Nearly two thirds of young people in Vermont plan to leave the state within five years. That’s the latest finding out of UNH’s polling center — and a clear indictment of state leadership, which has failed to address Vermont’s affordability crisis in any meaningful way.

The trends have been worrisome for a while and are getting worse. Skyrocketing costs of housing and healthcare have sent young people packing. As a result, our communities have withered and schools have begun to shutter.

We are writing (and voting) as two mothers raising our families in rural Vermont. In our eyes, the most important measure of Vermont’s vitality isn’t its natural beauty or even its town meetings, but whether or not our small towns have enough students to fill our beloved community schools. For us, Vermont’s future lies in whether or not our children — the next generation — will be able to afford to live here when they grow up.

Perhaps Phil Scott was the steady hand we needed during Covid. But after a decade in the Governor’s seat, he’s done little to assuage the pains of unaffordability — in fact, they have gotten much worse. With the Aug. 11 primary around the corner, and the general election in November, Vermonters have the opportunity to elect a new governor who will do more than stand idly by.

A NEW VISION

We support Amanda Janoo for Governor because she is the candidate best equipped to address the root causes of Vermont’s affordability crisis. Born and raised in Strafford, Janoo cares deeply about thriving towns. She believes a different world is possible for our young people — one in which they have all they need to thrive right here at home. But her vision is not founded on a pipe dream. As an economist, Janoo sees clearly that we are living in a broken system that is not serving Vermonters and proposes solutions as big as the problems we are facing. As an economist, her proposed solutions are based on practical, detailed policy.

Janoo also knows that the volatility in Washington, including Trump’s cancellation of federal funding intended for states, means that we need a blueprint for Vermont’s future that is shielded from national threats and pressures. She will prioritize strengthening our state’s rights, forming coalitions with neighboring states, decentralizing power and decision-making, and rejecting school consolidation. As a Vermonter, Janoo knows that even amidst today’s great challenges, our state wields the unique power of its small communities. And building an affordable future for those communities, she says, begins with tackling the root causes of housing and healthcare.

HOMES ARE FOR VERMONTERS TO LIVE IN

Vermont doesn’t have enough housing and the housing that is available is too expensive. For young people to afford to live here, we need to build more. But we also need to change the incentive structure so that those who are able to buy and build aren’t large investors and private equity firms, but young people, working families, and older Vermonters looking to age in place.

As an economist, Janoo knows that the long-promised prosperity of “trickle-down economics” has never benefited regular working people. Instead, her policies will increase both the housing stock and make homes more affordable for regular Vermonters. As Janoo explains, “Vermont’s housing crisis didn’t happen by chance. For decades, homes have been treated like investments rather than homes.” She proposes restrictions on investment from large out-of-state corporations. Additionally, homes that are vacant (23% at the last census!), speculative, or of very high value would fall into a higher tax bracket. This tax revenue would flow into the Vermont Affordable Housing Trust Fund, which “supports Vermonters to buy and build houses, cooperatives, and community land trusts across the state, to ensure permanent affordability of housing now and for generations to come.”

Janoo understands that Vermont’s housing crisis needs more than simply building more homes — and she is unafraid to propose solutions that stand up to out-of-state corporate interests in order to truly protect the interests of Vermonters.

ALL VERMONTERS DESERVE FREE PRIMARY CARE

Vermont’s healthcare system is on the brink of collapse. We are witnessing this firsthand as UVM Health — the primary provider of healthcare in our state — navigates a financial crisis. UVM Medical Center is losing $460K every single day and is seeking to recover $100 million annually from its budget over the next three years. Furthermore, Vermonters now have the infamy of paying the highest insurance premiums in the country, spending on average 20% of their income on healthcare. Janoo is proposing free primary care in Vermont, which would provide Vermonters with high-quality primary and preventative care at no cost to patients — no copays, deductibles, or insurance costs. The program would be funded through a fair-share income surcharge on Vermonters who earn more than $500,000 a year. This kind of free universal care would reduce overall healthcare costs by preventing ER visits and unnecessary hospitalizations, with projected savings of $250–$300 million per year statewide. More importantly, it would reduce the burden of healthcare costs for regular Vermonters as well as small businesses that are currently struggling to cover insurance costs for employees.

Vermont’s deepening healthcare crisis is not going to go away by making incremental changes to a broken system — we need true leaders like Janoo who are willing to propose structural changes to a health network that simply isn’t working. Fixing our healthcare problem means our aging population will be well-cared for, young people will be able to live here and small businesses and employers will have a path toward prosperity.

COURAGEOUS CHANGE

What makes Amanda Janoo such an exceptional candidate is her ability to envision solutions that are built on what we love about Vermont. And this kind of leadership, which so many of us have been hungry for — for so long! — is drawing broad support, including from young people. As our 24-year-old friend, Jess Buxbaum, said recently:

“Amanda appeals to me because she knows how to design systems in which the things we all need — affordable homes and healthcare, local and sustainable food, a clean and biodiverse environment, and communities that are healthy, vibrant and connected — are utterly non-negotiable. She understands that the old trickle-down logic of ‘get big or get out’ has never been the solution for a small state whose greatest strength is in its small towns, small farms, small businesses and tight-knit communities. I fell completely in love with Vermont when I came here for college, and I hope to make a home and a good life here; Amanda’s leadership as governor will make that possible.”

Amanda Janoo says that “Vermonters deserve better than managed decline.” This is not a time to nibble at the edges of reform. It’s a time for brave solutions that will turn the tide of exodus. It is a time to stand up to big business and the federal government, and to challenge the status quo that has made Vermont so unaffordable to so many people who live here: the nurses and carpenters and farmers and teachers who make up our beloved communities — the neighbors who deliver our babies, build our homes, grow our food and teach our children.

A vote for Janoo is a vote for our young Vermonters, and the vitality of their future here in the Green Mountain State.

See you at the polls on August 11. (Visit the Vermont Voter Portal to request a mail-in ballot.)

Editor’s note: Jenny Bates is a mother and midwife who lives in Lincoln. Liza Cochran is a mother and teacher, and the co-author of Brave Little Voices who also lives in Lincoln.