Pat Ryan: Keep Tim Hilchey on the job!

Deerfield Selectboard members Tim Hilchey, Carolyn Shores Ness and Trevor McDaniel at last year’s annual Town Meeting. FILE PHOTO

Published: 04-23-2025 11:32 AM

There’s no job description for DeerfieldSelectboard, but this May 5, there is one candidate whose record makes him the most qualified for the post: Tim Hilchey.

Yes, Tim is my husband, but you don’t have to believe me. Talk with anyone who has ever worked with him, and they’ll tell you how hard he works for Deerfield. Or talk to him yourself, either at Berkshire Brewing on Friday, April 25, or at his family event (with ice cream and dog treats) on Sunday, April 27, on the Town Common.

Tim is a proud Democrat who honors his father’s memory by standing at Sugarloaf Street and Route 116 with a sign that says: “Support Veterans, Save the VA.” He was born on an Army base in Texas, moved to New Hampshire when he was 7, and to Franklin County in 1981. (If you will only vote for someone born in Deerfield, you might as well stop reading here.)

He inherited frugality from his parents, but Tim’s passion for progress is all his own. He has never liked standing still.

In Deerfield, he moved from the Community Preservation Committee to Conservation Commission to Selectboard. He knows the worth of teamwork and how to honor the past while building a better future.

Tim believes public servants demonstrate their worth in times of crisis, like the destructive rainstorms of 2023. He believes that by investing in downtown improvements like the Leary Lot, safe sidewalks on Sugarloaf and North Main streets (and soon, Elm Street), Deerfield’s economy will flourish. And he knows his neighbors are smart enough to understand the Selectboard doesn’t have a magic wand that can fix all problems instantly.

Deerfield neighbors, you’re the hiring committee for “the job” of Selectboard. On Monday, May 5, vote to re-elect Tim Hilchey.

Pat Ryan

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