Kim Souza, Hartford VT Selectboard

02/18/2025

Many thanks to Ally Tufenkjian for volunteering hours of work to compile this 2025 Harford Voter Guide to help inform voters about candidates running for local office.

Check it out and be sure to attend Budget & Candidate's Night: Mon, Feb 24th, 7pm at the Hartford High School. (Note: JAM will livestream on their YouTube channel, but there will not be Zoom access.)

And VOTE on Tuesday, March 4th at the Hartford High School, 7am-7pm or request an absentee ballot from the Town Clerk's office.

Visit www.hartford-vt.org/2608/Elections-Voting or click the Resources link on the Voter Guide for more information regarding the Town Meeting Cycle access and events.

https://hartfordvoterguide.wixsite.com/candidates

This is not an official resource from the Town of Hartford and is not affiliated with the Town Staff, Selectboard, School Board, or a particular candidate. It is managed on a volunteer basis by Hartford resident Ally Tufenkjian. Visit the Town website for Town Meeting Cycle information.

10/02/2024

Hi Folks. I have a schedule conflict and will have to miss my weekly Office Hours at Tuckerbox today (Oct 2nd). Sorry for any inconvenience. I'll be back at the community coffee table next week, 2-3pm.

09/11/2024

Thanks to everyone who came out in 3D and via Zoom for our Listening Session at the Wilder Club & Library last night! It was so great to have an opportunity to hear all the ideas and concerns relating to communication and trust in Hartford. There were 35 people in the room and almost 20 more on Zoom.

I am optimistic that Town staff and leadership will incorporate many suggestions into upcoming initiatives that will help keep our community better informed and more engaged.

Thanks to George & Michaela at the Wilder Library for hosting us and to Anita & Greg from PRISM Solutions for facilitating a productive conversation!

I'll be at Tuckerbox today (09/11) for my 'Office Hours', 2-3pm. Drop by and let's continue the discussion!

Thanks also to Nick & JAM for recording the event. You can watch the video with this link: https://www.youtube.com/live/cKcI15sn1AA?si=cbEBEwhkLkWlA8G3

09/08/2024

Hey Hartford! I hope you can join us for Tuesday's Community Listening Session with the Hartford Selectboard.

The event will be held at the Wilder Club & Library (78 Norwich Ave) and there is street parking available.

The Wilder School (160 Norwich Ave, just up the street) has kindly allowed the use of their parking lot for the event, so feel free to leave your car there to attend the discussion on communication, transparency & trust in our local government; 6-7:30pm, Tuesday, Sept 10th.

If you cannot participate in person, there is a hybrid/Zoom option. Simply click on the usual Zoom link located on the Selectboard page of the Town website (http://www.hartford-vt.org/2531/Selectboard).

Hope to see you there!

08/18/2024

Heads Up! I will be out of town and unable to attend my Aug 21 + Aug 28 Office Hours. I’ll be back at Tuckerbox Weds, Sept 4th 2-3pm. Please join me to talk about anything that’s on your mind.

In the meantime, please mark your calendars for a Hartford Selectboard facilitated Listening Session at the Wilder Library on Tuesday, September 10th, 6-7:30pm. The topic will be Communication and we’d love to hear from you about how we can connect with community members about all things Hartford. Stay tuned for more details coming soon!

07/10/2024

Greetings Hartford!
In March 2025, I’ll be finishing up my 7th and final year as a Hartford Selectboard member. It really has been an honor to serve in this role and to represent the interests of our community in local government. There have certainly been some major challenges and obstacles, not the least of which included a global pandemic and significant administrative transition, but I will leave feeling as though the efforts of mine and my board colleagues has had a positive impact.

And now, I’m hoping to help find my replacement! Anyone out there who has the faintest interest in pursuing a candidacy for Hartford Selectboard is invited to reach out and I will gladly discuss the role and responsibilities, rewards and challenges and answer any questions that you might have.

I am happy to report that, through the outstanding work of former colleague Ally Tufenkjian, the Town of Hartford has increased Selectboard meeting stipend to $100 per meeting and the board recently adopted a policy making board members eligible for dependent care reimbursement to support members who may not otherwise be able to serve due to barriers associated with dependent care.

‘Real Talk’ – Doing this work well does require a decent amount of time and energy. There is much of the job that is a bit perfunctory, but if you care about this town as much as I do, you’ll appreciate the little things as much as the big ones. I will happily remain available as a ‘board buddy’ for anyone (and I mean anyone) who might like some guidance or perspective or historical context from me for any town initiatives and I am always down to dissect the annual budget line item by line item with folks!

