I first met Amanda Janoo at a small meet-and-greet at the Brandon Bookstore early in the campaign. Before saying a word about her plans, she asked everyone to share what they were proud of about Brandon. Only after about 25 minutes did she talk about the bottom-up economy she envisions for Vermont. She’s done the same thing every time I’ve seen her since. Amanda listens to learn.
That habit is more than good manners. It’s a method she developed at the Wellbeing Economy Alliance, where she led the team that created a Policy Design Guide built on a simple principle: Governments must engage with communities to understand their vision for the future and the areas of life most important to their wellbeing. As Amanda says, the future of Vermont “will be built by investing in the people, businesses, farms and communities that are already here — creating an economy where more wealth is created here, stays here, and is shared more broadly.”
This is not just campaign talk. Amanda has the hands-on experience needed to lead the development of bottom-up economies in Vermont communities. She began her career as an industrial policy specialist with the United Nations and the African Development Bank, helping governments build local industries and good jobs. As Governor, she will bring that experience home, with policies that keep more money circulating in Vermont and support home-grown businesses like Blue Ledge Farm and Danforth Pewter.
Amanda thinks strategically. Her policy design process, which runs from vision through strategy, implementation, and evaluation, was tested in four cities on three continents. In her professional writing about those projects, she is candid about the need to anticipate what can go wrong and take steps to avoid mistakes.
And Amanda brings an economist’s discipline to the budget. She would reorganize existing spending around outcomes first. She would ask owners of luxury second homes and commercial vacation rentals to pay more and use the revenue to lower property taxes for Vermont residents. And she would ask Vermont’s highest earners to pay a surcharge roughly equal to their recent federal tax cut, using that money to fund universal primary care. She seeks to prevent costly downstream problems with inexpensive upstream interventions.
It’s time for a Governor who listens to the people and knows how to respond with policies that work. Amanda Janoo is ready for the job. And Vermont needs Amanda Janoo.
Mike Palmer
Cornwall
