Washington-2 House candidate survey
Nov. 2, 2022 | Compiled by Waterbury Roundabout
The Vermont State House in October. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti
The Washington-2 House district has two seats representing the towns of Duxbury, Fayston, Moretown, Waitsfield and Warren. Four candidates are running for these spots: Incumbent Kari Dolan, a Waitsfield Democrat, along with fellow Democrat Dara Torre of Moretown and Independent candidates Rebecca Baruzzi of Fayston and Gene Bifano of Warren.
Waterbury Roundabout asked them why they are seeking a seat in the state Legislature, what issues are of high importance to them, and their opinions on topics they are likely to deal with if elected.
Here are their responses.
Rebecca Baruzzi - I - Fayston
Gene Bifano - I - Warren
Kari Dolan - D - Waitsfield incumbent
Dara Torre - D - Moretown
Name, age, occupation (your day job or jobs)
Rebecca Baruzzi, 45, currently employed at Sugarbush Ski and Ride School. Prior employment: Mad River Valley Community Fund, Program Director; Capstone Community Action, Family Support Specialist; Legislative staff for Vermont General Assembly, committee assistant; Mad River Valley Chamber of Commerce Economic Vitality Series; Hudson Street Deli, owner and operator; U.S. Peace Corps Municipal Development Volunteer, Guatemala; Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, Environmental Police Officer; U.S. Coast Guard, Boatswain's Mate and Coxswain
Gene Bifano, 65, retired; Volunteer Police Officer certified
Kari Dolan, 61, Civil Rights Coordinator/Director of Special Projects at the Department of Environmental Conservation
Dara Torre, 55, U.S. program coordinator at Regulatory Assistance Project
Have you run for elected office before? If 'yes' above, what elected offices have you held?
No - This is my first time as a candidate.
Yes - Mayor of the town Briarcliff Manor, New York, in Westchester County; Republican candidate for Vermont Secretary of State in 2008
Yes - State Representative for four years (two terms): 2019-2020, 2021-2022; Waitsfield Select Board, 2015-2019.
No - This is my first time as a candidate.
List other qualifications you have that you believe are relevant such as education, boards you have served on, organizations you have volunteered with, etc.
Education: BA Political Science, MPA Public Administration, Certificate in Social Impact Strategies, Certified in Results Based Accountability; graduate of Rhode Island Municipal Police Academy. I currently serve on the MRV Restorative Justice Panel, Open Hearth Board and the Fayston Planning Commission. Prior commitments have been with Free Wheelin' volunteer ride service, Neck of the Woods Childcare Center, Mad River Park playing fields, MRV Village Virtual Community Center, MRV Community Pantry, and as a shelter parent for Washington County Youth Service Bureau.
BS Business/Marketing, Equiv. Assoc Degree Elect Eng. Problems Solver Corp and Pub Safety, head large Orgs with large budgets. Lived in a diverse cultural and ethic environments.
I was a member of the Waitsfield Select Board and former board member of the Mad River Valley Planning District, the Waitsfield Planning Commission, and the Friends of the Mad River. I coached girls soccer, lacrosse and ice hockey. I am currently a member of the Mad River Valley Chamber of Commerce and the Mad River Valley Rotary Club. I have two masters degrees in public policy and in science, and an undergraduate biology degree. I have a nearly 30-year career in public service, working on clean water as the former state manager of the Clean Water Initiative and on flood resilience as the former state floodplain manager and National Flood Insurance Program Manager.
Boards/volunteering/municipal roles: Central Vermont Regional Planning Commission board member; Moretown energy coordinator, Moretown ARPA committee member, MRV Rotary member, Ridge to River climate initiative member; past board member of Mad River Valley Health Center, past Moretown Planning Commission member, past Moretown auditor, past board chair of Home Share Now, past chair of Moretown School PTO. Education: BA, Oberlin College, history/government; Climate Change & Health certificate, Yale School of Public Health.
Why are you running for a seat in the Vermont State Legislature?
I am running to strengthen our communities. In my experience through my time with the various organizations and projects that I have been involved with, I have seen it become harder and harder to find housing, childcare with early intervention services, and access to community health services- especially in the realm of mental health. These things influence our economic vitality and community harmony as well as have overwhelming impacts on individuals and families. I have worked on community initiatives at the local level, and I have often been frustrated by barriers that exist at the state level. We need a commitment to continue to shift from top-down problem solving from the state, to using our resources to nurture our community-born solutions. My focus in the first term is to build relationships, learn the ins and outs of the committee I am assigned to, and ensure that programs and regulations that are created are the right solutions for the right problems.
