Reporter
January 19, 2017 • The Essex Reporter •1
THE ESSEX
January 19, 2017
Vol. 37, no. 3
Prsrt Std ECRWSS U.S. Postage Paid Permit No. 266 Burlington, VT 05401 Postal Patron-Residential
Village, town discuss potential charter change By COLIN FLANDERS
T
he Essex Jct. Board of Trustees and the Essex Selectboard will meet in the coming weeks to discuss the past, present and future of consolidation efforts between the town and village. They also plan to discuss a potential charter change, sparking hesitancy from members of both boards. Joint municipal manager Pat Scheidel introduced the topic last week in reference to his upcoming retirement
in summer 2018. Scheidel, who was previously town manager before assuming the joint manager role in 2013, pointed to his own position as one of the shared services initiative’s basic fiscal benefits. "It's been the easiest thing to go from two to one and save money," he said. The manager position is shared via a memorandum of understanding, which states the village hires Scheidel for a three-year contract that ends in June 2018. The village reimburses the town
for half of his salary, though he remains an employee of the town, from which he receives benefits. The agreement can be terminated at any time by either board, however, and there’s no process agreed upon by which the two will choose a future manager once Scheidel retires. So Scheidel suggested the two boards meet to discuss the possibility of codifying the role into the village and town charters. A charter change would serve as a
consolidation stop valve, he said, cementing the current make-up so it could only change by another voter-approved measure. It would also create a more stable environment for an incoming manager versus a memorandum of understanding, which Scheidel said is too big of a risk for the next manager to take. Scheidel has suggested hiring a recruitment firm to conduct the search, a very intensive process that can take up to five months, he said. Though June See chaRTER, page 10
Bias study includes Essex police data By COLIN FLANDERS A new study by the University of Vermont shows major disparities in how police treat drivers of different races. The study shows black drivers are twice as likely to be arrested after a traffic stop than white drivers in Vermont. Black and Hispanic drivers are also more likely to receive a citation once stopped and are three to four times as likely to be searched, even though white drivers were more likely to be found with serious contraband. Essex, however, was one
Got milk?
of only five departments statewide to pull over black drivers at a rate below its respective share of the population, based on data compiled over 201415. “It shows fair and impartial policing,” Police Chief Brad LaRose said. “There’s no glowing number that is of concern to me.” Co-authored by UVM economics professor Stephanie Seguino and visiting professor Nancy Brooks, the study cites Vermont’s long history of being a political outlier as the first state to outlaw slavery and legalize civil unions. See POLicE, page 4
Photos by KAYLEE SULLIVAN
Rise 'N Shine milkman grazes through the state
BY KAYLEE SULLIVAN
T
he loud rumbling of Peter Carreiro's delivery truck came to a slow halt last Thursday evening as he quickly jumped out, a boisterous “hello!” traveling across the yard to one of his many loyal customers. “Oh, we love milk!” Monica Aurigemma exclaimed as she scurried to give Carreiro an empty glass milk bottle. Carreiro is an old-fashioned milkman, the only one in the area. His company, Rise 'N Shine, is based on the premise of developing customer relationships and delivering fresh, locally based products directly to doorsteps. As the sun set on Essex Jct. last Thursday, Aurigemma – who normally doesn't catch Carreiro during his route – was ecstatic to see him. “We like local milk. It's delicious milk, and we just like to keep it in Vermont,” she said. The reusable bottles, all returned and then washed by Carreiro, is one factor that attracts Aurigemma to the business. Then there's the frozen pizza from Half Baked Pizza in South Burlington: A pie is always patiently waiting in her refrigerator, she said. See MiLk, page 3
Photo by COLIN FLANDERS Essex community development director Dana hanley looks over the Essex Town center Master Plan, which was created in 1991. hanley is spearheading efforts to revamp the plan.
Top, Rise 'N Shine glass milk bottles sit in the back of Peter carreiro's truck, waiting to be delivered. Left, carreiro makes a delivery to an Essex Jct. home last Thursday evening in the Five corners neighborhood. an old-fashioned milkman, carreiro makes 40 to 85 stops six days a week, amounting to 12-hour days. The milkman delivers to 12 local towns.
Town Center plan set for revision By COLIN FLANDERS For the first time in over a quarter-century, the Essex Town Center will have a new master plan to help facilitate growth. “This is a project for everyone,” said Essex community development director Dana Hanley, who’s spearheading a
yearlong effort with the help of three consulting firms. Considered the area around the outlets, the Essex Town Center has operated under its current master plan since 1991. Although it’s a useful guide for long-term planning, the plan didn’t See PLaN, page 2
Selectboard incumbents seek re-election By COLIN FLANDERS
Essex voters will have an incumbent candidate in both of the selectboard’s elections this Town Meeting Day. Chairman Max Levy and selectboard clerk Andy Watts both confirmed they’re seeking re-election to their three-year seats when voters hit the polls March 7. Petitions to run for the selectboard are due to the town clerk’s office by 5 p.m. on January 30. Candidates must obtain the signatures of 30 registered voters. Levy, a former engineer at
IBM, is entering his ninth year on the board, the last three serving as chairman. He pointed to his “excellent working relationships” with municipal staff as why he believes he’d be an effective leader to help guide the town and village toward further department consolidations. “I believe we are on the right path,” Levy wrote in an email. He named the upcoming consolidation of planning services, with one planning commission and two development review boards, as the next steps. Watts also brings IBM experience, having worked for the compa-
ny since 1983. He said he’s received much encouragement from voters to seek re-election, and also just simply enjoys the work. Like Levy, Watts touched on consolidation, including the potential for charter changes to codify previous efforts, like the sharing of a municipal manager and the merger of the street departments. The town and village are at a point where both need to start assessing how effective the consolidations have been, Watts said. He hopes to ensure further efforts aren’t done “for the sake of doing,” See BOaRD, page 10
Max Levy
Andy Watts