We are at a precipice as a town, hovering around 10,000 residents spread across five villages, we are each being presented with a pivotal moment this town voting day. 

To describe what I mean I should preface by explaining that I have been in Hartford my entire life, and sure 27 years is shorter than many many residents, but even in under three decades I have seen this town transform, re-invent itself, doing so all the while holding fast to certain foundational values. Here’s what I believe: Hartford has the potential for greatness. I say this because our community has the necessary ingredients to burst forward out of the last few years of isolation and political incivility. 

Hartford is a town of working class families, of back-to-the-landers, folks who are generations deep, and many admiring visitors turned citizens. We have a Turkish restaurant, two Co-ops, an ice skating rink, multiple community centers and libraries, a Cartoon Studies college, an African-American theatre production house, a Veteran’s Hospital, the little grand canyon of Vermont, family-run farms, and it’s rumored we have the most road miles of any town in the whole state. 

We have our first woman, openly gay, and mother for a Town Manager, we have diverse representation in Montpelier, and we are poised to have (a rare occurrence in my lifetime) a Select Board with three women on it at the same time. We have passed a local Climate Action Plan, we have a Community Resilience Organization, an Energy Commission, a Conservation Commission, and a committee dedicated to Racial Equity and Inclusion. We have three elementary schools chock-full with the brightest, most creative, and energetic kiddos I have ever met.

You might be reading this thinking, “OK, Hartford is a nice place to live, but Becca, you are being an exceptionalist.” And sure, I’ll admit I had entire days where I imagined joyfully hitting the road and going to a big city where I wouldn’t have to deal with the small-town tensions and typical 9PM town bedtime. We have major challenges including being short-staffed in key areas, a rampant toxic social media culture, and responding to a slowed economy and health crisis with a lingering COVID19 pandemic.

Yet, I’m buoyed by this community. We pulled together during Hurricane Irene and rebuilt stronger, and throughout this pandemic, we have fended off the worst case scenarios by maintaining masking and high vaccination rates and sacrificing countless precious gatherings for the greater good. 

What do I say when skeptics have asked me nervously about election cycles over the last 8 years? I say every time that Hartford voters are smart. They can sniff out a manipulative person, or an empty suit, and they care most about the people who show up and do the tireless often thankless work needed to maintain local democracy. We care about each other. We vote that way.

From 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 1, during Hartford’s Town Meeting Voting Day, we will have to make a few choices.

We have two budgets, candidates for Select Board and School Board, local nonprofit expenditures, a decision on how to spend our local option tax revenue, and retail cannabis.

When I get behind that red, white and blue curtain at Hartford High School, the same gymnasium where I had my graduation ceremony, I will be fulfilling the promise of this moment and voting to expand our public safety services, support our exceptional (and exhaustedly deserving) town staff, and will be signing off on a new industry opening shop.

With that said, I won’t tell you how to vote, but for goodness sakes please do Hartford. We are smart, we care and we vote that way!

Becca White is a member of the Vermont House of Representatives. She represents the Windsor-4-2 District.