Season 1, Episode 6 — Is This What You Voted For?

This past week, three members of the Rutland Board of Alderman chose to use their public platforms for symbolic politics.

At the August 18 meeting, Alderwoman Kiana McClure read a resolution opposing proposed Medicaid cuts into the record, then told her colleagues:

“To not take on the responsibility to remain informed on issues this large is reckless and irresponsible. That is not leadership. That is cowardice.”

Alderman Michael Talbott moved to adopt the same resolution. He argued that symbolic actions were valid, since the board had taken them before. In the meeting itself, he did not use the word “cowardice,” but the next day he went to Facebook. There, he labeled opponents the “Rutland Backwards bloc,” accused them of “hiding behind excuses,” and said they “don’t really care” about those hurt by Medicaid cuts.

Alderwoman Carrie Savage offered no remarks but joined McClure and Talbott in voting yes.

Separately, Alderwoman Anna Tadio published an op-ed in the Rutland Herald attacking Senators Terry Williams and David Weeks for voting against Senate Resolution 13, which condemned ICE’s arrest of Mohsen Mahdawi. She claimed Vermont nearly lost due process itself.

The reality: Mahdawi has had attorneys, habeas petitions, federal judicial orders, and appellate review. He was released on bond. His case is moving through the courts, which is precisely how due process is designed to work. Senate Resolution 13 had no effect on his case.

The Job of an Alderman

Rutland City’s Board of Aldermen is the legislative body of the city. By charter, aldermen are responsible for the city’s fiscal, prudential, and municipal affairs. That means passing ordinances, overseeing budgets, confirming appointments, and keeping the city’s business on track.

Their work should focus on housing, crime, taxation, infrastructure, public safety, and local services. They are not federal lawmakers. They are not activists. They are elected to manage Rutland.

Silence on the Bond Hearing

While aldermen were vocal about Medicaid and ICE, none of them used their public platforms to alert residents to the $3.9 million TIF bond hearing held this week.

No Facebook posts encouraging residents to attend.
No reminders of its importance.
No follow-up afterward, even though turnout was sparse.

This silence is striking. If aldermen truly believe local government is the “first point of contact” for citizens, as McClure said during the Medicaid kabuki, why didn’t they use their platforms to promote one of the most consequential hearings of the year?

The Three-Acre Rule and the CLF Connection

The stormwater “three-acre rule” is one of the largest financial threats facing Rutland, and Vermont as a whole. It requires costly retrofits for any property with three or more acres of impervious surface, including the Vermont State Fairgrounds, Downtown Rutland, all of the public schools, and more.

This is a looming economic burden that could devastate Rutland taxpayers and community institutions. Rutland’s senators, including Williams and Weeks, are fighting against it in Montpelier.

Yet instead of working with them, Alderwoman Tadio used her Herald column to attack them over a symbolic resolution. Adding to the irony, she is now employed by the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF) — the same group that pushed for the three-acre rule and is currently suing Vermont over the Global Warming Solutions Act.

What Rutland did not hear from her op-ed: any call to protect the Fairgrounds, or any plan to ease the looming stormwater costs for city property owners.

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The Recreation Department Standoff

Then there is the issue of Rutland’s Recreation Department.

Director Kim Peters was put on leave earlier this year after questions about background checks for seasonal hires. But the root problem is bigger: Rutland STILL has no formal citywide background check policy. Department heads have been left to handle checks on their own, outside of standard HR practices.

In April, the Board of Aldermen voted to send this issue to the HR Committee, chaired by McClure. Since then, the committee has met at least three times. Background checks have been mentioned only in passing. No policy has been produced.

Meanwhile, the board voted to reinstate Peters, but the mayor refused. The standoff left Rutland without a recreation director all summer — the busiest season for programs and one of the city’s best opportunities to generate a little extra revenue.

What Was Said, and What Was Not

The record is clear.

In the meeting, McClure accused colleagues of “cowardice.”
On Facebook, Talbott called his opponents “Rutland Backwards.”
In the Herald, Tadio warned of disappearing due process and attacked Rutland’s senators.
Savage lent her vote in support of symbolic gestures.

But on the issues directly before Rutland taxpayers? Silence.

No public alerts about the $3.9 million bond.
No rallying cry to protect the Fairgrounds.
No updates on the city’s hiring safeguards.
No progress on reinstating the recreation director.
No leadership on crime, homelessness, or addiction downtown.

Conclusion

Theatrics may generate headlines. Social media posts may stir outrage. But they do not solve Rutland’s problems.

The city faces fiscal strain, social challenges, and looming infrastructure costs. Its citizens deserve leaders who inform them about what matters and who work together to get the job done.

Instead, the citizens of Rutland are getting division, distraction, and silence on the issues closest to home.

Is this what the people of Rutland voted for? Is this what you wanted?

Stay tuned for Season 1, Episode 7.

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Dave Soulia | FYIVT

#fyivt #RutlandVT #VermontPolitics #CityGovernment

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