Hartford Selectboard seat to remain vacant until Town Meeting

HARTFORD — The Selectboard Tuesday night decided to leave a vacant seat empty until voters elect a replacement at Town Meeting in March.

Sue Buckholz was elected to a two-year term last March. In late October, she resigned her seat without explanation.

At Tuesday’s meeting, the board weighed its options, which include appointing an interim replacement to serve until March, calling a special election to allow voters to decide on an interim candidate, or simply leaving the seat vacant until Town Meeting.

The consensus was to avoid the expense of a special election and simply leave Buckholz’s seat vacant, using the time between now and Town Meeting to inform voters about the opportunity to run for office in March.

Buckholz’ resignation means that there will be four Selectboard seats up for election in March. The terms of members Lannie Collins, Mary Erdei and Kim Souza all expire in 2025.

Buckholz is an attorney who served from 2017 to 2019, in the Vermont House, representing a district that included Hartford. She also previously served as town moderator and as chairwoman of the Hartford Board of Civil Authority.