Hartford town leaders focus on improving communication

By CHRISTINA DOLAN

Valley News Staff Writer

Published: 09-22-2024 4:00 PM

WILDER — Participants in a “listening session” held by the town at the Wilder Club and Library earlier this month expressed concerns about Hartford officials’ transparency and accountability, difficulty navigating the town website and a lack of clarity about who to contact on different issues.

The Hartford Selectboard and town staff held the session on the evening of Tuesday, Sept. 10 in an effort to solicit input on how to improve communication between the town and the public.

Town Manager John Haverstock, who took office in October of last year, heard early on in his interview process that the town needed to do a better job with communication, and that message “left an impression on me,” he said by email last Wednesday.

“There’s a lot of built-up frustration that decisions get made without a lot of engagement,” said Tim Fariel, of White River Junction, who was among the roughly 30 residents who attended the listening session in person, with another 17 on Zoom.

Hartford resident Mary Lou Scelza said that the town is going forward with purchasing parking meters despite voters rejecting the funding of those meters through a local options tax in 2020.

“When the town does that, there’s a feeling of no communication, because if our vote isn’t communication enough, what is?” she said. 

Selectboard member Lannie Collins clarified that the town has not yet purchased parking meters, but is in the process of seeking bids, to be funded with federal American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA, money. 

The exchange itself seemed to illustrate the need for more clarity in communication between the town and its residents. 

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“You can certainly argue whether the No vote by the Town was actually in regard to using local option tax money for the meters, or whether it is best understood as saying no to the concept of parking meters in general,” Selectboard Chair Mike Hoyt said by email this week. 

Hoyt said that he enjoyed the listening session hopes the Selectboard can make open dialogue a regular part of its activities. He noted that “a primary way for us to hear from residents is during public comment at our meetings, but public comment isn't designed for a back-and-forth discussion.”

Other attendees noted that the town’s struggles with communication come as there is less coverage of municipal meetings in area outlets.

“The local paper used to have a full-time reporter pretty much dedicated to Hartford, and that’s fallen by the wayside,” Wilder resident Lee Michaelides said. 

Social media has filled the informational vacuum to some extent, but residents worried about the spread of misinformation and the uncivil nature of discourse on Facebook and the local Listserv. 

Wilder resident Sarah Ferguson came to the meeting because “along with my general state of dismay, verging on despair, about what social media does to our social connections, I feel that we have something here in Hartford that a lot of people don’t really get, which is a sense of community,” she said. She urged residents to “turn down the heat,” when communicating on Facebook groups or the local Listserv. 

On hand to hear concerns during the listening session was John “JD” Hawks, the town’s new part-time communications and media specialist who stepped into the role this month. 

Hawks, who grew up in White River Junction and graduated from Hartford High School in 2017, has an educational background in broadcast journalism and was a reporter for NBC5 for three years. He currently works part-time in community engagement for Listen Community Services in addition to his role with the the town. 

Stepping into the newly-created communications role will allow him to “mold and adapt it into what makes sense for the Town,” he said by email Thursday.

He noted that his reporting experience gave him insight into “what municipalities do well and what some struggle with around the region,” which has “helped guide my decisions,” he said. 

The listening session was facilitated by Greg Eaton and Anita Drake of the Concord-based PRISM Conflict Solutions. The $1,500 cost for the session was covered by a grant, Haverstock said in an email.

“I felt like it was quite productive,” Selectboard member Kim Souza said of the meeting.

“Had we done the listening session without the steady leadership that we currently have, it would have much less productive, in my opinion. We have a LOT to do to improve,” she said.

With a “new and capable” town manager in Haverstock and funding for a communications specialist finally realized in this year’s budget, the town is in a position to act on the types of suggestions raised at the listening session, Souza said. “Most were not new ideas, but the Town has previously lacked the administrative capacity to pursue almost any of them,” she added. 

Hawkes said that he is already implementing ideas from the listening session. 

He plans to create a list of frequently asked questions with links to relevant resources. “We will also be starting an every-other-week digital newsletter. I expect it to start relatively small and expand/adapt to what residents find helpful.”

He plans for the newsletter to include a town manager update, employment and volunteer opportunities, and a list of upcoming meetings.

As the town’s communica tion plan develops, Haverstock said that he welcomes questions and concerns from residents. His email address  is jhaverstock@hartford-vt.org.

Souza holds “office hours” at the Community Coffee Table at Tuckerbox on most Wednesdays, 2 to 3 p.m. for any residents who want to stop by to talk about town issues. 

Christina Dolan can be reached at cdolan@vnews.com or 603-727-3208.