contraction ofthe money supply) are badly needed, althoughcurrently ignored by economists.

he fractional reserve system now in place,by which the private banking sector is largelyresponsible for providing the money supplyis not only far from robust, but incapable ofmeeting the criteria that any decent scientificanalysis would establish for a workable system ofmoney creation. No legitimate scientific inquiry would make the creation of the money supplysolely dependent on increasing the total (publicplus private) debt in the economy. Yet this isprecisely how the money supply is now created.

Any such inquiry would further propose a directand clear connection between the system ofmoney creation and the public good, somethingcurrently non-existent.

From this perspective, only a money creationsystem controlled by Congress, in accordance with their currently ignored constitutionalprerogative, can successfully meet the suggestedscientific criteria. his would have a governmentagency undertake the scientific modelingessential to any rational form of money creation.he increase in the money supply dictated bythis mathematical modeling would be achievedby government legislation to directly feedthis required new money into the economyto support infrastructure and other investmentneeds based on considerations of the publicgood. he new money needed to meet thedemand in the economy would thus be providedby public sector spending before flowing intothe banking system as the deposits that wouldbecome the funds available for the activities ofthe financial system. In effect, the fractionalreserve system would disappear. Banks would

require their cash reserves to cover 100% of theirloan portfolios.

Such a system would free the economy fromthe undesirable debt driven fluctuations in themoney supply currently responsible for recurringrecessions and the existence of the so-calledbusiness cycle. It would also eliminate the needfor government deficit spending as the means toincrease the money supply. his would eliminatethe financial burden of ever increasing interestpayments that currently discourage governmentsfrom making sensible investments to help resolvesocial and other national and global problems.

Money creation, established for historical reasonsto facilitate distribution, as a service provided bya private banking sector, ultimately through thefractional reserve system, has become so acceptedas the “norm” that it is now immune to rationalscientific investigation. his failure to revisit acourse of action that technological advances have

made obsolete is the flaw which guarantees little will change — at least untila more scientificallyaware electorate comes to the rescue.

Opinion A Flawed Economy and Why It WillContinue by Wavell Cowan, Montpelier

8/16/2019 The Bridge, June 2, 2016



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