Author Archives: George Putnam

Classifying Public Life: Discussion and Examples

Posted on May 18, 2017 by George Putnam

In the previous post I discussed how I sometimes think about public life in terms of three sectors: Government For-profit Not-for-profit And sometimes in terms of two sectors: Government Society (= for-profit + not-for-profit) In this post I further discuss … Continue reading →

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Classifying Public Life

Posted on May 17, 2017 by George Putnam

I sometimes think about public life in terms of three sectors: Government For-profit Not-for-profit Government makes the rules that everyone lives by. The for-profit sector provides most of the goods and services that we use. The not-for-profit sector fills in … Continue reading →

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Jeffersonville Commuter Bus

Posted on May 16, 2017 by George Putnam

The Jeffersonville Commuter bus will continue to operate through June 30, 2018 without any reduction in service. Click here for the bus schedule – see Route 36. Green Mountain Transit (GMT) is the regional transit authority that operates the bus. … Continue reading →

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The Villages Project

Posted on May 13, 2017 by George Putnam

The Villages Project is an initiative to provide services to the elderly in their homes in order to allow them to age in place, without moving to an elder care facility. The concept originated with a group of citizens in … Continue reading →

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Cemetery Commission

Posted on May 12, 2017 by George Putnam

The Town of Cambridge has several boards, committees and commissions, both elected and appointed. As I learn the job of the selectboard, I am also learning what these other groups do. This post is about the cemetery commission. Cemeteries are … Continue reading →

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Job of Selectboard Member

Posted on May 11, 2017 by George Putnam

The Vermont Secretary of State’s website has concise descriptions of various local government offices: Local Office Descriptions. I found this one amusing: Selectboard Members (elected). General supervision and control over town; enacts ordinances, regulations, and policies for town; oversees town … Continue reading →

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Acadia vs. Arcadia

Posted on May 1, 2017 by George Putnam

Over on my other blog, I recently wrote about a trip to Schoodic Peninsula on the coast of Maine, part of Acadia National Park. This leads to a question: what is the difference between “Acadia” and “Arcadia”? The short answer … Continue reading →

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Learning About Government

Posted on April 30, 2017 by George Putnam

One of my stated goals in retirement, after a career in business, was to learn about government. So, four months into retirement, what am I learning? When I wrote (in December and February) that I wanted to learn about government, … Continue reading →

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Leadership Lamoille

Posted on April 27, 2017 by George Putnam

Leadership Lamoille is a leadership program of the Lamoille Region Chamber of Commerce for “today’s managers to become tomorrow’s leaders.” The current class consists of eight participants working in healthcare, education, banking, hospitality and energy fields. There are nine day-long … Continue reading →

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Town Meeting Thoughts

Posted on March 26, 2017 by George Putnam

Town meetings in small towns in New England are unique. Voters come together in person at least annually to decide local issues. This is direct democracy as it was once practiced in ancient Athens. Today no other places in the … Continue reading →

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