Vermont’s un affordability crisis continues to rampage, especially in poverty-stricken areas like our district. We need to start standing up for working people, for our farms, and for our small businesses. To do that, I will support:

• Tax breaks for working families, seniors, and veterans

• Subsidies and economic relief for struggling farms

• Reducing fees/taxes on small businesses

• Strengthening workers protections and Unions

Without strong local economies, Vermont will continue to lose its population in search for a state with a better financial future. I will work tirelessly to reinvigorate these industries for the betterment of our rural communities.

The average age for a homeowner in the US is now over 40 years old. The reality is, for our next generation of Vermonters, homeownership is an unattainable dream, and homelessness is on the rise. For years now, Vermonters have been struggling with exorbitant home prices, a lack of housing, and affording their rent. Especially in rural communities, where we are being priced out of the small-town communities we’ve built since the dawn of our state. To tackle these issues, we need to:

• Reform laws that restrict rural housing projects

• Work to lower property taxes on primary homes.

We need to make it easier to build our homes, to make sure our neighbors aren’t priced out of their’s, and fairly tax second homes that contribute to our state’s 20% home vacancy rate. I intend to lead with both current and aspiring homeowners in mind, to ensure none of us struggle getting a roof over our heads.

Climate change in Vermont is only going to worsen over the coming decades, making extreme weather and natural disasters more common and destructive as the planet continues to be polluted. But while we need to enact climate law that protects Vermonters' property, health, and livelihoods, we still need to make sure that climate legislation doesn't make it harder to afford anything in an already unaffordable state. To combat climate change, I believe we should:

• continue or expand programs that provide subsidized or free clean heating systems,

• Invest in renewable energy to power our grid

• Work toward easing everyday Vermonter’s reliance on fossil fuels

Due to the projected costs on Vermonters who are not prepared to switch to green energy, I oppose the clean heat standard. In the future, a similar piece of legislation could be introduced, but not while Vermonters are already struggling and don’t have cheaper alternatives.

Vermont’s education funding formula is extremely flawed. Our per-pupil spending is the largest in the nation, and we’ve lagged behind in equitable funding distribution. However, Act 73 will not fix these issues. Rather, it will shut down our rural schools, and allocate small-town resources into bulky, oversized school districts, stripping our state of small-town community. To fix education spending, I will fight for:

• Repealing Act 73

• Moving social/mental health service costs out of the education fund

• Moving forward with a per-pupil spending formula

Act 73 is greatly unpopular, and won’t actually save us money. If we are really going to tackle property tax increases and spending, we need to spread social service funds throughout the state, while moving forward with per-pupil funding and voluntary district closings.

There is simply no excuse, in this age of technology, for a legislator to not have some regular communication with their constituents. As a member of the legislature, I would:

• Publish bi-weekly legislative newsletters, focusing on big moves in the statehouse, my own bills, and what legislation i do/don’t support.

• Hold Legislative talks, both in-person and over zoom, where constituents can voice their concerns.

• Regularly update social media, similar to the newsletters, on everything from legislation to events, including polls.

In a world where we have access to thousands of online users, I believe it would be important to utilize these avenues of communication to promote transparency and accountability to the office. And for those without this technology, having in-person meetings would be a more accessible avenue to achieve this goal.

From mental health to public safety, drug use to human rights, there are many issues centered around our community as a whole that need to be addressed. When I’m in Montpelier, I plan to:

• Support drug use and drug prevention resources in our district

• Advocate for policies that will strengthen mental health services

• Protect the rights of all Vermonters, from the 2nd Amendment to minorities and our rights of assembly, free speech, and to choose

• Work with all legislators, no matter one’s party, to make our state better for working people

To build back a Vermont that works for all of us, I will do away with political polarity and bring on a new, people-first agenda.