Lisa Ford has operated a vacation rental in Guilford for 11 years. In 2019, she organized a statewide Short Term Rental Summit; the first of its kind, it led to the creation of the Vermont Short-Term Rental Alliance, a member-based nonprofit association for vacation rental managers and short-term rental hosts operating in the state.
GUILFORD-Short-term rental owners are not the evil housing tycoons we are sometimes made out to be. Vacation rentals peppered around our state make up just 2.5% of our housing stock yet contribute hundreds of millions of dollars to our state budget in the form of rooms/meals taxes and consumer spending.
I've lived in Guilford for 30 years and have operated a small vacation rental on my property for the past 11 years, serving thousands of guests who graciously support our local economy. They are consistent customers in our restaurants, cafés, country stores, theaters, shops, and galleries. I cater to couples and solo travelers of all genders, races, and age. I've hosted honeymooners, engagements, elopers, and writers.
I'm uncomfortable with The Commons publishing Mindy Haskins Rogers' criticisms of the WSESD School Board on its recent statement regarding a sexual assault investigation. If the goal of journalist Virginia Ray is to evaluate how the WSESD conducts and speaks of such an investigation legally and in the best...