Category Archives: Politics

Colby Dix’ Political Blog

Open Letter regarding Confab signs.

Hey All,

Not that you are following my posts online for any reason, but I’ve had a chance to talk directly with some of the confab’ers after my remarks and voiced my displeasure. I even have one of their signs here at the geeks for a keepsake. I have no problem with their particular cause, or the people who perpetrated this whole mess. In fact, I think it’s a good cause and that they did a bang up job of creating a buzz. Impressive in a lot of ways. Let’s remove that from this entirely though. Let’s remove the individual people that we all know and respect, and let’s remove the ’cause’ from the equation. If instead of motherly locals advocating for the safety of their children, we had someone like me, a smartass musician/comedian who wanted to promote his scatalogical humor with a similar stunt. How would I be treated when it was found out who/what was behind it. Would I be given the same kid glove, slap on the wrist? What if it wasn’t me and my potty mouthed humor, but someone who was promoting gay sex education in our schools, or legalization of methamphetamine suppositories for children?

Politically I understand the desire to let this blow over, but personally, I’d be appalled to see it dismissed and then to crucify any future abusers. Rest assured if this goes unchecked I will be one of the first to take advantage of the hypocrisy, I have no taste for it. If you want to make a silk purse out of it, fine them appropriately and donate the money directly to an organization like ParentUP (http://parentupvt.org/). They are an organization doing good work directly in line with the confab’ers.

That’s my 4 cents.

An Open Letter To The Voters Of Dover,

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It is a time for action, and it is a time for some positive change here in our local government. While there have been a few small contentions as of recent, in my view, they have served us well as a town in that they have brought more people forward. People that want to get involved and to make a difference. People that care deeply about our town and it’s well being. People that care about the prosperity and growth that this area deserves. Our Board of Selectmen has been working very hard to address these issues and to achieve a great many goals, but they rarely receive the due appreciation for their efforts. I hope to join them in this thankless pursuit, so that we may keep Dover the truly wonderful place that is is to live, to work, and to raise a family.

Southern Vermont has been my true home for my entire life and I take great pride in this area, the quality of life, and the quality of the people here. I have tremendous respect for the history of this town, and as a younger candidate, I admit to having a keen eye toward it’s future. As a local business owner in Vermont Geeks, my desire to see technical and financial growth is obvious and my ability to help us realize this great potential is perhaps my greatest asset. But perhaps even more important is my desire to communicate openly with the residents and the business owners and the tax payers of Dover. My desire to hear the whole story, and to hear the varied opinions, so that I can do my best to accurately represent you as a whole. I am the type of person who prefers to consider things professionally, not personally and will strive to do just that.

I look forward to bringing greater transparency to our proceedings and making better use of the internet and media to help communicate with our townspeople, improving dialogue and debate in the process, so that decisions can be made swiftly and with the best interest of our voters.

I have agreed to take part in the candidate’s forum on Thursday, September 3rd, and very much look forward to speaking to many more of you there in person, and to hearing what you have to say. Thank you for your consideration and please do take the time to come out both for the forum and to vote in the special election on Sept. 8th.

Regards,

Colby Dix

Why Colby Dix Is Running For Dover Selectboard

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Communication, Common Sense, and Common Decency.

Communication is first and foremost. There seems to be a real lack of genuine communication between our board and the residents of Dover, I aim to change that with better use of technology to get the information to the people. Communication is a two way street and those lanes must be open so that we may adequately listen to our constituents and base our decisions on the majority and not solely on personal preference. I also vow to promote better transparency in our local government, with less hiding behind the over-used Executive Session and promoting clarity in our statements, arguments, and decisions.

Common Sense has also taken a backseat to personal agendas. This is just not the way of Vermonters and it should be something that we can all strive for. Simply evaluating issues, proposals and expenditures with common sense in mind will relieve much of the in-fighting and disparate opinions. We are a community, and a small community at heart for the majority of the year, but our appeal to the resort market is undeniable. Maintaining strong relationships with all local businesses, from Mount Snow to the sole proprietors that ‘get the work done’ around here will only improve our surroundings and further establish pride in our local economy and it’s well being. We must be fiscally conservative, but we must remain open minded to the possibilities and the opportunities that change can bring to our area.

Common Decency is the third directive and every bit as important as the others. Kurt Vonnegut once said ‘Perhaps a little less love and a little more common decency…’, to which I couldn’t agree more. At times our local government has become downright uncivil to constituents and fellow members alike. This is absolutely unacceptable. Respect for our neighbors is paramount to furthering our goals and realizing our potential. Listening to our allies and opponents alike only makes us stronger in our ability to decide with truly educated opinions. Close mindedness will only keep our town from prospering and stunt our growth in a time when growth is much needed.

I am running for Selectboard at this time primarily because I do not feel adequately represented. I am a young, local, small business owner. I was born and raised here in Vermont and take great pride in it’s history and future. I can no longer sit idly by and hope that these things will just work themselves out. I feel an obligation to get my hands dirty and get to work for my fellow townspeople, and for the benefit of our town. I am fiscally conservative and socially liberal, and am well known to listen to both sides of the coin before making my opinion known. I welcome the opportunity to hear from any and all of Dover’s voters, whether it be to ask me a question, or tell me what they think.

Respectfully,

Colby Dix