#MiddleburyCT #JenniferMahr
Jennifer Mahr
On September 8, Jennifer Mahr, co-founder of Middlebury’s Small Town Alliance, officially announced her candidacy for Middlebury’s Board of Selectmen race. Mahr, graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy (USCGA) and former USCGA instructor, launched her candidacy surrounded by family and friends to be a voice for Middlebury’s disenfranchised voters.
“The last 8 months have demonstrated that Middlebury residents have no voice,” said Mahr, in a statement. “I am running for Board of Selectmen because critical decisions are being made by non-elected members of our Boards and Commissions. The worst part: there’s no opportunity for us to hold decision-makers accountable as they irrevocably change the semi-rural character of our town.”
Mahr has been heavily involved in local politics and community events since 2008, committing to school fundraisers, volunteer work, and even running a nonprofit community action group focused on municipal land use. During that time, she organized an annual “Meet the Candidates” forum, connecting local voters to state and districtwide candidates.
More recently, Mahr was the catalyst in organizing opposition to the proposed Middlebury distribution facility as the co-founder of the Middlebury Small Town Alliance. Her work as co-founder has now given residents the ability to hold decision-makers accountable: successfully submitting petitions, creating Facebook groups, and sending weekly email updates to a group of supporters that now number just under 1,000 residents.
“Middlebury’s elected officials have failed to provide a representative democracy,” Mahr commented. “Right now, even our Town Charter legitimizes voter disenfranchisement by limiting how many candidates can be nominated for selectman, placing an additional limit on voter choice. It’s time for a change, and as a proven community organizer and advocate, I am the one to bring necessary, positive change.”
Mahr added, “The distribution facility debate isn’t our only issue. For a small town, we have big transparency issues: failing to seek public comment on COVID-19 relief spending, scheduling town meetings during the workday, and more recently, when our own First Selectman refused to comment on the proposed distribution facility because he believed it conflicted with our Code of Ethics. The bottom line: there’s nothing ‘ethical’ about keeping residents in the dark.”
Mahr concluded, “It’s time to give Middlebury residents a seat at the table, and as an established leader in our town, I will be the voice for all our residents. I will no longer allow corporate interests to overshadow our interests at home, and through my example, I look forward to reestablishing trust in our local elected officials.”
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