In a race for the Orange-Caledonia district seat in the Vermont House, voters will decide between a leader in local government running as an Independent, an ambitious teenager in the Democratic Party, and a longtime Vermonter in the Republican Party.
On Nov. 3, voters across Newbury, Topsham and Groton are casting their ballots, choosing one person to represent their voices in Montpelier. And with Republican Rep. Joseph Parsons opting not to run after three terms in the House, three newcomers will face off for the seat.
Newbury Selectboard Chair Susan Culp, 54, is running as the Independent candidate, with an interest in bringing local issues to the forefront of statewide considerations and serving without a party preference.
Aiden Otterman, an 18-year-old senior at Thetford Academy running as the Democratic candidate, wants to introduce a younger perspective to the legislature and incentivize settling down in Vermont, using his experience growing up in Topsham and serving on the State Youth Council.
Tom Otterman is a small business owner who has lived in Topsham for all 69 years of his life. When he saw what would have been an empty Republican ticket, he decided to throw his hat in the ring, with the intention to help balance the legislature with a conservative perspective.
The two Topsham candidates are family members: Tom Otterman is Aiden Otterman’s great-uncle.
While this may be the first time voters see the name “Otterman” twice on the same ballot, this House seat isn’t new to the family. The late Harvey B. “Bud” Otterman Jr., Aiden’s great-grandfather and Tom’s father, served the district from 2000 to 2008.
Meet Susan Culp
For Susan Culp, her motivation for entering the race comes after a call from community members over the past several years to represent them in the legislature, she said. Parsons’ decision not to seek re-election further sparked her interest this year.
“Ours is a diverse rural district, and I believe that an independent candidate is best able to faithfully serve all of the people in Orange-Caledonia,” Culp said Thursday by phone.
Originally from South Dakota, Culp lived in Fairlee before moving west, but returned to the Upper Valley in 2019. Her campaign has involved door-knocking and attending community events to hear what voters have to say.
The primary concerns Culp has heard revolve around the cost of living, particularly the tax burden, she said. Residents are also concerned about state overreach with Act 181, which altered the state’s 1970 land use, environmental review and housing development framework.
In Newbury, she’s seen negative impacts on farmers involved in forestry and working lands firsthand, due to a decrease in local control over use.
Culp’s involvement in local government makes her most fit to represent the district, she said, as she’s worked directly with smaller communities experiencing the effects of statehouse decisions. Her intention is to bring those voices to the forefront.
Culp noted that the legislature has been historically closed off to the voices of ordinary people, with an invitation from a committee chair required to speak at hearings. If elected, she would call for a more open process by introducing legislation or new procedures.
“It feels like that’s been missing in Montpelier,” said Culp.
Culp believes local governments need more authority around land use, planning and economic development, she said.
Her ideal House committee would be the appropriations committee, as the state budget is the “clearest expression of policy and priorities that a state legislature can produce,” she said.
Meet Aiden Otterman
Aiden Otterman turned 18 this month. When a friend suggested he enter the race, Otterman was hesitant at first, but realized that his experience growing up in the area and his interest in improving it for the new generation make him an ideal candidate, he said.
“Our district really needs help and it’s largely, in my opinion, been ignored by the state,” said Otterman, who noted that one in five people in Topsham live in poverty.
Aiden Otterman has spent his life in Topsham and worked on his family’s farm. He decided he doesn’t want to follow the trend of moving away for college and then staying out of state.
“No matter how far away I might go from home if I lose this election, I will come back,” said Otterman.
He feels the perspective of a young person living in Vermont is missing from the legislature.
“We need young people to have a seat at the table where the decisions are being made,” said Otterman.
Throughout the course of his campaign, Otterman said he’s encountered ageism and the assumption that he’s inexperienced due to his youth. He pointed out that he arguably has more experience than his opponents, having testified in the Vermont Legislature several times at the State Youth Council, which he chaired.
“I would not trust most 17, 18-year-olds to be in office, but there’s always an exception,” said Otterman.
Otterman said he is also an alumnus of the Governor’s Institutes of Vermont, having attended their Global Issues and Youth Action institute, and was in the 2025 cohort for the Yale Young Global Scholars program as the only student from Vermont.
In addition to this experience, Otterman said he’s still open to learning and growing as a future leader, adding that candidates “rigidly stuck” in their values are not the best fit for the legislature.
Otterman has three committees of interest: commerce and economic development; general and housing; and health care.
He also shared that he supports raising the minimum wage to $20 an hour or more over a few years, putting a tax code distinction between short-term rentals when an owner lives on the property versus when an owner does not, and introducing a universal primary care system funded by the tax bracket of people making over $1 million.
When asked what it’s like to run against a family member, Otterman told the Valley News he’s had minimal communication with his great-uncle, who he said did not participate in a forum debate upon invitation.
“It’s not any particularly different than running against another candidate,” said Aiden Otterman.
Meet Tom Otterman
Tom Otterman has worked as a surveyor and septic designer for 45 years, running his own business the past 20 years. He served on the Topsham Selectboard twice for a total of 15 years. Otterman would bring a conservative perspective to the legislature, he said, in response to the political spectrum swinging more to the left.
“I don’t see myself dragging it back across to the middle, but I can provide some valuable insight from my experience,” said Otterman.
He specified that there’s a need for a Republican candidate like himself because there’s no use in adding representatives to a majority that already exists, and he can help foster a more constructive dialogue.
For Otterman, the aftermath of passing Act 181 influenced him to enter the race to encourage a “change of direction” in Montpelier.
Being involved in permitting for decades, Otterman deeply understands the difficulty people face in gaining and maintaining home ownership, he said. Going door to door on the campaign trail, he’s become even more informed.
“I have learned a great deal from those conversations on people’s front porches,” said Otterman, who added that affordability, especially with property tax and healthcare costs, is top of mind.
With different facets of affordability compounding each other and creating increasingly difficult circumstances for residents, Otterman wants to focus on spending.
“Government has become more intrusive, less responsive and more expensive to fund,” said Otterman. “And that needs to change.”
Otterman, if elected, intends to “claw back” on previous agendas that are not working, as opposed to coming in with his own. He hopes to repeal Act 181 entirely.
His preferred committee is environment and energy, though Otterman is willing to go where he’s needed and be cooperative and respectful of all opinions, he said.
Voters planning to cast their ballots on Nov. 3 can find their polling location using the Vermont Secretary of State website database. While opening hours may vary between towns, all polls close at 7 p.m. on election day.
