Lessons from the Campaign Trail
One month into my campaign for State Representative in Vermont’s Windsor-Orange 2 District, the most rewarding aspect has been canvassing and talking to residents of the four district towns. While my concerns about education, healthcare, housing, and the environment drove me to run, one-on-one conversations have underscored the importance of listening and understanding the nuances underlying these interrelated issues.
My conversations are energizing because they affirm our shared love of the state. But voters also share common anxieties: long-term affordability, the diverse and complicated definitions of what makes a “good school” relative to individual student needs. Regarding housing, neighbors emphasize thoughtful planning for infrastructure such as roads, water, sewage, transportation, and broadband, optimizing the existing housing stock alongside new construction, and creating disincentives for second homeowners. On healthcare, frustration centers on skyrocketing premiums and prescription costs, provider waitlists, and seemingly arbitrary pricing differentials between medical centers. These local concerns intersect with broader anxieties about fraught foreign policy, gun control, and the overall fragile state of our democracy.
Residents also consistently praise outgoing representative Rebecca Holcombe, not just for her expertise and policies, but for her thoughtful engagement. Whether she was attending local meetings to explain legislation, posting updates and resources to listservs, or responding to emails, she is a teacher at heart. She wants to ensure constituents understand what is happening in the legislature and how it will impact them. For example, just last week, she posted a concise breakdown of health care legislation passed and subsequently vetoed in the waning weeks of the legislative session, along with background about the most likely rationale. In terms of engagement with her community, she established a remarkably high bar. If elected, I will strive to maintain that same standard of dedication, communication, and integrity.
Overall, I have learned that campaigning does more than just allow me to introduce myself to voters; it provides me an essential window into how policies made in Montpelier ripple into our backyards. If I am fortunate enough to be elected the representative for Windsor-Orange 2, these practices will guide my service to our community.