Politics

Politics section

The Nov. 8, 2022 Ballot is Getting Crowded! There Will Be 5 (FIVE!) Independent Candidates for U.S. Senator!

by Cris Ericson | Politics

Hello! I’m Cris Ericson and I am one of the 5 (FIVE!!!) INDEPENDENT candidates on the Nov. 8, 2022 ballot for U.S. Senator. It’s starting to look like the independent movement is very popular in Vermont!

I do want to report, because I mentioned this previously, that my first cousin’s son was on the ballot in Missouri, and now I am terribly sad to report that the Press reported that the richest candidate won the Democrat primary for U.S. Senator there. The richest Democrat candidate, Trudy Busch Valentine, heiress to megal millions from the Busch empire, didn’t bother to file until the last filing date, and waltzed in and started spreading her cash around Missouri. Lucas Kunce had been campaigning for a whole year, a nice guy, a U.S. Marine for 13 years, Major, JAG Officer, law degree in International Law, worked with the Pentagon, was exposed to burn pits, AND HE WAS ENDORSED BY U.S. SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS OF VERMONT.

Brattleboro August 9 Primary Election Information

by Not Signed In | Politics

Below is information that might be helpful to know for Aug. 9 State Primary elections.

The polling place for all three districts in Brattleboro is the American Legion, 32 Linden St., from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. 

Masks are no longer required to enter the American Legion for voting, but they are certainly welcome and will be provided, along with hand sanitizer.

Parking is available at the American Legion and the Municipal Center parking lots. There are handicapped parking spaces close to the American Legion entrance.

Vote Isaac Evans-Frantz for U. S. Senate!

by MD | Politics

I strongly believe that we need the leadership of Isaac Evans-Frantz to fill our open US Senate seat. I encourage my fellow Vermonters to vote for him by the August 9th election. For over 20 years, he has sought and gained solutions to problems at home and around the world.

He’s built relationships and coalitions which benefit everyday Vermonters and everyday worldwide citizens. From improved Vermont dental care to $650 billion worth of global COVID relief, Isaac’s role was vital. His leadership led to bipartisan legislation aimed at ending our unconstitutional war on Yemen, the poorest country in the Middle East. It also provided $2.7 billion in aid to Ukraine, all at no cost to the US. This was the largest release of international funds in history.

What Is Wrong With So Many People?

by SK-B | Politics

https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/26/politics/cnn-poll-january-6-trump/index.html

According to a current CNN news story:

“. . . a public consensus has emerged that former President Donald Trump acted at least unethically in trying to hold on to his office after the 2020 election (79% feel he acted either unethically or illegally, including 45% who believe his actions were illegal), that he encouraged political violence in his public statements ahead of January 6 (61%) and that he could have done more to stop the attack once it had begun (77%).

Brattleboro Absentee Ballots for the Primary Election Available

by Not Signed In | Politics

Absentee ballots for the Primary Election to be held on Aug. 9 are now available in Vermont town clerks’ offices. Due to the ongoing pandemic, voters are encouraged to vote absentee. Absentee ballots for the State Primary Elections must be requested. Anyone wishing to vote early may do so until 5 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 8 in person. If requesting a ballot by mail, please allow for ample delivery time.

Absentee ballots may be sent by mail or picked up by the voter. Voters needing assistance, please call the Brattleboro Town Clerk’s office to discuss options. All voted ballots must be received by the clerk before the polls close on Election Day to be counted. Ballots can be returned by mail, dropped off in advance of the election in the drop box in the Municipal Center parking lot or returned to the polls on Election Day.

Mark Coester, (R) on Primary Ballot for State Senator, Goes to Southern Border Wall & Inspects Hole In It!

by Cris Ericson | Politics

I seriously want Mark Coester to win his primary election run, Aug. 9, 2022, for State Senator because if he loses that, he told me his plan B is to run for U.S. Senator, and I see at the Vermont Secretary of State Elections Div. links for 2022 candidates that he is on the ballot for both Aug. 9th as a Republican and Nov. 8, 2022 as an Independent.

