Windsor
State Rep. John Bartholomew, D-Hartland, is running, as are fellow Democrat Paul Belaski, of Windsor; Clayton Paronto, a Windsor independent; and Rick Hansen, a Brownsville Republican.
State Rep. Donna Sweaney, the other Democratic incumbent, isn’t seeking another term, the end of a two-decade career representing the district.
The 61-year-old Bartholomew, who has held the seat since 2011, said he has the experience necessary to get the job done in Montpelier, while Belaski, 65, a self-employed architect who has worked in many trades simultaneously, said he understands the balancing act many Vermonters today face and will push to produce worthwhile results for those in Windsor-1.
The 51-year-old Paronto, who owns an online retail business and currently serves on the Windsor Selectboard, said his leadership abilities and his accessibility sets him apart from the other candidates.
Repeated emails and phone messages requesting an interview with Hansen were not returned.
The three candidates who were interviewed all agreed that the rollout of Vermont Health Connect from a technological standpoint has been “an embarrassment” — as Bartholomew put it.
Bartholomew said the state should put the resources into the right people to fix it; he called the state-run health exchange a “workable plan.”
Belaski, who went a step further and called the interface “abysmal,” and Paronto both said they are lukewarm on whether to keep Vermont Health Connect in place or scrap it.
“I support universal health case,” Paronto said, “but I don’t know if I support Vermont Health Connect.”
Paronto’s views on Act 46, the state’s school district merger law, were much clearer.
“It is garbage legislation,” he said, calling for its repeal.
Paronto said he supports local control and school choice. It’s a critical issue in the legislative district, as Windsor is home to a public high school but families in Hartland and West Windsor enjoy school choice and want to keep it.
Bartholomew said he initially was skeptical of Act 46 but was willing to vote in favor of it; he never actually cast a ballot, though, because he wasn’t in the chamber when the vote took place.
He said the law may work for some school districts in Vermont, but not all.
“I don’t think it meets our needs,” he said.
Belaski, a graduate of Windsor High School, also called the act problematic for the district and said he thinks revisions should be examined.
Belaski, who has served as the Windsor zoning administrator and interim town administrator, said the Vermont budget is an area the Legislature must spend some time on, but he said he wasn’t sure just how to rein in spending or increase revenues.
It’s a balancing act, he said.
“If you don’t raise taxes, do you cut programs? Everybody says, ‘yes, cut programs,’ but not ‘my’ program,” Belaski said. “This is always a difficult dilemma.”
Bartholomew said legislators need to continue to keep the budget in check and refrain from increasing taxes.
Paronto, who said his time on the Selectboard will translate well to the Legislature, seconded that.
“We have to live within our means,” Paronto said, noting legislators need to set the “designer” or “fluff” bills aside and focus on the budget. “We need to control spending.”
Asked about marijuana legalization, all candidates said existing drug laws aren’t working.
“The drug war is lost; we cannot win it,” said Bartholomew, a retired veterinarian who voted for a legalization bill that failed this past session. “We have to try something else.”
Criminalization hasn’t worked well, Belaski said, noting legalization “may be a path.”
He said he has many concerns though, including addressing driving under the influence and keeping marijuana away from minors.
Paronto said prohibition has been problematic, and said he would support legalizing marijuana in a restricted fashion. He is “not sold on” regulated growers, but said he would entertain small-scale operations.
Both Bartholomew and Belaski support universal background checks for gun owners, while Paronto is strongly against any such legislation.
Bartholomew said energy is one of the top issues pressing the state and country, because without a “good supply of affordable energy” the economy can’t thrive or even function.
Belaski said he feels several topics are pressing, including Act 46, which is “pressing locally” and Vermont Health Connect, which is “pressing statewide.”
Many of the state’s top issues are tied together and must be tackled simultaneously, Paronto said; they include education, the economy and the budget.
Asked why Hansen had not returned phone calls seeking comment, Windsor County Republican Chairman John MacGovern said via email, “He is on the ballot but with a new job too busy to actively campaign.”
Jordan Cuddemi can be reached at jcuddemi@vnews.com or 603-727-3248.