Candidate for Vermont House of Representatives - District Washington-5 in 2020 Vermont General Election.
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Get StartedHigher education is a top reason that people move to Vermont and therefore a significant part of growing Vermont’s economy and expanding our tax base. After spending their college savings here, these individuals create a pool of talent for employers. Many also start businesses of their own. This is how some of our well-known companies began as well as more recent start-ups, not to mention an array of non-profit organizations working on social, ecological and economic fronts. . Learn more
Like many Vermonters, I support the rationale behind Act 46: providing substantial equity in the quality and variety of educational opportunities statewide, leading students to achieve or exceed state standards, maximizing operational efficiencies, promoting transparency and accountability, and delivering education at a cost that taxpayers value. There are communities for whom consolidated school governance makes sense as a way to achieve these aims, and some of these communities have already voted to consolidate. Learn more
More must also be done in term of energy conservation and efficiency as the returns cited for each dollar invested are impressive, there is untapped residential and commercial opportunity, and we have significant local talent and knowledge in East Montpelier and Middlesex available to us. We also need to cultivate public transportation, bicycle and park-and-ride infrastructure, alternative ride-share programs, and other creative approaches to meeting our transportation needs. Finally, continued adaptation planning to improve resilience is critical to our future well-being. Learn more
I support a ban on any more hydraulic fracking infrastructure, including pipelines. Not only do these projects risk contamination to groundwater and consequently human health, but mistaken cost estimates threaten a dramatic utility rate increase. We need to strengthen laws to give local communities more influence over where this kind of project is sited. Learn more
Addressing climate change is another imperative of our time and deserves action on multiple fronts. It not only threatens to negatively impact sugaring operations and ski resorts in Vermont but also vital ecological systems across the planet. Greater renewable energy output is an important path to meeting our state goals; this sector also serves as an important engine for job growth. I support responsibly sited renewable energy projects that take into account community input. Our leadership on regional initiatives that have made measured progress on carbon reduction should continue through expansion of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative to include transportation fuels. Learn more
Finally, health care reform must take into account how health care services are grappling with a wide range of other determining factors that impact health and thus requires an integrated approach with social services. This includes homelessness, mental health challenges, substance abuse, domestic violence and more. Learn more
I believe that health care is a basic human right. Without good health, Vermonters are limited in their pursuit of all other goals. Families, schools, businesses, and state budgets are struggling under the weight of rising healthcare costs, and our current system of health insurance risks becoming a disincentive for Vermonters to explore self employment and entrepreneurship. Learn more
Knowing that prevention is the cornerstone of sound healthcare policy, we need to work to provide primary care for every Vermonter. We must also continue to collaborate with federally qualified health centers (FQHC) to improve access. With a focus on these fundamentals, we will be better positioned to address and curb the use of costly emergency rooms services and meet the needs of those with chronic conditions. We must also continue reforming our system of payment and incentivize health outcomes in a way that seeks to decrease visits, prescriptions and procedures. Learn more
I support gradually raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour. Those who work full-time need to be able to make ends meet. . Learn more
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