ANNE Watson
Company: City of Montpelier
Title: Mayor
Age: 37
Tell us something fun about yourself that few people know: I co-authored a patent while I was an intern at IBM.
What three words best describe you: Bold. Passionate. Easy-going.
What song on your playlist are you ashamed to tell your best friend: I will always love any song by Enya.
Favorite Vermont Escape: I like to swim in the Dog River by the Dog River Fields in Montpelier.
Favorite Downtime Activity: Ultimate frisbee is pretty great.
Favorite Super Hero: Angela Merkel.
Person you would like to share a Vermont beverage with: I’ve never met Jody Williams, the Vermonter who won a Nobel Peace Prize, but I admire her.
What is the best career advice you have received: Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.
What else would you like to accomplish in the next 5-10 years: Ever since I started as a city councilor six years ago, Montpelier has had a goal of reaching net zero energy for both its municipal operations and the community in general. In service of that goal, in the next few years I hope to do a few things: start a comprehensive, aggregate energy tracking system for the city, hire a sustainability coordinator for the City of Montpelier, transition our vehicle fleet to biodiesel and electricity where appropriate, create energy efficiency-related ordinances for rental properties, and lots more.
What motivated you to live and work in Vermont: I grew up in Vermont, graduated from Essex High School, and then went to college out of state. While I was away at school, I got tired of explaining to people why recycling was a good idea.
Career Highlights: This past March I was elected Mayor of Montpelier - definitely a career highlight. Since then I was delighted to be a part of the groundbreaking for a multi-modal transit center in downtown Montpelier, and I was so excited that Montpelier received a TIF district from the state. Prior to that, as a city councilor in Montpelier, I co-wrote the RFP that landed the city 1 MW of net-metered solar power. In my day job, though, I teach physics, engineering, and math at Montpelier High School. I’ve received a Rowland Fellowship, a Knowles Teaching Initiative Fellowship, and I’m a National Board-certified Teacher, all of which are also career highlights. One of my favorite moments, though, was getting a grant to purchase and install solar panels on the greenhouse at Montpelier High School.
Community Involvement: I’ve been involved with the sport of ultimate frisbee for a long time. I’ve coached a team at Montpelier High School for about seven years, and we’ve won the State Championships twice. But one of my proudest accomplishments was leading the charge, through the Vermont Youth Ultimate League Board, to gain statewide sanctioning for high school ultimate frisbee through the Vermont Principals’ Association. We were formally accepted by the VPA about a year ago, and this spring will be our first varsity season. This makes Vermont the first state in the country to recognize ultimate as a high school varsity sport.
Because of my involvement with the city council, I serve on quite a few boards including the Montpelier Energy Advisory Committee, Montpelier’s Investment Committee, and Central Vermont Medical Center’s Community Advisory Group. One of the exciting parts of being mayor is that I get to speak at groundbreaking and ribbon cutting events. We seem to be having a lot of those in Montpelier lately! Beyond groundbreaking events, I’ve supported other community improvements including the creation of parklets and the establishment of Confluence Park in downtown Montpelier, as well as extending our bike path.