State and Town-Wide Redistricting

by Not Signed In | Politics

Every ten years, the Vermont State Legislature is required to conduct a redistricting process, based on the census results. Earlier this year, the Vermont State Legislature redistricted the Vermont House of Representatives and renamed Brattleboro’s three Districts as Windham-7 (previously Windham 2-1, or District 1), Windham-8 (previously Windham 2-2, or District 2), and Windham-9 (previously Windham 2-3, or District 3), changing the district lines slightly.

For local Town Meeting Day elections, the districts will be called: “Windham-7/Brattleboro District 1,” “Windham-8/Brattleboro District 2,” and “Windham-9/Brattleboro District 3.”

Cris Ericson On The Nov. 8, 2022 Election Ballot!

by Cris Ericson | Politics

Hello! My name is Cris Ericson and I would like to publicly thank more than 500 local Vermonters in southeastern Vermont who signed my petitions to allow me to be on the Nov. 8, 2022 general election ballot as an Independent candidate for United States Senator.

I am very grateful for this opportunity to be another voice in this election when so many people are a little bit frustrated with their usual political affiliations with Democrats and Republicans and they are willing and ready to hear my newest ideas. 

Brenda Siegel of Newfane Files for 2022 Gubernatorial Race

by Not Signed In | Politics

Montpelier, VT – This morning, Brenda Siegel of Newfane filed her petitions with the Secretary of State to become the first candidate from any party to officially be in the race for Governor of Vermont. Siegel, a Democrat, is running on a platform committed to some of Vermont’s biggest issues: housing, the overdose crisis, education, and climate change. 

Said Siegel upon filing: “I’m so grateful for the opportunity to run in this race. I’ve been fighting for working Vermonters my entire life, and now, more than ever, our communities are struggling and they need us to do more. Vermont needs leaders who prioritize taking bold climate action, building a bottom-up economy, putting real resources into healing the overdose crisis, and supporting and strengthening our education system. These are not new issues and we need a Governor that is ready to lead. I’m confident that I can – and will – be that Governor.”

Wendy Harrison of Brattleboro Announces Candidacy for Windham County Senate Seat

by Not Signed In | Politics

Wendy Harrison of Brattleboro has announced that she is a candidate for one of the two soon-to-be-vacant Windham County State Senator seats. She is running as a Democrat in the August 9 primary.

Harrison has 30+ years of local government experience and a passion for working together with everyone in the community to address challenges and seize opportunities.

“We can solve our problems from the ground up, as long as the process is inclusive,” Harrison said. “I am committed to identifying barriers and developing solutions that empower individuals. This benefits us all.”

Cris Ericson Running as Independent for U.S. Senator 2022: New Platform

by Cris Ericson | Politics

(1) FUNDING FOR HEALTH CARE

We pay our taxes to the federal government, the I.R.S., and then the U.S. Congress votes to give billions of our tax dollars to the N.I.H., the National Institute of Health, and then they give out our tax dollars for medical research to create new vaccines and prescription drugs and medical devices, BUT since the Bayh-Dole Act was passed we have been cheated because the lead researcher is allowed, under this federal law, to own the Patents, which are the ownership rights to the new inventions

Did Brattleboro Representative Town Meeting Make A Mistake Raising Selectboard Stipends?

by cgrotke | Politics

For many years it was assumed that the pool of selectboard candidates could be increased by increasing the compensation for the position. The idea was that maybe people who are single parents or working multiple jobs would run if only there was enough compensation to make it worthwhile. A corollary was that perhaps the board has been dominated by only people well-off enough to have the free time to serve.

Representatives at Brattleboro’s Representative Town Meeting would have this discussion at each RTM when the compensation article would come up. Eventually the arguments prevailed and the stipends went up. A board member now gets $8000 plus money to pay for child or other care during meetings. The chair gets more.

