In the upcoming Democratic primary this August, I am supporting Senator Chris Bray. As Senator, he has served Addison County and the state of Vermont extremely well since 2013, advocating in all his legislative work for the health of Vermonters.

Bray’s care for our health includes everything from the health that comes from a cleaner environment to his advocacy for creating universal access to health care.

For a decade, in his role as chair of Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Energy, Bray has shepherded through important legislation on clean energy, greenhouse gas reduction, climate cost recovery, and environmental protections. These include programs to clean up the lake, to reduce exposures to forever chemicals, like PFAS, and to reduce the air pollution that is both a public health hazard and a key driver of climate change.

He was also a key sponsor of a bill that to create universal publicly-financed health care in Vermont through a phased in process, starting with universal primary care. If this bill passes, it will not only control and possibly reduce costs by cutting out the insurance company middlemen, but it will greatly expand access to primary care, something all Vermonters need.

Over the years, Senator Bray has proved to be a responsive and accessible legislator, receptive to feedback from his constituents, and always ready to dig into new areas of policy. I am happy to vote for him again in the upcoming primary in August and hope he is re-elected.

Ellen Oxfeld

Middlebury