BERNARDSTON — Questions about the office of the town clerk and the retail sale of marijuana will accompany elections for multiple offices at the town election on Monday.
The first question is whether to change the town clerk’s position from an elected one to an appointed one. The article was approved at a special town meeting in October, so the change will go into effect immediately after the town election if it is approved by voters.
Town Coordinator Hugh Campbell explained that in recent years, certain town government jobs have become increasingly complex. The thinking is that town government would likely run more smoothly if the Selectboard had the authority to determine whether a person is properly qualified for the job and make hiring decisions that way.
Town Clerk Paul Luther said that he supports the article for the same reason.
“The risk of (an unqualified person being elected) in any key positions is frankly too high,” Luther said.
He added that voters may worry that an appointed official may be more likely to be motivated by personal loyalties than by legal requirements. But these fears are unfounded, he said, because legal requirements are enforced by authorities outside the influence of the local government.
The second question on the ballot is whether Bernardston should prohibit the retail sale of marijuana. This article has not yet been brought to a town meeting, so if it is approved at the election in May, it will also have to be approved at Town Meeting in June before it can go into effect.
The Selectboard recognizes the reality of recreational marijuana use, Campbell said, but has taken the position that residents should be able to choose definitively whether they want marijuana to be sold in Bernardston.
If that article does not pass in the town election, there will be a different article in June’s Town Meeting on whether the town should charge a 3-percent sales tax on recreational marijuana, and another on restricting its sale to certain parts of town.
The positions up for election and the candidates are as follows:
Assessor, three-year term: William J. Young (incumbent), Ghislaine P. Burgess;
Board of Health, three-year term: Ann M. Wagner, Linda C. MacKinnon;
Constable, three-year term: Peter A. Shedd (incumbent);
Four Cushman Library Trustees, all three-year terms: Cathryn Marie Thomas (incumbent), Robert B. Keir (incumbent), Susan Beth Tormanen, Karen L. Fitzpatrick;
Four Powers Institute Trustees, all three-year terms: Kenneth Richard Bordewieck (incumbent), Janice F. Deane (incumbent), William H. Shores (incumbent), Louella B. Atherton (incumbent);
Two Recreation Commission members, both three-year terms: no candidates;
Selectman, three-year term: Stanley D. Garland (incumbent).