Ian Hefele for Vernon Town Clerk

03/05/2025

Thank you Vernon. Running this campaign has been great.

Congratulations to Heidi Johnson-Clement for Vernon Town Clerk.

03/04/2025

Town Meeting Day is HERE!

Did you know that March 4th is also the day that Vermont joined the United States of America? - March 4th 1791.

Let's remember what it says on the Great Seal of Vermont today.

FREEDOM to vote and UNITY remembering we are all in this together.

03/03/2025

As we come into the last 36 hours of this campaign, I wanted to share a look back on the support and encouragement that I've received since the beginning. Never having done something like this before, it has been a wonderful experience. Thank you for considering me when you go to the voting booth on March 4th 7 AM to 7 PM.

03/02/2025

I will do it with compassion and commitment to this community.

I'll see you at the polls on Tuesday (holding a sign outside with my kids to show the importance of civic participation, come say hi!)

03/01/2025

Remember Town Meeting is your chance to express your voice and hear more on the issues of the town.

Thank you to Vernon Recreation Department for providing this!

See you at Town Meeting on Monday evening at the gym!

02/27/2025

Remember to make a plan to vote on Tuesday March 4th.

Thank you for this surprise graphic and the encouragement I'm getting. Whomever you vote for, I hope to see you out there voting.

02/26/2025

Community, commitment, and compassion. I put those three words on my mailer that went out as part of this campaign.

Why did I choose those words?

Community: everyone strives to feel like they belong, whether you've been in town for one year, eleven years, or generations. The Town Clerk position is the keystone of that community. I've spent my career building and engaging those communities here for students in my classroom, in running a community center in Brattleboro, or in my years of government service. I will bring these skills to Town Hall in the role of Town Clerk and I will do so with...

Compassion: I believe the basis of compassion is listening. Everyone wants to be heard. I approach my work fully realizing that, when you work with the public, as I have done since I began my working life, you can be the best part of someone's day, or not. I always try to be the best part because of my...

Commitment: I've worked in offices with no running water and sparse electricity, made budgets stretch beyond what was thought possible, and completed government projects under insanely tight deadlines because of my commitment. My family and I are committed to this town, because Vernon is a special place. Throughout our entire LONG adoption process, we were shown community, compassion, and commitment by the school, our neighbors and the town.

Please consider voting for me for your Town Clerk, next week on Town Meeting Day.

If you can't get there in person to vote (every vote is important), request an absentee ballot by going in person, emailing [email protected], or requesting at www.mvp.vermont.gov

Dedicated dad of 2 young Vermonters looking to serve and preserve the community we all call home.

02/24/2025

Great day of basketball at VES today. It was great to see so many people supporting our players!

I'm looking forward to going back TOMORROW 2/24 at 6:30 PM to hear about this upcoming budget. Hope to see you there - further information is on the flyer sent out from the school and shared below.

This will be on the ballot on March 4th as well!

02/21/2025

Here is another Letter of Support from Vernon.

Thank you Kat Baldwin!

Linked here: Letter to the Editor: Ian Hefele for Vernon town clerk https://www.reformer.com/opinion/letters/letter-to-the-editor-ian-hefele-for-vernon-town-clerk/article_f7be182c-ee07-11ef-887a-4ff876f02f9b.html

COPY BELOW

To the Editor: As a Vernon resident, I enthusiastically endorse Ian Hefele for town clerk. I've known Ian for several years, initially through his work at Stoneleigh-Burnham and subsequently through various community involvements. Our paths have crossed in numerous ways, from collaborating on the Vernon Capital Plan committee, where his organizational skills and big-picture thinking were invaluable, to enjoying his engaging theater productions, witnessing his engaging personality and his people skills. We've also worked together on Vernon school events and shared activities with our children.

Ian's dedication to Vernon is evident in his consistent presence at town events, activities, and meetings. He's deeply invested in contributing to our community, not just in what Vernon can offer his family, but more importantly, in how he can give back. He has a remarkable talent for fostering collaboration and achieving impressive results.

Ian’s the kind of neighbor

you can rely on. He’s a good listener, as he approaches every situation with an open mind and a willingness to learn from different perspectives. Even when we see things differently, I always feel heard and understood in our conversations. He values every person and their viewpoint, a quality that will be invaluable in the role of town clerk. The more I learn about Ian, the more impressed I am by his vast knowledge and experience. He is truly one of the most amazing people I know, and he's raising two equally amazing and kind children.

Sincerely,

Kat Baldwin

Vernon, Feb. 18

P.S. My 10 year old wants to tell you what he thinks too. He says Ian is “nice, kind, very helpful, smart, and a good father."

02/19/2025

Two weeks today everybody in Vermont will go to the polls for Town Meeting Day!

It is easily one of my favorite aspects of Vernon Life. It's the chance to sit down with our fellow townsfolk, talking with each other, and more importantly listening to each other.

Vernon's polls will be open 7 AM to 7 PM on March 4th.

If you can't get to the polls on March 4th, request an absentee ballot by emailing [email protected] or online at www.mvp.vermont.gov

Thank you for considering me as you cast your vote on March 4th.

02/18/2025

A definition of SERVICE in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary is "contribution to the welfare of others".

My parents instilled that in me from a young age, whether it was my mother teaching English as a second language or my father encouraging me to do all of my high school service hours or my time in Peace Corps, it has been central to my life since then.

As I reflect on why I want to be your Town Clerk, I keep coming back to a Maya Angelou quote, "People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."


I

02/16/2025

Letter to the Editor: Ian Hefele for Vernon Town Clerk (Linked and copied below)

To the Editor:

As a former Vernon resident (and one dying to move back there!) I wholeheartedly endorse Ian Hefele in his bid for town clerk. I lived in ‘the old Whistle Stop’ building on Route 142 for over 10 years and visited the town clerk office and library - which was right across the street - on many occasions. Having known Ian for almost the same number of years, I feel he is an excellent person to fill the role of town clerk.

We first got to know each other through community theatre, in The Vermont Theatre Company and the Actors Theatre Playhouse in West Chesterfield, N.H. In his roles as fellow actor and then director, he showed his cooperation, compassion, organization and leadership qualities on many occasions. He has an uncanny ability to bring people together in cooperation and compassion. He has also become a good friend that I can rely on and often do. Seeing him grow as an actor, director, father, and person has been a joy.

I am ever impressed with the work he has done (in the Philadelphia public school system, the Peace Corps, at SIT Graduate Institute, Stoneleigh-Burnham School in Greenfield and for the Ethiopian Community Development Council) as well as his travels and knowledge of world languages and cultures. He is exactly the kind of person we want to usher in the future of Vermont.

I don’t know much about ‘politics,’ but I know that I would trust Ian Hefele to do an excellent job and take good care of any endeavor he takes on. You can rely on him just as I have.

Sincerely,

Bridget McBride

Vernon, Feb. 2025

To the Editor: As a former Vernon resident (and one dying to move back there!) I wholeheartedly endorse Ian Hefele in his bid for town clerk. I lived in ‘the