The voting will take place on Tuesday, March 4th, from 7:00a to 7:00p at the Colchester High School.
Sample ballot:
https://colchestervt.gov/DocumentCenter/View/11054/2025-TMD-Sample-Ballot?bidId=
Budget items documentation:
https://colchestervt.gov/349/Budget (municipal)
https://www.csdvt.org/district/schoolboard/budget.php (school)
Please join your Colchester Legislators for a Town Hall and Community Dinner on Monday, March 3rd, at 5:30 p.m. This event is free and will take place in the auditorium right before the Town and School Budget Presentations. It’s an excellent opportunity to connect with your community and stay informed about what’s happening, from the state house to our town hall.
As we do every year, Westbury requested a written presentation from the six candidates for Selectboard; however, only 2 of the candidates participated in this request.
Jackie Murphy (incumbent) for the two-year seat
Ralph Perkins for the three-year seat.
Below are their written presentations: We would like to thank them for their participation, which helps Westbury and others to make informed decisions.
Hi. My name is Jacqueline Murphy, but I prefer to go by Jacki. I have been a member of the Colchester selectboard since 2017 and I am seeking re-election for the two- year term. I view serving on the Selectboard as serving the community where I have lived and worked for more than 40 years. My husband, Zaf Bludevich, has also served on town boards and our daughters, Zoe and Bryce, attended Colchester schools.
I will admit that my first two-year term was very much a learning experience where I was schooled in the actual responsibilities of the board, which are wide ranging. Some of the duties include considering annual budget proposals and setting property taxes, serving as both the liquor control and the wastewater commissions, hearing vicious dog complaints, as well as approving changes to traffic codes, and zoning ordinances, appointing citizens to other town boards, serving as an appeal board for employee grievances, reviewing the police department’s special orders and helping to set policy on a range of other town issues and ultimately overseeing the work of Town staff and 85 plus volunteers on various towns boards. In addition to the Selectboard I serve as the Colchester representative to the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission and I am a member of the executive board, serving as secretary/treasurer.
During my years on the Selectboard we have tackled some difficult town issues such as the plowing of private roads, the merging of the fire departments into one under the direction of the town, the Malletts Bay Sewer project, advancing municipal solar projects, and the construction of the long-awaited Colchester Recreation Center as well as the routine business of the town.
I am an advocate for increasing recreation/pedestrian paths in town, improving traffic safety and I pushed to continue providing park restrooms during COVID. I also learned that most things are more complicated than I imagined, and progress can be frustratingly slow at times.
Every issue or citizen concern that comes before the board requires careful listening, thorough research, a willingness to ask questions, and, most importantly, a commitment to making decisions that benefit the greatest good of Colchester and its residents.
Over the years I promise you that I have taken, and will continue to take, each item seriously. I do my best to weigh the pros and cons and the impact on the town before casting my vote. Some votes are routine and easier than others, but those where there is controversy or a great deal of interest in the outcome from multiple angles often become fraught with emotion and do present challenges. Sometimes the head wants the vote one way when the heart would choose the opposite. In those cases, I always try to think of the benefit to the greatest number of residents.
We are lucky in Colchester to have a knowledgeable and dedicated town staff who are always looking to offer the greatest and best services to the town while also understanding that costs must be contained and laws followed. They are committed to strategically planning capital projects and purchases over multiple years with a strong commitment to cost-efficiency.
Thanks for your attention and interest in the well-being of Colchester. I look forward to continuing to serve our beautiful town.
Jackie Murphy **********************************************************
From: Ralph Perkins, candidate for selectboard
The reason I am running for the selectboard is because I feel it is important to participate in local
government. I believe my one voice – or your voices can be heard and can make a difference.
My involvement with Westbury goes back to when the school bus stop was moved from the mail
room out to busy Severance Road. At that time, I knew a resident at Oak Terrace who had the
same issue.
We identified the players in the decision, brought a rational discussion to them, tried to put them at ease, and they listened.
Today, people I have been speaking with are saying they feel disconnected from local government, partially from not being heard. Voter turnout both from Westbury and the town in general is pretty low, maybe 25%. With roughly 300 registered voters in Westbury, I would
propose that together or individually, each one of your votes can make a difference.
Right now, the education system in Vermont is in crisis. We are seeing that in our property taxes. Roughly 75% of our property tax goes to education and the other 25% goes to the Town budget.
The Selectboard and the Town Manager (who is authorized to run most aspects of the town) are not in control of 75% of our tax bill. Unfortunately, all these costs come out of the same pants pocket: your pocket and mine. We need to make sure what we spend town money on is good for the entire town.
As a selectboard member, I would respect the work that the Town Manager and his staff of close to 100 employees do, and I would work with the selectboard to support that work. At the same time, I think there are ways that we could do better. I think we should try to:
- Make sure no Colchester resident is forced out of their home due to property taxes.
- Find ways for all Colchester residents to be heard and feel connected to local government.
- Assure we have the resources for the police, fire and public works departments.
In Vermont, there are no “teams” or “sides” on a selectboard. As one vote of five, I cannot tell you that I can or will make sweeping changes.
What I can tell you is that I will have a sense of responsibility to support all Colchester residents,
a concern for the financial situation we are in, and a commitment to spend the time needed to
keep Colchester the place we all want to live.
Please consider voting this year. You can do so by stopping at town hall on your schedule
or vote at the High School on Tuesday, March 4th
For more information, please visit my webpage at PerkinsForColchester.com Thank you. -Ralph Perkins Colchester resident
Hope to see you at the meeting!