Category Archives: Civic Engagement
Local public officials in Vermont…
Local town officials in Vermont, whether paid or volunteer, have a tough lot. They take on many challenging tasks, and they frequently are criticized for their efforts.
Attorney Charlie Merriman, or Tarrant, Gillies, Merriman & Richardson, shared the following tidbit with participants at the 69th Annual Town Officers Education Conferences across the state…
Always bear in mind the constitutional goal underpinning our open meeting and public records laws: “Officers of government are trustees and servants of the people and it is in the public interest to enable any person to review and criticize their decisions even though such examination may cause inconvenience or embarrassment.” 1VSA§315
More than 1,000 local public officials participate on their Front Porch Forums in Vermont. As a citizen and tax payer, I’m grateful for their active participation… and their thick skins.
The sharing economy and FPF in Vermont
Just received this note from an FPF member in central Vermont…
I’m sure you hear this a lot… but not yet from me. I love Front Porch Forum and it’s such a great community-building resource. I use it for the farmers market often to borrow items that I use a couple times a year and don’t need to buy — just borrowed a 100′ tape measure to mark off the farmers market lot for the season.
Thanks so much for starting and operating this incredible resource.
The opposite of community is indifference
Two powerful quotes that speak to building community among neighbors:
The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference.
The opposite of art is not ugliness, it’s indifference.
The opposite of faith is not heresy, it’s indifference.
And the opposite of life is not death, it’s indifference.
– Elie Wiesel
Life begets life. Energy creates energy.
– Sarah Bernhardt
Wow – Lots of People Looking for Swing Sets in Shelburne
Shared by Jeremy on the Shelburne Front Porch Forum today…
I posted an ad for a free swing set the other day and was blown away at how many families are looking for used swing sets. Ours is well used / loved but has some life in it – if you have one your kids don’t use, I encourage you to donate to another family. Feels good to know some other family will use and enjoy it.
Post your items to give away on your local Front Porch Forum today!
Stirring the pot in Poultney
Bob just posted this…
“Poultney Front Porch Forum membership stands at 199. Please tell 1 town member to join you on FPF. Who will be #200?!!”
Lots of ideas for adding neighbors to your local FPF on our website… flyers, tools, tips.
Community treasure in Williston
Shared by Nancy on the Williston FPF today…
A few weeks ago I posted an ad for several like-new printer ink cartridges that did not match our new printer. We had no luck finding family or friend who needed the same type of cartridge. Since they were taking up space on the kitchen counter, we advertised them on FPF in exchange for a donation to the Williston Community Food Shelf. Well! A person not only wrote a generous check but also delivered a “matching grant’ form from her employer. As she said, “It’s a win-win for everybody involved.” Front Porch Forum is such a community treasure!
Looking for flyers to help grow your local FPF?
Thanks to our friends at the Vermont Council on Rural Development for sharing four flyers about different aspects of Front Porch Forum. They look great! Click here to see the options for downloading.
Also, if you’re already an FPF member and would like a flyer about your specific local FPF, go to FrontPorchForum.com and click LOGIN (if not already logged in). Then click MY NEIGHBORHOOD FORUM and look for the orange button.
Every community in the state of Vermont now has access to a local Front Porch Forum. Thousands of Vermonters sign up every month. Please join and help spread the word.
Neighbors and the sharing economy
Call it the sharing economy, sustainable living, or just old fashion Yankee frugality and neighborliness, but working with neighbors to save a buck and lighten your tread on our planet is hep! The survey below jibes with our ten-plus years of experience hosting Front Porch Forum across Vermont communities. Good stuff.
[Nextdoor is] excited to release the findings from a recent survey conducted with Harris Interactive that examines the growing role of neighborhoods in building a shared economy. The results are inspiring; they indicate that neighbors trust their neighbors, are willing to share with people who live nearby, and would share more frequently if they had an easier way to coordinate activities such as yard sales or carpools.
Here are a few highlights from the survey findings:
• Top 10 things people are willing to share with neighbors: food (78%), tools (71%), yard equipment (64%), a bike (36%), clothing (26%), shelter (26%), electronics (24%), kid’s toys (24%), childcare/babysitters (24%), a vehicle (15%).
• Reduce and reuse: 64% of Americans would be more likely to buy/sell an item if the buyer/seller lived close to their home.
• Garage sales: 52% of Americans would be more likely to host a garage sale in spring if they had an easy way to get the word out to their neighbors.
• Ride-share: 51% of Americans would engage in carpools with neighbors if they had an easy way to coordinate.
• Save money: 50% of Americans would work together with their neighbors to save money (e.g., group discounts on home services, split child care costs, shared meals) if they had a way to coordinate it.
Talking about community in Vermont
Front Porch Forum‘s service has been and will be the topic of several discussions around Vermont, including:
1/06/2014 – Live and Local on WKVT AM in Brattleboro (click to listen)
3/05/2014 – Franklin Grand Isle Community Partnership monthly meeting in St. Albans
3/26/2014 – Business/Marketing Group regular meeting, hosted by Women’s Small Business Program, CVOEO, CEDO and SBA in Burlington
3/29/2014 – ACORN Sustainable Living Expo in Middlebury with VCRD (write up)
4/02/2014 – 69th Annual Town Officers’ Education Conferences in Fairlee with VCRD (write up)
4/09/2014 – 69th Annual Town Officers’ Education Conferences in Burlington with VCRD
4/23/2014 – 69th Annual Town Officers’ Education Conferences in Killington with VCRD
Please contact us if you’re interested in putting Front Porch Forum on the agenda of your upcoming event.
Vermont Town Meeting… Not Her Grandfather’s Tradition
Posted today on the Calais Front Porch Forum by Sharon…
My farming grandfather didn’t go to Town Meeting. His was a north-facing sugarbush, so he sugared late and Town Meeting Day was when he set out the taps. He didn’t go to Town Meeting because he “had” to work that day. Could he have set out the taps on Monday or Wednesday? Of course — but he was set in his ways and didn’t care enough about Town Meeting to shuffle his schedule. Vermont’s small town residents have always had — and still do have — choices about whether to attend Town Meeting, and they made (and make) their choices based on their personal sense of priorities for the day.
I, in contrast to my grandfather, have an employer who expects me to show up for work every day. And with a new job, I don’t have vacation time earned. But I worked it out because it matters to me to do so, and even without a vacation day to use I’ll be there (as I have for most or all Town Meetings in the 10+ years we’ve lived in Calais) voting to keep our Town Meeting alive.
Town Meeting is a tradition in Vermont established by our forefathers. But that’s not a reason to keep it or reject it. We should keep it or not for its relevance to today, the world we want to live in, and the world we want to leave to our children. Gathering together one time per year to decide our town and school budgets, elect local officers, and debate policy both local and beyond is an important part of the richness of our community. It’s one of the things that makes Calais, Vermont special. I’m with Erica. If we have to switch the day let’s do that — or even move it around from year to year to accommodate a variety of schedules — but let’s not be hasty to toss it away. Please join me and vote “no” on Town Articles 11, 12, and 13 and the School District Article 5. Thank you.
About Blog
Ghost of Midnight is an online journal about fostering community within neighborhoods, with a special focus on Front Porch Forum (FPF). My wife, Valerie, and I founded FPF in 2006... read more
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