Waterbury Select Board candidate survey 2023
March 4, 2023 | By Waterbury RoundaboutWaterbury voters will fill three seats on the Select Board in the March 7 Town Meeting Day election. Two one-year terms are on the ballot along with one three-year seat. Incumbents Roger Clapp and Alyssa Johnson are finishing their first one-year terms; Chris Viens is ending a three-year term, having served several terms previously.
Johnson is unopposed for the three-year seat. There is a three-way race for the two single-year terms with Clapp and Viens along with newcomer Kane Sweeney.
In a survey to the candidates, Waterbury Roundabout asked the contenders to share some of their background, qualifications, and experience for running for office. We also asked for their thoughts on some key issues the board is likely to deal with in the coming year.
Their answers are below.
Voting for all town officers and school board members is by paper ballot, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 7, at Brookside Primary School. Voters also may cast ballots early at the town offices through Monday, March 6.
*Roger Clapp, Courtesy photo
Kane Sweeney, Courtesy photo
*Chris Viens, Courtesy photo
*Alyssa Johnson, Courtesy photo
*Denotes incumbents running for re-election
Name, age, occupation (your day job or jobs)
Roger Clapp, 69, Associate Director for Program & Fund Development for PH International in Waitsfield. My job is to secure funding for programs largely focused on positive youth development.
Kane Sweeney, 29, career cook
Chris Viens, 63, self-employed contractor
Alyssa Johnson, 28, Community Projects Manager at the Vermont Council on Rural Development
Have you run for elected office before? If ‘yes’, what elected offices have you held?
Yes. I was elected to the Waterbury Select Board as a write-in candidate last year.
No
Yes. Waterbury Select Board 10 years and lister in Duxbury when I lived there.
Yes. Member, Waterbury Select Board
List other experience you have such as participating on other boards, volunteering with organizations, education, etc. that add to your qualifications to serve on the select board.
I've been involved with Waterbury recreation since our boys were young and have served as president of Waterbury Winterfest the past six years. I was a long-time coach for Waterbury Youth Soccer, flag-football and baseball and continue to chaperone for the middle school Ski and Ride program. I gained experience in developing policy and managing public funds as Deputy Commissioner for Agricultural Development in Vermont. During my first year on the Select Board, we successfully transitioned through the retirement of both our Town Manager and the Town Clerk/Treasurer, and hired two very capable individuals to take on those important leadership roles.
Vice President,United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America Local 255
Planning Commission 1 year; State Police Advisory board; contractor with over 40 years experience in all aspects of construction; business owner. And I have lived in Vermont all my life.
Former chair, Waterbury Planning Commission; board member, Waterbury Land Initiative; former economic development director, Revitalizing Waterbury; bachelor of science in Environmental Sciences, University of Vermont
Why are you running for a seat on the Waterbury Select Board this year?
Newly retired Town Manager Bill Shepeluk used to say that it takes five years for someone to become an effective member of the Select Board. I hope to be a quicker learner than that, but we still have work to do in developing affordable housing, advancing a plan to upgrade deteriorating roads and bridges, implementing plans to improve recreation facilities at Hope Davey, around the Ice Center, and other venues. The new municipal manager Tom Leitz and I are on the same page in terms of improving services, retaining qualified staff and keeping Waterbury an affordable and welcoming place to live. I'd like to secure a new source of gravel to reduce the cost of stabilizing our roads during mud season and continue to engage the public in finding innovative ways to keep Waterbury a healthy, safe and inspiring place to live, learn, work and enjoy. We're already well on the way and ideally, I won't need the full five years to figure this out.
I’m running because I’ve lived in Waterbury for most of my adult life and year after year, working people in Waterbury seemingly bear the brunt of the housing shortage, the labor shortage, and the derelict road conditions. In my view and in the view of many other working people in Waterbury, what has been done to solve these problems has not been enough nor has it been expedient.
I would like to continue working on making sure our municipality is operating as efficiently as possible and make sure we are stretching our tax dollars to get more done using less money as we have for the last 10 years.
I am running for select board to continue to make Waterbury a vibrant and welcoming place for all to live, work, and play. I would like to serve for a three-year term to provide leadership and consistency for longer-term efforts, including implementing updates to our planning and zoning regulations, enhancing relationships with volunteer boards and commissions, and exploring other ways to ensure that we support effective and sustainable local government services.
Waterbury has received a total of $1.54 million in federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act. With spending already approved and in the 2023 budget on the March 7 ballot, there will be just over $300,000 left to be allocated.
What would you suggest the remaining funds be used for?
I was asking myself the same question last year when we had a lot more ARPA money to spend. Rather than trying to answer the question ourselves, the Select Board reached out to town residents who responded with several priorities, many focused on improving infrastructure. This year residents will find many of their recommended federal investments incorporated in the 2023 town budget. One of my priorities is to develop a schedule for fixing the bridges over Thatcher Brook that allow traffic to keep moving and maintain safe access to schools and town services. I'm hoping to solicit further input for the remaining $300,000 and one of my caveats would be that we focus on capital improvements, perhaps focusing on ways to reduce our use of fossil fuels and look for other ways to reduce operating costs.
