WOODSTOCK — Two Selectboard members have resigned in the past month, marking four departures since Town Meeting in March, amid what one member described as “tumultuous times.”
“I wanted to serve the town and I’m saddened to step away, but I don’t recognize the Woodstock that exists now,” former chair Susan Ford said in an Aug. 18 statement.
Of the five people originally serving on the board this spring, only Norm Frates Jr. remains. The turnover comes as the municipality defends a lawsuit by its former police chief, responds to a public records suit and faces a state police investigation into legal spending, as the Valley News previously reported.
What started as Ray Bourgeois’ resignation back in April due to relocating has devolved into an almost complete turnover of the Woodstock Selectboard in a matter of months.
On May 4, Laura Powell resigned after over two years on the board. In a statement, she outlined several situations she considered concerning, including “offensive signs” placed across the street from municipal manager Eric Duffy’s home, police called on the board’s administrative assistant and frequent legal threats.
“When individuals exploit the legal system and law enforcement to intimidate others, our community suffers,” Powell said in her statement.
Nicholas Seldon — husband of former Woodstock Police Chief Joe Swanson, who’s suing Woodstock over its efforts to demote him—said at the time he was certain Powell’s gripes were a stab at him, though she did not confirm or deny it when asked over email in May.
Seldon has an ongoing public records act lawsuit against the municipality, primarily based on requests for documents related to Swanson’s case and Woodstock’s legal spending. Duffy shared in a legal spending report that Seldon’s nearly 100 record requests from July 2024 to June 2025 equate to $27,000 in legal fees.
Soon after Powell’s departure, the Selectboard of three people– Ford, Frates and Cliff Johnson– conducted interviews. When a Selectboard of five is reduced to three, every vote on every matter must be unanimous, and no vote can occur without all three members present.
After interviewing the seven resident applicants on May 15, the Selectboard appointed Gay Travers and Dick Sweeney to serve until another election, and both opted not to run.
At a special election Aug 11, resident Susan Chiefsky earned 526 votes for a term ending March 2027, and Mary Ann Sweeney, who is married to Dick Sweeney, earned 364 votes for a term ending March 2028.
Days later, on Aug. 18, Ford– a Selectboard member of over four years– shared her plans to leave effective at the end of the meeting. She cited health issues and advice from her doctors to reduce stress, adding that personal attacks have made it difficult to serve in the role.
“I hate to think I’m letting the negativity in this town win, but need to put myself first this time,” said Ford.
In several public comment sessions, Seldon has called on Ford to step down, alleging that she was involved in an illegal transfer of funds between the Village of Woodstock and the Town of Woodstock that state police are currently investigating. The Village is an entity within the town, and the two share a bank account but have separate budgets.
At the meeting, Ford said that she would have liked to stay to see the issue resolved.
“It’s been suggested to me that some people will take my resignation as a victory, and confirmation that I’m leaving because of the attorney fee payment issue,” said Ford. “…I can tell you that is the furthest thing from the truth.”
Ford also said that her integrity has been questioned for the first time in her life, adding that someone she didn’t know said she’s “not fit to run a lemonade stand.” At the end of her statement, Ford called on the public to consider its behavior toward its board of volunteers.
Two weeks later, at the next regular meeting, Selectboard member Cliff Johnson also stepped down. He said the biggest factor guiding his decision was time constraints in his career.
“In normal times, I may have been able to continue the board commitment, but given the tumultuous times our town is going through, I feel the role needs someone who can dedicate more time than I have available to give right now,” Johnson said in a Sept. 1 statement.
A main concern with the departures is the loss of institutional knowledge and the fact that some issues and projects span years, Duffy said Thursday by phone.
Officials are working to educate newcomers on policies and procedures, he said, adding that the impact is likely not visible to residents, but more of an internal obstacle. While losing momentum can be challenging, Duffy feels there’s a benefit to appointing new people with fresh ideas and perspectives.
The deadline for Woodstock residents to apply for the vacated spots is Sept. 10, with candidate interviews at the Selectboard meeting at 6 p.m. on Sept. 15 in town hall. The remaining members may appoint two candidates following the interviews.
