Strafford
“I’m here to tell you, ‘Not over my watch,’ ” said Matt Dunne, a former Google executive and Hartland native. “We cannot allow it to happen because it’s out of scale with everything we are doing around here.”
Through his NewVista Foundation, developer David R. Hall plans to acquire enough land to build a self-sustaining community of 20,000 in Royalton, Sharon, Strafford and Tunbridge. The proposal has drawn strong opposition from neighbors but, as of late last month, town clerks estimated Hall’s holdings to be more than 1,200 acres.
“As governor, it’s not going to matter how long he waits. It will not happen in Vermont,” Dunne assured forum attendees.
Peter Galbraith, a former two-term state senator and diplomat, also said he does not support the development, and thinks it will never happen.
“I think it is a grandiose vision and I don’t see that this guy’s going to get 20,000 people to move into Vermont.” he said.
As governor, Galbraith said, he would make clear that such a development is not welcome in the state and enforce all environmental laws to make sure whatever does come to pass is “reasonable.”
“I’m very concerned of an idea that is so grandiose in scale and I don’t understand what utopia he is looking for,” said Sue Minter, the state’s former transportation secretary.
Minter said she would watch the project very carefully as governor. State officials also would meet with developers to express “what it is that Vermont is all about and what Vermont is not about,” she said.
The three candidates also discussed the state’s new education law, Act 46, during the forum. The law encourages small school districts to consolidate into fewer larger ones encompassing more students.
“If I had still been in the Senate, I would have voted against it,” Galbraith said. “But it is the law and you can’t simply change education policy on a dime.”
Instead of repealing the law, he advocates for consolidating districts when it might create a better education for students, while also allowing some districts to keep their current identity.
“We don’t have an education crisis in the state of Vermont. We have a property tax problem,” Galbraith said.
About 40 years ago, the state spent about 5 percent of its gross domestic product on education, and it still does, he said. While it’s true there are fewer students, he said, state money is still going toward new, innovative programs.
Minter said she wouldn’t repeal Act 46 either, but she would make it more “flexible.”
“There are parts of this state where unification of governance makes great sense,” she said, adding there also are places where it doesn’t.
“It is pushing a conversation that is critical and important — the declining enrollment of our students — but in some cases pushing it too quickly and mandating a cookie-cutter solution that isn’t appropriate everywhere,” Minter said.
Dunne said he had real concerns about the law early on that stemmed from his belief in the power of community in education. However, he said, the part of the law that provides funding for consolidating districts is good.
“Consolidation of governance and collaboration is not easy, and you would not want to have those efforts impact your ability to deliver education,” Dunne said.
He called Act 46 a “one-size-fits-all solution” to the problem, though, and called for an end to student population mandates and school boards comprised of noncontinuous towns in Windsor and Orange counties.
The candidates all disagreed on how best to fund college education in Vermont. Galbraith last month unveiled a plan to offer state residents free four-year college tuition, and Minter used Sunday’s forum to question the plan’s funding.
Under Galbraith’s plan, the state would end $25.4 million in tax breaks to fund higher education and institute a $15 minimum wage, which could free up about $18 million by forgoing earned income tax credits for some Vermonters.
Minter called the tax credits “the most important tax advantage for low-income Vermonters,” and said Galbraith’s plan wouldn’t begin to pay for itself until 2021.
“I have a plan that I know we can pass that’s going to provide two years tuition-free at Community College of Vermont and Vermont Technical College,” she said. “It’s going to link every student who attends with a mentor. It’s going to make sure we break down the barriers for future Vermonters to get qualified for livable wage jobs.”
Galbraith countered that doing away with his list of tax breaks alone will provide nearly every Vermont high school graduate with a college education. He said Minter’s plan to only fund two-year degrees is “quite a different animal.”
“And it’s achievable,” Minter retorted.
Dunne, meanwhile, has his own plan to forgive the debt of those who graduate and undertake two years of national service in AmeriCorps, the Peace Corps or the military.
“I believe that it’s a fundamentally Vermont approach, which has a part of earning it, but it doesn’t matter who you are,” he said.
Candidates for lieutenant governor also attended Sunday’s forum, where they discussed the opioid crisis and how the state can retain young people, among other topics.
Burlington Rep. Kesha Ram, who has experience as a legal advocate for victims of domestic violence, said sexual and domestic violence are driving factors in women becoming addicted to opioids. She spoke of women experiencing violence, losing their family and home lives, and then being driven to drugs to mask the pain.
“We are not helping break those cycles of poverty and violence,” she said.
Speaker of the House Shap Smith said the solution to addiction is working to build a better world with more jobs and affordable housing that gives people hope.
The state also needs to educate more children on the dangers of drugs and begin to take on prescription companies, too, he said.
Chittenden Sen. David Zuckerman said he has sponsored legislation that would legalize marijuana. He said it would benefit the state economically and reduce the number of people becoming addicted to hard drugs.
Speaking on Vermont’s aging population, Smith said that more needs to be done to connect young people with jobs they might not know are available. He also called for more internships, citing a Champlain College program that pairs students with companies and often leads to many students working in the state.
Ram said transportation, telecoms and training all need to be addressed to attract youth to Vermont. She called for more walkable downtown and public transportation, investment in internet and technology infrastructure, and internship programs to attract more people.
Zuckerman agreed with his two opponents on internships and infrastructure improvements. He said the state also needs to promote its good schools and work toward a universal health care system to draw in more people.
Democratic gubernatorial candidates Cris Ericson and Brooke Paige did not attend Sunday’s event. Party primaries are scheduled for Aug. 9, and the winner will contend with either Republican Lt. Gov. Phil Scott or businessman Bruce Lisman in the general election.
Tim Camerato can be reached at tcamerato@vnews.com or 603-727-3223.