Barre elects Herring as mayor, approves local options tax

Lucas Herring and supporters hold signs outside the polls in Barre on Tuesday morning. Photo for VTDigger by Tristan von Duntz
The Thom Lauzon era is officially over in Barre. The longtime mayor resigned this week ahead of Town Meeting Day, clearing the way for Lucas Herring to be sworn in as soon as he was elected on Tuesday night.
Herring, a city councilor and IT director for the Vermont Department of Corrections, defeated his only opponent in the mayoral race, fellow councilor Sue Higby, by a