Discover More from This Category: Opinions

Killington needs workforce housing

February 26, 2025
Dear Editor, We’ve been part of the local community, owning a 3-family property we rent to locals, for 10 years now. Many locals recognize that housing for the local workforce is a major concern as the town looks to build the village. In a recent Mountain Times article, the developers stated that the target buyers…

Expanding the Killington Select Board: pros, cons

February 26, 2025
By Polly Mikula Voters in the town of Killington will be asked to consider expanding its current three-member volunteer Select Board to five at Town Meeting Day this Tuesday, March 4.  The question has been on the ballot before, and the measure failed, but there may be more appetite for it this time. Unfortunately, there…

Resist the billionaire playbook: What the oligarchs want

February 19, 2025
By U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders I do not often find myself in the habit of thanking Elon Musk, but he has done an exceptional job of demonstrating a point that we have made for years — and that is the fact we live in an oligarchic society in which billionaires dominate, not only our politics…

Keep Doenges as Mayor of Rutland City

February 19, 2025
Dear Editor,  Mike Doenges has been doing a very good job as mayor and deserves a second term. I have known Mike since he was a teenager; he came to our house to help Art and me with our computer. He was an industrious worker then and continues to be. He is outstanding in the…

MVSU educators support Sousa

February 19, 2025
Dear Editor, Editor’s note: This letter was originally addressed to the Mountain Views Supervisory Union Board and the communities it serves and is shared by request. As district employees, we were very concerned to see the petition calling for the removal or resignation of Superintendent Sherry Sousa. Confronting racism and swiftly addressing racist incidents are…

School leaders support Superintendent Sherry Sousa

February 19, 2025
Dear Editor, We are writing to the Mountain Views Supervisory Union Board and the communities it serves, to express our support for Sherry Sousa as superintendent of the Mountain Views Supervisory Union (MVSU). As principals and directors within the MVSU, we have worked closely with Sherry towards our goal of creating and maintaining a positive…

MVSD School Board Chair defends Sousa

February 19, 2025
Dear Editor, I write this letter as a parent and grandparent, a retired French and Spanish teacher with 44 years of experience, and a current school board chair. After receiving a letter requesting the dismissal of superintendent Sherry Sousa due to a lawsuit settled a year ago, I have engaged with community members, spoken with…

Defending Vermont’s public schools

February 19, 2025
Dear Editor, The most alarming thing about Governor Scott’s education transformation proposal is that it follows the playbook of conservative billionaires who are funding a coordinated effort to dismantle public education. Americans for Prosperity, a political advocacy group founded by the Koch Brothers, recently confirmed this when they singled out and praised Governor Scott’s efforts.…

Vt’s future is a choice between scarcity and abundance

February 19, 2025
By Kevin Chu Editor’s note: Kevin Chu is the executive director of the Vermont Futures Project, an independent non-partisan organization pursuing answers to their mission question: How can we use data to support the evolution of Vermont’s economy towards a thriving future full of opportunity for all? Personal growth is universally celebrated. We encourage people…

No on proposed cell tower

February 12, 2025
Dear Editor, We are writing in stark dissent of the proposed cell tower in Hartland Four Corners. Our dissension is based on several critical factors: IllegalityAccording to local ordinances, no construction shall surpass tree height, yet the proposed tower of 170+ feet far exceeds the height of any local flora. Health risksAccording to the American…

Trust in government officials through ethics standards – Vermont Act 171

February 12, 2025
Dear Editor, Act 171 has opened a door for Killington to strengthen trust between town officials and the community they serve. For seven years I was a law enforcement officer in the city of Alexandria, Virginia, a stone’s throw south of Washington, D.C. The profession comes with a heightened level of community trust, and to…

Why chaos and scapegoating work for Trump

February 12, 2025
By Angelo Lynn Editor’s note: Angelo Lynn is the publisher of the Addison Independent, a sister paper of the Mountain Times. As the nation’s increasingly discredited president continues to sow chaos at every level — domestic and international — it helps to understand what we can of his tactics. A recent piece by Jess Bidgood,…

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…

Tariffs

February 5, 2025
President Trump’s warning of tariffs on neighboring countries, Mexico and Canada, and critical trading partner China got off to a false start on Monday, Feb. 3, with the current administration putting the plan on hold after conversations with Mexico and Canada. A trade war is already brewing with China, who countered with tariffs on U.S.…

Fishers in crisis, action needed

February 5, 2025
Dear Editor, I am a conservation biologist with a specific interest in wildlife. Last April, I wrote and submitted a paper to the Vermont Fish and Wildlife board (FWB) summarizing the results from numerous studies across the U.S. and Canada indicating that anticoagulant rodenticide (AR) threatens fisher populations. Vermont had the highest exposure rate among…