Catherine Bergmann and Jim Mitchell, both graduates of the Bellows Falls High School class of 1965, are running for the one-year village president seat in next Tuesday's villagewide election.
Stefan Golec, an incumbent, and Scott Falzo are running unopposed for two other open seats on the five-member board.
In separate interviews, both Bergmann and Mitchell said they were frustrated with the board, which they say studied and talked about making changes to the police and fire departments, but stopped short of offering any real alternatives to the full-time departments.
On Tuesday, village residents will decide who will be the one to take on the challenge in the coming year.
Law enforcement
On Monday night the village will adopt a budget at its annual meeting, and Bergmann said the trustees will know more about the coming year after the residents speak.
This past year the trustees considered hiring the Windham County Sheriff's Department to patrol the village instead of maintaining the full-time police department.
In the end, the trustees decided to leave it up to the voters and on Monday that decision will be made.
Bergmann said it is up to the voters to decide Monday night and she will do what she can, if she is elected, to carry out the wil of the votersl.
"You never know what will happen from the floor of village meeting. The reality is that they could vote down the budget and we will be left with a blank slate," Bergmann said. "I think you can turn something like that into a positive. It is not my choice of a solution but it does not frighten me."
Mitchell, who ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the Rockingham Selectboard earlier this year and has been attending trustee meetings regularly, said too many decisions have been based on past relationships.
Former Bellows Falls Police Chief Keith Clark is now the Windham County Sheriff and Mitchell said residents are discounting the plan based solely on their past experiences with Clark.
With a tax rate that is the highest in the state, Mitchell said the village cannot afford to base decisions on unfounded rumors and perception.
The village might be able to move ahead with the current department working under a tighter budget.
Or it might work with the sheriff's department.
The decision, Mitchell said, should be based on what is best for the village.
"If I am elected, I will take an unbiased approach. I do not want this to be a personality issue," Mitchell said. "Clark is being blamed for some things that were beyond his control and we have to look at the facts. We have to make decisions based on sound fiscal policy."
Fire department
Both candidates agree that the village simply can not afford a full-time fire department, and both Mitchell and Bergmann say it will be one of their first priorities to sit down with Chief Bill Weston and make changes.
"We have an excellent fire department and they offer Cadillac service, but this village cannot afford a Cadillac right now," Mitchell said.
Mitchell said he has spent hours talking to other municipalities and departments, and while the numbers might be debated, Mitchell said Bellows Falls clearly spends more on its department than other towns and villages of the same size in Vermont.
"We don't have the time to keep studying this issue," he said. "This is a community in crisis and we have to find a cost-effective way to reduce the tax burden."
Bergmann also said she has been frustrated by the board's inability to make real change.
She has read the studies and watched the videos and PowerPoint presentations and Bergmann said if she is elected she promised to make changes in the fire station.
"We can not afford the department as it is and I will sit down with the chief in the first week," she said. "This is not something that has to be looked at with a fine tooth comb. This issue has been studies to death."
Bergmann served as a trustee about 20 years ago and she said the department is still carrying out responsibilities that were supposed to only be temporary when they were ordered in the past.
"They are answering ambulance calls and responding to Rockingham calls and both those were never meant to last," she said. "It is a total waste of village money."
Leading the trustees
For Bergmann, the board needs to be more ambitious and forward thinking.
She said topics have been discussed and dropped. Studies have been carried out and ignored. The village residents now find themselves paying too many taxes and dealing with crises as they arise, making it impossible to plan for the future.
"This board has been reactive and not proactive," she said. "Perhaps the board has not spoken up as much for itself as it should have."
Mitchell said he is running on the promise of reducing costs.
It is not going to be easy, and it might not please everybody, but seniors and low-income families are being forced out of their homes, he said, and there is no more time to wait.
"I am promising to reduce taxes," he said. "I want to streamline services. Other towns our size can do it, and if they can do it, we can do it here in Bellows Falls."
The annual meeting is scheduled for Monday, May 19, at 7 p.m. at the Bellows Falls Opera House.
Voting for village officers take place from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 20, at the Masonic Temple on Westminster Street.
Howard Weiss-Tisman can be reached at hwtisman@reformer.com or 802-254-2311, ext. 279.