Award winners
Light show
School district staff honored for excellence
Menorah, Christmas tree lightings on tap
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Volume 52 Number 47
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PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT #217 CONCORD, NH ECRWSSEDDM
shelburnenews.com
November 22, 2023
Muni budget takes shape in Shelburne
Quintessential Shelburne
‘Urban services,’ bonds drive talks LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER
Town manager Matt Lawless kicked off Shelburne’s first budget discussion by telling the selectboard the town is dealing with issues more commonly seen in urban, not rural, places. As he outlined the prevailing themes in Shelburne — bond votes and shifting operations in some town departments — he said the big story of the budget is how some services are beginning to resemble what he called “urban services.” The three areas expected to see the biggest jumps are the police
department, with an increase of $338,000, Shelburne Rescue ($365,000) and the library, projected to go up $110,000 in this preliminary outline of the 2024 budget. Lawless pointed to the rescue squad and bike and pedestrian infrastructure to explain what he meant by urban services. The rescue department, he said, is evolving from a primarily volunteer service to one staffed by more paid staff. Rural localities also generally don’t invest in bike and pedestrian infrastrucSee BUDGET on page 11
Leahy Law not used effectively in Israel AARON CALVIN STAFF WRITER
PHOTO BY LEE KROHN
The old tractor and split-rail fence at Shelburne Farms creates a perfect fall tableau.
During the opening stages of the current Israel-Gaza conflict, Josh Paul, an employee at the U.S. Department of State who helped oversee transfers of weapons and military aid to the country’s allies, resigned, calling the transfer of weapons to Israel “shortsighted, destructive and unjust.” In an interview with PBS, Paul alleged that the Biden administration has been arming its Israeli ally in a perfunctory manner, leading to “massive civilian casualties” among Palestinians. “There’s been a rush to provide arms, where, normally, there is discussion, consideration and thought,” Paul said.
According to Paul, the codified process through which the state department determines whether to supply arms and military aid and can withhold military aid from certain military units if they are credibly accused of violating human rights — the so-called Leahy law, named after the legislator who championed the amendment to the Foreign Assistance Act — has not been adequately applied to Israel. The Leahy law ostensibly allows the United States the ability to use the military funding it provides as leverage to ensure adherence to human rights law, but according to Paul and the law’s See LEAHY on page 12