From The Caledonian Record 12/2/06
The controversy surrounding Brighton Constable Ted Miller is nothing new, nor are claims that his strict traffic enforcement is merely a ticket revenue operation for the town.
A report from the Vermont Judicial Bureau indicates that Brighton reigns as No. 1 in the Northeast Kingdom for generating revenue from traffic tickets and is No. 10 in the state.
According to the report, Brighton, population 1,200, generated about $71,000 in ticket revenue between July 2005 and June 2006. It is followed by the town of Newport, population, 1,500, which generated about $37,000 and North Troy, population 700, which received about $35,000.
Robert Greemore, director of administrative services at the Vermont Supreme Court, said a town's ticket revenue can't be gauged based on population because such revenue includes tickets issued to out-of-town travelers, which are sometimes more than those issued to local people.
The revenue listed in the report reflects money from tickets issued by all law enforcement entities, added Greemore, though Brighton, for example, generates its revenue through Miller's persistence.
"I don't write tickets to make money," Miller said after considering the figures. "I just do it for public safety reasons."
Miller said Brighton's high ticket revenue comes from the busy intersection in the village of Island Pond, which sees people traveling to and from New Hampshire and Canada. It's a high-traffic area, he said, and during the summer and winter tourist seasons the population swells.
Joel Cope, the town's administrative assistant, said the traffic at that intersection is horrible. Nearly a dozen state officials once studied the area, added some signage to better alert people to the intersection, and converted the 30-inch diameter stop signs to 36, but people still blow through, he said.
"People insinuate that they were given a ticket and they didn't do anything wrong," Cope said. "Yes, they did. That's a dangerous intersection."
Cope said Miller videotapes all of his traffic stops and wins nearly every challenge brought against him.
Cope also said that Miller does not receive any revenue from the tickets he issues, nor does it affect his salary when he is elected. The money goes into the general fund and is at the town's disposal to use, he said.
Businesses Affected?
"We won't be going through Island Pond anymore," is a commonly written phrase throughout dozens of letters to the editor to area newspapers about Miller. Some business owners are tight-lipped about commenting on the issue, others don't seem to mind.
"Ted is going to be Ted, and Ted is doing his job," said Craig Goulet, owner of Brighton Chevrolet. "I think he's doing a great job. What hurts us more is not having snow, not having the deer population that we used to have."
Goulet said about 50 percent of Brighton's homes are owned by out-of-town residents. During the summer months, and also in the snowmobile season, the population increases enormously and Miller has to become a one-man police force. Maybe he could write more warnings, Goulet said, maybe he does frighten a few people away, but, "I think he's doing a great job."
Ted Firestine, owner of Ted's Market, said customers often complain to him about the strict law enforcement in town, especially out-of-towners. He said he thinks the intersection in Island Pond is confusing to people and said perhaps too many traffic tickets are issued for honest mistakes when a warning would be sufficient. However, there are two sides to every story, he added.
"I think we do generate a little too much revenue from traffic tickets," he said. "As a business in this area, we need to generate our revenue from our tourists in a proper manner and make them feel welcome in Island Pond."
"I think what happens," Miller said, "is you get a group of people that don't like me, can't prevail against me in court, and they try to villainize me and try to make up things to make me look like I'm doing something wrong."
Statewide Statistics
Brighton maybe No. 1 in the Kingdom, but throughout the state it's No. 10, overshadowed by South Burlington: population 15,000, revenue $159,000; Woodstock: population 3,200, revenue $154,000; and Bridgewater: population 980, revenue $150,800.
When assessing towns like Bridgewater, it's clear that with revenue topping that of Burlington's $115,000, it's not the local community that contributes to that revenue, it's out-of-state drivers, especially if the town is located on a major highway. Bridgewater, for example, located on the popular Route 4, which runs from Portsmouth, N.H., to East Greenbush, N.Y., sees heavy traffic going both ways and is patrolled by the sheriff's department 10 hours a day, seven days a week.
Town Treasurer Victoria Young said the route experiences heavy seasonal traffic as well, and there is a school along the road, which is why it is monitored so closely. People have been clocked going 70 and 80 mph, she said.
Newport Selectman Steve Barrup said it's a similar situation in Newport where a major road, Route 105, runs right through town. The speed limit drops dramatically from 50 mph to 35, which is the speed everywhere in the town of Newport. The 35 mph ordinance throughout town makes it easier for law enforcement to win cases in court, Barrup added, so Newport's revenue could be slightly higher because of that.
"Any contact you have with the police is really self-inflicted, absent of being a victim," said Lenny Zenonos, chief of police in North Troy. "Most officers are seriously injured or killed while doing traffic stops. It's not like we enjoy doing this."
Zenonos said the ticket revenue statistics are hard to gauge because of the complicated formula the state uses to distribute revenue, depending on what law enforcement agency issues the ticket and whether it was issued under a state statute or town ordinance. He thought the numbers for North Troy sounded too high.