BRATTLEBORO — My campaign to represent Windham County in the Vermont State Senate is over. The two seats were won by Peter Galbraith and the incumbent, Jeanette White. I ran as who I am - a moderate Republican, with a mixture of what I think were good ideas from an assortment of places.
To a large extent, my campaign and this vote was a referendum regarding Vermont Yankee. With the prospect of Vermont Yankee's closing considered an urgent reality, I thought voters would be poised to reconsider their position regarding the nuclear power plant. I recognized that this would require a considerable group of people crossing party lines.
On Tuesday, clearly and decisively, the voters of Windham County said that they want the plant closed regardless of the availability of replacement power, local economics, and jobs. With this vote, it should give us all the clarity to consider life in Windham County without the nuclear power plant operating after March 2012. We should now go forward on that basis.
My position has not, and will not, waver with regard to Vermont Yankee. I support a safe and reliable operating nuclear power plant in Vernon. But as the saying goes: those who fail to plan, plan to fail.
We are now confronted with having to craft an economic plan in Windham County that removes an operating nuclear power plant from the equation. This comes at a time when our local economy has been described as being in a long-term structural recession.
For me, it is time to act in a manner that is consistent with the reality before us; ignoring it only exacerbates our predicament. If ever there was a time for all of us to commit to creating private-sector jobs in Windham County, it is here and now. As I have said repeatedly in my campaign, commerce is a good thing, not a bad thing.
I stand ready to support our Senate delegation in Montpelier as they grapple with a daunting budget deficit, the prospect of continued lost jobs in the county, and a diminished partner in the federal government. Their job will not be easy. Join me in congratulating Peter Galbraith and Jeanette White on a well-deserved win. I wish them well.
It is back to my “day job” with year-end health insurance renewals coming up. I am jumping from the skillet to the frying pan, so I don't have any time to dwell on the “coulda, woulda, and shoulda's”. It is time to move forward with new prospects and projects!
Thank you all for your support or consideration. I highly recommend this journey for everybody!