 Good afternoon and welcome to Town Meeting Television's continuing coverage of Town Meeting 2021. The Village of Essex Junction will be having a vote on new trustees and a number of ballot questions including their budget and some related merger questions and that vote will happen on the 13th of April and it will be Australian ballot. There is an information meeting I believe on that's right Andrew at 7 p.m. and today we're going to be interviewing two of the candidates for the trustees for the Village who are unopposed for three-year terms. Amber Tebow and Andrew Brown welcome. Thank you so much for joining us today. Thank you. Thank you. I just want to remind our viewers if you'd like to call us at 862-3966 that's 802-862-3966 we very much welcome your calls but we're going to start uh Amber if you don't mind telling us why you're running and what qualifies you for the reelection to the trustees thank you. Sure thanks Lauren. So I have been sitting on the trustees for two years I believe it is this will be my third year and I got started two years ago somebody approached me about joining and said you know the community community needs somebody to step up and I had the time at the time I was I was on the planning commission I had done three years on the planning commission so I ran I was unsuccessful so I lost to Raj Chala and then Elaine vacated her seat and I was appointed for the remainder of her term and I've now run a couple of times unopposed so I feel like at this point I um I think we're at a critical juncture with the village and whether we merge we separate I think we're we're gonna we're about to make some history either way and I would like to continue in my role as a board of trustee and I think we we've done a lot of good stuff in the last couple of years. And could you just say more about what qualifies you other than happening to run and then find yourself appointed? Well I think that's the interesting thing about all of these positions is that you don't really have to have any qualifications except for live within the boundaries of the village and be willing and able to serve but with that being said I do have again three three years on the planning commission I did also I've kind of lost track of all time I think I've probably got about the same on the capital committee Andrew might be able to confirm that with the village and my day job is I am an attorney so I do I do I do have some background and some of the stuff that we do see in front of the the trustees. Thank you so much Amber. Andrew Brown you're currently the president of the trustees as I understand it and you're running again unopposed for a three-year term why are you running for reelection and what qualifies you? Yes thank you Lauren Glenn. So for me I was raised in Essex and have called Essex my home for over 30 years. I live in Essex with my 11 year old son and wife as well as our aging dog. Professionally I have worked in social services for my entire professional life whether that be in mental health, affordable housing, college access and success or workforce development and I'm running because I really want to help to ensure that I'm bringing the voice of the average everyday person to the table. I believe that I myself bring a level head a common sense of approach to everything that we discuss and ask myself whether my son would be proud of me for the things that I'm doing. As you had mentioned I've been the president of the board of trustees now for two years this is my eighth year on the board it is something that I find personally gives me a lot of satisfaction and joy because I see what is happening in the community as continued positive growth and continued positive change and I want to I want to continue seeing it go down the path that we've been going down and especially as Amber mentioned we really are at this point this critical point in time in the village where if we end up merging or not there are very tough decisions that we as a board and as a community need to have and this is a time when I feel that that approach that I bring to the trustees is really valuable so I believe that another three years is a great opportunity to help see this through. Thank you so much. Tell me you spoke a couple days ago when we looked at the budget for the village do you support the maybe if you could recap what voters are looking at in terms of the budget and whether you support that budget Andrew Brown? Yeah so the budget is what I refer to as a status quo budget it maintains the exact same services the exact same levels of services that we village residents have enjoyed and experienced for umpteen years the tax rate increase is less than 1% largely in part to some consolidation work that we've done with the town of Essex where the rolling stock fund which is how our vehicles are purchased is going to be um for the public works department so when we think of our plow trucks those types of things that's going to be purchased through the entire town of Essex and not just the village of Essex Junction so that has helped to keep the the tax rate and the tax increase lower for village residents and I absolutely support this budget it's um while there are things that yes would be great to be able to do uh it's a very level uh it's a it's a it's a good budget yes I support it. Thank you so much Amber Tebow what's your view of the village FY 22 budget? Yep I support the budget as well I think Andrew kind of hit all the the points we did we did spend a a day plus um you know going over all the the figures and and trying to trying to hold the line as much as we possibly can I always have this um this I don't know balance of trying to make sure that we're also pulling in enough revenue and not focusing so much on the expenditures that that we have um and and when I say revenue I don't mean you know grand list you know tax revenue but um trying to look at things like permit fees and and stuff and make sure that we're in a line with other communities and so over the last couple of years that I've been in this role we've slowly moved those figures and those revenue figures uh goals up a little bit