Candidate Statement: Paul Lamberson
Selectboard member continues his service to the town; unopposed for another term.
By Paul Lamberson
For The Hinesburg Record
My desire to continue serving on the Hinesburg selectboard is driven by an immense gratitude that my wife and I were able to settle in Hinesburg 30-plus years ago to raise a family, and the frustration that my grown children can’t afford to do the same now.
I hope my service on various boards (school, library, and selectboard) over the decades has been marked by a desire to understand the issues that are being presented, to ask clarifying questions for those who might not have the opportunity, and to recruit and retain highly skilled staff.
A few key projects that I’ve played a part in (mostly by hiring and supporting awesome leaders and staying out of their way): The renovation of the primary wing at the Hinesburg Community School; covering half the Carpenter-Carse Library roof in solar panels; and the completion of the town’s new wastewater treatment plant.
As a selectboard member and as a resident, I can’t stress how proud I am of Hinesburg’s superb town employees and volunteers. We all benefit from their skills and dedication, and with our recent hiring of a top-tier police chief, Hinesburg continues to attract outstanding talent. I don’t have any desire to mess that up.
I am also very grateful to those residents who regularly share their thoughts and opinions with the selectboard. Community engagement is vital.
What are my important issues:
Community Police Department: I want a return to seven-day coverage. I am convinced that regional perpetrators know our weak spots, and I am extremely frustrated by the aggressive driving and criminal activity that occurs during unpatrolled hours.
I live near Silver Street and have followed the weekend rally car racers right into Lantman’s parking lot and taken note of their trunk mounted GoPros and smoked out license plates. I also was very close to the tragic head-on fatality in the fall that was clearly the result of reckless driving and killed an innocent grandmother.
Additionally, overweight trucks are destroying our roads, and I want our community police department to be staffed at a level that can ticket offending truckers and dangerous drivers.
We’re fortunate to have the state police as limited back-up during unpatrolled hours, but if we want to proactively change behavior, and support community policing practices, we need our own officers back on the clock.
Housing Availability: Although the prices of some of our newly built housing units are depressingly high, I hope that more inventory will limit some of the price increases.
Hinesburg is seeing the result of well-thought-out, long-term planning efforts for new construction in the village. While it won’t be a cure-all, and many of the factors that drive up construction costs are far beyond local control, we need to provide opportunities.
So how do my two biggest concerns sync with my opening line about my kids not being able to afford to buy in Hinesburg? Maybe they do, and maybe they don’t, and I’ll take the heat if you think I’ve missed the message, but I believe the biggest factors driving affordability in Vermont are health care and education spending, and any solutions to those problems are far beyond the selectboard.
I hope you’ll support my efforts to continue addressing the local challenges, and embracing the opportunities, that lie ahead.