Georgetown Elects Smith as SelectBoard Chair

GEORGETOWN – Amy Smith was elected as the chair of the SelectBoard and Robert Hoover is the new board clerk in a major changing of the guard at the top of town government.
Smith was elected by the new majority on the board that includes newly elected Robert Hoover and Rachel Bancroft.
Doug Dawes, who served three years as the board chair, was nominated by Daryle Lamonica, but after Smith got three votes, she was declared the winner. Smith and Lamonica thanked Dawes for his years of service.
Dawes said he had always favored a rotating chair, rather than one member serving more than one year as the chair.
“I’m grateful for the confidence that the board has shown in me,” Smith said. “As chair, my duty is to ensure the effective functioning of the Board in a manner that is representative and attentive to the needs of the town.”
She added that she would strive to “create a culture that is collaborative, transparent and results oriented.”
Hoover won a seat on the SelectBoard with 801 votes, followed by Bancroft with 641. Incumbent Gary Fowler received 592 votes. Peter Kershaw, the board clerk, did not run for re-election.
Bancroft said she is looking forward to working with Smith and bringing forward some of her “good ideas.”
Smith responded that, “Each member of the Board brings with them great ideas for how we can best serve the community. We’ll be working together to realize many of those ideas.”
For herself, she said, “I would like to see improved communications between the board and town residents. I just received an email from a resident inquiring about the status of several major projects. As a board, we need to be more proactive about getting information like that out to the community. Informed citizens are engaged citizens.”
One of the top priorities for the new board is to appoint members of town boards and commissions. Smith said that process would begin next month.