Work Camp Opposition
Forces Selex To Back Down

By M. D. Drysdale

Barely six days after the formation of a citizens group opposed to a Corrections Department work camp in Randolph, the town selectboard bowed to the pressure and agreed unanimously to tell the state that the town is not interested any more.

Last Wednesday, a small but focused group of 20 residents gathered at Vermont Technical College to develop a strategy for defeating a work camp tentatively proposed for Beanville Road near the former landfill.

Led by Brookfield resident Bobby Gosh, who spearheaded opposition 10 years ago to a similar proposal, and former selectboard member Phyllis Forbes, the groups began by raising $225 in advertising money, pledging to raise the issue at Town Meeting and continuing to put pressure on the selectboard.

Gosh was named president of the committee, Forbes vice president, and Jason Aldous, treasurer.

Six evenings later, the selectboard at its regular Tuesday meeting took up the work camp issue—and made clear that it felt divisiveness within the town was too much of a threat.

The discussion opened with a short statement by Dawn Butterfield, who previously had expressed guarded support for the request from the Department of Corrections.

Butterfield said she continued to believe that the work camp concept offers the best and most rehabilitating way of treating non-violent prisoners. However, she said, the issue in Randolph has become mired in "a miasma of negative perceptions," leading her to believe that "this is not a good idea for Randolph at this time."

Even if it's a good project, she said, trying to shape a contract and push it through in the face of determined opposition would be an "enormous" burden for the selectboard. She moved that "we put this issue to rest" by telling the state that Randolph is no longer interested.

Instant Report

Though the work camp issue had not been on the agenda, it was clear that Butterfield's statement was expected by the other members, each of whom made short supporting statements.

"These are my sentiments exactly," said Larry Townsend. In the absence of a constituency in town to really fight for it, he is not willing to take on that role, he said. However, he said, "I hate to think that a few vocal objections" can kill an idea.

Stephen Springer said he agreed with Butterfield that the work camp is "a worthy effort … and this model (of corrections) is something I hope the state will be successful with."

But, he said, "We have too much on our plate." It would be hard to find the energy to keep the issue from dividing the town, he said.

Board Chair Jim Hutchinson also declared that the "work camp idea is excellent" and said he thinks the state will need to find towns to accept several of them. Further, he said he is "not convinced that a work camp brings bad things to a community."

However, he concluded, he was also "not convinced that the benefits are worth the divisiveness. This is a fight that I don't think is worth getting into."

In New York City for the week, Bobby Gosh on Wednesday pronounced himself delighted with the turn of events. Money for advertising will be diverted to some good cause, he said.

The 100-bed facility proposed by the state was for non-violent offenders who could get time off their sentences by doing useful work, under the supervision of work camp staff. They would do semi-skilled and skilled labor for non-profits and municipalities in a 30-mile radius.

On a film and in person, St. Johnsbury officials were positive about their experience there with the only work camp that Vermont has been able to set up so far. There had been no incidents affecting public safety, they said, and various organizations had benefited from the work.

However, a strong undercurrent of opposition soon developed, demanding that the selectboard dismiss the proposal out of hand as being bad for the image of Randolph. Last Wednesday's meeting was the first organized response by opponents. Speakers criticized various aspects of the proposal. They included Nancy DuBois, Ellen Baer, Orange Co. Sheriff Bill Bohnyak, George Holt, and Mike Casey, as well as Gosh and Forbes.

(Ben Merrill assisted in the reporting for this article.)