WINDSOR — Both candidates in the lone contested Selectboard race want more funding for amenities such as recreation and the arts, but only one of the candidates has been forced to fend off allegations of having participated in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Emma Caffrey and Tom Demasi are vying for a vacant two-year seat on the Windsor Selectboard at Town Meeting on Tuesday.

At a recent forum where residents were allowed to question the candidates, former board member Chris Goulet held up a photo showing Demasi with another man taken during the attack on the Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump. Goulet claimed Demasi was “participating” in the attack, which Demasi denied.

While the Capitol is in the background of the photo, Demasi said he was more than 2,000 feet from where protesters became unruly.

“I was not close to it,” he said. “If you look at the photo closely, the wall (with protesters on top) is very far behind me.”

Demasi said he was in Washington that day because he works as a federal contractor.

The arrests, trials and imprisonment of those who committed crimes was the correct course of action, Demasi said, and to imply that he either supported or was part of the attack is false.

“I did not touch anyone. I was there mostly out of curiosity,” he said. “I work in D.C. I am a contractor for the federal government. If I were a danger, I would not be a contractor. I have a clean criminal record. I have never hurt anyone. I was not even close to what was going on. When I saw things going on, I walked away.”

Demasi acknowledged the photo, which shows him next to a man in a helmet, was a “bad look” but challenged anyone to bring forward a picture that showed his breaking the law that day.

“I did nothing wrong,” he said.

Caffrey, 31, moved to Windsor three years ago with her wife and works as a warehouse supervisor.

“What motivated me to run were the people I know here,” Caffrey said in a phone interview. “There are so many people who have spoken to me about stuff in town, and I want to help make Windsor more interesting.”

Demasi, 36, moved from Cornish to Windsor 12 years ago. He is an engineer for Red River computer in Claremont. He did not respond to phone messages seeking comment for this article.

At the candidates forum in February, he opened his comments by stating he wants to focus on the town’s recreation center if elected.

“There are so many opportunities for kids there,” Demasi said, praising the center’s staff for its commitment to providing recreation for town youths. “I would like to see the recreation center given more funding, staffing and responsibility. I would love to see more recreation stuff.”

Caffrey highlighted several initiatives she would pursue if elected including infrastructure, particularly downtown sidewalks; fostering more opioid addiction awareness; and encouraging community arts.

“There is so much room for this and there are ways to do low-budget arts,” Caffrey said at the forum. “There are talented people out there who want to perform.”

The candidates were asked about the shuttered prison property on County Road, which has been considered for redevelopment. The site has been dormant since the Department of Corrections stopped using it in 2017.

Demasi said the first step would be for the town to take control of the 100-acre parcel and buildings, which cost the state $250,000 a year to maintain.

Caffrey said she would want to learn more about what has been proposed at the site but said there is a lot of potential for a mixed-use approach that could involve local businesses.

The candidates differed on the Selectboard’s controversial 3-2 vote last October that denied a request to plant a Pride tree supporting LGBTQ acceptance on the town common.

Caffrey said she supported the tree and what it represented.

“I think a Pride tree is nothing more than showing what the town believes in,” Caffrey said. “I think it is a show of support for (the LGBTQ) community. It shows we are welcome here.”

Demasi, who is gay, said he did not see the need for a Pride tree and supported the board’s decision to block it.

“I don’t like the identity politics kind of stuff,” he said. “I don’t want the Pride tree or the Pride flag. I think it is pandering and rude and treats all gay people as appliances that can be summarized by an object.”

Both candidates said they would be open to considering tax incentives to encourage new businesses in the downtown corridor, where there are a number of empty storefronts, and both wanted the town to make more use of its revolving loan fund to spur economic development.

Demasi suggested the town could subsidize wages for a business such as a convenience store that would allow it to remain open more hours.

Windsor will hold an in-person and virtual Town Meeting at 7 p.m. March 6 at the Windsor Welcome Center, 2 Railroad Ave., and online at https://meet.google.com/twv-minn-jvy. Australian ballot voting for officers, including the contested Selectboard race, and money items will take place on March 7 at the Windsor Municipal Building, 29 Union St., from 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com.

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