VT Town Meeting Day – America’s Last Bastion Of Direct Participatory Democracy – Defending Our Rural Tradition

by David Van Deusen | Politics

3/1/2022, Cabot Vermont – Today is Town Meeting Day here in our Vermont. While a community may have many Town Meetings throughout the year, the first Tuesday in March is, for the most part, when all our communities come together to make important decisions for the coming year. From Town budgets to School budgets, from local ordinances to expressing views on a range of topics, Town Meeting is where Vermonters debate and decide on the issues of the day.

And traditionally it is at such Town Meetings that ALL the citizens of a community act as the legislative branch of local government, with the power to publicly debate, make motions, propose amendments, and ultimately vote from the floor on those issues set before them.

Brattleboro Town & School Unofficial Election Results

by Not Signed In | Politics

Please see attached for the “unofficial results” for Brattleboro Town Meeting. The attached is formatted to show the unofficial winners for each race in bold. These are the results from the ballot tallies, not including write-in votes.

Brattleboro’s WSESD unofficial results are at the bottom of the spreadsheet. These are not the final results, as the school district needs to tally the votes from all 4 towns.

iBrattleboro Selectboard Candidate Interview – Jessica Gelter

by cgrotke | Politics

Jessica Gelter is an incumbent running for a one year seat.

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Tell us a bit about yourself and why you are running for a one year seat…

I’m a nonprofit business leader, a townie, an artist, and a mom. I’m running again because the work that fired me up and inspired me to run last year is still underway, and I would like to be accountable and follow through on some of the decisions I helped make last year, like hiring new town manager Yoshi Manale.

What did you think of your first budget season?  Enjoy the overview of Town Operations?

I keep saying, it felt like a love fest! It was really surprising. Peter and the staff handed us a budget that was really easy to understand and say yes to, with some minor tweaks and alterations to make sure the tax rate didn’t jump up significantly again. I certainly learned a lot about the various functions of the Town departments, and all the equipment we own!

iBrattleboro Selectboard Candidate Interview – Tim Wessel

by cgrotke | Politics
Tim Wessel

Tim Wessel is an incumbent running for a one year seat.

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Is there anything special you are still trying to accomplish? Why keep doing this?

As you know I’ve been on the board for five years, and I do feel I’ve been on the board long enough and have accomplished much in that time. I’ve decided to continue for another year for two reasons: 1. I saw no one who I thought was capable stepping up as a candidate, and 2. I think it will be good for Brattleboro to have some consistency as our new Town Manager Yoshi Manale gets settled into his role with consistent board leadership. I’m also interested in continuing efforts around housing in Brattleboro and have an influence in the ARPA funds conversation going forward.

RTM increased compensation to make it easier for more people to serve, yet you are running unopposed. Did RTM make a mistake? Increasing compensation did not increase candidates…

I think RTM did make a mistake, and I said so at the time. More money does not equal a better Selectboard. Of course, one year does not close the debate on this, but one does have to wonder what impact effectively doubling the compensation has had. It is appreciated by the sitting board of course, and did influence my decision to continue this year. 

iBrattleboro Selectboard Candidate Interview – Daniel Quipp

by cgrotke | Politics

Daniel Quipp is an incumbent running for a three year seat.

Tell us a bit about yourself and why you are running for a three year seat…

Hello iBrattleboro! I’ve been on the board for the last three years and have decided to take the plunge for the 3-year seat. I’m proud of the work we have done in the last three years and am up for the challenge of the next three. Hopefully we’ll finally move out of the pandemic and into a period of recovery for all people. There are many opportunities ahead and with a new town manager at the helm, I’m excited to see what we can accomplish for the good of the town.

RTM increased compensation to make it easier for more people to serve, yet you are running unopposed. Did RTM make a mistake? Increasing compensation did not increase candidates…

Running unopposed certainly feels quite strange. In my previous three elections I think the smallest field was four candidates vying for two seats. Whether the lack of candidates is related to compensation, I cannot say. The $8000 stipend did not really figure in my decision to run again. I think the work of being on the board for the last two years might not have looked super appealing and with all of the incumbents choosing to run again perhaps potential candidates decided to wait until next year?