When Essex voters fill out their ballots for next month’s election, they will see one name on the ballot for a yearlong term on the Selectboard: Ethan Lawrence.
But another Essex resident, Brian Shelden, is asking voters to write in his name instead.
The race has inflamed debate in the Chittenden County community on top of politically charged issues such as a local mask mandate and the possible separation of the Village of Essex Junction. One resident told VTDigger that Lawrence has made “bullying” comments and spread misinformation online about Covid-19, characterizations that Lawrence has disputed.
Although the candidates are running for a three-year seat, the winner would serve for only one year, said Andrew Watts, the Essex Selectboard chair. That’s because two years of the term have already been served by two different people, he said.
Watts declined to comment on the race for the one-year seat. One of his colleagues on the board, Dawn Hill-Fleury, said she did not want to take sides but said she has seen a lot of discussion about Lawrence and Shelden on Facebook and on Front Porch Forum.
“It has stirred up a lot of controversy,” Hill-Fleury said of the race.
Essex Junction resident Alexis Dubief said she and her husband, who is a professor at the University of Vermont and researches Covid-19, sometimes post in a local Facebook group called “EssexVT Community Group,” writing about the importance of Covid-19 public health measures such as vaccines and masks.
Lawrence has “reliably” made comments on those posts that Dubief characterized as anti-mask and anti-vaccine, she said, adding the comments had an “abrasive” and “bullying” tone.
She said Lawrence has also made posts disparaging Vermont Democrats and people with left-leaning politics, including one post in a group called “Essex VenT” last month that stated, “can’t deal with the dumb fuck liberals anymore.”
Other Essex residents have echoed those concerns on social media. Dubief said she does not know Lawrence personally, but she feels his Selectboard campaign presents a more politically moderate and science-based perspective than she has seen online.
“Nothing that he is presenting publicly now that he’s a candidate reflects the kinds of comments and statements he’s made for the past few years,” Dubief said.
Lawrence said in an interview that he has “no problem disagreeing with people” but contended his posts in “EssexVT Community Group” have been respectful.
He said he regrets some of the language he has used in “Essex VenT” but said he did not expect any of his posts there to be shared publicly because of the group’s rule that “what happens <here>, stays <here>,” according to a screenshot he provided.
The group has several hundred members. In response to a question, Lawrence said he does not think comments he made in a private Facebook group should impact how people judge his ability to hear all sides and work professionally with others.
“I’m more than capable of talking to anybody in public, on public forums, over public meetings,” he said. “I think that there’s a big distinction.”
He added: “I do take full accountability for all of the things that I’ve said in private.”
Write-in campaign
Lawrence said he was surprised when he learned about the push to write in Shelden’s name after the deadline to get on the ballot.
“To me, if somebody was truly interested in serving the community and stepping up to that plate, I just feel like they would have been a little more prepared,” he said.
Shelden, who chairs the Essex Democrats, said he attempted to recruit a candidate for the one-year seat but couldn’t get anyone by the deadline to file paperwork.
In a tweet, he said many people he asked — especially women — cited a fear of online threats as a reason not to run. Shelden was responding to a post by Brenda Siegel, an anti-poverty activist, who had shared a threatening message she received.
Shelden said the Essex Democrats did not ask him to run for the Selectboard seat. The campaign began with a local resident’s Facebook post in late January that stated, before Shelden had agreed to it, that the resident planned to write in his name for the position, he said.
During a televised debate Thursday night, in response to a question from Lawrence, Shelden acknowledged he was late in filing paperwork with the state allowing him to mail promotional materials for his campaign, attributing the delay to setting up the operation last minute.
Shelden has run, unsuccessfully, for the Vermont House of Representatives and helped lead the local campaign to merge the town of Essex and Village of Essex Junction governments. Two votes on the merger failed last year by slim margins.
In response to a question, Shelden said while he previously led efforts to combine the two governments, he recognizes that separation is moving ahead. He wants both communities to be able to put the long-standing issue behind them, he said.
The House Committee on Government Operations approved a bill creating the city of Essex Junction on Feb. 1, taking the community closer to independence. Village residents voted overwhelmingly to separate from the town in November.
“The voters have spoken,” said Shelden, who also chairs the Essex Economic Development Commission. “I have confidence that the Legislature will do the right thing.”
Lawrence also said he thinks it’s important for separation to move forward. The 26-year-old farmer said debate about the proposed merger got him more interested in local politics and said he’s concerned about the impact separation will have on taxes for town residents.
Currently, 42% of Essex property taxes come from the village, meaning separation would be a substantial financial hit to the town, and officials might have to cut back some services.
Lawrence said he has attended a majority of the Selectboard meetings in the past two years. He did not know of anyone else planning to run for the one-year seat as the deadline to file paperwork inched closer, he said, and he felt the Selectboard should have a full slate of members as the town plans for separation over the year to come.
In response to questions, the two candidates had different views on the town’s mask mandate for all public spaces, which was extended this week through March 22.
Shelden said he supports continuing the mandate until public health officials say otherwise. Lawrence said he also supports a mandate, though feels face coverings should only be recommended, not required, for private businesses.
In a Facebook post shared to Lawrence’s campaign page, a person with the name Michael Boudreaux wrote that “Ethan has a lot to learn,” but they feel he would be a positive addition to the Selectboard.
“I have every bit of confidence that Ethan will listen to others and he will represent Essex, not solely his own interests,” the post stated.
In response to a question, Shelden declined to comment specifically on Lawrence or his campaign.
“I think I’m a much more calm and reasoned and experienced hand, and it’s that kind of leadership we need this year,” he said.
Ballots for Essex Town Meeting Day were mailed out Wednesday. Hill-Fleury said write-in votes likely would delay the process of counting ballots on election night, so residents will need to be patient when waiting for results.