and I think um you know while while merger is on the tip of everybody's tongue there is there are a lot of other things in the village that are going on and that is one of the things that we do need to look at and and kind of brush off of our um permit fees and and um try to figure out if we are in a line so on the on the ballot are two questions that are before the voters of the village one is to reassert the merger and the other is to start separation investigating separation where do you stand on these questions amber so I support more merger and I think the trustees have all expressed that we are all in favor of merger I'm disappointed by the previous vote um but you know here we are doing it again so hopefully this time it'll pass but if we if it doesn't pass then I am in favor of separation um I did not vote yes on uh article six I think is it article six which is the separation and the reason I didn't do that was because again not that I'm not in favor of separation in the event that merger does it pass it's that I don't they don't like being tied to potentially not having any um sharing of services we haven't we have not done any back of the envelope on any of the services one of the ones that I think actually Sarah Macy had mentioned in the last meeting um select board meeting was the town clerk and whether in the event that we did separate would the village have a town clerk would we have a vault would we have our own land records and to me as somebody who does this work on a regular basis you know meaning I I record deeds and stuff and and it just would seem like too complicated for me to try to parse that and have our own vault and stuff and so just thinking from that perspective I didn't want to be tied to not having any connection with the town um other than the police department but I I do support merger and in the event that that doesn't pass I do support separation thank you Andrew Brown what's your position on the merger of the village in the town of Essex I have voted for merger previously I submitted my returned in my ballot the other day and voted for merger again this came about through a citizen petition to have us reconsider this question and I would agree with Amber that I'm disappointed that it didn't pass the first time but since we are here I will absolutely vote forward again uh in terms of separation I do believe that as one community Essex as a whole is much better than in two separate communities but at the same time as I as I think I said during our last program the the feedback I get the most from the village residents are that the status quo just has to go in this time for a change so if merger fails I'm I am in favor of separation um I am also in favor of taking a slightly slower pace than what is on that article six in that putting forth a a charter separation plan um by this November I think is too soon but but in my opinion it's too soon by about one year I think there is a lot of research that needs to be done which is why I've been pushing for a committee to help us do some of this research so that way the community can understand what a separated Essex junction would actually look like what it would mean for for all of us as residents that example that Amber used about the clerk is a great example and we have other questions of many other departments like that that we need to we need to ask ourselves and make sure that as a community this is what we want before we get too far down the path so that's ultimately should merger go down I really be looking to the community to talk to come together as a community help to figure out where we go as yes separation is one option but whether it is the best option or not I think that that's something that we as a community need to to talk about thanks Amber anything you want to add to that I was just going to say I think we've we have spent I mean all of our energy I don't think there's been maybe any energy spent on separation and so I think that's where I mean because that is that is our goal and so we really don't know we don't know what that separation or something other than merger looks like without without spending a considerable amount of time as as Andrew said so as you noted there are other things that are going on in your community in addition to the merger question and COVID is one of the you know the the top ones how has the village been affected and what have you learned and maybe Amber we could talk with you about that first so I think we haven't seen the full effect of COVID because we're still we're still currently in it but one of the one of the things is you know what is our business is going to look like after COVID you know we had we've had some great events to bring revenue into the into the town and the village last I'm going to get it wrong because we've done it twice now and what was it out and about was the last one okay so out and about was this past summer in which we encouraged folks to come in they got vouchers to use within the town or the village at restaurants and businesses so even you could use them at Phoenix books and so that was kind of trying to draw draw some revenue in and so that was extremely successful it was a great opportunity even during COVID to mask up and see some of your your neighbors that you haven't seen since the beginning but that was a small you know influx of business so I don't know you know what is it going to mean for us for later I don't know it to be undetermined I will say the one thing that I think has been really helpful during COVID is we have seen more participation from the public than we have ever seen and I've been on not only for village boards but you know my time in the city of Burlington just the amount of folks that are able to dial in and zoom with us is great it is absolutely great while I do miss that in person it is nice to have more public participation so do you see a future for a hybrid type of democracy I think we do I think we do I think there's always going to be folks who are just more comfortable with us with a screen there are more folks who are just they're not able to get in the car and come over at