I was born and raised in Brattleboro, and I love this community. The gap between rich and poor, the opioid crisis, and the housing shortage are hurting us. We all want a community where we can earn a living wage, put food on the table, and let our kids play outside without fear of drugs or violence. We need a selectboard member who listens and helps us achieve a stronger Brattleboro. When you elect me, I’ll work to:
- Spend Wisely: Create a budget that taxpayers can afford.
- Keep Us Safe: Give our community tools to stand up to drug traffickers.
- Save Lives: Support local solutions to shelter our neighbors.
I bring a fresh voice to Brattleboro. Learn more at IsaacForVermont.com and join me in voting on or before Tuesday, March 4. I welcome your ideas and support at Team@IsaacForVermont.com.
Here’s an excerpt from a recent article in the Brattleboro Reformer:
“If I can help solve global crises,” [Isaac Evans-Frantz] said, “then I want to be able to bring some of what I’m able to do in terms of coalition building to Brattleboro, my hometown. This is where I grew up. I was born and raised here, and I love this town, and I care about my neighbors near and far.”
After the election in November, Evans-Frantz wondered if there was an opportunity for him to make a difference close to home. Safety is his “number one concern,” he said, “so both the safety of people who are living in the woods and are cold at night, and also the safety of all the people in downtown and people who are experiencing the impact of the opioid crisis.”
Evans-Frantz envisions a community where everyone will be safe.
[…]
“I have a lot of compassion for people who need support,” he said. “I also have an understanding from talking to landlords, from talking to tenants, talking to town staff, of some of the challenges that we’re facing as a community, with the dealers who are coming into our community from other states who are bringing fentanyl with them, who really don’t care about our community, who are actually causing harm to people in Brattleboro.”
Evans-Frantz is interested in implementing policy to make it easier for law enforcement, town administration and landlords to remove drug dealing operations from residences in Brattleboro.
No fan of the acceptable community conduct ordinance that was ultimately overturned at a special Representative Town Meeting in December, he wrote in an op-ed that it would risk “deterring people from reporting crimes. It could well make our town less safe.”
[…]
Clearer information from town government is needed, he said, calling the new parking payment system “a great example.”
“One simple idea would be to ensure that every household receives a postcard with the web page that would have town updates on it,” he said. “Sometimes, we need multiple ways to communicate this information to people about where to find the place where you pay the money. A lot of people are ready to pay for their parking but they just need a little help getting there.”
Evans-Frantz pointed to local examples of innovative thinking that could inspire future efforts, such as the Brattleboro Food Co-op’s policy to offer food and drinks to those in need to defer shoplifting and foster community, and a grassroots effort to feed people on Flat Street.
Brattleboro has some challenges, he said, but also “an incredible human potential in the the creativity, the ingenuity, the caring and our community, the way that we show up for one another.”
“I’ve traveled far, but I’ve never forgotten where I’m from, and I’m so proud to be able to to run for this office and to be able to bring my skillset to the table,” he said, adding that the community has an opportunity to “do better” when it comes to having diversity of age and experience on the board.
