Marc Gwinn for Montpelier
Town Meeting Day is March 4th!
Public Posts
Feb 5, 2025
In the coming days I will share a series of posts that tell my story and outline my vision and priorities for the City of Montpelier.
The Gwinns moved to Montpelier three years ago and found our home here on a hill near the confluence of two rivers. We will grow old here, our kids will grow up here, and we hope our kids will want to come back here.
The 2023 floods changed all of us forever. My work with the Rotary Club helped me gain a real connection to our city and the people who live here. Attending weekly Montpelier Alive meetings allowed me to hear the voices of our downtown, whom I now serve as a board member. Being a part of the Montpelier Commission for Recovery & Resilience has taught me so much about vision and partnership.
Recovering from the flood is creating huge opportunities for transformation in our city. How we meet these opportunities will set the course for the next 50 years of Montpelier’s history.
We need a thriving downtown. You and I are the blood that carries life throughout the region. Our downtown is the heart that keeps us moving. As a city, each of our strategies should bring us closer to our shared vision and values.
We need to focus on:
Infrastructure - maintain, repair, and upgrade in a way that supports future growth
Housing - focus on homes within a 15-minute walk that are designed for resilience. This will increase our tax base and sustain our downtown businesses with economic vitality
Partnership - collaborate with community, public, and private partners on mutually-beneficial projects that serve our long-term vision
City Council should articulate a vision for our city, set the tone for our engagement, and hold leadership and partners accountable to our shared vision.
I’m your neighbor, Marc Gwinn. I’m running for City Council in District 2. This is a quick overview of my approach. More details to come. Let’s make this a conversation. I want to learn about you as you learn about me. Thanks for listening.
Feb 9, 2025
How the Gwinns Came to Montpelier
Rachel and I brought our three kids to Montpelier in 2021 for a work opportunity. Her father grew up both here and in Barre, so we have roots here. Instantly it was a great fit for us. A cool downtown, schools nearby, and a three-minute walk to work. Not too big and not too small.
It was the middle of the school year which can be hard on kids, but we found community at Union and at MSMS, a sense of belonging. The kids wasted no time making friends. Rachel became active in elementary and middle school Caregiver Councils and PIE fund-raising, including the Adult Prom planning committee.
Through my work as a financial advisor, I set to learning about the people in town and joined the local Rotary club. It is important to me to be of use to my community, and Rotary offered me a way to make a difference. I delivered food for the Backpack Food program, I played music for the annual Pioneer Picnic, and I sorted coats for the Kitzmiller Coat Drive. Helping to feed 75-90 kids each weekend, entertaining neighbors, and helping provide winter gear for hundreds in Central Vermont is just my speed.
A year and a half later, I found myself serving as president for this small but fantastic club of caring, dedicated Montpelier Rotarians. It’s fulfilling work that addresses food insecurity and warmth in winter, fosters cross-cultural exchange and education opportunities, and develops the next generation of community leadership. http://www.montpelierrotary.com
Between volunteer work, fast friendships, kids sporting events, and playing music in local bands, it became clear to us that this was the place where we belong, the place where we will grow old, and the place we hope our kids will want to come back to in the future.
It is up to us to create that future.
570 days after moving, something would happen that would change all of our lives forever…
Next: How the Flood Changed Me
Feb 11, 2025
How the Flood Changed Me
When the floods happened, I didn’t realize how profoundly my life was about to change. At weekly Montpelier Alive (MA) meetings, I listened to business owners’ struggles to recover. I learned what our downtown businesses provide to our community and how difficult it is to thrive and survive in the face of the pandemic, the loss of state workers’ weekday presence, and the devastation of the flood. Our downtown is crucial to all of us, and we must ensure that it thrives. As a part of the Montpelier Alive Board, I am committed to doing my part.
Like many of us, I went to the public forums at VCFA, MHS, and the Statehouse. So many ideas poured out from all over town: what was wrong, what was right, and what needed to be done. I was encouraged to apply for a seat on the Montpelier Commission for Recovery & Resilience (MCRR), but what could I possibly have to offer? I’m a financial advisor who has only been here for a short time. I’m not a hydrologist or an engineer or an architect or a government official. It turns out that while we do need all of that expertise, we also need simple passion & compassion, energy & optimism, critical thinking & leadership. I am told that that is why I’m there.
