While Windham County remains a Democratic stronghold, a number of races have turned into contests.
“Vermont Republicans believe in one nation under God, individual liberty, personal responsibility, limited government, compassion for the needy, low taxes, a free market economy, and local control,” Richard Morton, chair of the Windham County GOP, wrote in an email to The Commons.
“The Vermont Republican Party embraces the principles of the United States Constitution (including all amendments), the Vermont Constitution, and the values contained within the Declaration of Independence: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness,” he wrote. “The Republican Party is for an abundant life for all citizens, including preborn citizens, elders, and those dealing with sicknesses, including the Coronavirus.”
House opponents
• Rick Morton, Windham-2 representative: In addition to leading his party's efforts, Morton, a banking information technology professional, is running for state representative, hoping to unseat his Democratic opponent, Emilie Kornheiser, the incumbent for the Windham-2-1 district.
Morton said that as a potential Vermont legislator, he would focus on addressing “stubborn issues connected to human trafficking in Vermont and New England.”
“Yes, sexual and labor trafficking still exists in a variety of settings and forms,” he said. “We can do more to protect victims and potential victims and to address penalties for perpetrators. The last thing we need is to weaken laws against various sexual trades such as prostitution, as some Democrats are beginning to propose.”
In the biennium that has just ended, two Bennington County Democrats, Browning and Sullivan, introduced a bill to decriminalize and regulate sex workers. It was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, where no action was taken.
Morton continued, “Secondly, the Legislature needs to improve the vetting process for new legislation to expedite helpful proposals and screen out legislative fluff.”
“Thirdly, the Legislature needs to update Declarations of Emergency statutes to better address long-term crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic to bring the people's legislators who represent Vermont voters into the process,” Morton said.
• Amy Kamstra, Windham-6 representative: Kamstra, of Halifax, is running against incumbent Rep. John Gannon, D-Wilmington, for the Windham-6 district, which covers Halifax, Wilmington, and Whitingham.
Kamstra has worked for 28 years as a risk manager and currently works at People's United Bank in Wilmington. She holds a degree in consumer economics from the University of Delaware and a master's degree from Green Mountain College in sustainable food systems. She and her husband, John, are creating a small vegetable and livestock farm.
Her campaign's Facebook page, “Amy Kamstra for Windam 6” [sic] (bit.ly/584_kamstra), contains only that biographical information and a criticism of the costs and lack of specificity of the recently enacted Global Warming Solutions Act and a publicly unavailable news interview behind a paywall.
• Ryan Coyne, Windham-3 representative: An independent running against two Democrats - incumbent Carolyn Partridge and newcomer Leslie Goldman - for the two seats representing the Windham-3 district (Rockingham, Windham, Grafton, Athens, and Brookline), Ryan Coyne (bit.ly/584_coyne_fb) cited both his admiration for the beauty and agricultural heritage of Vermont and his military background as inspiration for seeking public office.
“It seems in recent years in Montpelier we have had a trend for bills to be created that are raising different taxes, increasingly making it harder for some folks to stay in Vermont,” he wrote in a candidate statement to The Commons in September. “We need more responsible lawmakers who can balance a budget, work well with one another, and create less gridlock. I know I could do just that.”
• Matt Somerville, Windham-Bennington representative: Meanwhile, in the Windham-Bennington district, candidate Matt Somerville, R-Searsburg, is running against incumbent Rep. Laura Sibilia, I-Dover. This district includes the towns of Dover, Readsboro, Searsburg, Stamford, Wardsboro, and the unincorporated town of Somerset.
In a public Facebook post in June, he took exception to Sibilia's support of Black Lives Matter, posting a screenshot of correspondence he had with his legislator.
“I for one do not support white supremacy and believe that there are good and bad of all colors, sizes, and shapes in and out of uniform,” he wrote. “If you have had enough of Vermont getting turned into a over-taxed and over-regulated state, then vote for me in November.”
Somerville expressed general opposition to Act 250, the state's land-use and development law; “all the taxes they want to keep adding more and more to;” and “our rights to bear arms that they keep wanting to take from us.”
Senate opponents
• Tyler Colford (I-Whitingham): A Whitingham independent, Colford is a machinist at G.S. Precision in Brattleboro and serves as a trustee of the Whitingham Free Public Library, according to the biography on his campaign website, tylercolford.com.
Colford seeks the office “because the only solutions he heard being presented were more government spending, a more centralized government, government enforced monopolization of markets, and infringing on actual human rights,” the website continues.
Running on a platform of government accountability, Colford believes that “government agencies or programs should not get increased funding when they show dismal results.”
“There needs to be a voice of reason in these elections,” he wrote. “That is why I am running for office.”
A rapper performing as Krypto Man and a member of the rap duo JynxINC, he describes his music as “hardcore, story driven raps with a political/economic tinge.”
• Marcus R. Parish (R-Bellows Falls): Parish offers a platform of tax reduction and reform.
“That statewide education tax is one reason the Green Mountain State has some of the highest property tax rates in the country,” he writes on his website (marcparish.com).
Parish writes that the first priority of the state should be “taking care of our senior citizens. Helping them age in place more easily without the worry of losing their home because they can not afford the property taxes. And with the cost of medication and quality care. When I say quality care, I'm talking about [them] having food, their medication, upkeep on their homes, their vehicles. Providing them with affordable home health care.”
“My second priority is the economy, giving mom-and-pop shops a tax break, so they don't lose everything they have worked so hard to get,” he writes.
• John Lyddy (R-Whitingham): Lyddy offers no obvious public presence for his campaign.