The election is fast drawing to a close. I am asking for your support to return me to a job I love - the Vermont Senate - as a representative of Windham County.
Over the past years, I have either sponsored or worked hard to pass legislation that allows patient choice at end of life; limits the use of GMOs; limits the toxics in our products, especially those for children; creates a dental therapist profession to provide better access to dental care; eliminates barriers to voting (election day registration, automatic voter registration); strengthens open meeting and public records statutes; improves access to health care; provides universal preschool; strengthens our mental-health system of care; and creates a more accountable budgeting process.
There is more, and you can check my voting record over the years or call me with particular concerns.
But there is still much to do. Over the next biennium, I will continue to move toward universal health-care access, review our system of law enforcement to make it more equitable across the state, continue to monitor our retirement systems by working with the treasurer, and continue to strive for a more open, transparent, and participatory government.
Every year, millions of unclaimed assets end up with the Vermont Office of the State Treasurer. Treasurer Beth Pearce makes a concerted effort to get those assets back to the rightful owners, citizens of Vermont. In 2015, $5.11 million was returned to 13,107 people. The assets could be forgotten...
The issue of ethics and the lack of an ethics commission has been of great interest over the last year or so to the media. How many Vermonters are passionate about the issue is not clear, but we in the Senate have taken the issue seriously and have just...
In recent weeks, the state Senate voted to pass S.241, a bill that would allow legalization and regulation of marijuana. Here are some of the reasons I sponsored and voted for the bill, some of the highlights, and an explanation of what the bill is and what it isn't. For many years, I have felt that our policy of prohibition has not worked - not for youth, not for law enforcement, not for the citizens who have become criminals as...
To Jerry Levy, Aaron Diamonstone and Windham County Voters: Becca Balint and I were a bit saddened and surprised to see the letter from you in last week's Commons. Your letter made it sound as if we refused to participate in forums where all candidates have been invited. This is not true. You, Jerry, came to the Windham County Democratic Party meeting to ask if the Democrats wanted to co-sponsor a forum. After much discussion, the vote of all those...
Windham County voters, thank you so much for your continued faith in me as your senator and for giving me the right to have my name on the ballot for the general election on Nov. 4. I am honored and humbled by your support. I thank Becca Balint, Joan Bowman, and Roger Allbee for putting their names forward and engaging in a positive and civil campaign. It was well said by Ann, Roger's wife, when she said, “I am impressed...
The past 12 years have been exciting, challenging, frustrating, rewarding, and humbling. I would like to continue to use my experience and relationships to work for Windham County and the state of Vermont. I served on the Senate Health and Welfare Committee as we began working toward a universal, single-payer health-care system. I continue to work toward this goal. Our mental-health system has also been a priority of mine. Serving on the Mental Health Oversight Committee, I have worked hard...
It seems that elections come earlier and earlier in Vermont. This year, we will have a primary on Aug. 26. The primary is a party function, allowing the major parties - in Vermont, that means Republican, Democrat, Progressive, and Liberty Union - to determine their respective candidates. Voters do not register for a particular party, so the primary is open. When voting, you will be given four ballots, you will use one, and then you will discard the other three.