Over the years, most of Franklin County’s small towns have been fortunate to have steady, effective volunteers leading their municipal governments. The very fortunate towns have managed to keep those leaders on their selectboards or school committees for decades.
We have to count Shelburne among those very fortunate, because it has enjoyed the guidance and labor of Selectman Joseph Judd for 21 years. But it will be a bittersweet recognition for that West County town because it is losing Judd this year.
Judd has announced he will not seek an eighth term on the Board of Selectmen in this spring’s annual election.
Judd wears many hats in this town of roughly 1,800 people, including recently, that of paid town clerk. He does plan to run for another one-year term as clerk. Before becoming a selectman, Judd served as a trustee for the Shelburne Free Public Library for 17 years. Stepping down as selectman will give Judd more time to spend on his business as an outdoor writer and columnist, hunter and expert turkey caller. Judd, approaching his mid-60s, frequently travels to sportsmen’s shows and conducts seminars and clinics.
This vocation apparently has finally won out over his long-standing passion for local governance and politics, or as he sees it, helping his fellow residents. When he leaves Memorial Hall behind, he will also leave behind a trail of accomplishment.
“I’m proud of the way our departments have developed over the last years, and that we have been able to keep our tax rate in a place where we’re the fourth lowest-rate in the county,” Judd commented recently. “In the last 20 years, we’ve put about $18 million into the infrastructure, by getting grants and working with consultants, without putting it on the taxpayers.”
Judd noted that during his years in office, the roofs of all town-owned buildings have been repaired or replaced, and energy efficiencies have been made to the Cowell Gymnasium and to the Pratt Memorial/Arms Library building.
But brick and mortar improvements are not what motivated Judd, not really, he explained this week in announcing his resignation.
“I’ve always felt the main role as selectman is to help people. That’s what I’m going to miss the most — spending time with people and trying to work with them on finding common ground,” Judd said.
In addition to his turkey hunting expertise, Judd has for decades been a judge of Roundhouse agriculture exhibits at the Franklin County Fair. When he began judging the homegrown fruit and vegetables about 30 years ago, his mentor, Nathan Hale, described the Franklin County Fair as having the best exhibitor hall in the state, as people have come to expect outstanding entries here in our rural corner.
The entries he judges are all winners in his eyes, Judd once told The Recorder. But, he said, there can only be one first-place winner and sometimes it just comes down to a personal opinion.
Well, in our opinion, when Judd leaves his final selectmen’s meeting later this year, he should be the one to take home the blue ribbon.