WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — Rachel Edens has stepped down from the Hartford Selectboard, citing medical issues, according to an announcement board by Chair Dan Fraser at a meeting Tuesday.
“She was an asset to the board, was very involved, and we will miss her,” Fraser said during the Selectboard meeting.
He added that board members will likely consult Edens, a White River Junction resident and a program officer at the Vermont Humanities Council, on Hartford issues in the future.
Fraser said the Selectboard will discuss how to fill the vacant seat left by Edens and put that information out to the public soon.
Last year the board tapped Edens to fill a vacant spot left by former board member Alan Johnson in the fall. She filled Johnson’s seat for what would have been the remainder of his tenure on the board until voters elected her to a new, two-year seat in March.
Edens last fall raised concerns about what she considered to be racist comments from some residents over her appointment. She was one of two Black members on the seven-seat Selectboard when she resigned.
Edens is also the second Black woman to resign from the Selectboard this year. Alicia Barrow stepped down in January citing safety concerns and “blatant bigotry” from within the community.