To quote US Senator Peter Welch, “the most important work happens beginning at the local level” and while I am certain that I haven’t made everyone happy along the way, I can assure you that I have genuinely tried my best to do what I think is in the best interests for Hartford.

I’m excited to spend the next 9 months continuing to represent this community. I’ll continue to host my ‘Office Hours’ at the community coffee table at Tuckerbox on Wednesdays, 2-3pm.

06/05/2024

NOTE: I will be out of town on June 12.
As some of you know, I have been offering weekly 'Office Hours' at the Tuckerbox (1 South Main Street, WRJ) on Wednesdays, 2-3pm for over a year with a few exceptions when I am out of town. I am really grateful for the many respectful and informative discussions that have taken place with a wonderful mix of Hartford residents thus far.

I'm writing to extend the invitation to join me for conversations that I am not personally willing to engage in on various online platforms. Please feel welcome to come by and share concerns and ideas, ask questions or gain context for often nuanced or complex initiatives. I may not have the answers for everyone or be able to fix everything, but it sure is nice to be able to talk and listen to one another, especially in person.

If 2-3pm on a weekday is not convenient for anyone, I will gladly try to find alternative times to meet individually.

What I won't do is speak on behalf of the board or town or even on behalf of other Selectboard members.

As always, you can reach the Hartford Selectboard by writing an email to [email protected].

05/22/2024

With the understanding that there may be some survey fatigue from a number of admirable initiatives, I really hope folks will take the time to complete a survey that is part of a Community Safety Assessment.

Whether you are a long-time resident, a new member of our community, a local business owner or employee, or a visitor, your voice matters. By sharing your experiences, you contribute to a collective effort to ensure Hartford is a thriving, safe community for all.

The Town of Hartford is conducting a Community Safety Assessment to understand and enhance people’s safety within our vibrant community. The project’s consulting partner, Strategy Matters and its committee of Hartford residents is gathering information to answer these questions: How safe do people feel in Hartford? What contributes to that feeling of safety or lack of safety?

The Community Safety Assessment is intended to help Hartford learn more about the sense of safety of people of all backgrounds and experiences and how their sense of safety is linked to the delivery of public services (police and fire departments, emergency medical services, nonprofits, and social services agencies). This project is an important step towards fostering a safe, welcoming, and inclusive environment for everyone who lives in, works in, or visits Hartford.

I hope you’ll complete the Community Safety Assessment Survey, one of the Assessment’s primary data gathering methods, and share it widely with your networks. The survey will be open until the end of June.

Survey link HERE: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HVT_Survey

Survey results will be collected by Strategy Matters, and they will only be shared in the aggregate. The survey can be taken anonymously and all questions are optional. Strategy Matters will share a public report in the Fall with an analysis of what they learned.

Thank you for your participation and help in ensuring that all of Hartford’s voices are heard in this process.

https://www.strategymatters.org/
https://www.hartford-vt.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=697

04/17/2024

Heads up! Check in on the VTransparancy.vermont.gov website for updates on upcoming projects in Hartford including Route 5 paving beginning in May. For more information about the background of changes including what's referred to as a 'road diet', you can review VTrans scoping studies from 2020 + 2021 leading up to this year's project. (See comments for links).

https://vtransparency.vermont.gov/

Vtransparency Vermont Agency of Transportation Public Information Portal

03/25/2024

Huge props to the Hartford VT Department of Public Works for all the heavy lifting during and after this latest storm!

If all goes well, the State will move ahead with S.310, an act relating to natural disaster government response, recovery, and resiliency which would include Public Works employees for benefits with official First Responder classification.

https://legislature.vermont.gov/bill/status/2024/S.310

The Town of Hartford Department of Public Works was out for 33 hours this weekend trying to keep up with the "Spring" snow fall. We are out again this morning back tracking and continuting to clean up! Thank you to the community for your patience and understanding.

03/13/2024

The Town of Hartford has contracted with Better Cities to update the Economic Development chapter of our Town Plan. The Planning Department is hosting a community forum tomorrow night (3/13) at 6pm at the Bugbee Senior Center to seek input from folks about economic development priorities. Please join us.

I will be heading over to Tuckerbox for my weekly office hours at 2pm today (3/13). Hope to see some of you there too!

02/28/2024

If you were not able to attend last night's Budget & Candidates Night, please take the time to watch the recording (thanks JAM - Junction Arts & Media).

I'll be at my 'office hours' at Tuckerbox tomorrow (2/28), 2-3pm and I'll have my budget book with me. Please join me if you're able!

Join the zoom meeting: https://zoom.us/j/549799933