It is with enthusiasm and passion that I seek a position on the Cambridge Select Board.

As you may know, Cambridge has a three member Select Board with staggered three year terms. The member whose term is up this year is not running for re-election. It is my hope that my background and experience will be a benefit to the Board and the town of Cambridge. The election will be at Town Meeting on March 7, 2017.

Having grown up on the Putnam Family Farm in Cambridge and having lived most of my adult life in Jeffersonville, I care deeply about this community. My wife Nancy and I have three grown children who went through Cambridge Elementary School and Lamoille Union High School, as did I – LUHS class of 1973. (For readers outside the area, Jeffersonville is a village in the town of Cambridge which is in Lamoille County.)

I have been involved with the local Boy Scout troop since the 1990s. In the early years when I was a Hiking and Backpacking merit badge counselor, we hiked the entire Long Trail from the Massachusetts border to the Canadian border over five summers. I continue as the Citizenship in the World merit badge counselor helping older scouts understand some of the basics of world affairs and international relations.

At the end of 2016 I retired from a career in business, and now find myself with time and interest in running for this position on the Cambridge Select Board. I want to learn about government and how to help government work better in our society. I started this blog with the intent of blogging about government and citizenship. Coincidentally I started this blog just days before learning about this open position.

The main part of my career was 32 years with Farm Credit, starting as a loan officer. For the last 10 years I was president and CEO of Yankee Farm Credit, a cooperative that makes loans and provides financial services to farmers throughout Vermont and neighboring counties in New Hampshire and New York.

My formal education includes a bachelor of science degree in agricultural engineering from the University of Maine and a master of business administration degree from the University of Chicago. I also graduated from the American Bankers Association’s Stonier Graduate School of Banking.

I know that I have much to learn about local government. If elected I look forward to diving into local affairs. I have no agenda except to learn how to serve the people of Cambridge. I hope that my experience in management, finance and accounting, my experience working with farmers across Vermont, as well as my local roots, may be useful to the town. If I bring a perspective about government to the job, it is that government should be fiscally responsible and as local as possible.

If you are a voter in Cambridge, I hope to see you at Town Meeting on March 7, 2017, which begins at 10 AM, and I respectfully ask for your support.

Also see the About page for more information about me and this blog.