Letter to the editor: Addison-3 incumbents have ‘proven leadership’

As Election Day approaches, I urge Addison-3 voters to support the re-election of Matt Birong and Diane Lanpher. In times as challenging as these, we need leaders with experience, proven leadership, and a deep understanding of the complex issues facing our state.

Sometime in the near future, Matt and Danelle Birong will sell their downtown Vergennes eatery, 3 Squares Café, to longtime friends Scott Collins and Jody Hayes, a couple living in Bolton with their own deep ties to Vermont’s restaurant sector. 

The state rep and owner of 3 Squares Cafe teamed up with World Central Kitchen to run his food truck for three nights in the town of Johnson, one of the areas heavily impacted by recent flooding. 

Vergennes Rep. Matt Birong’s effort to make open cremation, or funeral pyres, legal in Vermont has roots in Star Wars.

Addison County lawmakers will wield significant influence in shaping the state’s legislative agenda for the next two years, as our local delegation has snagged three committee chairmanships in the House and two in the Senate.

Addison-3 Vermont House District incumbents Diane Lanpher and Matt Birong, both Vergennes Democrats, cruised to re-election on Tuesday over a pair of Republican challengers, Rob North of Ferrisburgh and James McClay of New Haven.

With politicians, what you see is not always what you get.

We have personal experience working with Becca in the Legislature; we have seen her listen to multiple viewpoints to understand, collaborate with others to move legislation forward, and tackle tough issues head on.

VERGENNES — Citing the tight labor market, downtown Vergennes restaurant owner Matt Birong on Tuesday asked the Vergennes City Council for permission to park a food truck next to the city green on Mondays and Tuesdays through mid-November.Birong said he c … (read more)

VERGENNES — Matt Birong, owner of the Three Squares Café in Vergennes and a state representative, has been in contact regularly with statewide hospitality and restaurant groups, chambers of commerce, and other trade organizations outside of hospitality. W … (read more)

VERGENNES — Addison-3 Reps. Diane Lanpher and Matt Birong, both D-Vergennes, cruised to re-election on Tuesday over two GOP challengers.  Lanpher won her seventh term to the Vermont House of Representatives, while Birong will return to Montpelier for his … (read more)

This has been a difficult year for most Vermonters, but none have struggled more than people facing homelessness and food insecurity. More than 200 people in Addison County found themselves in shelters and motel rooms at the height of the pandemic. Even m … (read more)

My husband Steve and I moved to Vergennes in Winter of 2006 and recently sold our house last year, moving us closer to our restaurant in Middlebury. I first met Matt Birong when he bought the cafe in town. I remember that he immediately reached out to the … (read more)