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By HOWARD WEISS-TISMAN, Reformer Staff
Brattleboro Reformer

Incumbent village president Clark Barber and his challenger, Jim Mitchell, presented their views, as the two will face each other for a one-year seat heading the board.

Incumbent trustee Luise Light and newcomer Paul Reis also spoke at the one-hour forum, which was hosted by the Citizens for Participation in Rockingham.

Former village president Dennis Ladd and incumbent trustee Roger Riccio could not make the event Thursday.

Light, Riccio, Ladd and Reis are all running for two, one-year seats on the board.

Less than a dozen people attended the forum, which was also shown on Falls Community Television.

The candidates gave opening and closing statements and answered questions that were posed by Saxtons River trustee Louise Luring.

The starkest difference was between Barber and Mitchell in their view on cuts to the Bellows Falls Police Department.

The trustees have shaved 25 percent of police service in the village to save costs.

Barber said he stands by the decision. The village cannot afford 24-hour service and the trustees will have to come up with more creative ways to fund law enforcement if the residents want more police protection.

"We're not a big city and we can't act like a big city," Barber said. "We've got to live within our means."

But Mitchell said the village must have police service around the clock. He did not have answers on where the money would come from to pay for it, and in answering another question, Mitchell said that high taxes were hurting village residents.

But he put police protection at the top of the list of changes he would make if he was elected as village president.

"Crime is on the upswing and cutting the police force is a recipe for disaster," Mitchell said. "We have to find the money to restore the police department."

Barber said he has led the board over the past year by listening to the residents and he said he would continue to seek input while making decisions.

One of the biggest issues facing the village and town will be finding a new municipal manager, Barber said, and he wants to be around to lend his experience in finding the right candidate.

Mitchell stressed the need to develop a long-range plan and to do a better job marketing the area so tourists have a reason to visit.

Light was first elected to the board two years ago and she asked the voters to return her to the board of trustees. She pointed to the work that has been done to lower the budget. The tax rate will drop by two cents this year after the trustees made cuts to various departments.

Light also listed her committee work. She served on the emergency services review committee and is on the health committee.

"We've got miles to go," said Light. "There is more to do and I hope to continue to be your voice."

She said the trustees will have to continue to find new sources of revenue, and find ways to attract creative businesses to the village.

"We've got a real asset here and we have to market it," said Light.

Reis presented himself as the idea candidate.

He said there might be ways to get people to park in one of the many lots off the Square to keep valuable parking spots open, and said the village might be able to raise money by running its own lottery.

He also said there might be ways to save money by having youth and seniors do some of the work in the village.

"I have thousands of ideas," he said. "I have a lot of vision. I believe I have what it takes."

Reis, a Bellows Falls native, said the trustees have to be creative to find solutions to the problems that face Bellows Falls.

He mentioned housing, poverty, the schools and employment as some of the issues that have to be addressed to move Bellows Falls forward.

All of the candidates said they supported the proposed extension of the village water system into North Westminster, though they said there are still questions that need to be answered about the project.

The Bellows Falls annual meeting will be held on Monday, May 14, at 7:30 p.m., at Town Hall.

Residents vote the next day at the Masonic Temple between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m.