Waterbury elections: Popular select board race; few school board contenders; March 4 details
February 20, 2025 | By Lisa Scagliotti As Town Meeting Day approaches, the list of contenders for the three open seats on the Waterbury Select Board has grown to five while candidates for school board seats remain in short supply.
Waterbury voters will cast ballots at Brookside Primary School 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on March 4 Town Meeting Day and meet in person there starting at 9 a.m. to vote on town financial business along with a question on whether to end in-person March town meetings in the future. File photo by Lisa Scagliotti
Last week, Waterbury resident Sandra Sabin announced that she is interested in a one-year term on the select board and is running as a write-in candidate. To be listed on the March 4 ballot, candidates needed to have filed with the town clerk by late January. The ballot however has a spot for write-ins for all offices that voters can fill in.
That brings to five the number of candidates seeking to serve on the select board. Incumbent and current Vice Chair Kane Sweeney is running unopposed for a three-year seat after serving two successive one-year terms.
There are two one-year terms on the ballot with four candidates: Incumbent Mike Bard and newcomers Evan Karl Hoffman, Tori Taravella and now Sabin are in this group.
Bard is ending his second three-year term on the board during which time he has served as chair. Taravella is currently ending a three-year term on the Harwood Unified Union School District School Board and has decided to run for select board this year. Hoffman and Sabin are first-time candidates.
Waterbury voters also need to fill all four of the town’s spots on the Harwood School Board but only two candidates have stepped forward to run: Corey Hackett who was appointed to the board last April is running to serve out the remaining two years of a term; newcomer Robert Dabrowski is on the ballot running for a full three-year seat.
The two other school board positions representing Waterbury have one and two years remaining due to resignations and appointments that end this March. There is still time for candidates to run as write-ins for those seats. The school board will need to appoint members to any positions that remain vacant after the election.
There are no contests for the other town offices on the ballot: Alec Tuscany is unopposed for a three-year term as lister; Jill Chase is seeking to fill a four-year vacancy on the Cemetery Commission; Erin Mooney is on the ballot for a five-year Library Commission seat.
There is one additional five-year term on the Cemetery Commission with no candidate seeking that spot. A write-in is possible and any vacancies after the election will be filled by appointment by the select board.
Early/absentee voting
For those who might not be in town on March 4 to cast a ballot, early/absentee voting is available now at the town clerk’s office during regular business hours, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Voters also may request a ballot be sent to them by mail. Call or email Town Clerk Karen Petrovic at 802-244-8447 or karen@waterburyvt.com or use the Secretary of State’s My Voter Page website.
On Town Meeting Day
The 2024 Waterbury Town Annual Report is dedicated to longtime public works employee Randy Guyette. Artwork by Matt Metayer.
VOTING BY BALLOT: On Tuesday, March 4, voting in Waterbury will be held from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Brookside Primary School. Ballot items include all town and school elections, Harwood budget questions and the Central Vermont Career Center ballot as well.
VOTING AT TOWN MEETING: Voting on town finance questions including the budget, setting tax payment dates, and allocations to a host of nonprofit organizations and agencies will be done in person at the annual town meeting starting at 9 a.m. in the gym at Brookside Primary School. Only those in attendance can vote on those questions which are listed on the Annual Town Meeting Warning.
CHILD CARE: Student volunteers from Harwood Union High School’s National Honor Society will host child care during the meeting. Parents are asked to register their youngsters age 13 and younger using this online form.
LUNCH: In addition, staff from the Waterbury Area Senior Center will be preparing and serving lunch in the school cafeteria with donations appreciated.
ANNUAL REPORTS: Reports from town officials, the proposed fiscal year 2025 budget, letters from the various organizations seeking local funding and more can be found in the Annual Report which is posted online on the town website here. Paper are available at the town offices, the Waterbury Public Library, both Waterbury post offices, and are being dropped off this week at various locations around town. (See the full list here.) The town clerk can mail a physical copy also. Call 802-244-8447 or email karen@waterburyvt.com to request one.
MORE INFO: Find sample ballots and warnings for both town and school district business for Town Meeting Day on the Town Clerk’s section of the town website here.
Coming soon
The Roundabout will be posting more coverage ahead of Town Meeting Day with a preview of the proposed FY25 town budget and an important question asking voters to consider changing Waterbury’s Town Meeting Day format.
Article 8 on the Town Meeting warning asks voters to consider deciding all town business by paper (Australian) ballot in the future. The shift would allow all voters on Town Meeting Day (and those voting early/absentee) to participate in voting on town financial matters and general questions by ballot rather than at an in-person meeting.
Town officials could instead hold in-person informational sessions ahead of Town Meeting Day where voters could learn about and offer feedback on budget proposals and other items that would be put on the ballot.
The decision on whether Waterbury makes this change will take place at the in-person Town Meeting on March 4 starting at 9 a.m. at Brookside Primary School.