Dear Editor,
My vote and endorsement in this election will go to Job Tate to represent the district of Chittenden, Mendon, Killington and Bridgewater. Job has a young family and is running to make sure that that his young family and others have a place in Vermont. As an elected official Job will take this responsibility very seriously to vote to support lower taxes and a better economy.
Over the last two years Representative Anne Gallivan has consistently voted in favor of every policy that is making Vermont a more unaffordable place to live, work and raise a family. In 2013 Gallivan voted in favor of H.510 which was a $21.8 million dollar gas tax increase, voted in favor of H.265 equating to a $50 million dollar property tax increase, voted to further regulate private property with H.526, voted to tax cloud services with H.528. In 2014, she voted in favor of requiring non-union childcare providers to pay union dues with S.316 and voted in favor of Childcare Unionization costing taxpayers between $800,000 and $2.5 million in increased subsidies. She voted in favor of a 5.5 percent increase in the General Fund Budget, well beyond the rate of inflation and economic growth in our state. Worst of all, she voted against making health care financing plans public before the fall elections with S.252 preventing Vermonters from important government transparency on this issue. Do any of these votes promote an environment where businesses can thrive to create good jobs?
Real estate professionals are seeing four families move out for each family moving in and our K-12 student enrollment continues to slide despite huge increases in property tax each year. The cost of living in Vermont and the lack of opportunity for good employment is driving these trends. Policies and votes count in reversing those trends. Please join me in voting for Job Tate in the election November 4. Please make sure you vote this year as every vote will count.
Jim Eckhardt, Chittenden
(Jim Eckhardt is a former state representative)
