Washington County Senate online candidate forum
July 6, 2022 | By Lisa Scagliotti UPDATE: The candidate forum held June 6 was recorded. The video can be viewed now online.
Democratic candidates Washington County state Senate (l to r): Sen. Ann Cummings, Sen. Andrew Perchlik, Jared Duval, Jeremey Hansen, Anne Watson. Image courtesy debate organizers
Candidates seeking the Democratic Party’s nomination for the three Washington County state Senate seats will take part in an online debate tonight starting at 6 p.m.
The debate is hosted by the Vermont Conservation Voters and the Vermont Public Interest Research Group. Times Argus Publisher and Executive Editor Steven Pappas will moderate the discussion held via Zoom from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
In announcing the debate, the groups noted that the discussion will focus on questions pertaining to environmental issues including climate change and clean water.
Five candidates are running in the Aug. 9 primary election for the three spots on the November general election ballot. They are incumbents Ann Cummings and Andrew Perchlik along with Jared Duval, Jeremy Hansen, and Anne Watson.
Cummings, a Democrat and former Montpelier mayor and retired real estate agent, is seeking her 13th two-year term. Also from Montpelier, Perchlik is a Democrat/Progressive running for a third term; he is director of the Vermont Clean Energy Development Fund.
Nearing the end of his sixth term, Sen. Anthony Pollina, P-D, from Middlesex, decided not to run for re-election this year.
The new contenders on the ballot are: Montpelier High School physics teacher and Montpelier Mayor Watson; Jared Duval, who has worked as economic development director for the Agency of Commerce and Community Development; and Jeremy Hansen of Berlin, a Norwich University computer science professor and founder of the regional municipal organization CVFiber which is working to expand broadband internet service in the region.
The Republican primary race has just two candidates for the three seats: Paul Bean of Northfield and Dwayne Tucker from Barre Town.
The state legislature earlier this year redrew the boundaries of the Washington County state Senate district to now include the town of Stowe in Lamoille County as well as the Orange County towns of Braintree and Orange.
Those wishing to watch the debate are asked to register in advance using this link which also has an opportunity to submit a question. Organizers will also ask attendees who they think won the debate with viewers able to score the candidates’ performances using ranked-choice voting software.
The debate will be recorded and made available to watch afterward.