PUTNEY — Our family called them “Vermont Appreciation Trips” - our journeys out of state before COVID-19 limited travel. Usually, the best part would be getting back home. When we'd pass the “Welcome to Vermont” sign on the interstate, it would always bring a big smile.
We all have our own best reasons for why Vermont is the best place to live and why we miss it when we go away. While the green hills are superficial beauty, I see our state's deeper beauty in its people.
We've shown this beauty during the pandemic. With kindness, generosity and the willingness to sacrifice for others, Vermonters and their Vermont values are getting us through this tough time.
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All this is a reminder of why I have sought to serve as an elected public servant in the Vermont House of Representatives. It's also why, with the election now past us, I'm eager to get back to work in our “part-time, citizen-” Legislature in January.
Vermont voters clearly acknowledged the work of Gov. Phil Scott and the large Democratic majorities in the Vermont House and Senate by returning them to lead Vermont in the 2021–22 Legislative session.
Also within that vote, Vermonters resoundingly rejected any thoughts of using the Trump model of leadership to guide us through COVID-19 or the other issues challenging us.
Gov. Scott received an overwhelming majority in his re-election by distancing himself from the actions and policies of the current president.
Likewise, Democrats ran as the polar opposite of this president and were rewarded with twice as many members of their party as Republicans in the House (92–46), and a larger majority in the Senate (23–7).
Democrats not only ran on addressing COVID-19 but also striving for an economy that works for all, not just an elite few. We recognize that working and middle-class Vermonters are the backbone of our economy, and we will continue to push efforts to support them.
We will do so by fighting for paid family leave, a policy whose value is being greatly amplified as more moms had to curtail work to take care of family during the pandemic.
Democrats also ran on addressing climate, racial and social justice, health care, broadband, and education, among other issues.
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Now, as our Republican colleagues rightly rejoice about adding three seats in the House and one in the Senate, I look forward to working together where we can find common ground.
However, it may be helpful to state the obvious: If they are taking their cues from the head of the state GOP, Deborah Billado, and her absolute fealty to everything Trump-ian, we will struggle to find a viable starting point.
Political differences between the three main parties in the Legislature can engender healthy dialogue that benefits us all. Democrats, Progressives, and Republicans all have our differences, but more voices make for better bills.
With more tough times ahead, the more we're pulling together, the better it will be for Vermonters. That's how we'll get through COVID-19 and all the other work of the people we've been entrusted to undertake.
And that's how we can create more and better reasons for seeing any time away from, or even inside Vermont, as a Vermont Appreciation Trip. We have much to appreciate and be grateful for in Vermont.
So, bring on 2021, and let's get to work.