[A]RLINGTON — Former Vermont State Police Col. James Baker is leaving a high-powered law enforcement job in Washington to lead a volunteer community revitalization effort here.
Baker, who left Vermont three years ago to take a job as the director of Law Enforcement and Support for the International Association of Chiefs of Police in Washington, D.C., said the decision to return to his hometown was an easy one. He is as concerned as his neighbors are about the health of the Arlington community in the wake of a murder in town of an elderly woman in January that rattled residents.
In an effort to restore residents’ sense of well-being and the cohesiveness of a community, Baker has been hired by Mack Molding, the leading employer in town, and a local foundation to lead a revitalization initiative in Arlington.
At a noontime Friday kickoff event at Arlington Memorial High School that drew more than 100 residents, Baker said the success of the effort will depend on volunteers.
The former state trooper described how the murder of 81-year-old Helen Jones in January and the arrest of 31-year-old Arlington native Timothy Butler for the killing was “a tipping point” for Arlington.
“For many of us, it was a crystallizing moment,” he said, one that spurred a number of residents to begin thinking about collectively addressing several related negative trends.
Butler has pleaded not guilty to the murder and is awaiting trial. Baker said that if he is convicted, “make no mistake, each and every one of us will own a part of this tragedy. He was born here, went to school here and worked here in Arlington.”
Baker said Butler is an example of someone who “fell through the cracks” of society and local institutions while he was growing up.
Among the issues to be addressed by the initiative are an aging population, declining school enrollment and looming Act 46-related changes likely for the school district; fewer local job opportunities for high school graduates; a lagging tourism economy, and an apparent increase in criminal activity, including break-ins, opioid abuse and related violence.
In January, Don Keelan, Florence Belnap, the chief financial officer at Arlington-based Mack Molding, and others approached Baker and began talking about “bringing the shine back to Arlington,” Baker said.
What evolved was a decision to form six committees to address the future of the schools, town government, public safety, recreation issues, economic development, and the local arts, history and tourism.
The issues in Arlington are similar to those faced by communities “all over Vermont,” Baker said. Longtime residents here recently began to notice stark differences in the tenor of the town now as compared with two decades ago.
Keelan said the volunteer effort will receive some startup funding from Mack Molding and from the Keelan Family Foundation. The committees will likely work with state and local officials and seek grant funding as required.
In general, Baker said, the committees will be “charged with strengthening the social fiber to improve the quality of life and community well-being” in Arlington.
Baker said part of the solution is using affirmative language to describe the town. Positive reinforcement was a crucial management tool he used when he helped to turn around the Rutland City Police Department, which suffered from low morale after a scandal involving several officers who broke the law. “So, the place to start is in the way you talk about yourselves,” Baker said.
Baker was lauded in Rutland for helping to lead the city’s Project VISION (Viable Initiatives and Solutions through Involvement of Neighborhoods), which addressed crime, housing and economic issues. Keelan said Baker seemed the perfect choice, citing his 30 years with the Vermont State Police, including his stint as director. After his retirement in 2009 as interim director of the Vermont Police Academy, Baker became the acting police chief in Manchester, and later police chief in Rutland.
Sizing up the audience, Baker said he was reassured that residents have the talent and ability to take on the current challenges “and change this course.”
“In March, I was asked to lead this effort and I am proud to do so,” he said.
Kate Bryan, director of development at Battenkill Valley Health Care, echoed that sentiment. “Looking around this room, it is pretty impressive,” Bryan said. “I am proud to be part of this.”
Baker said the first step will be to line up volunteers and then “get people around the table” to share ideas on how to improve the community.
Those wishing to become involved should call Town Clerk Robin Wilcox at 802-375-2332 to sign up.
