Candidate Forum
Town Meeting TV
Definitely out of my comfort zone, but this forum provides a thoughtful expression of our different perspectives. You can find this and other candidate forums on cctv.org
We were given the questions ahead of time. We did NOT make it through all of the questions in the time allowed. Also, my delivery may leave something to be desired. So, I post here the original questions and my responses.
1. Opening Statement (60 seconds): Please tell us why you are running and what experience qualifies you to serve as State Representative.
The short answer is that “Somebody needs to.” Essex citizens deserve an alternate voice on the ballot in November.
I’ve been actively engaged in community issues and studies going back to 2000. I’m a former school board member and chair. As chair of the Essex Republicans, I have been involved in our political discourse for several years.
I bring a long history of thrift to the election. I believe our tax burden is far too high, and I want to press the case for reducing centralized control, and encouraging competition in key areas of our lives, namely: education, health care, housing, and energy.
2. Property Taxes & Education: This year, many Vermonters will see a double-digit increase in their property taxes and nearly a third of school budgets failed on Town Meeting Day. How will you approach education funding reform and property taxes for the coming fiscal year?
I agree that Vermonters have spoken clearly about the cost and effectiveness of our schools. Education is a top priority for me; but our public school systems are not meeting expectations. We need to focus more on academics and less on social experiments.
I am supportive of school choice. I believe competition is the remedy to control costs and improve the quality. It also supports the role of parents in raising their own children.
3. Housing: This past session, Democrats and Progressives in the House proposed spending an additional $100M per year for ten years on publicly subsidized affordable housing. This level of investment was not passed in the Senate. Would you support this level of public investment in housing?
I don’t believe our state needs to subsidize housing. The private sector is capable of meeting the needs of people at all levels of income—if our government would simply get out of the way.
Vermont has a long history of conservation. But Act 250 is an intentional stumbling block for development. It significantly raises the risk, thereby raising the cost and lowering the availability of housing.
The recent “emergency changes” are designed to force people into “development centers”, but many of us live in Vermont for the rural setting. Shutting down building in rural Vermont also artificially diminishes the value of rural land. If towns truly want to limit building in certain locations, they should buy the property when it comes up for sale.
4. Emergency Shelter: Vermont reported 3,295 people experiencing homelessness in 2023, up from 1,110 in 2020. This year, the state is rolling back its pandemic-era emergency shelter capacity across the state, pushing hundreds more Vermonters onto the streets. How will you approach the need for emergency shelter in the coming session and how should the state pay for it?
Affordability is definitely an issue. You can’t raise taxes, limit housing, raise the cost of heating, drive people from their homes and then pay for their needs. That is unsustainable.
There is a time for emergency aid, but kicking homeless people out of hotels is a perfect example of why government is not the answer.
Generally, I am not in favor of using tax dollars for hand outs. That builds dependency.
I’d like to see our area churches and charitable organizations play a more direct role—not just in housing, but in building community. Government can provide guidance, and clear some hurdles. But facilitating genuine community engagement will best help those people who are in need.
5. Public Safety & Criminal Justice: Public safety is a top priority for many voters in this election. This past session, lawmakers increased judicial staff, increased retail theft penalties, and expanded restorative justice practices in Vermont. What more needs to be done by the legislature to advance public safety and repair Vermont's criminal justice system?
Well, we don’t get there by demoralizing our police, and not prosecuting crimes. I think we have done a great disservice to our state and local police. I would look for ways to restore confidence in our police forces and to help build better relationships between the police and their communities.
I’m generally in favor of restorative justice. Throwing people in jail and forgetting about them is a huge waste and not necessarily good justice. There does, however, need to be a consequence for committing a crime. And people need to take ownership for their actions.
6. Overdose Crisis: 231 people died from an overdose in Vermont in 2023, with 95% of overdoses involving Fentanyl. What must be done to prevent overdoses, promote addiction recovery, and deter the illegal sale of opioids in Vermont?
My hope would be to address the problem BEFORE it becomes a problem. Once people are hooked, it’s too late. If they break the law to feed their addiction, there needs to be a consequence for the crimes they commit.
I think the immediate response should be to strengthen law enforcement. And let’s reform our prison system.
But we are dealing with some strong underlying cultural issues that are contributing to this crisis. Hope is the missing component here. Again, there is a role for our area churches and charities to play in providing that hope.
