We need to ensure that Vermont is an affordable and welcoming place to work, play and retire. That means ensuring that Vermonters have a living wage, access to housing and home ownership, better funding for childcare and education, accessible healthcare, a thriving arts and culture scene, and a clean and safe environment to enjoy it all in.
Accessible, Affordable, and Equitable Healthcare
Healthcare is a human right. So, we must ensure that healthcare is not only accessible but that is also affordable and equitable for all Vermonters. We need to work to improve health literacy, protect consumers from the impact of big insurance and pharmaceutical companies, dismantle racist and bias systems, improve funding for our hospitals and their workers, expand access to mental health services, and improve the transparency of government regulation.
Childcare and Education
We need to prioritize affordable and quality childcare and early childhood education , as they afford children the best start to ensure success throughout their lives. Additionally, expanding access to these invaluable resources positively impacts all aspects of economic welfare. Supporting our public schools is a central focus as it truly is a bedrock of our democracy. We must also have universally affordable college and post-high school education and figure out ways to work to cancel out reliance on student loans.
Racial Justice and Belonging
Government is not the solution to everything but no thriving society short changed its public’s needs. We have all been mis and under-educated. Therefore, it’s imperative that we look at our local history so that better decisions can be made. It is beyond time that we ensure that ALL Vermonters have access to the benefits of our state. That means committing to doing the work, digging deep, being vulnerable, disrupting racist and bias systems, linking arms, and finding the joy of our common humanity.
Taking Care of our Environment
I will work through bold action to promote sustainable energy, divestment from fossil fuels, more accessible and affordable public transportation services, a renewable energy infrastructure, and a green economy in order to address the climate emergency and to ensure clean water, clean air, and sustainable communities for all Vermonters.
Arts and Culture
When thinking about economic and community development, you must think about arts and culture. It’s not merely the icing on a cake, but rather a main ingredient. Arts and culture are critical to our democracy, how we talk about one another, and how we relate to one another. The arts and culture sector are essential to the recruitment and retention of our job force and to ensure the economic vitality of our communities.