As I’ve been campaigning for the Orange-Caledonia House District, people often ask me: “Why are you running as an Independent?”
If you’ve followed my platform, you know that I support empowering local governments, because government functions best when it is closest to the people that it serves and has the capacity to get the job done. I support fiscal responsibility, because the cost of living in Vermont is making it too difficult for working families to build a future here. I support criminal justice reform because people deserve to feel safe in their homes and businesses. I support open and transparent decision-making that is responsive to constituents, and that doesn’t turn every aspect of our lives into another opportunity for private gain. I believe in equal treatment under the law and that it is not government’s place to dictate your most private personal choices. I support conservation of open space and wildlife, and providing healthy outdoor recreational opportunities for communities.
Let’s be honest: in Vermont these issues, taken together, do not find a ready home in either political party.
Nor has our current political leadership in Vermont been doing a bang-up job on any of those things. The state legislature has been controlled by the Democrats for decades. Republican Gov. Phil Scott has had control of state agency leadership and priorities for over twelve years. What we’ve gotten out of that is ballooning costs of government services and education, a sputtering economy, rising property taxes, lack of accountability, local decisions being overruled by unelected bureaucrats, lawmakers who are more focused on party politics than getting work done, and vibes-based policymaking that does not lead to real-world outcomes.
Look at some of the things that have happened in our district over this past decade. An unelected regional planning commission has been empowered to override local planning and stifle small business and economic opportunity, and the state is “solving” affordable housing for working people by setting huge housing targets for our rural villages that cannot possibly be served with roads, water and sewer — all so that larger, wealthier towns can preserve idyllic “community character.” Our governor took Newbury to the Vermont Supreme Court to overturn a local planning decision and force us to accept a privatized correctional facility that would have loaded huge costs and risks on the town, while consolidation schemes look to take schools out of our communities while actually increasing, not decreasing, costs for rural towns. Look at our latest school budget proposals — administrative costs are out of control, an increasing number of our students are on individual special needs plans even as outcomes get worse, and tax rates in our district are rising significantly in comparison to wealthier communities.
I don’t know about everyone else, but it is hard for me not to feel frustrated and let down by the current system. Every day people watch the pendulum swing, again and again, from the Rs to the Ds to the Rs again, and nothing ever seems to change. The problems continue to fester. The struggle to make ends meet gets harder.
When people ask me “why are you running as an Independent?” — it is a question that is often asked with an anxious look. Behind the question is fear — that by voting for a highly-qualified candidate motivated to tackle the deep-rooted problems facing the state, the “other team” might win. That I’ll be a “spoiler.” Spoil what, exactly? Both of those “teams” have been winning for years. We’re still not getting anywhere.
I’m asked about “party loyalty,” with concern about who I would caucus with if I were to be elected to the state house, and whether I would be “reliable” in advocating or supporting a particular party’s interests. And right there — that is the problem in a nutshell. It strikes at the very heart of what is wrong with our politics, and why there is so much dysfunction. Instead of concern about how leaders will deliver on real-world policies to improve life for the people in the district, an election comes down to whose “side” I’ll be on. Because it’s all about sides. Party over competence. Party over community. Party over country.
I have not committed to caucus with either party, nor have I sought any endorsements from special interest groups. If given the opportunity to serve, I would prefer to form coalitions with like-minded lawmakers — from whatever side of the aisle they may be on — regarding the issues that are most important to the people of this district.
That is the point of being an Independent, of remaining unaffiliated with either party. Elected officials should represent all members of their district to the best of their ability, and do what is right for the communities they are serving — regardless of what their political affiliation is or their choices at the ballot box. Right at this moment, our two-party system, in both America and Vermont, no longer allows for that. It locks candidates into an ideological box, enforces conformity, and prioritizes party discipline over practical leadership. I’ve had enough. Haven’t you?
Change starts small, but it has to start somewhere. We have a chance to make a different choice this year in Orange Caledonia. Vote Independent.
Susan Culp, of Newbury, is an Independent candidate for the Orange-Caledonia House District.