The remaining funds should be split up to cover, or at least begin, projects focusing on affordable housing, roads and recreation projects.
I would like to see the remaining ARPA money used towards repairs to the pool, additional paving upgrades and bridge maintenance projects, any efforts to prevent borrowing now will benefit us in the near future when our bigger projects are slated to be done and we will have to borrow.
I am proud of the significant ARPA investments in municipal infrastructure and community organizations that were approved in 2022 and that are included in the 2023 budget. This spending was informed by community input, and provides important investments to support key priorities, including bridge and gravel road maintenance, water and sewer infrastructure operation, the ambulance station project, broadband access, and the creation of affordable housing. For the remaining funding, I hope to continue to engage with the community about how to best leverage the funding to advance municipal priorities and support community organizations.
Steps began in 2022 to move toward merging the Edward Farrar Utility District into town government so it no longer is a separate municipal entity but that effort has stalled.
Do you support continuing to work to combine the utility district into Waterbury's municipal government?
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Why or why not do you think merging EFUD with the town government is a good idea?
The EFUD commissioners provide valuable insights on the management and expansion of our water and sewer utilities. I would hope that we could find ways to continue to benefit from their expertise. The town staff that manages those utilities are the same ones who manage other town services. In fairness to them, we need to improve the efficiency of town governance. Over the next couple of years, we need to complete the work of unifying Waterbury into a single town structure as the Fire Depattment did over 10 years ago. They have been very generous with their time in bringing the Select Board up to speed on water and sewer issues.
I believe the merger is necessary to more expediently execute the functions of our local government and to keep the voters hands-on decisions made at the town level.
Consolidation means a more efficient government but there are many pros and cons to taking this entity on that need to be considered. I believe all Waterbury residents should be involved in these discussions.
I support streamlining services so residents and businesses have a single entity to interact with. EFUD provides crucial water and wastewater services in the community. Minimizing internal divisions in town government could help create more efficient services. When considering any changes, it will be important to have strong communication between the Select Board and EFUD, and to develop a clear and comprehensive plan to share with voters.
The Vermont National Guard no longer is using the armory building in Waterbury. Do you think the town government should be involved in repurposing the facility?
Do you have any ideas for future uses of the property?
Absolutely. The town has a pressing demand for more indoor gym facilities and the town rec program could greatly benefit from more space. Town policy should be to cover operating costs through user fees to avoid adverse impacts on taxpayers.
I believe that if there is an option for the town to adopt the armory, we should seize the opportunity to either use the land for housing or to create an indoor recreation facility for Waterbury’s youth and young adults.
I would support this for a multi-purpose use but there should be user fees or private funding for it or I would not support it if it becomes an additional burden to the taxpayers. We have maintenance and upgrade costs for the facilities we already have that need to be addressed.
I support exploring the feasibility of repurposing the armory building in conjunction with a broader conversation about municipal facility needs in Waterbury. My top priority for state-owned land in Waterbury is to support the efforts to acquire the vacant land where Stanley and Wasson Halls were located to be used for housing (see additional detail below).
Affordable housing is in high demand across Vermont and poses a challenge for people to settle and remain in the state. Last fall, EFUD voters approved the sale of 51 So. Main St. to create new housing.
What could Waterbury's town government do to help support more housing opportunities in the community?
Last year when EFUD was encountering opposition to 51 So. Main Street, the Select Board endorsed the initiative and helped swing public opinion in favor of developing more affordable units for working people in our downtown. We've further supported the initiative by contributing 1% of the build-out costs with federal ARPA funds. We're currently looking at a second site adjacent to the State Complex. Private developers also play a role here and two new projects are in the permitting process. The Select Board is supporting an effort to engage further public input in the adoption of new zoning regulations to expand housing opportunities.
Waterbury’s Select Board has the duty to work with local developers both for and non-profit to acquire plots to build both rental housing and housing for purchase. If the Select Board and zoning work in tandem, we can more quickly begin to ease the burden of non-affordable housing on Waterbury’s working people.
I have spoken to several seniors who would like to leave their single-family homes and scale down but there is not enough senior housing units in Waterbury. Maybe if they were able to find senior housing in the area, it could then make more single-family houses available. I would like to explore this idea as another avenue to the housing shortage.
As a renter and aspiring homeowner, I am acutely aware of the housing crisis in the community. I am the Select Board representative on the Housing Task Force, which is exploring opportunities to support the creation of safe and affordable housing for current and future Waterbury community members. The Select Board allocated ARPA funding to Downstreet Housing and Community Development to support their work to build additional affordable housing in the community. In addition, the board recently passed a resolution to support a bill which would allow the town to acquire the vacant site where the former Stanley and Wasson Halls were located for housing development. While this is still very preliminary, the resolution is an important demonstration of town support, and the potential to develop additional housing within our walkable downtown could have very positive impacts on the community. The Planning Commission continues to work on updating our Unified Development Bylaws (zoning regulations) in ways that support additional housing flexibility, with a focus on making it easier to develop housing in existing village areas. The town has received a grant to assist with outreach related to this work.
