GUILFORD-As the voters of Guilford and Vernon are aware, in preparation for the upcoming Democratic primary for the Vermont Legislature, candidate Jason Herron has published several large ads and has posted a Facebook page devoted to his candidacy.
These ads contain the standard, expected set of assertions about issues of interest and concern to all citizens of Vermont, while at the same time offering few specific proposals to address these issue.
But perhaps it would also be useful to explore many of the other political positions that he has taken and that are not mentioned in his current campaign literature.
A good summary of many of these positions appear in articles published by John Walters on his blog, The Vermont Political Observer, but perhaps a better approach would be to simply take a look at his own words as put forward in various online interviews, and on his personal (non-campaign) Facebook page:
1) Take, for example, his support for election denialism (see for example his discussion about Dominion Voting Machines, his assertions of the dangers of widespread fraud that regularly occur in local elections in Vermont, etc.)
In this regard, it is worth noting that the Nancy Gassett of Vernon - the Republican candidate in the upcoming election and who has repeatedly spoken of her "pride" for her support of the events of the Jan. 6, 2021 - was Herron's campaign manager during his previous run for the Guilford Selectboard.
2) He repeatedly cites crackpot Constitutional pseudo-scholars who make claims about the "biblical basis of the U.S. Constitution," particularly David Barton, whose writings Herron has often stated "have changed [his] life."
Moreover, Barton is credited as the primary "authority" behind the Constitution Alive! course, which Herron has repeatedly cited as a primary influence and has used in many of political events.
Setting aside the fact that Barton has no training whatsoever in Constitutional law (his only degree is in religious education from Oral Roberts University), it is probably worthwhile to examine many of Barton's various claims, like his belief that HIV and AIDS are God-given consequences for living a LGBTQ lifestyle, and the fact that Barton's book The Jefferson Lies had the curious honor of having once been voted "the most inaccurate history book ever published."
The details of the Constitution Alive! course and its numerous criticisms are available online for anyone who is interested, but here we might simply mention that it is a product of Rick Green's Christian nationalist organization Patriot Academy. This "Christian" organization is famous for, among other things, a "Constitutional Defense" course, which consists primarily of AK-47 related weapons-training.
(It is important to be absolutely clear that this is not to suggest, in any way, that Herron himself has advocated these aspects of Green's Patriot Academy. But it is nonetheless useful to properly understand the sources from which programs such as the Constitution Alive! programs spring.)
3) Herron has engaged in Covid denialism: See, for example, his assertions that masking "is a scam" and a means of "engineering control"; support for calls for dismantling the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health; attacks on Dr. Anthony Fauci; his support of the use of ivermectin; etc.
4) Although there is no mention of it among his current campaign literature, as Nancy Braus describes in her June 18 letter to the Reformer, equally notable is his long-standing position as the state coordinator of the fringe group Convention of States (COS), with its announced plans of rewriting the U.S. Constitution.
5) Among other examples from his personal Facebook page: assertions that the "COS is the only way to end the deep state," attacks on George Soros, attacks on the Department of Education, his claim that "just electing people isn't going to be the solution," and reposting assertions that astronomy and other sciences should be taught theologically.
6) Finally, there is one issue that needs to be addressed directly.
In his campaign literature Herron has written several times about the unfortunate "divisiveness" and "animosity" of local politics, and he puts himself forward as the candidate to help heal these wounds.
Now, no one questions that anyone is free to express their opinions about actions taken by their government and to closely monitor and observe that behavior. And, when appropriate, to hold their government accountable. These are the responsibilities of all good citizens. Likewise, there will almost certainly be grounds for legitimate disagreement
However, the issue here is quite different.
We can set aside for the moment Herron's multiple frivolous lawsuits against the town of Guilford and the fact that these lawsuits have unnecessarily cost the taxpayers of Guilford tens of thousands of dollars.
(Still, it is worth noting that all of these suits have been summarily dismissed by every court - including his appeals all the way up the Vermont Supreme Court - and every other knowledgeable legal authority who has addressed the suits.)
More to the point: his irresponsible, disruptive behavior in public meetings, his online spreading of misinformation and inaccuracies, and most specifically his repeated baseless personal attacks on the Selectboard (and particularly on chairman Zon Eastes, his opponent in the upcoming primary) with his charges of "corruption," "dishonesty," "conflict of interest," "lack of any transparency," insinuations of "influence peddling," etc.
Now, again, there is no doubt that many (most? all?) citizens of Guilford have legitimate disagreements with some of the decisions and actions taken by the Selectboard. And addressing such concerns is proper and as it should be.
But the relentless attacks on the personal integrity of the Selectboard members which Herron has pushed are not only not true but - as any citizen of Guilford who has watched the current board members honorably perform their duties over the past years is fully aware - they are the opposite of true.
Quite simply, Herron himself is almost totally, singlehandedly responsible for the poisoning of the political discourse, even in a town as lovely as Guilford. And yet he now puts forward his candidacy as a means of address this "incivility."
Voters of Guilford and Vernon should simply examine Herron's actual positions, statements, behavior, and actions, and they should choose for themselves how to vote.
As John Walters writes, "Jason Herron has every right to run for office, and you have every right to vote for him. But you ought to be informed, and he ought to be open about his beliefs instead of hiding behind platitudes."
Nichael Cramer
Guilford
This letter to the editor was submitted to The Commons.
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