Commentaries
Commentaries/Op-ed submissions are written by those who have a particular authority and/or expertise on the topic they’re opining about. They are chosen by the editorial team often to inspire conversation and/or differing viewpoints worth consideration in public discourse.
293
Stories
4
Writers
Vermont’s public safety and recovery need adaptation
April 16, 2025
By Jenney Samuelson, secretary Agency of Human Services Vermont has long been a leader in treatment for addiction and substance use, particularly through its Hub and Spoke model, launched nearly a decade ago to address the opioid epidemic. This approach brought treatment into mainstream, integrating into doctor’s offices and expanding access to services through regional…
The state of maple
April 16, 2025
By Anson Tebbetts, Vermont Agriculture Secretary By the end of the month, we’ll have a clearer picture of how Vermont’s sugar makers view this season. How was the yield? What will prices look like? Where will the markets be? In June, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will release the official results of its annual…
House panel offers education path
April 9, 2025
By Rep. Peter Conlon and Rep. Charlie Kimbell Editor’s note: Rep. Peter Conlon, Cornwall, is the chair of the House Education Committee and Rep. Charlie Kimbell, Woodstock, is the ranking member of the House Ways & Means Committee. On Friday, March 28, Vermont’s House Committee on Education voted out its much anticipated “Education Transformation” bill,…
UVM Medical Center’s academic mission is critical to Vermonters’ health
April 2, 2025
By Mary Cushman Editor’s note: Mary Cushman, MD, MSc is a University Distinguished Professor and Vice Chair of Medicine, Co-Director Vermont Center for Cardiovascular and Brain Health, University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine Director, Thrombosis and Hemostasis Program, University of Vermont Medical Center Recommendations from the Act 167 “Oliver Wyman report” suggest that UVM…
Discover More from This Category: Commentaries
How appeals drive up housing costs
March 26, 2025
By Secretary Lindsay Kurrle Too often in Vermont, popular and necessary housing construction is derailed, delayed, or diminished by a small number of folks abusing the appeals process who have no direct skin in the game and are reluctant to welcome new neighbors. While appeals are valuable in certain cases, they also drive-up costs, affecting…
Transforming education in Vermont through equity, quality, and sustainability
March 12, 2025
By Governor Phil Scott Over the past few months, my administration has rolled out a plan to transform and strengthen our public education system. After last year’s double digit increase in property taxes, Vermonters made it clear that we need to make major changes to a system that no longer meets the needs of our…
Historical déjà vu
March 5, 2025
By Julia Purdy, Rutland President Trump’s trade war with long-time trading partners, posing as protection, threatens to create waste, loss, and undue expense for American businesses and households alike. Tariffs are an outmoded tactic to bolster goods made in the U.S. against imports – but the tactic backfires as U.S. access to manufacturing materials is…
Medical debt relief is a direct investment in Vermonters
February 5, 2025
By Vermont Treasurer Mike Pieciak As Vermont’s Treasurer, I am committed to making investments that lower costs, strengthen our economy, and support healthier communities. I believe every Vermonter deserves a fair shot at success, regardless of the situation they are born into. Yet, for too many Vermonters, the cost of health care stands in the…
The great housing development divide
January 22, 2025
The State of Vermont is one of the biggest housing developers in the state. Seven state departments qualify as housing developers, and the University of Vermont is a housing developer. Seven public housing authorities also qualify as housing developers. Add to the list the seven homeownership organizations that are housing developers, and then there are…
The 3 Hs — housing, hunger and health care
January 22, 2025
By Bill Schubart Editor’s note: Bill Schubart is a retired businessman and active fiction writer, and was a former chair of the Vermont Journalism Trust, the parent organization for VTDigger. The latest statewide count for unsheltered Vermonters is 3,458, a nearly 5% increase over 2023, the second highest rate in the country, and this is deemed…
Vermont’s housing crisis: A call for decisive action
January 15, 2025
By Miro Weinberger Editor’s note: Miro Weinberger is a former mayor of Burlington (2012-2024) and a former affordable housing developer. He is currently a Visiting Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School’s Taubman Center. Abundant housing is the cornerstone of an affordable, vibrant, and inclusive Vermont. Yet today, that vision of our beloved state is at risk…
“Recalculating…Recalculating”
January 15, 2025
Before Apple Play and phone navigation apps, we had a Garmin (we referred to it as Gladys) to help us with directions to unfamiliar destinations. If we made a wrong turn, Gladys would start saying, “Recalculating...”To make it more annoying, Gladys would keep repeating it until we got back on track. The message was clear:…
‘Tis the season…
December 18, 2024
Santa with his endless lists, and many others are busy this time of year getting ready for the upcoming holiday season. Likewise, Vermont legislators are also busy prepping for the new session, which begins Jan. 8. Newly elected representatives and senators attended a three-day orientation session last month at the State House and all new…
Before school budget talks turn to slashing expenses
November 20, 2024
By Angelo Lynn Editor’s note: Angelo Lynn is the owner and publisher of the Addison Independent, a sister paper of the Mountain Times. With 2024-25 education property tax rate hikes well into double digits last year, it’s little doubt school boards will be primed for holding costs to a minimum for their upcoming budgets. Already…
Change is in the air…
November 14, 2024
Like the temperature changes outside that will soon bring us winter, Election Day results will bring a different dynamic to the State House in January. The current supermajority in the Vermont Legislature has been dissolved. The Democrats will maintain majorities in the House and Senate but will no longer be able to override vetoes by…
Closing schools doesn’t fix Vermont’s education affordibility problems
October 30, 2024
By Margaret MacLean Editor’s note: Margaret MacLean, of Peacham, is a retired Vermont teacher and award-winning principal. She is the founding executive director of the Vermont Rural Education Collaborative, a past employee of the Rural School and Community Trust, and served on the Vermont State Board of Education. Roxbury parents can meet most of the…
Making Vermont a place working families want to call home
October 30, 2024
By Rebecca Holcombe Editor’s note: Rebecca Holcombe is a Vermont Representative from Windsor-Orange 2 who served as the Vermont Secretary of Education from 2014 to 2018. Vermonters suffer from unsustainable increases in the cost of everything from property taxes to healthcare. Too many people are working hard and stretching Social Security checks but still worry…
The final week…
October 30, 2024
In a matter of days, the 2024 General Election will be over. Hooray!If you have not already sent in your ballot to your town clerk, you have three options according to the Secretary of State’s Office: Bring your ballot to your town clerk’s office in-person during their open hours. Drop your ballot into an official…
An Indigenous Day message
October 16, 2024
By Chief Don Stevens, Nulhegan Band of the Coosuk – Abenaki Nation As the holiday season approaches, it gives us time to reflect on how we celebrate the Holidays. Whether you celebrate Columbus or Indigenous Peoples Day is a personal choice. Some gather together to celebrate the original inhabitants of this land, Columbus, or simply…
