Henry Bonges with Pearl, one of his Boston terriers, at home in Milton on Friday, July 18, 2025. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerFor forty-some years, Henry Bonges worked amicably for the town of Milton on its recreation, planning and environmental committees. Then in April, he wrote an email to his state representatives, urging them not to vote on climate policies like “R automatons” — the R short for Republican. The fallout was swift.
Earlier this month, the Milton Selectboard, upon which those same state representatives Bonges emailed also happen to sit, declined to reappoint Bonges to two of three town positions, with the third pending until the board finds a replacement.
“I was critiquing my representative in a personal email to them,” Bonges said at a public hearing in early June. “This is not a question of whether I am able to support Milton, but whether I pass an ideological purity test.”
The spat brings national climate politics to the local stage, and surfaces growing concerns over potential conflicts when representatives hold two offices at once.
In February, the prevalence of dual-role leadership positions in Milton and other municipalities drew media attention for the long hours, scant compensation and “often thankless work” that has limited the pool of qualified candidates. Last month, the chair of Milton’s Democratic committee voiced concern over such double-duty positions after another Republican representative became town manager.
The letter
Bonges’s environmental work began at the University of Vermont and Harvard University in the 1970s where he studied sustainability. He got involved in municipal government soon after that, and has over the past four decades represented Milton on the Chittenden Solid Waste Commission, the region’s recycling center board, and on Green Mountain Transit, the state’s transportation board. He has also served on the town and regional planning commissions.
Climate change “is the most important issue of our time,” Bonges said.
In April, Bonges sent an email to all who represent Milton in the Statehouse. He said he felt compelled to write them after seeing an executive order from President Donald Trump that directed the U.S. attorney general to block enforcement of state and local laws that may be obstacles to fossil fuel roll-out.
The subject line of the email was “Please support Global Warming Solutions Act (Act 153) and Climate Superfund.” In the email, Bonges wrote that he would not get into the details of climate science but would instead focus on “why certain people are resistant to the reality of climate change.”
He offered scattered arguments from books and moments throughout history.
Bonges ended the email with: “I am asking the Milton reps to not be R automatons, voting with the party to accelerate climate change instead of reducing climate change and preparing for it (resiliency). Vote so you can look your children and grandchildren in the eye when stuff starts hitting the fan big time, that you did what you could to address the issue which will ruin their lives.”
The email went to all who represent Milton in the statehouse as Republicans — including the three who sit on Milton’s Selectboard: Reps. Brenda Steady; Leland Morgan; and Michael Morgan. He also included Town Manager Rep. Chris Taylor.
The meeting
The blowback arrived about a month later at a May 19 Milton Selectboard meeting, when Bonges’s position on the Chittenden Solid Waste Commission was up for reappointment. Chris Taylor introduced the agenda item and Leland Morgan took the mic.
“You’ve made it very public that you hold at least four of the five of us in high disdain,” he said, referring to Bonges. “And it makes me wonder whether you could do a good job for us with the feelings that you have toward us.”
Bonges replied that he tried to separate politics from his work on the recycling board and went on for about two minutes about his willingness to give a community talk about climate change and misinformation.
“I thought this was going to be easy,” said Darren Adams, the selectboard chair, in response to Bonges’s objections. He then asked Bonges if he would represent the board’s interests even if he personally disagreed with them on a matter.
Bonges said he would put the board’s interests above his own.
Leland Morgan then asked Bonges to withdraw his reappointment application to the recycling board to give the board time to also consider other applicants before taking a vote. Bonges agreed.
Leland Morgan did not respond to repeated requests for comment. Steady also declined an interview, saying “one little word will get people stirred up, and I care too much for Milton.”
The fallout
At the town’s next public hearing on June 2, Bonges read a written statement that questioned whether Milton Selectboard members should be allowed to also hold state representative roles.
“I was critiquing my representative in a personal email to them, not trying to publicly shame them,” Bonges said.
Bonges described the Selectboard members’ comments and the decision not to reappoint him as a “choreographed effort” to oust him. He called them part of the “Republican cabal.”
“This is not a question of whether I am able to support Milton, but whether I pass an ideological purity test, reflective of 1933 Germany or 2025 Washington,” Bonges said.
He said he felt targeted because of his political opinions. He called into question whether or not representatives should be able to serve as Selectboard members if they can’t separate their jobs in each role.
At the end of his statement, Adams thanked him, then Bonges stood and left the mic.
Adams said his real concern is that Bonges wouldn’t represent the Selectboard’s interests.
When someone represents the town, “they’re certainly free to give us their opinion and express that opinion, but then we expect them to carry out whatever the Selectboard’s decision is, and it seems like he was a little at conflict with himself on that,” Adams said.
For that reason, the Selectboard should review other applications for the recycling center position, he said. Though Adams said he is unsure if anyone else has applied yet.
Bonges said the scuffle is politically motivated. “I think the Republican attitude has been tainted by the national politics,” Bonges said.
Adams claims it’s only about the job. “I’ve always liked Henry. He’s obviously dedicated to the community and he should be thanked for that,” Adams said.
At a Milton Selectboard meeting on July 7, board members did not reappoint Bonges to any of the three positions he applied for. But Bonges will continue acting on the Chittenden Solid Waste District’s board until that position is filled.
Bonges said he’s willing to put differences aside and hopes he will be reappointed to the positions. “I’m not gonna go off and pout,” he said.
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