a for a seven o'clock meeting whether they've got to put their kids to bed or whatever I do think that that's going to be helpful to keep that model thanks so much Andrew Brown what have you learned on behalf of the village about this COVID period and what thoughts do you have on what's next really amber stole the majority of what I would have said to that so way to go amber the only new thing that I would really add to that is how how impressed I've been at the community to step up and really help each other out has just blown my mind they're on Facebook there is a a page called the to go tour that was started by two village residents where it's been a way for people who utilize that form of social media to share great meals that they've had at an area restaurant in a way to help open our eyes to other opportunities other restaurants to help support these businesses that for many of us supports the various fundraising opportunities by giving gift cards giving vouchers those kinds of things and so as a community the number of ways in which our community has reached out and helped others has just been amazing giving out free meals we have some some area restaurants that are giving out hundreds of free meals every every week to people who need it we have residents who are regularly sharing things that they are getting rid of they no longer need and offering it to residents for free in ways that I hadn't seen before and in particular the I don't want to get the name incorrect but I think it was a chitenden mask army was another another effort that many of our community members were a part of and I remember early on in the pandemic you couldn't get a mask I had for our family we had no idea where to get one but we needed to go grocery shopping and thankfully some some neighbors had made some masks that we were able to get and able to get to the grocery store for the first time that since the pandemic started so the the community love and compassion that our members have for each other has just continued to impress me more and more I want to focus on racial justice the town of Shelburne recently basically agreed that they suffer as a community from institutional racism and have identified a working group to start to raise funds and start to address these issues within the community do you see Andrew that the village suffers from institutional racism and do you see a way forward through the trustees absolutely we as a as a village suffer through institutional racism as a state as a country as a whole we suffer through institutional racism in my in previous professional work around affordable housing I've seen the impacts of that through the the redlining practices in the concentration of of where wealth can happen so yes it's absolutely prevalent throughout our society and is there a way forward absolutely for somebody like myself where I would identify as a you know act 30 year 37 year olds white male it's hard for me to understand what that means in a day-to-day practice as I didn't experience the institutional racism from the oppressed lens so for me it is largely a learning opportunity to help make sure that if I'm doing something and I'm contributing to something I need to be called out for it as well as call others out once I understand what these practices are so I'm not naive to the fact this is still something I am learning a significant amount about and I'm not going to profess to be an expert in it thankfully in our community there is a racial there's a racial work group that has that the select board and trustees have helped to start that we just had a great presentation from I think this was at our last joint meeting a few weeks ago which is helping to assist people like myself to educate us and open our eyes to much more than what we may have have thought so yes there's a path forward and I think we're really starting on the path we're not at the end by far thank you amber would you like to add to that the the trustees next steps related to addressing the institutional racism we find around us yeah I think Andrew kind of hit it I mean we we did get this presentation from a creative discourse at our last last meeting and so they've started the process of meeting with community members meeting with staff meeting with the police department meeting you know just trying to identify what what areas we can improve upon and so we are kind of at the very beginning of understanding what that is and I anticipate that we'll have a lot more a lot more discussion in the future but it sounds like these these meetings are happening on a regular basis so we are not directly involved in them I believe there might be one of us that is on one of the the committees but it's not it's neither Andrew or I so I think we have we have lots of information that's going to come our way that will be able to help us determine the path and is that what's the genesis of that process what role have you played as trustees in giving the green light for that work to happen do you want me to answer that one or do you go ahead so there was a the impetus of it started at a desire from a joint meeting to hear from the community about what has been going on in terms of racial equity within Essex as a whole so not just Essex Junction but the town of Essex as a whole and given that our police department in Essex is is done throughout the entire town we've wanted to make sure that the trustees have been at the table especially with issues related to our ordinances and making sure that things that we in the village have per view over are being enforced in a way that are racially just and equal for for everybody and as such we have appointed a member from our board to be a part of this committee so there's one trustee there's a select board member there is the director of the the community justice center our police chief our municipal manager and there are others I'm just gonna blank on all of the people who are a part of it as well as consultants and professionals who truly understand the roots and the ways to get us from our current place to a better future state and so through this we've helped there have