A decree two years ago opening a Morristown road to all-terrain vehicle users was never meant to be open-ended, and a decision on whether to let ATVs use other roads ought to be left up to voters instead of a group of five people.
Thatâs what the Morristown Selectboard decided last week as it discontinued use of Silver Ridge Road for ATVs until a larger plan for the machines in town can be developed, after getting an earful from people on both sides of the debate.
ATV season in Vermont starts May 15.
The town will host an informational meeting May 17 to discuss the issue further, and itâs likely to be a spirited affair. For one, itâs going to be outside, at Oxbow Riverfront Park, the largest outdoor venue the town owns. For another, ATV riders from far and wide are expected to make a showing.
Jess Graham
Jess Graham is running as a write-in candidate for the 2-year term on the Morristown Selectboard against Brian Kellogg.
Jess Graham said she aims to be a voice on the Morristown Selectboard that is engaged, open-minded and thoughtful.
Graham believes in responsible development. âEntrepreneurship is critical to our town, but at the same time we need to preserve and promote green spaces, human-powered/low-impact recreational zones, public art and live music,â she said in a press release.
Graham, 43, grew up in Morrisville on a small dairy farm. She attended Morristown schools through 9th grade, transferred to St Paulâs School in New Hampshire on a scholarship, attended Hunter College and worked in New York City before returning to Vermont in 2002 after the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
Day job: Senior oar technician at Concept2, 38 years
Other boards or commissions: Morristown Selectboard (almost 13 years), board of civil authority and development fund; sheriffâs advisory board; Copley Trust board; Concept 2 donation committee; Morristown Rescue; Morristown school capital projects committee.
Allen Godin
Day job:Â Not currently publicly employed
Other boards or commissions: Helped to revise Morristown ordinances and worked to define the public uses of the rail trail; notary public; past vice-chair of the board of directors for Vermont Protection and Advocacy, now known as Disability Rights Vermont; member of the Vermont branch of the National Alliance on Mental Health.
While town business Morristown voters will consider Town Meeting Day will look much the same, how they vote on that business will be completely different.
Rather than the traditional, in-person annual meeting, the 2021 iteration of local democracy will consist of all-ballot voting in Morristown. Voters can either vote early on ballots they should soon receive in the mail or head to the polls on Tuesday, March 2, to vote in person.
The polls will be open in Morristown from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m. at the Morrisville VFW, just off Pleasant Street. A virtual informational meeting will be held Monday, Feb. 22, beginning at 6 p.m.