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Readers weigh in on candidates, other issues
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Volume 53 Number 32
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shelburnenews.com
August 8, 2024
Cemetery commissioner accosts grieving family
Fire tools
Town to address ‘serious’ situation LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER
PHOTO BY LEE KROHN
Shelburne volunteer firefighters Mark Healey and Ted Fisher present a fire safety workshop and demonstration for little kids and their parents and caregivers at Pierson Library. See story and more photos, page 2.
When Matthew Gervia held his mother’s ashes for the last time, he imagined that day of mourning would go much differently than what actually happened at the Shelburne Village Cemetery. Gervia said cemetery commission chair Stuart Morrow invasively and aggressively confronted his family over burial costs as they stood over their mother’s burial site. In June, as the family listened to Father Dwight Baker of St. Catherine of Siena give the blessing over Beatrice Gervia’s remains, Morrow interrupted the ceremony and accosted family members, demanding payment for opening the grave. The family had already paid the fee at the town offices earlier that week. “All of a sudden, this guy, out of nowhere, comes out and just says, ‘Hold up, hold up.’ I’m standing
there holding my mom,” Gervia said. “Despite my explanation that I had paid $350 at the town office and could retrieve the receipt from my truck, I kindly and emotionally asked him to just give us a moment to finish, and I would get him anything he needed. He refused to allow the blessing to continue.” After Morrow repeatedly insisted on immediate proof of payment, Gervia set the box with his mother’s ashes on the ground to retrieve the receipt. Morrow proceeded to then question the receipt, Gervia said. “I hope this never happens to another family ever again,” Gervia said. His sister, Judy Harrell, said she wondered if the incident would end in a physical altercation. Her brother even warned her to be aware when she went to build a flower bed around her mother’s grave a few See BURIAL FEES on page 10
Shelburne primary candidates talk top state issues LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER
With the primary election just around the corner, Shelburne’s Democratic candidates for Chittenden-7, representing part of Shelburne and St. George, offered a few last-minute remarks regarding some of the state’s most pressing
issues before residents head to the polls Aug. 13. Michael Ashooh, a professor of philosophy at the University of Vermont, is hinging his campaign on his credentials with the town of Shelburne in his over 12 years of public service, six of those on the selectboard and three as its chair. “In that time, I’ve helped lead
initiatives to rewrite our zoning bylaws, hire a new town manager, and implement a local option tax,” he said. Shawn Sweeney, who has been a member of the town’s planning commission for just under two years, is hoping that his expertise as a local business owner with Sweeney DesignBuild will win him a
spot back in Montpelier, where he also grew up. “At my company on a day-today basis, I’m a problem solver. When issues arise, we put a team together to talk it through and implement those solutions as best as we can. I hope to do that in Montpelier,” he said. The two spoke at a community
Thursday, August 15 The Beer Garden 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Corn-Inspired Food & Drink Specials Live Music & Cornhole
TO BENEFIT THE INTERVALE
forum moderated by Town Meeting TV last week to offer their sometimes-differing perspectives on how to tackle some of the state’s biggest issues like education funding reform, taxation, housing and the state’s addiction crisis. See CANDIDATES on page 10