To the Editor:
Joe Benning’s common sense, community service, knowledge of history, frugality and eloquence are all fine reasons to support his candidacy for the Vermont Senate. Another one is his approach to solving problems.
A good illustration is the way he led a drive to clean up a five-mile stretch of the Passumpsic River when he was president of the Lyndonville Rotary Club. Rather than wait around for federal or state grants, he mobilized the club members and the freshman class at Lyndon State College and they got to work.
They took inventory, then spent four years removing junk cars and other big stuff with a crane and backhoes. After removing 34 tons of car parts, they concentrated on what was left – some 400 tires and about 3,000 pounds of general trash. He and others who worked on the project showed what perseverance and a willingness to work can accomplish.
Since then, other Rotary Clubs, including St. Johnsbury’s, have applied the same methods to other stretches of river.
Joe Benning would be a great addition to the Vermont Senate.
Mary Beausoleil
Lyndonville