Dear Editor, With a national political conversation that seems to become more divisive and fragmented with each passing day, engaging locally to create meaningful and inclusive democratic change is as important as it ever has been. At moments like this, Vermonters have historically responded by gathering in granges and town halls to find common ground…

Dear Editor, My name is Lisa Ryan and I am running for the Board of Aldermen in Rutland City. I have a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Temple University and master’s degree in mediation and applied conflict studies from Champlain College. I am 27 years old and I was raised in Rutland, having worked in…

Dear Editor, I would like to make a clarification to Adam Federman’s article on the Rutland City Board of Aldermen candidates (Feb. 21-28). Mr. Federman incorrectly stated my “suggested” stance on humanitarian efforts in Rutland. My position on refugee resettlement has not changed since my conversation with Mr. Federman in mid-January. I approve of humanitarian efforts in…

Dear Editor, As the owner of a local business, parent of two wonderful children and resident of Rutland, I am writing in support of our regional marketing initiative. The initiative has been created by a group of volunteers who have put forth tremendous time and energy in an effort to stabilize and grow our local…

Thank you for your good wishes and your gifts and your presence in the celebration of my retirement on Sunday, Feb. 26. I was (and still am) overwhelmed by the participation of friends and family and neighbors at worship on Sunday morning and at the wonderful gathering at the Summit Lodge on Sunday afternoon. Thank…

Dear Editor, I am writing today to voice my support for two issues facing voters this March. 1) Allocating monies from the economic development fund for the 2017 Killington World Cup, and 2) repealing the sales portion of the local option tax for the following fiscal year. Both concepts make sense for our town and…

By Jon Margolis, VTDigger “It is almost impossible to start a small business now,” said the president of the United States the other day, and he knew why. It was, he said, “because of regulation.” As has been noted elsewhere, Donald Trump and fact do not always inhabit the same realm. Depending on how “small…

Dear Editor, It’s a great time to be part of Killington. This winter marks my 18th season as a business owner (of Sushi Yoshi) in Killington and my 21st season as a Killington Mountain pass holder. From a personal, recreational and business perspective Killington is the best that it has ever been. The development of…

Dear Editor, The golf course owes the town of Killington $390,741.45 as of Jan. 31, 2017, even after paying the town $200,000 during the year for borrowing $361,737.53 in 2015. This number was a footnote on page 72 in the Town Report for 2015. When I asked why the golf course needed to borrow such…

Dear Editor, Before I moved to Killington in 1970, I spent several weekends a year skiing here as well as at other ski areas. I will never forget what happened on one occasion when leaving Killington when I saw a banner over the Access Road that said, “If you lived here you would be home…

Dear Editor, On March 7 Rutland City voters choose our governing body for another two years. This year, especially, I ask everyone to think carefully for a moment before casting their vote. Rutland City needs a change of leadership! We need a leader who will actually listen to the people who elected him, not ignore…

Dear Editor, Attention Killington taxpayers and residents: on Tuesday, March 7, you will be asked to vote “yes” or “no” to a potential Act 46 merger of our local school board into a new consolidated board consisting of members from other towns in our present supervisory union. After 18 months of meetings to explore this…

Dear Editor, In addition to voting to sunset the 1 percent local sales option tax, which I wrote about last week, I believe our town should also support the financial investment of contributing to hosting future World Cup events. In November of this year, one of our town and Killington Resort’s proudest moments occurred, when the…

Dear Editor, The proposal to eliminate the sales tax portion of the options tax that is being put before the voters should not be approved at this time. Revenue from this tax is reducing the burden imposed by the education tax in a manner that was anticipated by the state legislature at the time the…

Dear Editor, Town Meeting Day is March 7, and for a number of towns the ballot will include next fiscal year’s budget. If you’ve been following the budget wrangles recently in Rutland city, budgets are no small matter for city hall, department heads and taxpayers. I understand how budgets can be helpful tools for managing…