Larry Porter, Northfield's newest Trustee. Mr. Porter brings a wide variety of experiences to his new post and says he feels it is important for people to be active in the Community. Photo by Bill Croney, The Northfield News Northfield’s Board of Trustees has a new member. Larry Porter of Central St. was elected to the Board at the annual Village meeting last week. Mr. Porter, who has been the interim Band Director and Assistant Commandant for the Corps of Cadets Provisional Battalion for the past year, brings a wealth of different experiences to the position.

He spent 15 years in the Army National Guard while teaching music in public schools in Massachusetts and Maine, and then went on active duty status with the National Guard for the next 18 and one half years. He retired in 2003 with the rank of colonel. His final National Guard assignment indirectly led him to Northfield.

While he was the National Guard Liaison to FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) he worked on his doctoral studies at George Washington University in Washington D.C. where he earned his Ph.D. in Engineering Management and he holds certifications in C.E.M. (Certified Emergency Manager) and A.B.C.P.(Associate Business Continuity Professional).

Mr. Porter, and his wife of 41 years Billie. first came to Northfield in 2004 when he was hired to work at The National Center for Counterterrorism & Cyber Crime (now known as the Norwich University Applied Research Institutes). While he was at the Center Mr. Porter was instrumental in getting a FEMA Hazard Mitigation grant for Emergency preparedness planning for Northfield and Norwich University in 2006.

Following his job at the Center Mr. Porter designed and taught courses in emergency management and business continuity in the Norwich School of Graduate Studies.

Given his FEMA experience Mr. Porter looks at Northfield from a little different perspective than most people would. “One of the first things I saw when I looked around Northfield was that you have a fuel company on one side of the tracks and the village center on the other side of the tracks and an un-gated crossing in between. Then I noticed the Dog River running through town and thought about flood possibilities. It has happened before,” Mr. Porter said. Such are the visions and thoughts of a man trained by FEMA rather than those of the average person.

When asked why he wanted to serve on the Village Trustees Mr. Porter didn’t hesitate when he replied: “ I care about local politics. I care about what’s going on in the community. I’m not coming in with an agenda. I think I will bring a fresh set of eyes and a fresh outlook. I know I’m a “flatlander” but I think it’s important for people to be active participants in the community,” he said.

While Mr. Porter doesn’t bring an agenda to his new post there are some things that he would like to see happen. “ I like that Northfield is a small and close knit community. I would like to see us develop a Chamber of Commerce. We could still keep the character of the town but improve the tax base and the overall community. I’m happy about the Village Center designation. I appreciate history and heritage,” Mr. Porter said.

Mr. Porter also serves on the Board of Directors of the Northfield Country Club and is a volunteer with the Vermont School Crisis Planning Team, an organization that fosters emergency preparedness in Vermont schools.

If a wide variety of experience and an appreciation of the community count in a public servant then it would seem that the Village voters chose wisely last week in selecting their newest Trustee.