Meet the 2021 selectboard candidates: Michael Morgan
Michael Morgan. Photo courtesy of the Milton Independent.
A life-long Milton resident, Michael Morgan wants to give back to the community that he was brought up in, he said.
Morgan served in the U.S. military from 1979 to 2017. He served as a member of the Milton selectboard from 1989 to 1998, and again from 2018 to today. He is also a Milton Town Moderator, a member of the Board of Civil Authority and a Justice of the Peace.
Running vying with Morgan for the three-year seat on the selectboard is current member John Fitzgerald.
Why are you running for the Milton selectboard?
“Milton is my hometown,” he said. “I have served this town for 11 total years on the selectboard at two different times. I retired from the military in 2017 after 38 years of service to the nation, our state and our town. Service is what I know.”
Morgan said he has a vested interest in seeing Milton remain a vibrant and growing community, and believes it to be one of the fastest growing towns in Vermont.
“I want to see us continue on that path in a responsible manner,” he said. We have lots of interesting and mindful projects underway and in various stages of development and construction in Milton. I want to continue guiding the town that has given so much to me in my 59 years. This needs to be very thoughtfully done as we navigate the waters of a post-pandemic world.”
What past experience makes you the right fit for the job?
“I have served for 11 years total on the board,” he said. “ I know how to run a municipal government.”
Morgan cited the vast experience he gained from being a leader in the military, an extremely high stress and fast paced environment, he said.
In addition, Morgan was elected last fall to the Vermont Legislature.
“This unique position allows me to have the pulse of what is going on in Montpelier and I can leverage that knowledge to our town's advantage,” he said.
What projects or issues do you hope the board will take on this year?
“I feel that Milton needs to be highly focused on working with our business partners to attract quality businesses that bring quality jobs and help stabilize our town's tax base,” he said. “We have had reasonable success with this and need to continue doing this in order to keep our town vibrant.”
Morgan said the addition of Charlebois and Boves to the town’s economy was an excellent state. He believes Milton has both the land space and the infrastructure that is needed to support more business ventures.
“I'm also a big proponent of keeping our infrastructure in Milton in good working order for our citizens, so a large focus for me is our roads,” he said. “We have some catch-up to do to keep them in serviceable condition. We have also been deliberate and thoughtful where we've added sidewalks in our town core to keep pedestrians in a safe place to get around town.”