Because Vermont is heading in the wrong direction, with a legislature that consistently make the wrong decisions. We losing our Identify as Americans; runaway crime and drug overdoses, serious alignment health issue. These problems keep business and citizens from prospering. We need common sense non-political solutions and get things done.
My re-election campaign focuses on people, community, and our future to help make Vermont work for us all. I want to take action to benefit our neighbors, working families, businesses, and our communities. Priorities for me include housing, our economy, access to childcare, workforce challenges, affordability and equity issues. I will continue work for clean water and air for all, seek solutions to reduce toxics in our environment, and promote strategies to achieve a more sustainable future.
I have loved living and raising my family in Moretown, and am dedicated to helping all our families, businesses and environment continue to thrive. I bring broad community experience from my work in local businesses and nonprofits and from volunteering with organizations and the Town of Moretown over the past 18 years. If elected, I hope to advance legislation that addresses the top community concerns I'm hearing about and share -- housing, climate change, mental health and child and elder care. We need more workers and better pay in all these areas, and I'd like to collaborate on innovative policy that will help us train, attract and retain this critical workforce, growing our economy and protecting what's precious.
Do you support Proposal 2 that adds to Article I of the Constitution language to clearly prohibit slavery and indentured servitude?
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Do you support Proposal 5 that adds Article 22 on personal reproductive liberty to the state Constitution?
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Use this space to elaborate on either or both of your answers to the constitutional amendment questions above.
Prop 2- not sure of the wording that may stop courts ordering restitution or community service in lieu of jail. Prop 5 no protections for unborn humans after 21 weeks. Title 18 Chap. 223 allows abortions at any time and prohibits any intervention. It also further erodes parental rights to protect their daughters.
With respect to Proposal 2, Vermont outlawed slavery back in 1777 when it ratified its first Constitution. Unfortunately, the language as currently written is not absolute. As it reads, only persons over the age of 21 cannot be held in slavery. Additionally, a Vermonter over this age can be bound into slavery if they consent to being a slave. This proposal replaces that language with a statement that “slavery and indentured servitude in any form are prohibited.” Regarding Article 22, I support an individual’s reproductive rights – the right to make one’s own reproductive medical decisions with support from a health care provider without interference from politicians. This is an individual’s intensely personal and private decision. Article 22 maintains the status quo.
I will vote yes on both Proposal 2 and Proposal 5. I'm grateful for the hard work and planning that went into the Reproductive Liberty Amendment to protect our reproductive rights.
Affordable housing is in high demand across Vermont and poses a challenge for people to settle and remain in the state. What could the state Legislature do to help support more affordable housing opportunities?
Using our existing housing stock is a priority and the commitment to broadband is making it more attractive for families who can work from home, go to more rural areas where housing is affordable. The legislature has also funded initiatives to weatherize homes and to assist in repairs needed to create rental units, in these cases keeping people in their homes and adding rental income. A bylaw modernization grant program was created to help local communities adjust their bylaws to make smart growth a priority. Programs to help with technical aspects of building infrastructure also exist. Action items left are: first monitor existing efforts just put in place to ensure proper execution, review landlord-tenant laws that influence landlords to rent short-term over long-term, create incentives for landlords who rent year-round, regulate short-term rentals, and support communities in technical aspects of creating housing trusts. At the local level there is a need for community conversations on growth and housing. There is a lot of power to work on housing solutions at a community level, the people who are interested in that, need to be on these boards, this is not a problem the state can solve!
Stop talking about it! Do something! Apply basic Project Management processes get the ball moving. Get the Gov out of the process and enable developers to move forward with reduction of zoning impediments and providing incentives on taxes.
