We won’t forget Vermonters

Dear Editor,

 More than any post-election period that I can recall, Vermonters remain heavily engaged since November’s election. So engaged that many want to know why the problems highlighted on Nov. 5 haven’t already been fixed: education property taxes, housing affordability and availability, healthcare costs, public safety, and the Clean Heat Standard.

 This urgency, like the election, is yet another indicator of the frustration and desperation that many Vermonters are experiencing. Families with budgets already underwater or slightly above are now drowning; many that were comfortable are now questioning whether they can remain in Vermont. An end to the supermajority, while welcomed, is not an answer to a myriad of self-inflicted systemic problems facing Vermont.

 The Legislature will be sworn in on Jan. 8 and then must quickly organize and get to work while waiting for January’s revenue forecast, Governor Scott’s proposed budget, and warned school district budgets. While these fiscal clues will be relevant to solving Vermonter’s near-term problems, the Legislature needs to continue to focus on the difficult work of passing systemic change.

 For some, the most difficult part of passing systemic change will be confronting well-resourced special interest organizations that have been behind a myriad of self-serving policies and programs that do not serve Vermonters well and have caused countless negative unintended consequences. Vermonters must remain engaged with their legislators and continue to demand change that addresses Vermont’s affordability and public safety crisis. Legislator voting records are publicly available and serve as a convenient scorecard.

 Every election is important, and individually, they teach us different lessons. Nov. 5 was a stark reminder to many legislators that job one is to represent their constituents and that a voting record is a legislator’s bond. Well-meaning attempts to make Vermont more affordable by making it more expensive or solve world climate change in a small cold-climate state might sound great within the confines of Vermont’s State House when chatting with lobbyists and advocates, but they don’t look great when laid bare as a voting record at the feet of struggling Vermonters.

The lessons of Nov. 5 are real and were heard loud and clear by Vermont Senate Republicans. Vermonters have spoken; their voices deserve to be remembered and acted upon.

Scott Beck, St. Johnsbury

Editor’s note: Beck is the Caledonia District state senator-elect and the incoming Senate Republican Minority Leader. He previously served 10 years in the Vermont House of Representatives.