For the past four years, I have served in the Vermont House, including as Vice Chair of the House Committee on General and Housing. I have been at the forefront of Vermont’s housing crisis, working across party lines to advance legislation that increases housing opportunities, removes barriers to development, and makes Vermont more affordable. I have built a record of bringing people together to find practical solutions, including leading tri-partisan housing efforts. I understand how the Legislature works, how to build consensus, and how to turn ideas into meaningful results for Vermonters. I bring the relationships I've cultivated over the last four years, my commitment to collaboration and many successes to the Senate.
We need to address rising education costs without sacrificing the quality of education Vermont students receive. I support the direction toward greater consolidation where declining enrollment makes it necessary and the only option, but implementation must protect local voices and rural access. We should reduce administrative duplication, focus spending on classroom instruction, literacy, tutoring and early intervention, and ensure resources follow students. I also support giving communities more flexibility to share services and find efficiencies while maintaining strong local schools. Cost savings should come from reducing unnecessary overhead and not from cutting the programs and educators students depend on.
Vermont needs to make it easier to build housing while protecting the land and communities that make our state special. I support reforming Act 250 and state zoning rules to reduce unnecessary permitting delays and costs, particularly for housing in downtowns, village centers, and areas with existing infrastructure. We should encourage density where it makes sense, support a range of housing types, including starter homes, duplexes and accessory dwelling units—and give municipalities more flexibility to determine what works locally. Smart growth and local decision-making can help us increase housing supply without sacrificing Vermont’s natural resources.
Campaign Phone
802-338-2247
I bring a lifetime of experience as a parent, employee, instructor, business owner, and public servant.
I volunteered in town government 21 years ago to find resolution in a divided community, by improving representation and taxation.
Every one of the 9 issue campaigns I led ― and won ― with the help of Essex voters was hard-fought, taking time, energy and creativity to communicate difficult concepts within their historical context.
The average Essex property owner saved more than $6,000 over a 15-year period.
As a State Senator, I called out wasteful spending and unlawful procurement, such as the contract for a $200M Workday system that won't meet our needs.
I voted NO on Clean Heat & RES electricity fees. NO on Act 181.
Teachers and students need support, as we rein in costs.
Health care costs drive up school budgets, so let's rework the vetoed Reference-Based Pricing bill, and seek out other ways to stop soaring HC costs.
Local control is important to Vermonters. I support school consolidation only if and when a town votes to consolidate their schools.
Studies have not shown that forced school consolidation will save money. And students spend many more hours on school buses in some merged districts. That takes away from children's play / enrichment time.
A Foundation Formula has been tried before. I want to understand why Vermont stopped using one and how we might institute a better version. It would need regular tweaking, which we should commit to.
I'd take testimony from rural Vermonters, who had little input on bills like Act 181, which was pushed through without enough scrutiny to make it work for different parts of the state.
If the state insists on legislating zoning, residents are right to push back at the loss of local control. No one knows their town like those who live there.
Developers don't build affordable housing, when they can profit more off building McMansions.
We may want to incentivize the in-state construction of modular homes that would be fast to erect and less expensive to purchase.
We may want to limit private equity firms from purchasing more single-family homes here.
Act 250 has maintained Vermont's "green" brand. Let's modify it carefully.
