The writer represents District 9 in Brattleboro's Representative Town Meeting,
BRATTLEBORO-The difference between our faltering two-party democracy and those with a much-more-vibrant multiparty system has been on my mind more than ever lately.
Trevor Noah made an observation in an interview recently that in most places around the world people are far less tribal in their approach to politics. What comes with having more choices of parties and candidates is a far greater willingness to be critical of those they voted for once they are in office.
BRATTLEBORO-As we are engaged with the urgency of the political drama unfolding in real time, I remember someone who was instrumental in the events that led up to an earlier Constitutional crisis a half century ago. Randy Kehler recently passed away at the age of 80 after a long...
Fric Spruyt is a property owner and property manager in Brattleboro and a member of the town's energy committee. BRATTLEBORO-It choked me up to hear that the Congressional Gold Medal has been awarded collectively to all Rosie the Riveters. They emerged at a time when we as a country...
Fric Spruyt is a property owner and property manager in Brattleboro and a member of the town's energy committee. Everywhere I look, I see the failure of the idea that someone else has to lose for someone else to win. And, if I look beyond the news of the day, I see examples of what happens when a win-win approach is tried. The rise to prominence of those who have insatiable appetites for power, money, and attention is driving much...
Hearing about the latest debacles in Washington, D.C., I am inspired to recount how we got here. We are at a point where we have a Supreme Court that doesn't understand the need for separation of church and state, confirmed by a Senate that seems to have completely lost its moral compass, nominated by someone who lost the popular vote, who only made it that far because a bunch of religious leaders were willing to make a deal with the...
As we take in (or avoid) the news, a feeling that it is all quite hopeless is almost inevitable. In a way, many likely find this feeling reassuring, though we may not want to admit it. It gets us of the hook. Obviously, we as individuals can't solve any, let alone several, of the world's biggest problems by ourselves. OK, so we are done with this conversation, right? I can go back to whatever distraction or urgent personal need I...
Maggie Cassidy and Tim Cowles were some of the best examples of what it means to “think globally and act locally.” Tim's dedication to the environment is now legendary, certainly among those who knew him. Decades ago he showed how far he was willing to go to live his values. Over lunch one day, he said he was thinking of building a house. I asked if he had thought about an earth-sheltered house. He asked “What's that?” The next time...
At the Dec. 15 Selectboard meeting, when the board discussed an ordinance to restrict how much rent can be required of new tenants, I found the thoughtful and constructive tone set by its chair, Tim Wessel, and the rest of the board very refreshing, especially as I have been so focused on the profoundly dysfunctional national political scene for so long. Some of the comments from the public, however, proved that our little town is not immune to the politics...