We need to continue to continue to direct the state's existing housing funding sources to support more investments and partnerships with the private and nonprofit sectors to build new units, rehabilitate existing units, and return vacant properties to residential use. We need to continue our efforts, using available funds, to invest in brownfields to make them safe again for housing and other uses. We need to invest in the reuse or repurposing of existing empty buildings for residential use. Where feasible, we should use incentives to convert short-term to long-term rentals, and incentives for keeping housing affordable. We should continue support for municipal grants to help towns make adjustments in the local zoning bylaws that allow for smaller lot sizes, multi-family homes, and accessory dwellings. We need to continue to use federal and state resources to support low interest financing for water/wastewater infrastructure, especially decentralized systems for smaller towns. We also need to make sure that our regulations make sense, are up-to-date and predictable.
Recently, there's been a lot of funding directed to housing organizations to expand new construction, offer down-payment assistance, update zoning laws and improve rental stock. Assistance to towns for wastewater infrastructure will set the stage for more housing development in coming years. We also need support for local strategies that can optimize existing homes, incentivizing in-law apartments (accessible dwelling units) and expanding support for home-sharing programs.
The state of Vermont in 2007 stopped helping fund school construction projects. A report from the Agency of Education earlier this year outlined approximately one-third of Vermont's school districts have facilities that have reached or exceeded their useful lifespan and predicted more than $500 million needed for upgrades and modernization including potential remediation of PCB contamination from old building materials. Without state aid, this work falls to school district taxpayers. Should the state Legislature make funding school construction a priority once again?
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
There has been growing attention in the Harwood Unified Union School District on the potentially dangerous practices of prone restraint and seclusion as strategies school staff use with students who present challenging behaviors. Reports of use of these measures in local schools in recent years have been among the highest in the state. There is draft federal legislation that would ban these practices nationwide. Should the Vermont Legislature look at this issue to revise Vermont guidelines to prohibit these measures from being used?
I do believe this practice is problematic and I understand that there are policies and contracts in place that make this difficult to quickly fix. I am happy the HUUSD board and superintendent have taken this issue very seriously and that there is a moratorium to the practice. I do believe this is a place where the Agency of Education should change the policy and it should not require legislation. This is symptomatic of a much larger problems in our system: lack of early intervention services, lack of mental health services, and shortage of staff.
This is the problems Vermont is having and needs to start using common sense. People focus on the what and not the who and why. Why do they need to use theses restraints which by the way are safer then have a kid rampage to hurt others or themselves. These are last resort tactics. Again we are faced with a failure of the mental health system and the entitlement culture we have let flourish that let some think they do not have to follow society’s rules.
Regarding the question above about school building infrastructure, I will need more information from the Education Committee, Agency of Education and the Vermont Health Department about the condition of schools and availability of federal funds before making a determination about school building infrastructure as a state priority. Obviously, the top priority is that buildings must be safe for our students. With respect to this question about potentially dangerous practices being used, of course the health and safety of our students is critical, including the mental health of our students. It is the obligation of the Legislature, particularly the Education and Health and Human Services Committees, to hear from witnesses and the governor's administration on this issue to determine whether and how to improve such guidelines.
I appreciate the coverage from the Valley Reporter and Waterbury Roundabout on this issue, offering insight into the complex issues at play in our schools to meet diverse student needs. I look forward to seeing the upcoming HUUSD report, and would support having legislators learn more about best practice research on this topic.
The Vermont Climate Action Plan aims for the state to have net zero emissions by 2050. Are you familiar with the plan?
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
What step or steps do you think could be the most beneficial for Vermont to take to address climate change?
I am proud of the work that has been happening in Vermont in support of the environment and to address climate change. There is constant push and pull to take care of mother earth and to make sure we don’t price people out in the process. I am looking forward to engaging in this solution seeking.
1st bring in scientists from both sides of the issue to debate the issue. Not just one side. Vermont is so small what ever it does is de minimus. China is building 80 coal fire electric plants in the next 10 years really. India, Pakistan and the rest of the so called underdeveloped nations will use coal with no prohibitions. However the bigger problem is the 270K square miles loss of rainforest which equates to the losing 848+ billion tons of carbon dioxide sequestration/year and almost as much O2 returned to the planet. I would put meters on all car charges so we start understand the cost of these programs. I would also look to use Thorium reactors for base electric demands to get a way from coal for electricity. Encourage efficiency in the use of energy.
