Charland’s surprise resignation creates vacancy on Duxbury Selectboard
November 14, 2020 | By Jacob Dawson
Richard Charland resigned from the Duxbury Selectboard Oct. 30. File photo by Gordon Miller.
Citing ongoing frustrations with the efficacy of Duxbury’s Selectboard, Richard Charland’s surprise resignation has the board now seeking applicants to fill the position.
Charland announced his resignation in an email to Town Clerk Maureen Harvey on Oct. 30. Harvey accepted and announced his decision to the board the following day.
“With regret I submit my notice of resignation from the Duxbury Selectboard
effective today October 30, 2020,” Charland wrote to Harvey. “It has been a pleasure working with you and I have the highest respect for your dedicated service to the town.”
In his brief message, Charland did not elaborate any further on the reasons for his decision.
Selectboard Chair Kevin Garcia said Monday that he did not expect Charland to resign nor did he know why Charland stepped down. He added that it was Harvey who notified him of the resignation. “It was news to me,” Garcia said.
Reached Tuesday by the Waterbury Roundabout about his decision, Charland replied via email: “I chose to resign from the Duxbury Selectboard because the board has become totally dysfunctional. My concerns specifically as to the repairs needed on the Town Garage, which I believe should be #1 on a project list, were dashed at the October 26 meeting,” Charland said. “The past 8 months have unfortunately been a futile, rudderless disappointment.”
In his email, Charland described how he felt the board was not successfully addressing pressing issues or fulfilling the will of the voters. Repairing the town garage is a top priority for Charland, who explained how voters turned down a $300,000 bond for that purpose in November 2019; another attempt to pose a bond question to voters at town meeting in March was not properly warned and did not happen.
At recent meetings, Charland has proposed fixing the garage and paying for the work in stages as an alternative to one project funded by a bond. The board discussed the matter at its Oct. 26 meeting, the last meeting Charland attended before resigning.
The town garage discussion at that meeting grew tense as Vice Chair Mari Pratt
proposed a $200,000 bond which could be paid off at $15,000 a year over 13 years.
At one point, Charland used a high-pitched tone to mock Pratt, saying, “Oh, no wait a minute, we’ve got to go back to do this all-in-one-big-project and hope for a bond.” That caused Garcia to interject asking everyone to “take a deep breath.”
“Dick [Charland], no making voices,” Garcia said. “If I hear you mimicking anyone on the board again, I don’t know what I’m gonna do. I’ll pull my hair out, and I don’t have that many left.”
The exchange was described in the Valley Reporter weekly newspaper in a story on Oct. 29. An audio recording of the meeting also is posted on the selectboard’s website.
Charland in his email explanation said he was disappointed that the board did not agree with his suggested approach. “At the 10/26 meeting I was informed, the preference was to do the project all at once and to bond the cost. Obviously, the will of the voters a year ago does not matter,” he wrote.
Pratt responded to Charland’s comments noting she was speaking individually and not for the entire board. “Mistakes, yes I have made some. But in this time, when things are very different, the board I serve on has also done things right. I choose to focus on the latter. Thank you Mr. Charland for your service,” she said.
Request for applicants
The resignation now leaves a vacancy to be filled – either by appointment or by an election if residents of Duxbury petition for one. Per Vermont law, a special election would require residents to file a petition for a special election signed by at least 5% of the town’s registered voters within 60 days of the resignation.
Pratt said she is confident they will find an interested citizen soon, and residents will be comfortable with an appointment, “as it is only until Town Meeting Day.”
Garcia agreed. “My assumption is that we would appoint someone,” he said. The town will advertise the position, and Garcia said he hopes an interested resident – perhaps someone who previously ran for a seat but was unsuccessful – will apply.
Pratt said that process would have to take place in a separate meeting with proper warning.
The selectboard met Monday evening via video conference call on Zoom. The board discussed how to advertise the open position – deciding on a combination of online postings on Front Porch Forum and the town’s website and notices at the Town Office.
In the meantime, the vacancy is not expected to have a great impact on town business. “As far as his resignation, it’s going to slow things down a bit, obviously, as far as our operations,” board member Jerry McMahan said after the meeting, but added, “there are a couple people interested in filling the position.”
Garcia and McMahan noted that four board members can still pass measures before them regarding any ongoing projects throughout Duxbury.
The Duxbury board has five seats. Charland, who previously served on the selectboard from 2006 through 2014, was elected in March to a one-year term. The board will appoint a replacement for the remainder of Charland’s term, through Town Meeting day 2021. To apply, email a letter of interest to Garcia at kevingduxburyvt@gmail.com and Pratt at mari.duxburyvt@gmail.com before the next scheduled selectboard meeting on Nov. 23.
Garcia encouraged anyone interested “to come before the board and throw their hat in.”
Charland did not rule out returning to the board in the future, saying he would “have no problem serving on behalf of the town.” But that likely would have to happen under different circumstances. “I will not however participate in any more disorganized, unfocused, time wasting meetings,” Charland said. “The town deserves better.”
Charland’s full comments explaining his resignation can be read here.