Joe Flynn (Selectboard)
Joe Flynn: Stepping up to fill the vacant Selectboard position
When Wayne Howe stepped down from his position on the Jericho Selectboard, several people volunteered to fill his shoes on an interim basis before Town Meeting Day. The candidate the board chose – Joe Flynn – is no stranger to municipal government, having spent the last eleven years as a member of the Development Review Board. For Flynn, volunteering to serve was an easy decision. His mother had been a role model, working as the postmaster in his childhood town of Burke, New York, and writing that town’s history so he was motivated to carry on her tradition of municipal service. Additionally, Flynn felt this was a way to learn more about the decision-making process in his adopted town. After one meeting, Flynn has already decided the Selectboard is a good fit for him. “The other board members are knowledgeable and patient,” he said, “and the staff is phenomenal in what they do.” For Flynn, the three-hour budget meeting was enlightening. “I pay taxes,” he said, “so I want to know what’s going on.”
When Flynn was in high school, he attended a Future Farmers of America conference. A professor from Paul Smith’s College had a booth there and he convinced Flynn to spend a day shadowing a surveyor so he could learn more about that profession. Flynn was hooked and got his degree in land surveying from Paul Smith’s. He loves that his profession includes both inside and outside work and requires a variety of disciplines ranging from history to mathematics. He has spent the last seven years working for O’Leary and Burke.
Flynn’s volunteer work also extends to his professional field. For the last 12 years he has been on the Vermont Board of Land Surveyors, a body whose members are appointed by the governor. His term will end in 2024. He also served on the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying as chair of the committee overseeing the development and scoring of exams.
Back when Flynn was going for his licensure, he needed a project and volunteered to help Jericho catalogue existing roads and plot them out. Several years later, when Jericho began the process of mapping out their so-called ancient roads, he already had that information. He has helped other towns including Westford and Plainfield with similar road projects. Flynn enjoys surveying so much that he occasionally does volunteer work on the weekends. He recently helped Bob Krebs, who he considers a mentor, find a 1930 geodetic marker in Grand Isle. 
Flynn played baseball, basketball, and soccer in high school and was the captain of the soccer team at Paul Smith’s. He coached soccer for 25 years and ice hockey for 12, crediting Phil Jacobs of Underhill for teaching him a lot about people in the process.
A self-described farm boy, Flynn grew up hunting, fishing, and camping. He has fond memories of getting his hunting and fishing licenses at Mel Mitchell’s Jericho Country Store but although he loves traditions, he is not upset at the way Jericho has changed and appreciates Jericho Ale and Bean which occupies Mel’s former storefront. “It fits,” he said, “because we have a younger, more urban population.”
Flynn married his high school sweetheart and moved to Jericho in 1991, purchasing Selah Babcock’s house which was built in 1835. After growing up in an area with limited services, he enjoys being close to various options in town and doesn’t object to some of the newer business establishments, noting that he can walk across the street in his Crocs to get a gallon of milk. That said, Flynn also enjoys the fact that Jericho is on the outskirts of Chittenden County. “I think we still have our rural character,” he said. Flynn believes his background in civil engineering will be helpful on the Selectboard. “I like to see a balance on maintaining and improving our infrastructure, roads, waterlines, and maybe municipal septic,” he said. Equally important is his enjoyment of learning new things and meeting new people. “Most of the people I’ve been surrounded with have been very good at what they do,” he said. “That’s one of the reasons I want to give back to my town.
