Brattleboro Selectboard Member Tim Wessel's recent comments suggest that the breach of faith between town government and the populace is wider and of longer duration than previously understood.
“Anybody who understands the history of Rescue Inc. and Brattleboro,” said Wessel, “understands that for more the 20 years Brattleboro has been talking about and considering and dancing around the issue of, well, we have this professional fire service, we have a large town with a lot of need, and it might make sense to combine services.”
“Anybody who understands” seems to refer to a fairly small group of insiders rather than the larger ambulance-riding public, which was never invited to the dance.
Apparently, Wessel hoped to reassure citizens who are upset by the prevailing narrative: the severance of Brattleboro's ties to Rescue Inc. was hastily engineered by an itinerant town manager and rubber-stamped by a spineless Selectboard.
In recent weeks, The Commons has presented well-reasoned arguments for and against increasing Brattleboro's local-option sales tax. Penned by local business owner Nancy Braus (against the increase) and Selectboard member Tim Wessel (pro increase), these were valuable contributions to the public debate. Unfortunately, the public servant chose to step...
Most families will soon be enjoying the final days of summer, and thoughts will turn to school, soccer, and the beauty of fall. But for many families, there is a daily struggle to make ends meet. Putney Family Services has been working for more than 20 years to help...