Thom Lauzon Is Back as Barre Mayor After Six-Year Hiatus

Thom Lauzon Credit: Anne Wallace Allen ©️ Seven Days

Barre City voters on Tuesday elected Thom Lauzon, an accountant and developer, as mayor, a position he previously held for 12 years.

Lauzon earned 902 votes, or 58 percent, to easily defeat his only opponent, Samn Stockwell, who garnered 645 votes, or about 41 percent.

Both Lauzon and Stockwell serve on the city council. But Lauzon said on Wednesday that his previous tenure as mayor, which ended in 2018, convinced voters to choose him. He’ll replace outgoing mayor Jake Hemmerick, who did not seek reelection after one two-year term.

“I think what it really came down to is people having a little more faith that I’d be ready to go on day one because I have sat in the center seat for 12 years,” Lauzon said by phone as he collected his 150 or so yard signs on the day after the election.

Lauzon said he is eager to get to work on a redevelopment project on Barre’s north side, which was hit hard by flooding last summer. He’d like the city to use state and federal funding to build parks and new, flood-resilient housing.

“The north end has to be a priority,” Lauzon said. He wants to create a firm plan for construction so work can get under way as soon as possible and has asked the city manager, Nicolas Storellicastro, to attend next week’s city council meeting prepared to go into detail about the budget.
“Redeveloping the entire north end is not something that is going to happen in two years,” Lauzon said.

Lauzon, who owns more than 50 properties in the city, campaigned on his strengths as someone who knows his way around numbers and construction projects. Stockwell, who teaches English and poetry at the Community College of Vermont, emphasized social issues on the trail, saying she wanted the city to do more to address affordable housing and to ensure Barre is a welcoming place for all. Stockwell would have been Barre’s first openly gay and first woman mayor.

Stockwell said after the election that her priorities hadn’t changed.

“The issues I raised were good, and with new council members, we’ll continue talking about the poverty rate, the need for housing across the spectrum and the need to acknowledge the impact of climate change,” she said.

The job of the Barre mayor — which pays about $2,000 per year — is to serve on the city council, preside over council meetings and attend ceremonial events.

A salaried city manager appoints and supervises department heads, negotiates contracts for the city, and makes recommendations to the city council.

Candidates for the mayor’s office do not run as members of political parties.

Barre, often called Barre City to distinguish it from neighboring Barre Town, is a city of about 8,500 people with an annual budget of about $12 million. In recent years, the city has become a destination for newcomers seeking affordable housing.

After last summer’s flooding damaged or destroyed dozens of homes and businesses, the Rainbow Bridge Community Center, which serves the LGBTQ community, took a central role in distributing aid and connecting people with assistance. Rainbow Bridge executive director Shawna Trader said on Wednesday that she thought both candidates were strong contenders.

“Poets make good leaders,” Trader said of Stockwell. She added that she hoped Lauzon could use his experience to develop new housing.

“Thom is a developer and knows a good thing when he sees it,” Trader said. “They’re both passionate about a better, stronger Barre.”