The governor's administration chairs the Vermont Climate Council and now has a Climate Office. The Plan has well over 400 recommendations. I look forward to hearing from the Council about their recommendations on how Vermont can do its part. Some important steps described in the plan include increasing weatherization and upgrades in more efficient furnaces, heating and electrical systems, expanding our electric vehicle charging infrastructure, offering electrification incentives in public transportation, improving our resilience to flooding and other impacts and improving our capacity to sequester carbon by improving the health of our forests and agricultural soils.
We must address emissions from transportation and buildings where most of our greenhouse gas pollution comes from. Making it more affordable to buy electric vehicles, expanding public transit (and making it work for rural areas), investing in more charging infrastructure and passing the clean heat standard for energy efficiency improvements and cleaner heating are important priorities. We should revisit the renewable energy standard and enable the buildout of more community and rooftop solar. And we have to ramp up workforce development now so we have the workers needed to make this transition happen. I'd like to see all these investments occur with equity in mind so as we make these changes, we're moving people up into good-paying jobs and making sure the least economically secure among us are protected and prioritized. We also need policies to support flood resilience in our towns and help for our farmers as we experience effects from a changing climate.
In 2019, the Vermont Legislature passed a bill requiring a waiting period for firearms purchases that Gov. Phil Scott vetoed. There are calls for a ban on assault-style firearms in the wake of continuing mass-shootings across the U.S. Vermont also has yet to close the Charleston loophole which allows a gun purchase to happen even if the background check is not complete. Do you support any of these or other reforms to Vermont's gun laws?
What is happening in the country with gun violence and school shootings is terrifying and unacceptable. Do we need assault rifles for hunting, home protection or shooting? I don't think so. I do believe that any ban on these weapons need to be at the federal level in order for actual enforcement to be possible. Will that stop mass shootings? I don't know. I believe this violence is a symptom of our failed community systems. I want to spend my time and energy on making our local communities strong and ensuring those systems that exist to support communities and individuals are intact and well-functioning. I feel that ongoing discussions about gun laws keep us further from acting as a community and I don't know that they keep us any safer. I am willing to listen and learn more on this topic (on all topics, actually!).
Right at the top of the list you're using "What" to try to solve a problem of Why the shootings. Let's get terms correct, they are rifles, some semi-automatic. The term Assault rifles came about in the 70s by an anti-gun advocate. The look and style of a rifle has nothing to do with the issue of people who choose to kill others. Assault rifles are not the problem! Vermonters have had rifles and pistols for 300 years. HS kids brought the rifles to school during hunting season. My HS Rifle team, in the Bronx, back in the 60's carried their rifles in school on meet days. The failures are with the educations systems not appropriately managing potentially dangerous people. With the majority of the problem falling on the mental health crowd.
Everyone wants to keep guns out of the hands of criminals. I support gun safety and gun violence-prevention bills that are common sense and improve safety without undermining people's rights under the Second Amendment. No law is 100 percent effective. The law against speeding doesn’t stop speeding on the highways; laws against murder doesn’t stop all murders. Common sense gun safety laws will save some lives and keep some people safe.
I support continued attention to gun safety in the state. I'd like to see an assault-style firearm ban and stricter background checks to protect us from guns getting into the wrong hands. I'd also like to explore needs for updated gun storage policies.
In more than 20 U.S. states, restrictions including bans on gender-affirming medical care for transgender children have been introduced. Should the Vermont Legislature take any steps on this issue to either protect or restrict such care?
Last year the legislature passed joint resolution (J.R.S.53,) stating that "patients, their parents, and their health care providers should decide what medical care is appropriate for a patient in accordance with current medical best practices, not politicians.” I completely agree with this joint resolution.
Let's 1st understand the issue. Minors are people society believe do not have the ability or maturity to make rational decisions; they cannot smoke, drink, or own a firearm until the age of 21. They cannot drive until 16. We also know that kids are malleable and easy influence from some authority figures, especially on how a subject is presented or the amount of time the information is presented. So the question is how can minors make such critical decisions. This is a very serious issue we face. Just think 10 years ago mutilating a child would have been child abuse. 10 years ago this wouldn't even be a discussion. What happened?
This should be a topic discussed in our Health Care Committee, where we can take testimony from all interested parties.
Legislatures shouldn't be limiting the ability of families and medical providers to meet the needs of transgender children. Instead, I would support protecting such care.
Do you believe that President Joe Biden was legitimately elected in 2020?
