Goshen Select Board member Scott Bisbee has announced that he will not seek re-election in the spring, leaving one opening on the three-member board.
Bisbee has held his seat for almost three years, having been elected to the position when Select Board member John Judd died in July 2013.
“It has been quite an interesting experience,” Bisbee said. “I mean that in a good way. I would consider it a great experience.”
Bisbee said he decided not to seek re-election based on the amount of time it takes to meet all of the demands and responsibilities required of the position.
“It was not exactly what I thought it would be,” he said. “It takes a lot more time than I anticipated, and you have to have a lot of time during the day.”
There are three seats on the Select Board. Diane Bushee is currently the board’s chairwoman whose term ends in 2017, and Angela Otis is a board member whose term ends in 2018.
“It has been a pleasure working with Scott and trying to get a lot done for the town,” Otis said. “Being on the Select Board is interesting work.”
Otis said that she has not yet heard of anyone who has expressed interest in filling Bisbee’s position on the Select Board.
“It is a pretty big commitment when you have a family and a full-time job,” Otis said. “I’m not working full time, that’s why I am able to juggle being on the Finance Committee, Capital Planning and the committee for the historical preservation of the Town Hall.”
Bisbee, the service manager at George Propane in Goshen, said that he would like to stay involved in town government on some level.
“I will definitely run for selectman again when I am older and have more time,” Bisbee said. “Until then I will do something else in town, something that is not quite as time consuming.”
The town caucus will be held in the Town Hall at 7 p.m. March 21.
State Rep. Stephen Kulik, D-Worcester, will be at the Goshen Free Library at 42 Main St. from 10:30 a.m. to noon Saturday for conversation and questions.
This is an annual visit to town that gives residents the opportunity to meet and talk with their state representative about issues of interest or concern, and to find out what is currently happening in the Legislature.
“I always look forward to this visit to Goshen,” Kulik said. “I have been doing this for at least the past dozen years on the first Saturday morning in March. It is a nice informal conversation over coffee and homemade pastries.”
Kulik noted a variety of topics people in his district have been talking with him about, including education and funding for schools, broadband, local libraries, finance reform, the impacts of the new opioid bill approved this week, “and some pending legislation like the transgender bill currently in the Legislature, that comes up frequently as I go about the district.”
Kulik added, “I’m happy to talk about whatever people want to talk about. I don’t go in with an agenda.”
Volunteer members of the Friends of the Chesterfield Library are currently working to put together the new 2016 telephone book.
All proceeds from the sale of the book will benefit the Friends of the Library. It helps support the Chesterfield Library with annual grants which have helped pay for new computers, carpeting, shelving, lighting, as well as providing funds for children’s and adult programming.
Names and telephone numbers are shown as provided to the town clerk for the 2016 Chesterfield street list. This year the phone book will include many cell phone numbers. If you are over 18 years old, and want to be listed in the phone book but did not send information for the street list, or want a cell phone listed, email chesterfieldtelephonebook@gmail.com.
Advertising rates will be available by the end of March. If you want to advertise, please email your interest.
The new telephone books will be available for sale at the Fourth of July parade.
Gretchen Burdick, daughter of Laurie Dane Horner, will read from her mother’s memoir, “Reminiscences of a Fisherman’s Wife: Ellenwood Island, Nova Scotia, 1925-1944,” from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Meekins Library in Williamsburg.
The reading will include a slide show featuring photos of Ellenwood Island.
Ideas for this column on life in the Hilltowns can be sent to Fran Ryan at Fryan.gazette@gmail.com.