Priorities
I view all of the following priorities through a lens of sustainability: how are we making decisions that help people meet their current, urgent, material needs while also considering impacts over the next several years and generations? I weigh the benefit and the burden - who is being asked to bear the burden of a policy, and who benefits?
At the federal level, in other states and unfortunately even in Vermont, I see scapegoats being made out of the neediest and most at-risk among us. Immigrants seeking better lives are locked up. Anti-trans legislation threatens the health and wellbeing of people just trying to be themselves. Working taxpayers are asked to give more and more to get less, so that the wealthiest among us can profit. We must reject “punching down” and instead build solidarity and community among neighbors, building us all up together. Our common interests and needs outnumber our disagreements. Vermonters stick together. Let’s reject complacency, and get to work.
Housing
Housing is an immediate issue that’s top of mind for so many working families in our district and state, and central to affordability concerns. In Addison County, the median home price has reached $531,500 (up 33% over three years), while the median rent is $2,187 per month (source: realtor.com). Everyone deserves safe, stable, affordable housing and they should not have to move out of state to get it.
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I support:
Increases in taxes on non-owner-occupied, second home, vacation rental and investment property by supporting the Prosper Act’s (H.794) new property tax classification for non-homestead residential properties.
Helping people stay in their homes through hard financial circumstances by expanding foreclosure prevention programs and supporting universal access to legal representation for renters facing eviction, building on Vermont Legal Aid’s work to ensure due process rights are protected.
Limiting the purchase of single-family and two-family homes by institutional investors, as described in H.607.
Getting Act 181 implementation right so it works for all Vermonters, including those who steward our working land and rural communities. That means ensuring the road rule and Tier 3 mapping process are applied thoughtfully, recognizing that active farming and forestry are forms of land stewardship.
An increase in affordable, climate-resilient housing development, through methods such as supporting the creation of a statewide land bank to acquire vacant, abandoned and tax-delinquent properties and return them to productive use as permanently affordable homes, a tool currently being developed by a working group of the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development.
Healthcare
Healthcare is a public good, and I’m committed to moving closer to universal coverage by making our local systems work better for Addison County and Vermont. I support the work of groups such as the 802 Vermont Universal Healthcare Coalition who recognize this urgency and are identifying innovative solutions for tackling this complex challenge. I also recognize that our school districts’ budgets are healthcare budgets, because the largest driver of property tax increases is often the rising cost of employee health insurance premiums.
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In Montpelier I will:
Work to appropriate funding for community healthcare centers and free clinics to expand primary care, mental health and home health services. By shifting appropriate care out of expensive hospital systems and into community health centers and school-based clinics, we can lower overall costs and stabilize the insurance premiums that start in our municipalities and education budgets.
Invest in a local healthcare workforce pipeline by strengthening partnerships between school districts, universities and medical providers, creating apprenticeship programs for nursing and home health aides to support our aging population and bring robust healthcare services into rural communities and homes.
Support state-level regulation that prevents insurance companies from simply shifting the savings from lower premiums onto healthcare providers, because squeezing the pay of nurses, therapists and support staff only makes our workforce shortages worse. Our healthcare workers deserve fair compensation that reflects the critical care they provide.
Work to make medical debt a thing of the past by supporting state-level efforts to expand financial assistance policies and billing protection, so that no one in our community faces financial ruin because of medical diagnosis.
Progressive taxation
Put simply: if you have more, you need to do more. We live in a time of unprecedented wealth and income inequality and we need to do what we can to level the playing field. Right here in Vermont there are concrete proposals before the legislature to make our tax system fairer, and I will fight for them as your representative.
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We must:
Support state legislation that ensures that high earners pay their fair share, such as Act H.794 and S.282, which would create a 2% income tax surcharge on individual income over $250k, an additional 6% on income over $500k, and a 4% wealth transfer tax on investment income for high-earning households. These measures would generate $75 million annually, revenue we could invest in universal healthcare implementation and school budget support, addressing two of the biggest cost drivers for Addison county homeowners.
Lower the burden of property taxes, especially for those on fixed incomes, by expanding the existing Property Tax Credit and Renter Credit programs. Too many eligible Vermonters don’t know these credits exist, or find the application process too complex. I’ll work to simplify access and increase awareness so the relief reaches those who need it most.
Address the “rich will leave” myth head-on: research shows high-income residents are actually less likely to relocate in response to tax changes than working families. What drives people out of Vermont isn’t fair taxes, it is skyrocking cost of healthcare, housing and property taxes. We will keep more Addison County working families here by investing in the system that makes life affordable.
Remove state taxes on Social Security income.
Education
Every child deserves a safe, quality education, and public school teachers and staff deserve to be fairly compensated for the important work that they do. I’m a public school parent and graduate, like so many of the Addison County residents who value the role our local schools play in sustaining our communities. In my work on the ANWSD Equity Committee, I saw that our schools are the heart of our rural towns and there’s so much opportunity to make local schools into thriving community hubs. We can stabilize school budgets, protect taxpayers and fairly compensate our educators, but only if we stop pretending that endless consolidation is the answer.
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I support:
Including local education experts and community members in decision-making about local schools and school districts
Pursuing thoughtful approaches to efficiency, including shared services and cooperative agreements between districts, that find savings in administration and operating costs while centering (and not sacrificing) students, families and teachers’ experience. I support the work underway by the School District Redistricting Task Force to explore shared services cooperatives as a more flexible alternative to one-size-fits-all consolidation.
Ensuring that all students have access to educational and extracurricular opportunities — from music to sports to career and technical education (CTE) — regardless of ability to pay. I support expanding CTE offerings in response to student demand and ensuring equitable access across Addison county.