I would be honored to represent you in the State House.
Vermont is my home, in every sense of the word.
I was born and raised here and proudly brought the skills and knowledge I gained in Vermont public schools out into the wider world. I went to college in Massachusetts, toured the country working for a rock band, lived in Boston for a while, then moved to New York City, where I stayed for almost a decade.
All along (and my city-bred husband will attest to this), I knew I would return to Vermont to raise my kids. I wanted them to have the same Vermont childhood I’d experienced; a relatively carefree youth spent outside and in community without the pressure to grow up too fast.
Part of that wish came true.
I moved back to Vermont two weeks after our second child was born in 2010. We soon made friends and co-created a loving community around our kids. But as they grew, the carefree part remained elusive. And I say that coming from a place of privilege – born white and middle-class in America.
I’ve realized that the notion of a carefree youth hardly exists anymore (and, let’s face it, has never existed for some Vermonters). There are myriad reasons for that, but I believe chief among them is the failure of public policy and legislation to keep pace with our changing culture, technology, and even scientific realities.
We need paid family and medical leave for all Vermonters. We need universal access to high-quality, affordable childcare. We need to make critical shifts in habits and infrastructure to improve our climate future. We need to acknowledge and address the harm caused by social media and other tech. And though the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act is a start at the federal level, we need to do more to prevent gun violence in our state.
No child will feel carefree as long as they’re participating in active shooter drills at school.
We have so much going for us here in Vermont, which is why I feel certain that we can do even better for our kids. I can’t tell you, today, as I write, how all of these changes can be made and implemented. But I promise you that I will bring a critical problem-solving component to Montpelier: curiosity. I will listen and learn with an awareness of all that I know and don’t know. I will lead with an open heart and seek out knowledge from all members of our community – including folks whose voices have typically been undervalued, as well as those who disagree with me.
Because true representation is how we make progress.