With almost 500 votes to Jane Patton’s 377, Shana Dixon – chair of Williamstown’s Diversity, Inclusion and Racial Equity or DIRE Committee – will be the fifth member of the town’s select board.
“Affordable housing is an ongoing issue, and that's a topic everywhere in the country, especially in Williamstown," said Dixon. "People are being pushed out constantly because not being able to afford housing there. And so, I do want to help create more affordable housing by ways of building more townhouses on density zoned areas.”
She tells WAMC that on the campaign trail, she heard a sense of alienation from governance among Williamstown’s roughly 7,400 inhabitants.
“A lot of people just felt unwelcome," Dixon explained. "They felt unwelcome, they felt like their input was not well respected, and so a lot of them felt like they were being bullied away from contributing to the voice of the community. That was one of the major things as to why people would vote for me is because, if you watch any of the DIRE committee meetings, you would see that I'm outspoken and I'm honest and I don't take anybody's opinion or perspective or experience lightly.”
In a county that’s over 90% white, Dixon’s ascension to the Williamstown select board marks a rare electoral moment for Black women in the Berkshires.
“It was really empowering, because the reason why I got to where I am and being elected on the select board is from powerful women who have a voice and want change," she told WAMC. "And not just women, but people in the community who see that I can make a difference, whether in a year, or more if I were to run again.”
Dixon says she offers Williamstown new and different perspectives.
“Not only as a Black woman, but as a single Black mom, as a small business owner, and as somebody who cares about people genuinely," she said. "I wouldn't say it's so much about color, but I would say that I was empowered, and I'm grateful for all of the support that I received from the people who do not have the same skin color as me, because it did not matter to them.”
Dixon owns and operates an Airbnb management company.
“Most of my properties are in Southern Vermont, near the Mount Snow area," she explained. "I have a few scattered throughout the Northern Berkshire area. So, what I do is I do turnover between guests, whether it's me or my employees. I also do guest contact and maintenance and management of properties for second and third homeowners in the Southern Vermont area.”
The freshly minted select board member says her work won’t interfere with her ability to vote on issues around short-term rentals in town given that most of her units are in comparatively touristy locales out of state.
“My opinion of having short term rentals in Williamstown is drastically different because I live here and Williamstown wasn't built around attraction, and so I do believe that it should be regulated to also help people get affordable housing,” said Dixon.
For Patton, the results mean the end of an era after a dozen years on the select board.
She says the issues Williamstown faces haven’t changed.
“A lack of housing that's affordable, a lack of higher paying jobs or career opportunities, and our lack of tax income growth, especially as it relates to rising expenses and inflation and everything else," said the erstwhile select board member. "So, we have got to unlock that particular mystery and find a way to raise our tax revenue base significantly, because the cost of running the town is going up so quickly and so significantly.”
Patton is looking forward to a change of pace after over a decade of public service.
“I'm a big golfer, and there's a Monday night golf league that I've never played in because of select board," she told WAMC. "And that's probably the first thing I may do differently, is go ahead and be in this Monday night league and meet with people in the community and play golf.”
With the town election dispensed with, Williamstown holds its annual town meeting on May 22nd.
