Hello, friends and neighbors! My name is Elizabeth Gaucher (go-SHAY) and I am on the May 5 ballot for an open seat on the Hamilton Town Council. I was encouraged to run by current council members whom I also consider friends.

I moved to Hamilton from Vermont almost 3 years ago. My spouse works for the Town of Middleburg, and my child attended Hamilton Elementary School for 4th and 5th grades and is now thriving at Blue Ridge Middle School.

I had an early attraction to public service. My first job out of college was just up the road on Capitol Hill, and I also served later in the Governor’s Office in West Virginia. While I have worked for private business,

I am consistently attracted to work with a mission to make communities better.

What does “better” mean? That’s clearly subjective, but to me it means linking local day-to-day wants and needs to a long-term vision. It means listening, and asking questions, and listening some more. It means recognizing established expertise in some areas and working to make sure that knowledge is communicated to the local level, as well as making sure that local responses are in a communication loop with every town concern.

Hamilton is a great place. I feel like I fell over backwards into the good fortune of finding a home here. I also know we face the same pressures of small towns around Virginia. We want to evolve but we don’t want to change, not too much. We want to take care of ourselves and at the same time we want to reach out and be part of a really exciting community, Western Loudoun at-large. We want water quality, but we want to keep our costs down. We want to connect but we want to be distinct.

It’s a challenging dance. I think I can do it with you. As we all know, you can’t dance if you can’t communicate with your partner. Town Council exists to set policy and make decisions on your behalf and for the wellbeing of the community, but decisions need to be informed by your voice. Council should actively seek your input, and your job is to make sure you give it.

I’d like to be your representative on Town Council. I believe I have the heart and the mind and the convictions to represent you well. I hope you will agree. If you’d like to peruse my background, here is my LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabethdamewoodgaucher/