A Hold Out Article from my Campaign Days

When I worked as a reporter for the Chronicle in Barton one of my jobs was to interview the people running for state office. At that time I wondered what sane thinking person would want to run for office and hold themselves up for public scrutiny. But my years as a reporter also provided me with a unique view of the election process. 

One thing that caught my eye about “some” candidates is that they were more interested in promoting their personal agendas then trying to represent a good cross section of the people. What it came down is “if” they took the time to listen to the people, many fell back onto their own personal agendas if their elections were successful.

As the publisher of Vermont’s Northland Journal I have had the fortunate opportunity to get to meet, and talk with a cross section of people from all walks of life. Although some of their wants and needs are different, their similarities far outweigh their differences. Most have no interest, and most are disheartened, by the politics of the extremes – or the left and right – that focus more on personal agendas and divisive issues designed to divide us than issues that really matter to us as members of our rural communities.

When I started contemplating a run for the Vermont House of Representatives for Orleans 1 (Brownington, Derby, Holland, Morgan, and Charleston) I turned to one of Vermont’s most respected residents – Lola Aiken, the widow of the late Vermont Governor turned prominent U.S. Senator George Aiken, for advice. In 1949, the now late senator coined the phrase, Northeast Kingdom. Mrs. Aiken encouraged me to run for office as a voice of moderation, the same way her husband did, not to promote myself, but to work for the people.

One piece of advice that Mrs. Aiken gave me was to “listen” to what the people have to say - people from all walks of life. Don’t “tell” people what is good for them. They’ll tell you.

Of course most local people are concerned about the war, terrorism, and the cost of fuel, but on a local level the people I have spoken to are interested in issues such as the cost of healthcare and insurance, not the petty bickering of some members of the political parties who seem to enjoy disagreeing with each other simply for the sake of disagreeing - on taxpayers time and dollars.

Most people that I have spoken with have no interest in having legislature dictate our lives with dozens of new laws. They feel that commonsense cannot be legislated. Instead they are concerned with the rising cost of housing and land. They wonder if their children will be able to afford to live here. Some of our seniors simply wonder how they are going to make ends meet.

People are concerned about our natural environment. While most people want economic growth, they want it done in such a way that it doesn’t destroy our environment, or rural way of life, or the livelihood of our local business owners. This is a delicate balance.

Then there are our military veterans – men and women who have served, serve, or will serve, this country. I have had the opportunity to have many veterans share their stories with me, and the sacrifices they have made. My family and I took part in a fundraising effort to send WW II veterans to the new WW II memorial in Washington D.C., a memorial to honor all those who fought in the war. Our trip with the busload of veterans and their families is certainly a highlight in my family’s life. I cannot come close to understanding what they saw in war, but I can say we cannot forget them, or any veteran.

Yes, the region has needs, but I am an optimist, a positive thinker who believes that the Northeast Kingdom is a great place to live and work. Instead of moaning about the pitfalls of living here, we need to focus on all the good and making them better, while working on the region’s weaknesses, and empowering people to believe that they have the power to make a difference in their lives and communities.

Some political candidates will try to win at any cost. I won’t do that. I would rather lose and have my reputation and integrity intact, and to serve as a voice of the often-unheard members of our community during this campaign season, then win by making false promises and being somebody I’m not. I will not sell out myself, and if elected, I will not sell out my constituents.

I welcome people to contact me at (802) 334-5920 or swheeler@together.net.