Local House member has sights set on Vt. Senate

The U.S. and Vermont flags flying in Bridgewater, Vt. (Gareth Henderson Photo)

The issues that impact working Vermonters have been important to Becca White, from her childhood and right through to her time in public office. And she’s hoping to continue that work in the Vermont Senate. 

White, 28, a local state representative and a White River Junction resident, is vying for a Windsor County Senate seat on the Democratic ticket. Windsor County has three Senate seats, and incumbent Senators Alison Clarkson, of Woodstock, and Dick McCormack, of Bethel, are seeking reelection, while longtime Sen. Alice Nitka is retiring from the post. Chris Morrow, of Weston, remains on the ballot but has dropped out of the race. Vermont’s primary election is next Tuesday, Aug. 9. 

White, a lifelong Vermonter and UVM graduate who grew up in Hartford, is a current Vermont House member representing the Windsor 4-2 district. Before her four years in the House, she served the same amount of time on the Hartford Select Board.

During her Senate campaign going door to door, an issue impacting many Vermonters comes up time and time again: housing.

“The thing I’m hearing most about is affordable housing, both for people who want to stay here and continue to live here … and then for renters, just the inability to find a place to rent,” White said. Concerns around fuel and utility costs are wrapped up in those housing issues, she added. 

“If it’s not the homeowner, it’s their friend, their co-worker, their family,” White said. “Everyone is impacted by the crisis we’re experiencing now.”

The economy, equity and the environment are also high on her list, and White added they have something in common: “Housing actually cuts through all three of those.” 

In Hartford, White’s mother ran a daycare, and her father was a plumber and electrician. And so, giving young, working people a greater voice in public office has been important for White. 

When she got to the Vermont House, she recalled, “there was a good mix of women, but not a lot of young people, and not a lot of people who were working.” 

White supports a legislative effort Clarkson has led, to review whether Vermont’s citizen Legislature is effectively representing the state. 

At the same time, White feels Vermont offers a unique opportunity to participate meaningfully in democratic institutions. She hopes to keep doing so at the State House.

“This is the place where I can put my skills that I have to the highest and best use,” White said.

Reflecting on her time in public office, White said she’s built a lot of relationships that would remain important as a senator. Those include the ability to work effectively with fellow lawmakers, state administration and also local organizers. 

“All of those relationship skills, and knowing who to talk to about what, are so invaluable,” she said.

— Gareth Henderson

Vermont Sen. Kesha Ram Hinsdale running for Congress

The U.S. and Vermont flags flying in Bridgewater, Vt. (Gareth Henderson File Photo)

A Vermont senator from Chittenden County has announced her campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives, joining a race that has grown quickly in recent weeks. 

Sen. Kesha Ram Hinsdale, a Shelburne resident who also served seven years in the Vermont House, will face Senate President Pro Tempore Becca Balint and Lt. Gov. Molly Gray in this year’s Democratic primary. Vermont has never sent a woman to Congress, and if elected, Ram Hinsdale would also become the first person of color to join the Vermont Congressional Delegation. The incumbent, U.S. Rep. Peter Welch, is running for the Senate after U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy announced he would not seek reelection. 

Advocacy for Vermont’s working families and for action on climate change are prominent issues for Ram Hinsdale, as expressed in a campaign statement Thursday. 

“I’m running for Congress to be Vermont’s fighter for working families, our democracy, and our climate,” Ram Hinsdale said in the statement. “Now is the time to dream and deliver, to advance a bold vision for our multicultural democracy while building a responsive government that meets the everyday needs of Vermonters.”

She told Vermont Public Radio that her commitment to progressive environmental policies began years ago. 

“I was fighting for the Green New Deal before it had a name — that’s how I got into politics in Vermont,” she told VPR. “I introduced Vermont’s first environmental justice bill in 2007 as a senior in college.”

She also mentioned the impact of her upbringing in a multicultural, working class family, noting she felt the economic insecurity when the family’s restaurant failed. 

“And I think my lived experience has propelled me to be someone who’s on the steps of the Statehouse with teachers fighting for their pensions, to be alongside working Vermonters fighting to create more access to housing and homeownership, and to recognize that the fight for our climate is also one that matters deeply to people who are mobile home park residents or migrant farmers,” she told VPR.