Through my work with MA and with MCRR I have come to deeply understand Montpelier’s interdependence between businesses, landlords, residents, non-profits, and state & local governments; between roads, water mains, housing, parking lots, and green spaces; between rivers, riverbanks, basements, bridges, and people. And people. We are the lifeblood and the reason to persist.
Next: Why It’s Important to Be Part of City Council at This Time
Feb 13, 2025
Why It’s Important to Be Part of City Council at This Time
One of the most profound yet simple things that I’ve learned in the year and a half since the flood is this: there is no one coming to save us because there is no one capable of saving us. It won’t be the federal, state, or local government; it won’t be a non-profit organization or a charity; and it won’t be you or me. In order to thrive, we need partnership.
Not one single thing listed above, but ALL of those things working together, rowing in the same direction. That will make us more resilient, more prosperous, and more connected.
Montpelier is at a unique moment in its history where recognizing the opportunities before us and building partnerships to succeed will set our path for the next fifty years.
I want to help lead us forward.
There will be a change in city leadership in the coming year. Perhaps the most important issue before us is HOW we handle this change. The search for a new manager should be done with optimism and hope. Recruiting and onboarding the new person should be presented as what it is: a rare opportunity for someone to have a meaningful positive impact on the future of the Bravest Little State Capital. The attitude with which they enter the role will mean a lot. We must get this right.
A change like that would allow us to revisit staffing and spending in City Hall and most importantly clearly articulate our vision for the future.
There are opportunities all over downtown that will need Council’s guiding hand if they are to be shaped into our vision. The Federal Building, M&M Beverage lot, VCIL, the State parking lots along the river.
All of this is in flux. The opportunity is ours to seize.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Marc Gwinn Announces Candidacy for Montpelier City Council District 2
Montpelier, VT – January 21, 2025
Contact: Marc Gwinn
Phone: 802.771.4556
Email: marcgwinn05602@gmail.com
Website: MarcGwinnForMontpelier.com
Montpelier, VT — Marc Gwinn, a dedicated community leader, financial advisor, and advocate for resilience and positive change, has announced his candidacy for Montpelier City Council, District 2. A husband, father, and musician, Marc brings a wealth of professional expertise and a passion for building a brighter future for Montpelier.
Since moving to Montpelier three years ago, Marc has immersed himself in the community. He currently serves as President of the Montpelier Rotary Club, is a board member of Montpelier Alive, and sits on the Montpelier Commission for Recovery & Resilience. Through these roles, Marc has demonstrated a deep commitment to fostering collaboration and creating opportunities for growth and recovery in the city.
“Montpelier is at a pivotal moment,” Marc said. “Change is coming, and the decisions made by the City Council must be guided by a strategic, long-term vision. It’s critical that we approach this process with intention, optimism, and positivity.”
Reflecting on his professional life he adds, “I work with individuals, families, and businesses to achieve financial success. The results are unique to each of us, but the process is the same. That process begins with envisioning the life that we want and prioritizing goals. Each goal has a place on a timeline and price tag. The rest of it is about making strategic choices that support those goals and maintaining the discipline to follow through. I want to bring that experience to our city.”
Marc’s platform focuses on addressing key issues that are vital to Montpelier’s future, including infrastructure, housing, resilience, economic development, and homelessness. Recognizing the interconnected nature of these challenges, Marc emphasizes the need for a holistic approach, viewing each issue through the lens of the others.
A champion of community preparedness, Marc has spent the past year collaborating with partners to develop the Montpelier Action Plan for Local Emergency (MAPLE). He continues to advance this work by organizing preparedness workshops and laying the groundwork for neighborhood-level organizing initiatives. “Building resilience starts at the local level,” Marc said. “By strengthening our neighbor-to-neighbor connections, we can create a community that is prepared, adaptable, and unified.”
Marc believes that Montpelier’s greatest strength lies in its people. By fostering open dialogue, building consensus, and encouraging participation, he hopes to guide the city through its next chapter with a shared sense of purpose and optimism.
“I am running for City Council because I want to play an active role in shaping Montpelier’s future,” Marc said. “Together, we can ensure that our city thrives as a resilient, inclusive, and vibrant community for generations to come.”
Marc Gwinn invites the community to join him in this journey by sharing ideas, concerns, and aspirations for Montpelier. He looks forward to engaging with residents throughout the campaign to better understand their priorities and work collaboratively toward shared goals.
For more information about Marc Gwinn’s campaign, upcoming events, or how to get involved, please email him at marcgwinn05602@gmail.com or visit www.MarcGwinnForMontpelier.com.
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