Labor shortage, housing are key concerns during Lt. Gov. Gray’s county tour
Only in Vermont could you hike your way into a community gathering with the lieutenant governor at a country store.
And that’s just what happened for Brice Jaggi, an Appalachian Trail through-hiker from Dallas, Texas. Last Thursday, Aug. 5, his lunch break on the back deck at Teago General Store became a front-row seat for Lieutenant Governor Molly Gray’s Windsor County tour, part of a series of visits to each of Vermont’s counties to hear local concerns about pandemic recovery. Gray's Pomfret visit came after stops in Hartford and Springfield on the same day, with Windsor County Senators Dick McCormack and Alice Nitka joining her.
For Jaggi, it was a welcome interruption, and something he saw as unique to the Green Mountains.
"We never see any of our politicians in Texas," he said, while picking up some ice cream at the Teago counter. "This was really interesting to watch."
Vermont Lt. Gov. Molly Gray listens at a recent community visit at the Teago General Store in Pomfret. (Gareth Henderson Photo)
As with many such events in Vermont, local people get the opportunity to discuss key issues with state-level leaders, face to face. That Thursday, one of them was Seton McIlroy, vice chair of the Woodstock Village Trustees. She pointed out that a shortage of local employees and the pressure of high rents have made it very hard on businesses; some restaurants have had to reduce days, making it harder to find a meal out during the week. Also, the village is dealing with several store fronts being vacant, though one now has an ice cream pop up shop this summer.
“We need employees,” McIlroy said.
Gray said this is a pattern she’s seen throughout the state, and the price of housing makes it very difficult for new workers to move here. She said Vermont must try to figure out how to keep restaurants open.
The Pomfret conversation with the community — which followed a tour of the recently renovated Teago store — covered a range of topics, from business, to telecommunications and climate change. The Delta variant of COVID-19 also came up: McIlroy, a mother of two, said she’s worried about the impact of school staff who choose not to get vaccinated.
In the foreground are Windsor County Sens. Dick McCormack and Alice Nitka, at the table with Jim Hurd and Lt. Gov. Molly Gray, during a discussion about climate change at Teago General Store last Thursday. (Gareth Henderson Photo)
Gray sympathized with the concern, but emphasized the progress Vermont has made — it still has the leading COVID-19 vaccination rate in the country. Also, she thought the best way to approach the issue is to get more people vaccinated. The state has brought vaccination clinics to many community and business settings, and is adding some school-based clinics this fall.
“The key is making (the vaccine) as accessible as possible,” Gray said.
In an interview that afternoon, Gray said certain essential needs were greatly exposed during the past 18 months, and Vermonters have been voicing them.
“I think the biggest thing the pandemic has exposed, that we're seeing in every corner of the state, is that we do have massive housing insecurity, to the point where we may have a housing crisis that deserves a particular designation and recognition as a crisis," Gray said.
Issues strongly intertwined with the economy came up often last Thursday.
“What we heard about from the community today is what we’ve been hearing about all along: housing costs, finding employees and (broadband) connectivity,” McCormack said at Teago.
Gray also said the shrinking workforce in mental health, substance abuse treatment and related services is a major problem.
"The impact of that is that more and more people aren't getting services," Gray said. "So, if we're going to make really strategic investments now, it means listening to Vermonters, listening to the need, and then investing in infrastructure."
She said that includes housing, mental health support services, broadband, and other key elements that have been long-term needs before the pandemic.
Gray also said the existing partnerships involving CCV and other state colleges could help with the staffing shortage seen across multiple industries.
“I do think we need to make sure that anyone who’s graduating from a Vermont college knows that they are fully set up to get into a job right here in the state,” she said.
— Gareth Henderson
Lt. Gov. Molly Gray visits with Piper McIlroy at Teago General Store. Piper was there with her mom, Seton McIlroy, and brother Seamus, shown in back at right. (Gareth Henderson Photo)
Teago General Store Manager Christine Cole (far left) chats with Lt. Gov. Molly Gray at the store on Thursday, Aug. 5, with Marie Cross looking on. (Gareth Henderson Photo)
