Bridging the gap from college to town

A 21-year-old Castleton Student, Zach Holzworth, is running for a spot on the Castleton Select board. His main priority, he said, is to mend the relationship between the town and Castleton College.

He also plans to change the streetlights in town to LED’s and start charging people for sand in the winter.

“It’s about spending a penny now in order to save a pound later,” Holzworth said. “There are some things that we just have to spend money on.”

His uncle is on the Select Board in Fair Haven, which is where he gets most of his support for running. John Hale, a well-known Castleton Select Board member, also encourages him, he said.

As a student of Castleton and a resident of the town, Holzworth believes he can represent both sides well.

“I understand that many of the townspeople do not like the college and don’t like the students,” Holzworth said. “But it’s basically broken down into the different classes of people who don’t like the college.”

Holzworth believes that it is easier for townspeople with college educations to relate to the students.

Holzworth is running against two others, Jim Leamy, who has been on the board before, and current Selectman Bob Spaulding.

Leamy and Holzworth seem to have similar plans of action if elected.

“I am running again because I want to contribute something to the town,” Leamy says. “I want to create a positive relationship with the college”

Leamy believes that because Castleton State College is such a major employer for the area, it is important to re-build the relationship between the school and the town. He said that’s his first and major goal if he gets elected.

Spaulding has other things that he wants done first.

“We’ve got a bunch of issues here in Castleton. I want to know how we are going to reimburse the taxpayers,” Spaulding said in an interview with “Vermont Today.”

Spaulding was reportedly in Honduras when attempted to be contacted for this report, but a review of minutes of recent meetings shows he is quite active.

Some of his recent concerns were regarding the charges of recycling for haulers and whether or not they have to accept the recycling from other commercial haulers. Spaulding has his own waste service business.  

Holzworth said he is constantly encouraging young people to vote. In fact, he even carries around a stack of voter registration forms with him. He hopes to relate to many young people and is counting on their vote.

In order to mend the relationship between the town and the school, Holzworth wants to increase protection and discipline.

“I want a Public Safety who enforces the laws not only on campus, but in the village. I want cops on campus, not Public Safety,” he said. “That way we won’t be left guessing who the hell did it.”

 

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