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Del Thompson, Republican, Addison-5
Qualification: I have served six years on the Randolph selectboard, with two years as co-chair, five years on Two Rivers Planning Commission and 23 years in the Army Reserves with three years as a Company Commander, then as Major. I spent several years on Battalion staff and three years Brigade staff. I have spent 12 years in Vermont state government. As a member of the Baptist Church, I volunteered for many community projects and have been a member of the American Legion for 40-plus years. I have strong leadership skills, common sense and will bring much needed balance in Montpelier.
Education funding: For sure it definitely does need changing. This is one big reason we need balance in Montpelier so both parties can work together to find a solution. I don’t know the answers but I have common sense and am good at negotiating. We need to all work to find the answers to a more affordable solution. Perhaps the state has too many mandates that need to be changed, perhaps too many staff members, perhaps the student/teacher ratio needs adjusting, perhaps the curriculum needs changing. I need to see what has been done and what can be done.
Housing: It’s hard to do affordable housing with all the mandates the state currently has. We need to look at these regulations and what can be modified. Costly issues to affordable housing: Act 250 regulations, Natural Resources regulations for septic tanks, electric heat requirements, current interest rates, construction and material costs.
Climate crisis: I do not support this act (Clean Heat Standard). My vote is “no.” The majority of Vermonters cannot afford the additional $2 to $4 per gallon increase this act will raise their fuel bills, along with the recent increase in taxes and fees and increasing electrical bills. I know climate change is real and Vermont has to do its share to address the issues. The small state of Vermont is one of the cleanest states in the nation, we are doing a good job addressing climate change. We shouldn’t make the good people of the state of Vermont suffer financially from the environmental sins of the world.
Other priorities: The biggest issue at the present time is we need to work hard to make Vermont more affordable. Senior citizens on a fixed income are being forced out and younger people are looking for places less expensive to live with better jobs. We need to work on the Vermont economy, housing, business development, less taxes and fees to make Vermont more affordable. We can’t keep raising taxes and fees. I would work on other ways to produce income.
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