Declaring My Independence
I have never been one to like to be pigeon holed into a group. When I ran for office I had no clue what party I belonged to. Honestly, it never made much of a difference to me. I’ve always viewed myself as an Independent spirit willing to work with people whether I agreed with them or not, and I have always tried to legislate in that manner - a good piece of legislation is a good piece of legislation no matter the party who introduced it, and a bad piece of legislation is a bad piece of legislation no matter which party introduced it. After serving at the State House and watching how the “parties”, not necessarily the “legislators”, are too often out for themselves and not necessarily the people, I have decided to abandon my party affiliation all together once my term is completed. This won’t come to any surprise to many people who know me since at the town meetings I attended this year I encouraged people to abandon their parties.
I also encourage people to quiz the candidates about what they really stand for and whether not only can they stand up to the other party, but will they have the stomach to stand up to their own party when it gets off track. As for incumbents - do more than check their voting records. Check around to find out what they are really up to when they are at the State House. There are some legislators who seldom ever go to committee and only appear on the House Floor when it comes time to vote. In my mind these legislators are doing a true disservice to this honorable institution and to their constituents. However, I want to emphasize that there are many, many hard working legislators who are truly working for the good of the state and the future of Vermont.
In closing I commend anybody who is running for office. Although there are many frustrating moments it is a great experience - one you’ll never forget!