Feb. 18, 2022  |  By Abbie Kopelowitz | Community News Service

As Town Meeting Day approaches, Duxbury is preparing for another ballot-only election and voters will be asked to decide four of the town selectboard’s five seats.

Three candidates are running for two one-year terms: Jamison Ervin is on the ballot along with incumbents Mari Pratt, who is currently the board chair, and Craig Gibbs, who was appointed in December.

Former select board member Richard L. Charland, who resigned from the board in 2020, is unopposed for a three-year term. And Mike Marotto is also running unopposed, looking to serve the final year of the three-year term to which he was appointed.

*Jamison (Jamie) Ervin is one of three candidates for two one-year seats on the Duxbury Selectboard. Courtesy photo*

Jamison Ervin

Having lived in Duxbury with her family for almost 30 years, Ervin said her background in natural resources and land use planning could be useful on the selectboard.

“I would look forward to working with the Development Review Board, the Duxbury Town Forest Committee, and the Planning Commission to support ongoing planning issues,” she said.

Ervin has a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from Bates College, a master’s degree in management from the School for International Training in Brattleboro, and a Ph.D. in natural resources from the University of Vermont.

Ervin has worked in the field of natural resources since 1991, primarily for nonprofit organizations like the World Wildlife Fund and The Nature Conservancy, focusing on sustainable forestry, land conservation and land use planning. She has also spent several years in rural Nepal, working on women’s community health and literacy.

Ervin has served on the Duxbury Planning Commission, and on the boards of the Duxbury Land Trust, Waterbury Local Energy Action Partnership, Ecoenterprises Fund, the Mad River Watershed Conservation Partnership and the Vermont Energy and Climate Action Network.

Ervin said recent population growth in Duxbury underscores the need to invest in maintaining the road system and promoting better internet access as“both are lifelines for residents who either commute or telecommute to work.”

Craig Gibbs

A native of Waterbury Center and a graduate of Harwood Union High School, Craig Gibbs said he is running for office because he wants to continue learning more about the inner workings of town government.

“People complain a lot about town government and the only way to understand is to get involved,” he said.

Gibbs said one of his top priorities would be to return Town Meeting to an in-person event. He said he understood the need for drive-through voting by Australian ballot but he hopes this will be the last year that’s necessary.

“I understand that a Tuesday meeting is hard for some people who can’t get time off, but there are Vermont towns that have their town meetings on Saturdays,” he said. “One of the reasons we live in Vermont is for the community, and Town Meeting offers people a chance to express their opinions, not just at the weekly selectboard meetings, but in front of the whole town.”

The greatest challenges facing Duxbury come from its lack of businesses and business income, Gibbs said, while the great thing about Duxbury is that it is secluded, which makes it tough for businesses. Another issue for Duxbury is its roads and how vulnerable they are to natural disasters and extreme weather events. Lack of funding compounds the town’s ability to maintain the roads, he said.

Gibbs and his wife Sophia recently built a house in Duxbury, after living in Waterbury Center, Duxbury, Warren previously. He works as a supervisor for a heavy equipment operator in Williston and has also worked as an excavation contractor.

Mari Pratt

Selectboard Chair Mari Pratt, a Duxbury resident of 20 years, said she enjoys the work she does for her town. Having served on the selectboard for four years, Pratt said she has appreciated interacting with members of the town, listening to their thoughts and ideas. “I have tried my best to do the right thing for us,” she said.

When asked about her priorities on the board, Pratt said she would focus on the Camel’s Hump Road scoping study, Scrabble Hill stabilization, River Road repaving, the town salt shed and the town garage repair bond.

“It is all going to depend on what this new five-member board sets as priorities,” she said.

Mike Marotto

Incumbent Mike Marotto says he is running for reelection because of his connection to Duxbury and his applicable experience and background.

Marotto holds an Environmental Science degree from the University of Vermont. He has worked in environmental consulting and municipal government, managing various projects including brownfields redevelopment, environmental site investigations and remediation, and compliance assistance. He has been employed by Keurig Dr. Pepper for 10 years.

Marotto said his top priority on the board would be ensuring that every project has a path to completion. “After spending a year on the selectboard and learning more about the projects and challenges we’re facing, I have become a proponent of a targeted approach for project management support,” he said.

Marotto said he would support outsourcing project management within the constraints of the town’s budget in order to get projects done.

Marotto said he would work to prioritize what can realistically get accomplished using available resources while encouraging community participation.

Richard Charland

“Having served on the board for eight years previously,” Richard Charland said, “I believe my experience can help provide positive direction with a fiscally responsible approach.”

Charland, who stepped down from the board in 2020, said he remains committed to a number of projects in town: refurbishing the town garage, repairing Bridge 37 on Camel’s Hump Road, preparing a five-year project plan for road rebuilding, replacing culverts, building a new salt shed, making improvements to the town offices, and planning how to use the closed gravel pit.

A graduate of Boston College with a degree in business administration, Charland spent his career in the energy and HVAC field working for fuel equipment service providers and heating equipment manufacturers.

Charland said that the board should find a better way to directly communicate with everyone in town and that he enjoys working with like-minded individuals to resolve town business.

Also on the ballot

In addition to the selectboard elections, a number of other local offices are on the March 1 ballot in Duxbury, however no other positions are contested. In fact, two spots on the Cemetery Commission have no declared candidate nor does a three-year term on the Harwood Unified Union School Board representing Duxbury.

More Town Meeting Day election information for Duxbury is online on the town website and posted on Waterbury Roundabout.

Community News Service is a collaboration with the University of Vermont’s Reporting & Documentary Storytelling program.

Candidates vie for seats on Duxbury Selectboard