May 3, 2018 • The Essex Reporter • 1
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{ Thursday, May 3, 2018 }
Town: Election glitch caused by Act 46 hiccup By COLIN FLANDERS Local officials are blaming a legislative oversight for allowing village residents to vote in an election last month that was supposed to only be open to town residents. The mishap stems back to Act 46, the landmark school merger law under which the Essex Westford School District was created, according to Essex Jct. Rep. Dylan Giambatista, who sits on the House Education Committee.
Giambatista said the 2015 law used language from old statutes that applied to union high schools when addressing governance for newly unified districts. “It often happens that when you recycle legal language, there are sometimes unforeseen complications or unintended consequences,” he said. Giambatista requested a redraft of sections in Act 46 that deal with elections to unified boards, but the Vt. Agency of Education
Walk the walk
said it didn’t have the resources for a complete cleanup at the time. He instead asked for limited language to target EWSD’s situation, and attorneys for the AOE and House Education Committee drafted language that was included in last year’s omnibus education bill. But the law still contained language that undermined the legislative fix, so the school board’s legal counsel recommended the district ask individual municipalities to warn the vote.
The problem: The town of Essex covers village residents, too, so when incumbent Liz Subin sought re-election for a seat designated for residents in the former Essex Town School District, her name appeared on both village and town ballots, even though she only represents the latter. Subin was unopposed, meaning the extra 372 votes she received from village voters did little more than boost her total tally. But theoretically, with the election open to
the entire town, a village resident could have sought and won election to the school board for a seat designated for town residents. Martha Heath, school board chairwoman and Westford resident, acknowledged the error in comments to the selectboard last month and said the school board should have reviewed the ballots before the elections. “We won’t make that mistake in the future,” she said. See ELECTION, page 3
Business-savvy duo raises money for dog shelters
I
By COLIN FLANDERS
t’s a little after 10 a.m., and the rain has held off just long enough for Mason Bauer and Sarah Hall to get to work. Unburdened from school for the week, they delay their start several hours this Friday morning to lead an unusually large posse: their mothers, two former employees (who happen to also be their siblings) and a local reporter seeking an exclusive. They take the disruptions in stride, understanding the life of an entrepreneur is nothing if unpredictable, and soon stand on the doorstep of their first client. Julie Davis hands over her rambunctious golden retriever, Berkley, to Mason, who, at just 9 years old somehow manages to rein in the dog’s youthful wiggles. Jones, the Davis’ elder statesman, stands alongside two other pooches attached to Sarah’s leash. The trio sniffs the grass and each other while Sarah chats with Davis, and Mason and Berkley continue their tango. A minute later, the group bounds across the damp sidewalk — first stopping to check for traffic — cross the street, and they’re off. Sarah and Mason are used to the hectic roundup. They’re among Essex’s youngest business owners and have been for the last few years. Their moniker, M.A.P.S., incorporates their names and their two siblings’, who accompanied the venture until leaving to pursue their own interests (an amicable split, it seems). Sarah, the company’s oldest executive at age 11, traces her business savvy back to a win in her first major negotiations: a deal with her father that said they can get a second dog if Sarah pays for it. M.A.P.S. has grown from those humble
PHOTO BY COLIN FLANDERS
Mason Bauer races ahead of Sarah Hall during a walk around their Essex neighborhood last Friday. The duo runs their own dog walking business, M.A.P.S., and donates its profits to non-kill shelters in Vermont. They have donated to four so far, with a goal of reaching all 33 in the state. beginnings to now serve four neighborhood clients. And while it’s trimmed staff in half, the duo makes up for its lack of manpower with enthusiasm: They can be seen walking around their neighborhood well before 8 a.m. some days. It’s an effort to achieve their ambitious mission of donating $100 to every nonkill shelter in Vermont. On Sunday, they dropped off a check to Maple Leaf Mutts, marking their fourth shelter thus far. With 29 more shelters and dog-walking bringing in an average $5 per client, however, the entrepreneurs knew they needed
to expand. So they began running summertime lemonade stands and now sell batches of homemade paw wax for winter protection. Still, walking has and will remain a tenet of the M.A.P.S. business model. The duo is now looking for more neighborhood clients through a precise advertising campaign. The media blitz includes flyers, business cards and a surprisingly comprehensive website. They even keep a binder that denotes a handful of options — Google Map printouts on which they highlight various routes like
See DOGS, page 2
Bar owner faces hearings
'Home, sweet, home'
By MIKE DONOGHUE
Family reflects on long journey to new Habitat home in Essex By COLIN FLANDERS When listing the glories of owning your own home, fixing a dripping faucet likely wouldn’t break into the Top 10. But after years of renting, taking ownership of those little things sometimes matter most. “I’m just glad it will be our own to deal with,” said Misty Pretty, whose family is one of four that will soon move into the new Habitat for Humanity project on 57 Park St. Pretty, her husband, Blake Morley; and their two children, ages 10 and 15, have lived in a rental unit in Fort Ethan Allen for the last few months, but their journey to homeownership spans years, filled with tenuous landlords and frustrating obstacles. “Getting involved in this project was like, "Oh my gosh, there's still good people," Pretty said, “because we've had so much bad happen.” They had tried buying a home at one point, but the sale fell through last minute, forcing
the “Elephant,” which, well, looks like an elephant. There are also plans for a shed they’d like to build one day. That’s down the road. For now, Mason and Sarah are focused on providing the best service possible, learning a few important lessons along the way. “Always have treats,” Sarah said. “And Band-Aids,” Mason mused. Sarah, who admits she’s fallen a few times, agreed. Doggie bags are a must. Friday’s trip was twice halted as they took turns picking
COURTESY OF GREEN MOUNTAIN HABITAT
Blake Morley and Misty Pretty pose for a photo with their children on the porch of their new home in Essex. them to move in with Morley’s parents in Jericho. That home did offer the kids their own bedroom. But the parents slept in a studio-like room that connected to the living room and kitchen, and with Morley sleeping in after a late-night See HABITAT, page 2
The owner of the Backstage Pub & Restaurant will have two hearings this month before the Essex Selectboard and the Vermont Liquor Control Board on whether disciplinary action should be taken against its licenses to serve alcoholic beverages. Problems continue to mount for the owner, Vincent Dober Sr., 53, of Burlington and his bar at 60 Pearl St., the director of compliance enforcement for the Vt. Liquor Control Department said this week. A new complaint about Dober being impaired while working has been filed, Chief Skyler Genest said in the public notice of hearing. And VLC now has evidence of Dober pleading guilty in a Crown Point, N.Y. court last December to misdemeanor charges of criminally possessing a weapon and unlawfully possessing a large capacity ammunition feeding device, according to state records. The records note there
also was a civil finding against Dober for driving while his ability was impaired by alcohol. The Essex Selectboard renewed Backstage’s liquor license during a special meeting last Wednesday but also agreed to conduct a hearing on May 7 on whether to suspend or revoke the license due to ongoing concerns. The VLC board set a separate disciplinary hearing for May 16 in Montpelier based on a new complaint that Dober was impaired again while working at the bar about 10 p.m. last Saturday, Genest said. Dober failed to provide a breath test as required, Genest said in the notice of hearing. Dober agreed to pay a $350 fine on April 11 after being found impaired while tending bar on February 21, records show. That night, Dober’s alcohol level was .172 percent according to the breath test administered by a liquor investigator. As part of the settlement of the first case, Dober agreed See BAR, page 3