Rotary Club Meeting Recap
October 8, 2025
SUMMARY
The meeting began with a Pledge of Allegiance and introductions. Steven Brown, Windham County State's Attorney, discussed the office's backlog of 1,615 pending cases as of August, noting Windham County has the worst backlog in Vermont. He highlighted the office's responsibilities, including prosecuting crimes, handling family division cases, and reviewing search warrants. The office is expanding with new attorneys and victim advocates. The club also discussed upcoming events, including a bingo concession on October 18 and a window dressers project on October 23-29. Various members shared personal and professional achievements, including a successful disc golf tournament and community service efforts.
Action Items -
- [ ] Londa asked for someone to fill in for her as scribe at next week’s 10/15 meeting. She paid a $5 fine and Evelyn volunteered to substitute.
- [ ] Mona will email the sign-up for the October 18th Newbrook Bingo Concessions via the Rotary email list. Diane McCormick & Roger volunteered to work at Bingo.
- [ ] Nick will check in with Vito on when he will be available to present the window inserts donation.
- John Blake mentioned that Window Dressers is seeking volunteers for its Windham County Community Build days 10/23-10/29.
- [ ] Mona is getting renovations done and no longer needs her Window Dresser inserts so she would like to donate them to someone in the club. She will send an email with the measurements of the window inserts.
NOTES
7:00–7:15 AM – Arrival
7:15 AM – Meeting Called to Order
- Pledge of Allegiance
- Welcome Steve Brown, Windham County States Attorney, will be our speaker today (Sandy’s speaker).
- Thank this week’s servers: MJ and Londa
- Next week’s server: Diane McC & Roger
- Thank you to this week’s scribe: Melissa substituting for Nick
- Next week’s scribe: 10/15 Evelyn
- Next week speaker: 10/15 No Speaker Club Assembly;
- 10/22 Diane Shamus, Guardian Ad Litem;
- 10/29 Alyssa Sanders, Adam Solar’s host mother
- Thank you to this week’s greeters: Josh & Will
- Thank you to Justin our Sargent at Arms
Announcements:
- Nick announced that in honor of International Polio Month, the club will collect $15 from all members who attend the 10/22 meeting and donate it the money to Rotary International to support polio eradication. Diane McC and Roger generously offered to bring in bagels.
- Nick announced that Roger Cardinal was approved by board vote to be our President-Elect. He then presented Diane McC and Roger with their new Brattleboro Sunrise Name Tags.
- Josh shared a detailed recap of the disc golf tournament, including the success of the event and the participation of club members. John Meyer (Noontime) played on Sunrise’s team (Dan, Josh, Londa).
- The PDGA C tier tournament increased its participation from 10 to 30 teams this year.
Volunteer Opportunities and Bingo Concession
- Mona – Newbrook Bingo Concession Sat 10/18 – Signup sent out Fri 9/26 and will be sent again. More volunteers needed to provide home-baked goods and items for gift baskets. She emphasized the importance of home-baked goods and the potential to raise over $400 in four hours.
- Sandy – Trivia Night Mon 10/20 Brattleboro Literary Festival; Will agreed to volunteer as a score keeper.
- John B. – Window Dressers 10/23-10/29, the volunteer signup link has been sent out and will be sent once more.
Service Above Self and Brags
- Nick provided an update on Debra’s surgery and shared a Service Above Self story about Melissa's dedication to helping Debra recover from surgery.
- Mona bragged about the community support for her roof project, including volunteers and donations.
- Josh bragged about the success of the disc golf tournament and the support from club members.
- MJ bragged for Dan who was behind the Penfield Cocktail at the 10th Anniversary Cocktail reception for sponsors and volunteers.
- Diane McC bragged for Debra and the great job she is doing as president; Josh and Melissa co-sponsoring a tee at the District Ball Golf Tournament; March ’26 she’ll be a grandmother.
- Nick bragged about playing on the Bellows Falls team at the RI district golf tournament, they placed 2nd; his son just enrolled in the Olympic Development Program and Caroline is perfecting her dance routine.
- Will bragged about Marlboro’s amazing volunteer fire company putting out a few wildfires due to dry conditions
- Kevin bragged about his unusual success this year in his Fantasy Football League. Meanwhile, Sandy and Sandy’s son are uncharacteristically near the bottom.
Steven Brown's Presentation on Windham County State's Attorney Office
- Steve Brown introduced himself and provided an overview of his role and the challenges faced by the Windham County State's Attorney office.
- He discussed the backlog of cases, with 1615 pending cases as of August. Windham County has the worst backlog in Vermont.
- He highlighted the history of the State's Attorney office, including notable past attorneys and the evolution of the role.
- He outlined the responsibilities of the office, including prosecuting various crimes, handling family division cases, reviewing search warrants, and providing 24/7 on-call service for police officers.
Challenges and Solutions in the Judicial System
- He explained the challenges of the judicial system, including the backlog of cases and the difficulty of securing juries.
- He discussed the criteria for setting bail and the limitations of bail as a risk mitigation tool.
- He highlighted the need for more resources and support for the State's Attorney office, including additional attorneys and victim advocates.
- He emphasized the importance of following the law and ensuring fair treatment for all cases.
Q&A and Closing Remarks
- Steve Brown estimates that 15-20% are motor vehicle cases, 30-40% are drug cases, and a significant portion involve domestic violence.
- Steve explained that only a small percentage of cases are tried, with most resolved through plea agreements.
- Steve discussed the challenges of the judicial system, including the stagnation of the judiciary and the difficulty of securing juries.
- Bowl of Life – Diane McC guessed correctly that Josh was the one who helped to start his high school’s mountain rescue team after Josh and his friends went day drinking and hiking up a mountain. One of the boys in the group drank so much that he was unable to walk down without assistance.
- Steve Brown drew his own card in the 50/50. He gave his portion ($11) back to the club.
- Nick concluded the meeting with a few last-minute announcements and a call for volunteers for upcoming events.