Dear Editor, I started paying personal property tax in 2007, about $300 that year. Now, in 2024 my personal property tax is almost $2,200. So out of curiosity, I went to the town office and made a few copies of the list of businesses who pay personal property tax in this town. Out of over…

Dear Editor, On March 5, 2024, Election Day in Killington, Scott Baughman will be a write-in candidate to fill a vacancy on the Sherburne Riverside Cemetery Commission. Scott has the full support of Truman Bate and Paul Holmes, the current members of the cemetery commission. We ask that the citizens of Killington support Scott with…

Dear future Vermont, I’m sorry. I apologize for where you are now, it was our fault — things got strange around 2022 to 2024 and went sideways on us. Maybe if more of us had been vocal things could have turned out differently. As you consider where you are now and how to move forward…

Dear Editor, I recently attended an open meeting at the Public Safety Building where the proposed new Woodstock Middle/High School was the main topic. Ben Ford began the meeting with an overview of the location on site and the cost. After the initial presentation, questions and concerns became the most talked about items. Concerns were…

Dear Editor, I am the current chair of the Mountain Views Supervisory Union (MVSU) School Board. I am also a Woodstock resident, a parent of three children who graduated from our schools, a grandparent of a PreK student at WES, and an educator who taught for 39 years in the school district. At the vote…

Dear Editor, Editor’s note: The following was originally written as an open letter to lawmakers. Senate bill S.211 is an attempt by the Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems to free hospitals from appropriate and thoughtful budgetary regulation by the Green Mountain Care Board. The bill, if enacted, will be an enormous benefit to…

Dear Editor, Last week I introduced myself as a candidate for Select Board and outlined some of the ways in which the current board is not serving the community as well as it deserves to be served. The treatment of former search and rescue volunteers and their current blacklist from the department, which I detailed…

Submitted   By John W. Casella Editor’s note: John W. Casella is the chairman and CEO of Casella Waste Systems, Inc. The Vermont State Senate recently supported Governor Scott’s 2023 veto of H.158, an act relating to expanding the beverage container redemption system. The governor’s veto letter to the legislators expressed concerns on how H.…

Dear Editor, I am Andrew Gieda and I am running for Select Board. Most people know me as a builder, I’ve built homes and condos. I know how to repair almost anything. I’ve been fixing things for a long time. That is why I am asking you to vote for me. We have lots of…

Dear Editor, The Mountain Views Supervisory Union has recently been holding meetings with local communities asking for voter support to build a new middle and high school building on the site of the current complex in Woodstock. Having attended the recent meeting in Killington, I would first like to compliment the MVSU for their nerve in…

Dear Editor, On March 5, Killington voters will face a crucial decision: whether to approve a $99 million bond for a new school building that will replace the aging and deteriorating middle school/high school. This is not a decision to take lightly, as it will have significant implications for the town’s future, both in terms…

Dear Editor, Editor’s note: this letter was written Monday, Jan. 29, and originally posted on the Barnard listserv. It is published here with permissions. I’ve been reluctant to post anything because of my role on the School Board, but after seeing a number of posts on our, and other area listservs, I’ve gotten quite concerned with…

Dear Editor, “Spoiler Alert; It doesn’t matter what Killington wants” was the title of the recent Jan. 24, 2024 Editorial by Polly Mikula in the Mountain Times.  In the context of criticizing the Killington Select Board’s motion “to add an article [Article 5] to the Town Meeting Day ballot asking voters if they want to study the…

Dear Editor, I just read the result that the judge ruled against the snowboarding coach. What world do we live in? Boys cannot be girls and girls cannot be boys. They can pretend, change clothes and mutilate their bodies but that’s it. This is mental illness disguised as compassion. You don’t humor an anorexic by…

Dear Editor, I am concerned about the upcoming community decision on the proposed new middle and high school. The plan is based on a model that is out-of-sync with recent enrollment trends and future projections. Since education funding in Vermont is based on enrollment, it is a critical element of any funding plan. Indeed, the…