John McClaughry is an old hand in Vermont political circles. The founder of the conservative think tank The Ethan Allen Institute, he served in both the Vermont House and Senate. He worked in Washington in the 1960’s for the late U.S. Senator Winston Prouty and served as a policy advisor in the Reagan White House in the 1980’s. For 51 years, John McClaughry has also moderated the Town Meeting Day gathering in Kirby, Vermont. He says one of the nation’s founders is an inspiration behind Vermont’s annual tradition, which is wrapping up this evening.