(This letter was sent to the members of the Warren Select Board and Warren town staff.)
This letter serves as my official resignation from the Warren Select Board, effective June 4, 2026.
It has been a privilege and most definitely an education for me since I took this seat in 2019. Truthfully, it has also been exhausting and challenging at times.
I know that there are some who will speculate as to the timing of my stepping down, so let me be clear that there is no specific event, action, or incident that precipitates this decision. I have been contemplating turning over my seat for some time, but my fellow board members have beaten me to it in the past two elections, and so I have stayed on for the sake of consistency. With the recent loss of our newest member, it was tempting to put this off once again because I know how much more work that puts on Joel, Devin and Harvey, but I also know that my time has come.
I have had many conversations over the last two years in which I encouraged Warren residents to run for the open seats on this board. I can tell you that nearly everyone I spoke to said they would like to someday or had considered in the past serving the town in this capacity, but they also expressed that they were too busy to give the job the time and attention that they thought it deserved. I completely understand that. Every board member with whom I have served over the past seven-plus years has had more on their plates than they could handle. We manage our own businesses, work full-time, raise children or care for elderly parents, we are on other volunteer boards and committees and have our own health and wellbeing to attend to- no one actually has the time to give this role what it really needs.
I would like us all to consider though, what happens if we don’t step up. Here are a couple of scenarios- the same people continue to sit on this board over the years because they feel they cannot leave the board empty. And those same people make decisions that are influenced by their own perspectives and experiences. I am not saying that is inherently bad, but it is limiting.
Another scenario could be that we end up with a smaller board. A smaller board would mean fewer voices making those decisions and it would also likely mean a more robust paid staff to manage Warren’s affairs. What that would mean is that more of our tax dollars go to the salaries and benefits for those positions. Right now, the town pays just $7500 a year for that management.
It is my hope that going forward we see a diverse and representative group of individuals sitting at this table on Tuesday nights engaging in meaningful discussion, which sometimes includes debate. The best decisions in my time on the board came about when new voices chimed in with different perspectives and those at the table were able to listen, hear and set aside their egos enough to allow their own opinions to evolve.
So, here is my suggestion: if you have ever seriously contemplated offering yourself in service to the town through its Select Board, this is the ideal opportunity for you to give it a try. My seat only has nine-months left in its term. In the next nine months the board will tackle dozens of subjects/issues, including building the proposed budget for the upcoming year. I can assure you that you will learn more than you want to know about what it really takes to keep our roads and bridges strong, our bills paid, our buildings open and operable, our town employees healthy and feeling valued. You will understand what this role asks of its members and then you can make an educated decision about whether it is worth your time.
It was definitely worth mine.
Behn lives in Warren.
