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Otis Selectboard reappoints Gary Thomas as chair after member challenges role
Summary
On May 28, 2025, the Town of Otis Selectboard voted to keep Gary Thomas as chair after member Terry Gould said she expected to be considered for the role and suggested gender may have been a factor; the motion to retain Thomas passed after discussion.
The Town of Otis Selectboard on May 28 voted to reappoint Gary Thomas as chair following a tense exchange about leadership selection.
Terry Gould, a Selectboard member, told colleagues she believed she was due for the chairmanship and asked whether being passed over might be because she is a woman. Gary Thomas, the board chair, “strongly opposed” that suggestion, according to the meeting record. Larry Southard, also a Selectboard member, said he had noticed a change in Gould’s behavior and described it as “aggressive,” a characterization Gould called unfair.
After brief discussion and statements from members, Southard moved that Thomas continue as chair; Thomas seconded the motion and it passed. The minutes do not record a roll-call tally. During the exchange, member Sue Ebitz asked about customary practice; Thomas said members typically serve as chair in their third year but that recent years have varied from that pattern.
The board’s reconstitution came at the start of the meeting, with Thomas congratulating newly elected members. The minutes show no further formal action on the chairmanship beyond the motion to retain Thomas. The board adjourned at 7:43 PM.
Next steps: no additional vote or formal procedural change was recorded; the minutes indicate the board will continue operating under the current chair assignment.
