To the Editor: 

A recent letter to the Woodstock Standard (August 17) laments the fact that so many  Woodstock officials have resigned in the recent past, attributing the attrition  to the volume of public criticism of official behavior. 

The writer ignores the fact that public criticism has grown in direct response  to the behavior of public officials. That behavior continues unabated and largely unaddressed by Woodstock officials. 

Woodstock’s “leadership” wouldn’t be facing so much criticism now if leaders had behaved honestly and lawfully in the past two years. Would  we be where we’re at now: 

* If the municipal manager had followed any kind of reasonable personnel  policy protocol when he first put Chief Swanson on administrating leave in 2024? 

* If the trustees had followed any reasonable due process procedure with regard to Chief Swanson? 

* If Woodstock officials had not interfered with and manipulated a union vote in the Woodstock PD. 

* If the manager and the trustees had not violated the law in demoting Chief Swanson in 2025? 

* If the manager and the trustees had fully obeyed the court order in 2025? 

* If Woodstock boards had not frequently abused the law covering executive sessions? 

* If the manager and the select board had not secretly paid for Village legal expenses, in violation of state laws? 

* If Woodstock boards had not frequently violated the state’s Open Meeting laws? 

* If Woodstock boards had put the manager on administrative leave in July,  when the Vermont State Police began their criminal investigation into the covert tax transfer of Town Funds to pay Village expenses? 

* If the select board had immediately sought to recover its tax funds as soon as the transfer became public knowledge in 2025? 

* If Woodstock officials had not chronically abused Vermont’s public records laws? 

These are all among the best known failures of Woodstock leadership. 

To date, Woodstock has addressed none  of these issues forthrightly or adequately. Why would anyone be surprised by public criticism?  

All Woodstock officials, past and present, are culpable in these failures, whether by overt acts or complicit silence. 

Based on their performance over the past couple of years, all Woodstock boards’ elected officials appear to be in violation to greater or lesser degree of their oath of office to “do equal right and justice to all persons to the best of my judgment and ability, according to law.” 

William Boardman 

Woodstock