BRATTLEBORO — Thank you for the incredible community support and the opportunity to serve our corner of Brattleboro for another two years.
These last few years have changed us, and it is up to us to let those changes be towards progress. The pandemic taught us the power of effective government, the power of saying no, the power of sending resources directly to the people who need it.
I'm committed to remembering these lessons as we enter the next biennium. Freedom is about more than making a living; it's also about having time to show up for a neighbor, take a loved one to the doctor, attend a parent-teacher conference, retire in dignity, or attend a community meeting.
When we go all in for all of us, we can make this a place we're proud to call home with the world-class schools, affordable health care, and community services our families need.
I'm committed to this promise of good government and our collective project of deliberative democracy. I believe in taxes as more than a necessary evil but as the specific promise of shared decision-making and resources.
I'm hoping to return to the Ways and Means committee in January to continue this work. I care about revenues and taxes because they are how we can make sure everyone is contributing equitably to our communities. I know that we can do more than imagine a better future, we can build one.
At a time of increasing divisiveness, of politics built on reactivity and scarcity, I'm committed to be a steady, curious presence. I commit to show up each day to ensure that no matter what we look like, where we come from, or how we make a living, that living and working in Brattleboro with our families can mean living a good life.
Over the next months I need to hear from you. I need your perspective to do this well. I want us each to remember that we can write the rules and we make the future - we can ensure we have the resources to truly educate all of our kids and the services to truly support all of our families. But we need to work together to have a community that works for all of us. I need your help to get it done.
We can move from talking to doing. Together.
Our county delegation works together: meeting regularly, balancing one another's skills, and ensuring that we can focus our lens both broadly and deeply. Our delegation's two new state senators, Nader Hashim and Wendy Harrison, and two new wonderful new state representatives, Tristan Roberts and Heather Chase, will hold a series of full-day meetings with community partners in December. If you are interested in being part of these meetings in either your professional or personal capacity, please let me know.
I will continue hosting weekly office hours via Zoom. If you prefer to meet in person, you can do so at Brooks Memorial Library on the second Saturday of the month at 10:30 a.m. with my fellow Brattleboro representatives, Tristan Toleno and Mollie Burke, and State Senators-elect Nader Hashim and Wendy Harrison. I do hope you'll join us on Dec. 10 to kick off the season.
I'm also hoping for specific focused advice and support from you. In order to do this work as well as our community deserves, I would like to create a consultancy group or kitchen cabinet, working with folks with specific expertise in our community: farmers, builders, nurses, mental health specialists, parents, elders, and communications and event enthusiasts. I'm imagining that this would be a commitment of an hour or two per month, and I promise to keep it interesting and accessible. Please be in touch if you're interested.
Please reach out anytime. You can find all my contact information at emiliekornheiser.org.