Brandon resident Cecil Reniche-Smith is seeking a one-year term on the Brandon selectboard.
A graduate of Vermont Law School, Reniche-Smith moved to Brandon after working for many years as a senior assistant attorney general for the state of Oregon, where she represented state agencies in state and federal courts. Before she was appointed to that position, Reniche-Smith worked in private practice, where she represented cities and counties in various stages of litigation.
Upon arriving in Brandon in 2019, Reniche-Smith threw herself into the life of the town. In addition to working part-time at The Bookstore, she is the chair of the Brandon Planning Commission and serves on the Board of Trustees of the Brandon Free Public Library.
“I come from a family of public servants,” Reniche-Smith, 61, said. “For many years, my mother was active in the civic life of Bethel, Vt., where among many other things, she coordinated the clean-up efforts after Tropical Storm Irene. She has been a huge influence on my life.”
Reniche-Smith’s own volunteer history includes serving on the board of directors of REACH Community Development in Portland, Oregon where she worked to develop and promote equitable access to quality, affordable housing, supportive services and community. She also spent thousands of hours volunteering for the Oregon Humane Society, where she did everything from counseling potential adopters to caring for dogs seized from neglectful and abusive owners. She led the humane society’s Technical Animal Rescue Team and deployed multiple times with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
