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October 17, 2024
Southern Chittenden House candidates unopposed
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Hinesburg could lose about $160K next year PATRICK BILOW STAFF WRITER
PATRICK BILOW STAFF WRITER
Three candidates are running unopposed for House seats in southern Chittenden County this year. Shawn Sweeney of Shelburne, a newcomer to politics, is running to replace Jessica Brumsted in the Chittenden-7 seat that serves Shelburne. Phil Pouech will return for his second term as Chittenden-4 representative for Hinesburg, and Chea Waters Evans of Charlotte will also return for her second biennium as Chittenden-5 representative, which includes a portion of the town of Hinesburg. Sweeney, a Democrat who has lived in Shelburne since 1998, clinched the Democratic nomination for Chittenden-7 earlier this year after beating Shelburne Selectboard chair Michael Ashooh. Sweeney has owned Sweeney DesignBuild, a local design and construction company, for over 20 years. Before that, he owned a nightclub in Burlington and worked in the movie industry scouting set locations for companies like Dreamworks and Warner Bros. See CANDIDATES on page 13
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A plan between Hinesburg and Richmond to combine police departments, which at one time seemed promising, is now up in the air as Richmond considers revamping its own department. Last year in April, the towns signed an inter-municipal agreement that provided Hinesburg police coverage in Richmond at $50 an hour. The arrangement offered much-needed coverage in Richmond and revenue for Hinesburg that became integral to the town’s budget. This relationship dates to 2022 when Richmond was struggling to provide police services. The department was dwindling with fewer officers and an interim police chief who eventually left. At one point, the town had no officers at all. That’s when Hinesburg Police Chief Anthony Cambridge floated the idea of combining services, according to selectboard chair Merrily Lovell. Currently, Cambridge is the acting police chief for both towns, with five Hinesburg officers on patrol for both. Richmond has one officer on staff who patrols Richmond. “At the time, there was an immediate See POLICE on page 12
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