LINCOLN — Paul Forlenza, a 22-year resident of Lincoln and a Democrat, last week announced his candidacy for state representative. He is seeking to represent the Addison-4 House District, covering Bristol, Lincoln, Monkton and Starksboro.
The two-seat district is currently represented by Democrat David Sharpe and Republican Fred Baser.
Forlenza currently serves on the Lincoln selectboard and is responsible for developing the annual town budget. He also served on the boards of Mountain Health Center in Bristol, the Lincoln Library and the Counseling Services of Addison County.
“I am proud that the Lincoln selectboard has limited town budget increases to 1 percent annually for the last four years, despite a significant increase in health care premiums,” he said.
Forlenza successfully ran his own consulting firm developing strategic plans for non-profit organizations. For 15 years, he worked at IBM on policy issues, including health care. He has also spent time advocating for the use of health information technology as a way to advance health care reform.
Forlenza is a strong advocate for universal healthcare for all Vermonters. He also intends to be a voice for increased funding for mental health and drug addiction, support of family paid leave and decreasing state tax on Social Security.
Forlenza is announcing early so he has time to talk to residents and local businesses in his district to learn about their everyday challenges.
“I already hear from local business about their need for better access to capital and help training workers,” he said in a press release.
Teenagers told Forlenza the same thing many adults did: “They want Vermont to keep down the cost of living and increase the availability of interesting and good-paying jobs.
“Lincoln has been kind to my family and me and I want to give back to the community,” Forlenza added. “I would be honored to serve my neighbors in the state legislature.”
Forlenza lives in Lincoln with his partner, Kathleen Kolb. They each have two adult children, and Forlenza has a granddaughter. For more information, he can be reached at [email protected] and online at forlenza.us.