Egremont — At its regular meeting on Tuesday, April 9, the two remaining members of the Select Board memorialized Select Board Chair George McGurn.
At the meeting, Lucinda Fenn-Vermeulen, who previously served as vice chair for the board, became the chair after being nominated by Mary Brazie, who is the only other remaining member of the Select Board.
“George passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on Friday, April 5, leaving our community in shock and mourning,” Chair Fenn-Vermeulen said at the beginning of the meeting. “George was known not only for his unwavering commitment to our town, our town’s development, and genuine concern for its residents, but also for his wit in meetings and elsewhere. He infused even complex discussions with laughter, reminding us of the joy in public service. His contributions were marked by vision, dedication, and a keen sense of duty helped to shape our community’s future. Under his guidance, Egremont navigated many complex issues benefiting from his wisdom, foresight, and compassionate leadership. The loss of George is deeply felt by all who have the privilege of knowing him and working alongside him. He was not just our chairman, he was also our mentor, friend, and a pillar of the Egremont community.”
Fenn-Vermeulen said that a memorial service for McGurn would be held at some point in the spring, but has not yet been scheduled.
After some discussion, the board scheduled a special election for Tuesday, June 18 to fill McGurn’s seat. McGurn, who was first elected in May 2017, was last re-elected in May 2023.
During the meeting, Select Board member Mary Brazie, who is also a town employee as its chief procurement officer, made a motion to invoke the state’s Rule of Necessity for the town’s payroll to be signed by the Select Board promptly. “As a town employee, I have been unable to sign the payroll because I have had a conflict [of interest] under state statute,” Brazie said. “Under the Rule of Necessity, the payroll will be able to be signed in a timely manner.”
Both Brazie and Fenn-Vermeulen voted to approve the motion. “There’s one other element of concern to me,” Chair Fenn-Vermeulen said. “If there was to be a tie on the Select Board, there would be a stalemate. Both Mary and I would like to agree that, if there are any controversial votes that we may not agree with between now and the election in June, we will try, if at all possible, to push [the votes] until after that date.”
She added, “Mary and I have worked very well together in spite of disagreements.”
Correction: While the board originally set the special election for June 19, towards the end of the meeting it was noted that the date was a legal holiday. The board decided to change the date to Tuesday, June 18.
