Via Community News Service, a University of Vermont journalism internship, for The Valley Reporter
On Wednesday, Oct. 21, seventh grade students wearing pins that read “future voter” welcomed over 150 attendees to the Harwood Union Middle & High School auditorium for a student-run forum with the legislative contenders on the ballot in the school district.
The Senate candidates in attendance were Democratic incumbents Ann Cummings and Andrew Perchlik alongside Democrat/Progressive Anne Watson and Republican candidates Rob LeClair, Christopher Neddo and Peter Schmeeckle. They are contending for three seats that represent the area.
The House candidates present were Democratic incumbents Dara Torre, Candice White and Theresa Wood, as well as first-time candidate Katarina Lisaius. The House races in the district are uncontested with the four candidates running for four seats.
Social studies teacher Sarah Ibson and English teacher Meredith Vaughn organized the event. They hope to strengthen their students’ sense of civic responsibility, even though their students are years away from being able to cast their vote.
“We want them to leave here with a good sense of citizenship, like how their voice matters in decisions that are made,” Ibson said.
STUDENT PREP
In social studies class, students learned about how laws are passed and the structure of government. In the English classroom, they learned about local issues that concern voters in this area.
Students also interviewed family members and adults in their school to understand what issues were most important to them.
“The biggest one was affordability in Vermont,” Ibson said.
TAKE THE STAGE
At the forum, the six Senate candidates took to the stage first. Student moderators asked them four questions and each candidate had one minute to respond. The questions addressed issues around affordability, keeping young Vermonters in the state and what makes a good candidate.
In response to what makes a good candidate, all the contenders agreed that a senator must have integrity, a willingness to listen to the needs of Vermonters and involvement in the community.
LeClair said he feels as if there is a lot of work that needs to be done to ensure that the average Vermonter is well-represented in Montpelier.
Watson said she believes candidates are looking for someone who is willing to work across the aisle.
AFFORDABILITY
Candidates agreed that housing affordability in Vermont is a pressing issue. Most candidates suggested permit reform as a solution to increase the housing stock.
Cummings, a former real estate agent, said that the high cost of materials and labor is a national issue that can’t be fully addressed at the state level.
Students also asked candidates how they would address young people’s concerns about staying in Vermont, citing a recent Seven Days story that reported 60% of Vermont ressidents, ages 18-34 will “likely” leave the state in the next five years.
Neddo and LeClair highlighted the need for more job opportunities in Vermont. They both said building more industry could keep young people in state.
For 18 to 25 year olds who can’t find a job or career in Vermont, Schmeeckle encourages them to join the military and serve their country.
Watson suggested a wealth tax to help increase affordability for young people.
“One of the ways that we can make Vermont more affordable is by asking Vermont’s wealthiest residents to pay a little bit more,” she said.
Cummings agreed with Watson: “We need to work on our economy,” she said. “We need to make sure that our education stays top quality. We need to work on getting those property taxes down.”
Meanwhile, Perchlik said that taking time away from Vermont can give young people valuable perspectives.
“It makes Vermont a better place if people have gone out,” he said.
KEEPING YOUNG PEOPLE
The four candidates for House also fielded four questions each. Students asked about housing affordability, young people leaving Vermont and the future of the state.
These issues are close to home for Lisaius, a Harwood graduate who stayed in Vermont for college and has never moved elsewhere.
“I want to make sure that opportunity is available for other young Vermonters,” Lisaius said. She said she wants to focus on development and opportunities for young people in rural parts of the state.
To encourage young people to stay in the state and live on their own, Torre said there needs to be a strong relationship between landlords and tenants.
As for the future of Vermont, Torre sees a need for moderation: “We have to balance the needs of today with the longer-term vision.”
White hopes to see the state invest in more clean energy.
Wood drew attention to the homelessness crisis: “We have hundreds of children who are sleeping outside, sleeping in shelters, sleeping in family cars. We are better than that and we are not doing the right things by those folks,” she said.
EDUCATION REFORM
Students also asked the candidates what they think the state should do to address school funding, and about consolidation measures in the Harwood district.
“We know that there are a lot of pressures on schools to do a lot more in terms of social services, and those are the kinds of things that we have to pay attention to and find other ways to fund,” said Wood, who has served on the school board for several years.
White said change needs to happen: “They’re going to be difficult in the short term, but in the long term they will provide really more opportunities for students,” she said.
“We need to proceed carefully,” Torre said. “We would hate to see a school like Harwood go through painful cuts that really set our kids back because we’re forcing things to happen fast and without all the information we need.”
Lisaius said she is focused on ensuring that the representatives are thoughtful about this process.
CONTINUED INVOLVEMENT
The forum wrapped up at 7:30 p.m. As attendees exited the auditorium, they were encouraged to fill out an exit poll conducted by the math club, which was also holding a bake sale.
Students plan to use the data from the polls to create and analyze graphs. The results will show “a picture of what our valley residents care about,” seventh grade math teacher Andrea Knepper said.
The students who organized the event also put together posters that were displayed in the auditorium lobby.
“I wrote about how every vote counts. Even if one person votes, that still really matters,” student Sylvia Lehnhoff said.
The event was live streamed by Mad River Valley TV.