The writer served as a state senator representing Windham County from 2003 to 2023.
PUTNEY-While I am not a resident of the Windham-7 district, I had the pleasure of working with Rep. Emilie Kornheiser for the years that our paths crossed - she in the House, I in the Senate. We didn't always agree, but we listened with respect to each other.
Emilie has many great qualities. She is one of the smartest people I know - she really understands the economics of the state, she knows how the pieces fit together and how policies affect those she represents and the rest of Vermonters.
On Jan. 4, I saw our new Windham County senators sworn in. We will be well served by Sen. Wendy Harrison and Sen. Nader Hashim. It was a bittersweet day for me. For the first time in 20 years, I will not be serving in seat 16. Although it...
Voting is now taking place for the Nov. 8 election. There are many voices out there who are instilling fear in our citizens by spreading misinformation about elections. I just read a piece by Nancy Gassett - Republican candidate for the House of Representatives in Guilford and Vernon -
August will bring an important primary election for our state - for U.S. House seat. I will be supporting Becca Balint. Having served in the Vermont Senate with Becca for eight years, I have seen firsthand how she works, what her values are, and how she will represent Vermont. She is great on the issues, including foundations of democracy, support for working Vermonters, support of small business, equity and justice, public education, women's rights, child care, transparent government. But more...
It has been 4{1/2} months since we left the State House to begin doing our work remotely. During the 3{1/2} months we met remotely, we originally focused our work on COVID-19 issues. In the Senate Committee on Government Operations, we had much work to do very quickly. We worked with Vermont League of Cities and Towns to modify statutes to allow town government to continue to function. We addressed laws affecting open meetings, local elections, access to public records, property-tax...
We have done a couple of pretty amazing things in the Senate in recent days. One was passing an amendment to the state constitution that would protect reproductive rights. I am not going to write about that one right now. But we passed another bill - one that concerns the burn pits used by the military at their camps in various theaters. Many people are not aware of this issue. Neither was I, until Sheriff Keith Clark brought it to...
Many studies over the years have focused on law enforcement and public safety in Vermont. A few of the recommendations have been implemented, but the more controversial aspects of each study have gone untouched because many would be unpopular with various segments of both the population and law-enforcement agencies. However, we are at a point where we must face these issues head on. During the 2017 legislative session, the Senate Government Operations Committee took testimony from and met individually with...
We have seen a lot of interest lately in the $26 million savings in the state budget that Governor Phil Scott has proposed. I realize it always seems like some kind of copout to say that the issue is complicated, but that characterization is usually true. This one is both complicated and simple at the same time. Governor Scott has stated that there is $26 million to be saved by putting the health benefits portion of teachers' contracts into a...