Can political opponents still be good neighbors in Vermont?

13 East Main Street. Photo by Jen Rose Smith.

A sign hangs from the upper level of 13 East Main Street in Richmond: “Joe Biden: He Won’t Make You Drink Bleach.” A rainbow flag flickers from an upstairs window.

Downstairs, the entranceway bristles with signs and flags supporting Donald Trump, law enforcement, and Terry Moultrop, a Republican candidate for State Representative. With election day quickly approaching, these signs are a prominent, village-center example of the country’s sharp political divide.

The commercial space houses the businesses of Kevin Duniho—a physical therapist who works upstairs—and lawyer Harley Brown, who, along with his wife and office manager Wanda Brown, hung out his flags early this fall. Soon, Duniho got calls from friends and patients asking if the flags were his. To head off any confusion, the physical therapist put up his own flags, supporting Biden.

But while the building is Richmond’s most visible sign of political strife, both Duniho and the Browns say their relationship has remained cordial.

“They are perfectly decent and nice people,” says Duniho, who leans left, and would have preferred a more progressive presidential candidate, such as Bernie Sanders. Duniho and the Browns haven’t talked through their political differences, but they still make friendly small talk. “Everybody believes differently, and I respect that,” Wanda Brown said. 

The community’s reactions to the signs, however, reflects just how personal the election is for many in Vermont. “When [patients] called to book their appointment, they just wanted to clarify which signs were mine,” Duniho said. “When I told them which signs were mine they laughed and then said, ‘okay, I can book an appointment with you.’”  

Duniho also thinks his signs have provided some humor at a tense time. (One sign reads: “Other Old White Guy 2020.”) “I’m just trying to keep things light hearted. And I'm not trying to, you know, cause any trouble or anything,” Duniho said. 

The Browns have also gotten some positive feedback about their signs. “I've also had a lot of people come in and encourage what I'm doing because they're so afraid to say anything or put Trump signs out,” Brown said, adding that the couple does not believe their business has been adversely impacted.  

But the Browns’ prominent opinions have generated strong negative reactions, as well. The signs have been vandalized, and the Browns called the Richmond Police Department after a passer-by kicked one sign out of Wanda’s hands.

Another time, a neighbor told the Browns they shouldn’t put up the signs: They don’t reflect how Richmond feels, the neighbor said. That’s frustrating for the Browns, who have deep roots in this community.

“I don’t want to offend anybody but also we have a right to say what we want,” Wanda Brown said. “I’ve lived here all my life, and this is how I feel.”