LETTER: Introducing Jamison Ervin, candidate for Duxbury Selectboard
Feb. 17, 2022To the Duxbury community:
I've lived in Duxbury since my husband and I moved here in 1994. We raised our son here, and there's no other place I'd rather call home. Volunteering to serve on a selectboard is one way of giving back to the community. In the past, I've enjoyed serving on the Duxbury Planning Commission, and on the boards of the Duxbury Land Trust and Waterbury Local Energy Action Partnership. I have also served on the boards of Ecoenterprises Fund, an international organization based in Vermont, the Mad River Watershed Conservation Partnership, and the Vermont Energy and Climate Action Network, among others.
If elected, I would like to focus on roads and planning. I would look forward to working with the road crew to ensure that we have plans in place to maintain and improve the safety and stability of our roads and bridges which badly need investment, and 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. I also have a good eye for sound fiscal planning, and would look forward to working with the Town Clerk and other Selectboard members on the annual budget.
Although Duxbury had 20 years of nearly flat population growth since 2000, we grew by more than 7% in just the last two years. Much of that growth has been in rural neighborhoods, putting more strain on backcountry roads. I believe we must invest in maintaining our road system, as well as in promoting better access to fiber internet access – both are lifelines for residents who either commute or telecommute to work. I also believe we need to have stronger plans for resilience and preparedness for events like Hurricane Irene in the future.
Although I've served on different boards and commissions before, including in Duxbury, serving on the selectboard would be an entirely new experience for me. For one thing, I would greatly enjoy getting to know more neighbors – there are a lot of new faces in town! I would also enjoy better understanding how town government works, and discovering how I might best put my experience and training to use.
At the start of my career in the late 1980s, I spent several formative years in rural Nepal, working on women's community health and literacy. Since 1991, I've worked in the field of natural resources, primarily for non-profit organizations (including the World Wildlife Fund and The Nature Conservancy, among others), with a focus on sustainable forestry, land conservation and land use planning.
Jamison (Jamie) Ervin is one of three candidates for two one-year seats on the Duxbury Selectboard. Courtesy photo
It would be an honor and privilege to serve the town as a selectboard member.
Jamison (Jamie) Ervin
Duxbury