Dear Editor, Last week, Paul Dame, a first-year Republican Representative from Essex Junction penned an op-ed praising Kentucky Senator Rand Paul’s recent visit. Dame touts Senator Paul as the “first candidate to prove how we can build a bigger, better, and bolder party right here in Vermont.” The Republican Party may well be in need…

Dear Editor, It’s no secret that the Republican Party is in need of revitalization. For too long there are too many voters that have been overlooked by many Republican candidates as ‘unwinnable.’ This is an attitude that will lead to our demise if left uncorrected. And while a number of candidates talk a good game about building…

Dear Editor, There have been two issues before the Select Board these past few months that I would like to update the community on: West Hill Road and the adoption of a Gun Ordinance. First, West Hill Road. Quite a few residents have expressed concerns regarding the safety of traffic (car, pedestrian and bicycle) on…

Dear Editor, It appears that there is a concerted Killington town effort to either eliminate the West Hill slip lane, or make it dysfunctional. For many years the slip lane has safely removed exiting Access Road traffic from the dysfunctional Route 4 intersection during peak ski traffic mass exodus times. The convoluted logic to force…

Dear Editor, The Maine House of Representatives made big news at the end of June: it soundly defeated a bill to legalize retail marijuana, 98-45. This is significant for two reasons. First, the margin of defeat was a full 27 points greater than the first time Maine turned down a pot legalization bill in 2013.…

Dear Editor, For 105 years, the Boy Scouts of America has played an important and significant role in shaping the lives of its youth members by instilling in them the values found in the Scout Oath and Law. For those readers who are unfamiliar with the Oath and Law, please read on: Scout Oath: "On…

Dear editor, In this past week’s edition Rob Roper, president of the Ethan Allen Institute, wrote an opinion telling us that in order to improve the job market in Vermont we need to become a "right-to-work" state and that all workers should become "independent contractors" instead of employees. If employees became contractors, business owners would…

Dear Editor, Vito Rasenas’ letter in the Aug. 13-19 edition of The Mountain Times is right on the money. The Killington Selectboard and town manager have been slowly and methodically trying to eliminate the “Slip Road.” This started well over a year ago with a suggestion by one of the selectmen to create a park…

Dear Editor, I’ve asked two simple questions. Killington Selectboard Chair Patty McGrath believes she’s answered them. As a voter, I do not. To summarize my point: page 7 of our town report lists a Town of Killington Debt Summary, which does not include FEMA/flood debt. Since my questions regarding this, Patty, the Selectboard and management…

Dear Editor, We are a small group of people that live on Barrows Towne Road. Even smaller if you only count those of us that live on the stretch between Route 4 and Green Mountain National Golf Course. It is this stretch of road that is increasingly becoming more dangerous due to speeding traffic. Though…

Dear Editor, Earlier in July, Mr. Haff asked why the Town Report doesn’t show a deficit with flood funding and FEMA in the Town Report like the auditor’s report does? I answered his question in my July 29th letter to the Mountain Times (see “Killington Selectboard Chair addresses flood financing plans, transparency” on their website). Since,…

Dear Editor, I was disappointed when I learned that solar wasn’t a fit for my home. Here in Montpelier, the city has launched a Net Zero initiative—meaning we will reduce our dependence on fossil fuels by investing in renewable energy. I wanted to be a part of that movement. I wanted to do my part…

Dear Editor, The inexorable march towards eliminating the West Hill Road slip lane advanced further at the Aug. 4, 2015, Select Board meeting wherein Chet Hagenbarth, town facilities and road manager, introduced his "West Hill Road signage package," which included removing the West Hill Road street sign from the top of the slip lane and…

Dear Editor, My second question about transparency in Killington was what are the town’s plans to fix the issue that the auditor pointed out about not having enough funds to sustain government operations for approximately two months? The response we received back from Killington Selectboard Chair Patty McGrath in her letter in last week’s edition…

Dear Editor, Concrete and asphalt do not constitute progress. Progress is having the vision to reserve fertile and open land for any number of agricultural purposes. Progress is assisting former vibrant downtowns to become healthy again by focusing economic activity and workers and customers in these already existing downtown centers. Think Randolph and Bethel. Progress…