In the past couple of years, the Waterbury Select Board adopted a Declaration of Inclusion and it created a banner with an inclusion message. What if any next steps can you envision for the select board to take to continue to promote diversity, equity, and anti-racism in the community?
We just discussed this at our last meeting. For starters, we replaced the original banner which was becoming tough to read due to weather. Beyond that, the Select Board can be proactive in encouraging residents to be more welcoming, encourage diversity and inclusion and create opportunities for townspeople to better understand each other, our concerns and our contributions. I think we can further engage with the Waterbury Area Anti-Racism Coalition and others to keep Waterbury moving forward as a welcoming community.
Waterbury needs elected representatives that listen to folks that they may have nothing in common with. Hear their stories and govern on their behalf. There is no place for xenophobia and ignorance in our town government.
Political and social cause signs and banners have seemed to spur conflict and bad feelings everywhere. I am proud that our town took a different approach and adopted a Declaration of Inclusion which is on our website and we produced a banner using that message. I have felt all along that everyone should be included equally in this community and I think we have more in common than not if we just took the time to talk to each other. I recently offered a suggestion to the board to sponsor some open house roundtable events where we would sit and have discussions with community members you don't know. I think a community that knows and understands each other makes for a better community.
Advancing equity and anti-racism is ongoing work that is never done. I am excited about the current IDEAL and EPIC cohort programs being run by the State Office of Racial Equity and Vermont League of Cities and Towns. These programs provide opportunities for communities involved in equity work to learn from professionals and each other, and I believe Waterbury should apply for a future cohort. I serve as a member of the VLCT Equity Committee, and believe it is crucial to continue to listen and learn from residents, local organizations, and other communities about how to be more welcoming and inclusive. Ensuring the community builds and maintains physically accessible spaces and that town information is provided in a clear manner are ongoing components of this work, as are efforts to improve housing availability and affordability in our community.
Efforts are under way to examine how to grow and manage recreation facilities at Hope Davey Park and the Ice Center area. Town staff are evaluating the pool.
Do you see investing in the town’s recreation infrastructure as a priority? Why or why not?
Yes. All facilities need to be maintained for public safety. Beyond that, Waterbury is known as Vermont's recreation crossroads and the community takes pride in a healthy outdoor lifestyle. This Thursday, we'll take a look at the recommendations of the study group and see if we can take advantage of a variety of approaches to funding to avoid increasing taxes.
Investing in recreation in Waterbury is imperative to our local economy. I absolutely see recreation infrastructure as a priority.
About four years ago a study was done on replacing the pool, as I recall the price tag was between $3-4 million, so it would be much more now. I agree it is great to have recreational options in our town but there is a cost to the taxpayers. When you add more recreational facilities that the taxpayers have to fund, you have to ask how is this going to affect our current and future affordable housing issues.
Waterbury is fortunate to have a wealth of recreational resources, including those that are owned and managed by the town, those managed by nonprofit organizations, and those on state owned and other public property. Recreational assets are important for community members, businesses, and visitors, and support for land conservation and recreation is a shared value for many community members. There are a variety of state and federal grant programs that can assist in making strategic investments to improve these resources. Coordination between the many entities involved is crucial. I appreciate the work the Recreation Committee and town staff are considering to work on long term planning across all of these assets. The Rec Committee has open seats if anyone would like to get involved!
The best thing about Waterbury is ____________________.
Still the ice cream, World's Finest, and the creative and hard-working people who make it. And all the other creative, hard-working and civic-minded people of Waterbury who make it an exceptional place to live.
Our welcoming community.
It still has the small-town feel of Vermont and I never get bored with the views.
The dedicated and welcoming community members, incredible array of local businesses, and wealth of natural resources.
And, Waterbury would be a better place if ______________.
The Harwood Girls and Boys Basketball teams go all the way to the Division 2 Championships. You'll have to excuse me, I'm a little partisan on this.
Working people could afford to live in it.
If we could try to keep as much open landscape as possible for the future.
All community members felt safe, welcome, and able to share their ideas and experiences to inform community conversations.
Please add anything else you'd like people to know about yourself and your ideas.
I always enjoy meeting new people and if I can't help you with a problem, I probably know somebody who can, so don't be afraid to reach out to me.
I hope that all voters take the opportunity to read about the candidates who are running for office, and join us at Town Meeting on Tuesday, March 7, at 9 a.m. at Brookside Primary School. It has been an honor and pleasure to serve on the Select Board. I welcome feedback and input at Alyssa.J.Johnson@outlook.com. Thank you to the Waterbury Roundabout for creating this survey, and their ongoing work to support local news coverage in our community.