Ram Hinsdale moved from Los Angeles to the Green Mountains to attend the University of Vermont, and she graduated from UVM in 2008. She served in the Vermont House of Representatives from 2009 to 2016. Ram Hinsdale lost a bid for lieutenant governor in 2016, but returned to the Legislature when she was elected in 2020, becoming the first woman of color to serve in the Vermont Senate. She is a member of the Senate Committee on Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs.

— Gareth Henderson

Swanson defeats Davies in Woodstock Select Board bid

Woodstock Town Hall in Woodstock, Vermont. (Gareth Henderson Photo)

Joe Swanson cruised to victory on Tuesday, defeating Woodstock Select Board incumbent Jill Davies by a decisive 541-400 tally.

In a statement Tuesday evening, Swanson said he was “overwhelmed by the amount of support and trust” from Woodstock voters.

“I am looking forward to being a part of a respectful Select Board that achieves success through cooperation and inclusiveness,” Swanson said. “All of us will work to maintain the charm and warmth of Woodstock while acting in a financially prudent manner.”

In an interview Tuesday night, Davies said she was sorry not to be continuing her work on the board, but she wished Swanson well in his upcoming three-year term. She also emphasized the need to work together.

"I know it's been a difficult campaign for the community, and I really hope we can build some bridges together and create one resilient community," Davies said.

Swanson, a Woodstock Police sergeant and Army veteran, is the son of the late Phil Swanson, Woodstock's longtime municipal manager. Davies, who has many years of experience as a management consultant, had served four years on the Select Board and was seeking her third term.

In other election news, Ray Bourgeois was uncontested in his bid for a two-year seat on the Select Board. In the race for first constable, incumbent Kelly Linton notched a 638-122 victory over challenger Devon Kurtz. All ballot items passed, including the town and school district budgets.

— Gareth Henderson

Staying vigilant for the 2020 vote

The sun shines through recent fall foliage in Woodstock, Vermont. (Gareth Henderson Photo)

All U.S. citizens must remain vigilant when it comes to factors impacting the voting process in 2020, and recent media reports show the importance of that. Understandably, all eyes are on the issue of ballot delivery, as voting by mail has become essential during the pandemic.

One of those reports came out of New Hampshire, where some local election officials say "absentee ballots and other mail that previously stayed local is now being sent through regional processing centers in Manchester, N.H., or White River Junction, Vt. — resulting in an extra day or more of travel time," according to New Hampshire Public Radio on Wednesday.

NHPR said that shift was due to an apparent U.S. Postal Service policy change which has impacted some of that state's communities and not others. In any event, naturally this sparked great concern, and Deputy Secretary of State Dave Scanlan is looking into it, NHPR reported. 

In response, Stephen Doherty, a regional spokesman for the USPS, told NHPR the Postal Service’s “number one priority between now and Election Day is the secure, on-time delivery of the nation’s Election Mail.”  

That delivery is the subject of a major court case in Wisconsin, according to a PBS NewsHour report. On Thursday, a federal appeals court rejected an effort to allow six additional days for absentee ballots to be counted. The ruling means the ballots would have to be delivered when the polls close on Nov. 3, Election Day. However, the Wisconsin case for the six-day extension is likely to end up at the U.S. Supreme Court, which could set precedent for similar efforts in the future. 

In Vermont, there haven't been any significant challenges to the state's vote-by-mail plans, except for a federal lawsuit, which a judge rejected last month on the grounds that plaintiffs didn’t have standing to file it, according to Vermont Public Radio.

Throughout the summer and fall, Vermont officials have remained confident in the vote-by-mail system. In a recent commentary, Secretary of State Jim Condos pointed out that in the August primary, the majority of votes in the Green Mountains were cast by mail. 

"Voting by mail, early in-person, and in low numbers at the polls on Election Day, was conducted safely and securely," Condos said. (Check out Vermont voting information and deadlines here.)

Indeed, in primary elections here and throughout the country, workers did a tremendous job under challenging circumstances. Obviously, November brings a greater challenge still. A large number of votes by mail are coming in, likely in record numbers. As that process proceeds, we must all remain watchful regarding factors which may impact the election and the honorable work being done by local and state workers to protect the vote. Hopefully, working together, we can help this critical function of democracy continue smoothly. 

— Gareth Henderson