WATERFORD Select Board Considers Reposting DEI Statement on Municipal Website

WATERFORD — The Select Board plans to decide whether to repost a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) statement on the town’s municipal website after it was removed last month. Town Treasurer Heather Gonyaw took down the Declaration of Inclusion following executive orders from the Trump Administration that could block federal funding for DEI programs. During a meeting on Monday, Selectwoman Sue Hayes asked for the statement to be restored. She pointed out that the executive orders are being challenged by a coalition of 16 state attorneys general, including Vermont. Hayes also emphasized that the Declaration of Inclusion was not “illegal” under the executive orders because it did not affect hiring or contracting decisions. She also noted that the Select Board, which adopted the statement in July 2024, has sole authority to determine whether to remove it.