ATHENS — I endorse Janet Perry for Selectboard in Athens.
I have held elected office in Athens for over 20 years as lister; I am the assistant town clerk and previously have served on the school board. I have also spent many years as a volunteer for various endeavors in our town.
During this time, I have gotten to known Janet as she became more and more involved in our town, starting with serving on the Town Planning Commission. She joined the Meeting House Committee, served as an Auditor for the town, and also was a part of our town's budget committee.
She has also donated product from her family's small farm to the annual community picnic hosted by Grafton Cares and to fundraisers held by the Meeting House Committee for the ongoing renovation of the Athens Brick Meeting House. I cannot say the same of the other candidate running for this office.
Janet has become familiar with the workings of the Selectboard in her capacity as a member of our volunteer budget committee. She is always willing to work and do research to find out where and if the financial burden to the property owners in Athens can be reduced.
This knowledge has only been expanded by her position as an auditor. Unfortunately, she will have to resign from that if elected, but I feel she will better serve the community as a Selectboard member.
I also endorse Matt Perry for road commissioner. This elected position has traditionally been filled by our road foreman, Matt's position for the past two years since the retirement of his predecessor.
Matt was the second man in our two-man road crew for over 20 years. He has intimate knowledge of the roads and infrastructure in our town roads.
Wherever Matt can help reduce the costs of running the road maintenance department, he has made a sincere effort to do so without endangering residents or others who use our roads daily. He also does so while maintaining standards set by the state.
He has also been working on getting grants to defray the costs of upgrades to certain sections of our roads, such as the area known as “Hedgehog,” and he continues to cut costs by seeking grants for upgrades to our roads.
In all fairness, the road commissioner's position is merely one as a go-between for the Selectboard and the road foreman, who has traditionally held that position for that reason. I don't believe we need another person - or that the position even needs to exist. During my entire residency in Athens of some 40 years, the road commissioner and road foreman have been one and the same person.
Matt has done an outstanding job in some very trying times, and I think we all need to continue to support him and Eugene Bills, our newest road crew member, by voting for Matt to continue.