by Don Keelan
Between December 29th and January 12th, the Bennington Banner published two disturbing articles about the conduct that permeates Bennington’s Select Board meetings.
In his lengthy December piece, long-time and highly-respected Banner correspondent Jim Therrien described the vitriolic conduct that takes place not only at the board meetings but also on social media directed at those elected and/or appointed to manage the town’s affairs.
Meanwhile, the well-recognized columnist for the Banner and long-time Bennington resident, Eric Peterson, on January 12th, was even more descriptive in what he has been observing:
“The talk of the town is all about the increasingly unhinged behavior of a couple of members of Bennington Select Board and their puppet masters. Come Town Meeting Day, it will be up to voters to decide to choose between sanity and insanity!”
I will discuss what I think of free expression later. In the meantime, I want to remind the residents and officials—elected or appointed—of how important the Town of Bennington is to all who live outside its borders.
While we have no voice in the operation of the town government, nor should we, nevertheless, the functioning of the town is so critical to those of us who frequent all that Bennington has to offer.
One of Bennington’s gems is the Southwestern Vermont Medical Center and its related specialty services. For those living outside the town, there is no other place in Bennington County to go when they need specialized eye care, orthopedics, cancer treatments, urology, dermatology, or other vital medical services.
Since its opening last fall, the hospital has a state-of-the-art Emergency Department available 24/7.
Services provided by UCS, CLR, the Vermont Veterans Home, and numerous social action agencies that provide food, addiction recovery, and other social and welfare assistance have also been added.
However, your town provides a venue for so much else for its residents and those of us who reside beyond its borders.
Kocher Drive and Route 7 are within walking distance of the county’s judicial court systems, retail and food shopping centers, and many other amenities, making Bennington convenient.
I would be remiss if I did not mention how vital the town is to many of us because of its cultural arts offerings, notably the Bennington Museum, Bennington College, and the Arts Center. These are town treasures and the envy of many Vermont towns.
As many residents know, the town offers an outstanding recreation and swim center, a therapeutic safety net for many outside Bennington.
Many folks in Bennington, inside and outside government, are engaged in making Bennington the “Gateway to Vermont.” It takes effort to make this happen but very little to undo it. One only must look north to the “Vermont city on the lake” to see what happens when the government becomes handcuffed in its ability to deliver services.
Back to free speech and expression: On January 12th, Daniel Diermeier cited the WSJ to describe what the University of Chicago had long established regarding free expression:
“Chicago has long recognized that to ensure an environment of free expression, disruptions that prevent others from speaking must be prohibited; there is no room on a college campus for a heckler’s veto…..norms of respect, civility, openness, and inclusion are essential to enable speech from everyone at the University. …..a restrictive, hostile, unwelcoming climate will shrink expression, while a rich, friendly, inclusive climate will enable speech to thrive.”
To the residents of Bennington, your town has the makings of being the area’s Center of Excellence. Do not allow anyone to steal this from you and those of us who depend so much on your town’s outstanding and necessary services.
You all have worked so hard to reach this point. Do not allow civility to be hijacked.
The author is a U.S. Marine (retired), CPA, and columnist living in Arlington, VT.