Jacklyn Matts, who has served as board president for the Bennington, Vermont, LGBTQ+ nonprofit Queer Connect and chair of the 2024 Bennington Charter Review Committee, announced her candidacy to sit on the town’s select board.
Voting day is March 3, 2025, and Matts is running for one of three open seats on the board, according to the town government website.
An entirely volunteer-run nonprofit, Queer Connect‘s mission is to increase “visibility in the community and to building resources for LGBTQIA people and their families living in and around Bennington, Vermont.”
Reports the Bennington Banner:
“Bennington is a town built on hard work, resilience, and heart,” Matts said. “It’s part of what makes our town special. I am ready to work together with all members of the Select Board and the people of this community to build a Bennington where everyone has the opportunity to thrive – a town we’re all proud to call home.”
Acknowledging that Bennington is facing some tough challenges, Matts cited “community safety, addiction, homelessness, and a serious housing shortage” as issues.
Matts said she’s is focusing her campaign on “three key issues that are vitally important to every resident of the town: safety, opportunity, and community. This campaign is about working together to address the issues that matter most. I plan to foster partnerships to ensure the streets of Bennington are safe; the people of our town deserve to feel secure in their homes and neighborhoods.”
Matts said she plans to support policies that “make housing more affordable, attract businesses that offer good jobs, and ease the tax burden on residents,” adding, “I believe we can do all of this good work in our community while treating each other with respect and compassion, no matter who we are or where we come from.”
Matts said she hopes “to turn challenges into opportunities and vision into action” to benefit the town. …
Matts recently received the Southwestern Vermont Chamber of Commerce’s 2024 Heart of the Shires Award, which is given to an individual who exemplifies community service and leadership.
Cited was her work with the LGBTQIA+ nonprofit Queer Connect, as well, as her leadership role on the Charter Review Committee.
Read the complete Bennington Banner story here.
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