7. LIGHTNING ROUND (Yes or No, or less than 10 seconds each):
a. Should private schools be funded with public dollars? Absolutely, so long as there is a free choice.
a. Do you support raising the age of family court jurisdiction? Not necessarily. Not a priority.
b. Should biomass (burning wood) play a role in emissions reduction strategies? No.
c. Do you support a statewide ban on assault weapons? No. Teach respect. Don’t eliminate choices.
d. Did Governor Scott overstep his authority by appointing Zoie Saunders as Interim
Education Secretary? No. This stalemate is a symptom of the division.
e. Where do you get your news? Variety, mostly newsletters, internet, rarely the television news anymore.
f. Do you ride the bus? No, it's not practical. I work from home. There is only one bus that travels through Jericho twice a day.
g. What's your favorite ice cream in Vermont? Palmers’ Maple Creamies on Route 15 in Jericho. Best in the state, and I've tried a few!
8. Progressive Tax Initiatives: This year, Democrats and Progressives in the House proposed new taxes on the state's highest earners and largest assets, including an increased income tax on earners over $500k, an increased property transfer tax on properties over $750k, and an increased corporate income tax. These new taxes largely did not make it through the Senate. Do you support raising taxes on high earners and wealthy Vermonters?
No. The highest earners and wealthy are already paying the lions share of our tax revenues. Raising their taxes even more will simply drive them away. And by the way, corporations do not pay taxes. They simply pass the expense on to their customers,
What we need to do is spend less. We have an $8.5 billion budget for 640 thousand people. That’s well over $13000 for every man, woman, and child in the state. So, a family of four needs to overcome $52,000 spent by our state government in a year.
9. Immigration: Vermont's population of immigrants, migrants, refugees, and asylees is growing. How can the state better support newcomers and meet language access needs?
(Interesting that all of these categories are lumped together in this question. There is a distinction to be made between people who are here legally, and those who are here illegally.
Refugees are here legally, and probably didn’t even have a choice in being here. My understanding is that we are not doing a great job of helping our refugee communities integrate into our culture. I, like many Vermonters, have a real heart to do better in this area. Again, our faith-based organizations can play a key role here. I do think there is a positive role for government in breaking down the barriers between refugee communities and their neighbors.
I am not in favor of providing handouts to those who are here illegally. There is a place for emergency help, but Vermonters are suffering under our tax burden and the cost of living. We should not be funneling money to help people who are not here legally while leaving our own people in need.
10. Climate Change: 2025 is the first year that Vermont is required to meet a series of emissions reduction targets outlined by the Global Warming Solutions Act. Is Vermont on track to meet the 2025 target? What more needs to be done to reduce our emissions?
The premise of the question is that we NEED to reduce our carbon emissions. Carbon Dioxide is only about 4% of our atmosphere, and Vermont is NOT a significant contributor. I fear the politics over “climate change” to further empower our government to spend even more of our tax dollars on solutions that will not make any difference.
There was widespread agreement that the targets cited in the The Global Warming Solutions Act were unreasonable to begin with. That law should be repealed and the Climate Council disbanded.
There is little doubt that we are seeing changes in our climate. But we have seen changes before. What we have failed to do is to implement practical solutions to mitigate the flooding we are experiencing now.
11. Health Care: One of the primary drivers in rising school budgets and affordability issues in Vermont is the increasing cost of health insurance. What can the state do to reduce the cost of healthcare and meet the health care needs of every Vermonter?
Competition is the answer once again. So, we should lift restrictions on who can sell insurance in Vermont.
I know that “pre-existing” conditions are a concern in our current regulations. I would prefer to see a healthy competition for the bulk of the health insurance market. If pre-existing conditions are a priority in our state, then set up a safety net, specifically for that.
Another area of concern for health care providers is getting reimbursed by the insurance companies. I do think there is a positive role for our government to play in standardizing the billing and reimbursement process so providers can actually get paid for their services.
2. Political Temperature: Political differences were front and center this biennium, with the Governor vetoing a record number of bills passed by the legislature, and the legislature in turn overriding a record number of those vetoes. Talk about a time you worked across differences to accomplish something and how you might approach collaborating with colleagues you don't agree with.
Our politics have been divisive for some time. This was true in the church I attended for 30 years. So, we implemented a program, called “Let’s Talk” to discuss current issues. I’ve posted an outline of those guidelines on the Essex Republicans web site.
In general, I don’t believe in asking people to compromise their principles. Rather, I would encourage people to better understand the experiences that forged those principles. Better solutions come from getting our concerns out on the table.
Closing Statement
(Allow for 30 second closing comments if time)
I believe Essex residents need a choice to depart from the current course of our Legislature. Our state has been on a trend of centralizing authority into bureaucracies and committees of un-elected people. This is particularly true of health care, education, housing, and energy. Putting control of these key aspects of our lives under the control of government is a recipe for disaster. It’s never a good idea to put all of your eggs in one basket. Encouraging competition is the answer to most of these pressing issues.
It really is time for a different direction.