Blog

Two weeks left until election day! You can still vote by mail, drop off your ballot in the drop-box at the town offices, or come join me at the polls on November 8th at the American Legion.

Two weeks left until election day! You can still vote by mail, drop off your ballot in the drop-box at the town offices, or come join me at the polls on November 8th at the American Legion.

If you have any time to give in the next week there are campaigns all over the state looking for your help. Phone banking, knocking on doors, writing postcards— tell me what works for you and I’ll find you a spot.

On Thursday at Epsilon Spires, at 6pm with Rights and Democracy to talk about Tenant Protections: https://fb.me/e/2xZNMBtRm

If you want to come talk about an economy that works for everyone and a people’s budget, join me at the Public Assets event this Friday at the River Garden. Learn more and RSVP here. https://mailchi.mp/publicassets.org/pass-the-torch?e=4d875e3aa5

On first Friday I’ll be at Gallery Walk with the Windham County Dems, please stop by our Main St office to learn about ways to volunteer and elect Democrats up and down the ballot. https://www.vtdemocrats.org/volunteer

And that same night, Friday November 7th, join me and Mike Pieciak to spend time with David Zuckerman, Candidate for VT Lt. Governor at Peter Havens from 5:30 - 7:30 pm for conversation and light fare. The event is also cohosted by: Senate Candidate Wendy Harrison, James Valente, and Joe & Carolyn Pieciak. If you can't attend, or want to support the event in advance, please make a contribution at: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/zuckermanforvtlg

And finally: On Election Night I’ll be at The Stone Church co-hosting a party with Senate Candidate Nader Hashim and all of the other Windham County Democrats. We’ll be there from 7-11pm with live music, pizza, a cash bar and live results rolling in. Come join us! Here’s a facebook link https://fb.me/e/21YNhSjEj if you want to invite friends or stay updated on plans.

I’m so excited to dive back into policy with all of you in November! In the meantime here are some previews to wet your appetite!

Last week on the Montpelier Happy Hour Olga interviewed ME. It was a funny little flip from our usual show and I went deep into my theory of change, why I love this work, and why you should re elect me! Give a listen https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001M7dc8ERu5jrjIB6WEo0HyS0CJVaBIks6RKv68uG0EWD-ICTSjscU3VkSmOaMPM4b3YkaCmxL4p7yjwu7472Pk8VwDLSnfblr8lPvb8FtWzxcswlauWwzlDccl73YvYrXqBwHOfcgUF2FwoxzMAOpUhbf2-JVfXjpHQytQioX8LO6EDye0Eug==&c=25xs6zKRcI2xDpHovQHrzyVMoDWmWpWTgPG7C4q54ZBe1qAPEPg==&ch=id5zSDL38H8bV7DvBBqUFzP4SrzPFZExWtJDB8z77qJuLXnplFdAA==?

And the Brattleboro Reformer asked the candidates to answer a few questions. In case you missed it in the paper, my answers follow below:

All Vermonters deserve equitable access to education, housing, and economic security. But roughly ⅓ of Vermonters don’t have any savings for a rainy day, 65% don’t have family medical leave in the midst of a pandemic, and almost ½ of Vermonters have difficulty in paying household expenses.

I ran for the Vermont House to bring the voices and values of our community to the statehouse. I ran to help create a Vermont that works for everyone. I’m running for re-election because our work is far from complete.

Overdose, Substance Use, and Our Criminal Justice System Many of us are desperate right now. We’ve seen friends and family die from overdoses. We’ve seen the impact on our streets and on our justice system. We need comprehensive treatment options, harm reduction strategies to keep folks from dying, and to separate crime from addiction and mental illness.

In the last biennium I led on legislation to address our overdose epidemic, most of which passed the house and was vetoed by the governor. I will continue to fight for our neighbors by:

• Restructuring our care system so everyone can access treatment and support.
• Implementing harm reduction practices such as decriminalization of low level possession, peer needle exchange, safe use sites, and expanded distribution of narcan.
• Expand our evidence-based peer support programs.
• Ensure our community based mental health agencies and diversion programs are supported and accountable.

Housing Before the pandemic, our corner of Vermont experienced very low rental vacancy rates and high housing costs, with too many of our neighbors living without a home. This crisis, building for 30 years and exacerbated by the pandemic, now impacts every corner of our economy. There is no quick fix, but a combination of funding, financing, and regulatory changes can put us on on a sustainable path: - Through reforms to the administration of Act 250 and other planning rules, we can ease restrictions in downtown and village centers. - We can invest in building new affordable and cooperative housing and rehab existing housing, through the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board and our network of state housing trusts. We have hundreds of units in the pipeline, and we can create even more. - We can support first-time, first-generation, and middle-income home buyers with accessible loans through VHFA.. - We can strengthen the infrastructure at our cooperative mobile home parks, such as Mountain Home, so these communities can remain vibrant. - Vermont has the largest proportion of vacation homes in the country. Some are subsidized by short-term rentals, some sit mostly vacant. We must incentivize primary housing and ensure everyone pays their fair share.

Our workforce shortage is not a simple mismatch between the number of people available and employers seeking workers. Many Vermonters can’t work because they are caring for children or loved ones. Wages don’t match expenses, and additional training can cost more than families will earn.

Faced with these profound economic shifts, Vermonters need ready access to education and training. We also need higher wages and the social infrastructure to support those wages. Programs such as universal family medical leave and affordable, accessible childcare make our work lives more stable and make it possible for our lives to work. When we have real financial stability, we can thrive.