been listening sessions throughout the community at least three listening sessions or so from the BIPOC community to help share their experiences with Essex police department as well as a survey that went out to the entire community that helps to show that if you're a white person you generally have a more favorable opinion of the police department than if you're not and so just starting to get this information so then we as elected officials and the community's lawmakers can take that and help with some types of institutional change as well as our staff who then actually do the work thank you amber are you satisfied with how the police department which serves the village on the town is addressing I mean the I know we have a question written down but my question really is to do is do you think that the Essex police department is balanced in how it approaches the problems in the community do you think that there is enough of an emphasis on community based justice and would you would you rearrange how they're organized in order to meet the unmet needs in the community I do think they they do a lot of work in the community to try to facilitate I think as much as they possibly can for working with community justice and and keeping folks out of the penal system I guess is probably easier way of saying that when it relates to like a mental health issue or something so I do think we see a lot of that work from them they might I would suspect that they probably say that there's probably more work that they could do because there's always room for improvements maybe even just a slight bit but I do think that they that they that we've seen that that they that they are focusing on that and they do some really good work with community justice Andrew what's your evaluation of how the police public safety serves the community from a community justice community based justice point of view so based on the information from the survey I would say that they're doing a good job and that yes there's absolutely room for improvement I remember being at the the the protests for George Floyd's murder at Five Corners when at the time he was either the captain or assistant chief who is now our police chief joined us in taking a knee in in protest and solidarity so the fact that our chief of police is willing not only willing to be a part of conversations but is actually taking a personal stand and is at the forefront of some of this I think helps to really show that yes our police department is looking to be a part of the change and looking to be a part of the solution I would be I don't think I would be wrong to say that again they're at the beginning stages of the so and they are not at the end so there's still more growth and more change that does need to happen well what was has been the most surprising that you've heard from the BIPOC community that you just had no idea and maybe Andrew you could answer Amber I mean you said there have been listening sessions you said people have been talking about this what have you heard or experienced that really stands out in this period Amber I'm I'm sorry I wasn't sure who it go ahead Andrew I I'm going to get the numbers wrong but I go back to the the stark difference in those who identify as part of the BIPOC population who don't feel as positively the Essex police department to me it was I knew that the number was going to be lower but I believe it was about 90 something percent for those who who identify as non-BIPOC and I think 60 percent for those who do identify as as BIPOC view the view the police department as as favorable and it's concerning I mean to have it at that high of a level honestly was a shock to me I think some of it goes to my own education in this and how I think naive I've I've been so yeah that's that's what still stands out in my mind in residence so thank you for sharing that Amber yeah I think I mean any of the the listening session that you know I participated in I was just it it surprises me to hear any of these stories because I I live in some I think this like sheltered little you know worlds and and that's exactly what we're trying to get at here and and so for me to hear any of these stories that are coming out of the Essex police department just surprised me and I mean they're they're but as Andrew said I mean we have we have a police department who is paying attention who is at the table um was actively participating in in these these sessions and that's just it's great it's absolutely great do you want to move on now to your closing comment Amber Kibo I don't really have a closing comment I guess um you know I look forward to the next three years with the this crew that I I've gotten to know pretty well and and that we seem to get along pretty uh pretty good we've had some some laughter some tears mostly laughter um and the tears are usually mine and um so I look forward to continuing and thank you for this opportunity thank you Amber Kibo Andrew Brown your closing comment I've appreciated the previous eight years I've had in the board of trustees and look forward to another three years um I especially look forward to this coming time when we either come together as one Essex or we as a village just start talking about our own future to me it is such an exciting time and I'm thrilled to be a part of it and I can't wait till April 14th when the votes are counted and we can figure out which direction we're going in wonderful I want to thank you both we've been speaking with two of the two candidates for the village of Essex trustees Amber Tibo and Andrew Brown are both running unopposed for a three-year term the election in the village of Essex Junction will be happening on the 13th Australian ballot and there will also be a vote in the town on article one and the school budgets which you'll also be voting on in the village so there's an informational meeting on the 7th of April at 7 p.m if you'd like more information or tune in here to 10 meeting tv where we have a review of the village budget and ballot questions thank you so much for joining us we really appreciate it thank you for watching and don't forget to vote