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Election security is under question in some states although Vermont's election procedures are held in high regard for their integrity and accessibility. What if any changes do you think are needed to Vermont's voting laws?
I think we do a great job in VT with our paper ballots.
1st of all Vermont has the loosest and most lax voting rules and ripe for fraud. There are no residency requirements, people are register in two towns. Our voting right has been diluted over time slowly. When I ran for Sec State issue arose of people from Canada voting, motor votor was giving voter registration to eveyone who applied for a license with no controls. We should have a minimum of 3 months waiting time to vote, have Town Clecks or notaries review voter registration, eliminate mail-in voting to only those out of the country or physically unable to vote. Just think while I am writing this people have voted already using the Incumbent protection rule or early voting. Require DMV to not give voter registration to non-citizens, or people that just arrive in the state. Voting is American's most precious right and should be causally and callously regarded.
I would want to see our Government Operations Committees hear from town clerks on this topic. I have heard that some smaller towns with limited resources have struggled with implementing Vermont's voting laws.
I'm grateful that Vermont is a leader among states in improving voter access and integrity. I'd support continued attention to best practices for elections, voter access and campaign finance. Out on the campaign trail, I'm hearing so much appreciation for universal vote-by-mail and for candidate surveys like this one and recorded interviews/forums that make it easier for voters to learn about candidates.
Currently 30% of cannabis excise tax revenue (up to $10 million) is to be spent on drug prevention and misuse programs with the rest put into the general fund. Should cannabis tax revenue be directed to other specific uses?
School Construction Projects.
It is difficult to answer this question without knowing whether 30% is adequate for our drug prevention and misuse programs. Every year, Vermont is committed to balancing the budget. The state will need to evaluate and prioritize needs before making such decisions..
Focusing on drug prevention and misuse programs is a good use of that revenue. I would also support directing some revenue to mental health support.
Reader submitted question: What will you do to help with the shortage of licensed mental health therapists in our community? How will you help support community mental health?
• Promote an understanding that early interventions at a community level can reduce acuity • Look at Office Professional Regulations regs on licensing to see what can be eased without losing quality • Encourage community leadership to identify mental health as a priority • Treat mental health in same arena and with same urgency as physical health • Continue to work towards pay parity for workers providing mental health services • Reduce paperwork and bureaucracy where possible • Keep close connections with organizations like Hannah’s House and Washington County Mental Health to see what the legislature can do to assist their missions.
Our mental health laws help no-one except the people with violent mental health issues, they permitted to live in our communities. Change the laws enabling mental health workers have a wide purview to use mandatory treatment for some - with due process. Vemont's mental health laws inhibit treatment and frustrate workers. Pass laws holding them and others involved with mental health harmless for good faith actions. As a Part Time Certified Police officer I have dealt with 1K mental health cases most times called by mental health worked to deal with their patient, or have dealt with the same person 3 or 4 times before action was taken. A sad reminder were the 5 from the valley who were killed by a person who sought help at UVM and the Leahy Center or two people who I personally stop from suicide, sent to observation who killed themselves weeks after they were released. I would take every penny set aside for global warming and put it into mental health treatment. We are a small state with limited funds so spend it to help people that need help - NOW!
I will push to include this need in a future workforce development bill and work closely with our health care committee and our county-based mental health services to identify specific funding recommendations to support community mental health.
To address the shortage of licensed mental health therapists, legislators recently passed legislation for mental health worker forgivable loans and licensing changes to support more telehealth services. Our community mental health providers like Washington County Mental Health Services need increased funding to meet growing needs. There's much work to do to build up the mental health workforce we need, including having more housing options to offer. As a legislator, I would learn from community providers and partners on how to best support mental health for Vermonters of all ages.
Finally, fill in the blanks for the next two statements. The best thing about the Washington-2 district is ____________________.
Harwood Unified Union School District. Go Highlanders!
We have good people that work hard to raise their children, work hard to help others. We live in a great outdoor environment with access to all sorts of outdoor venues.
Community. People care about each other.
Its strong sense of community
And, the Washington-2 House district would be a better place if ______________.
The 5 towns sharing the watershed thought and acted as a system.
We enabled good busineses to come into our valley to provide good paying jobs. Improve our emergency services that struggle for members and resources.
We had more housing that: (a) is affordable so that people can afford to live where they work and (b) is located to the extent possible in or near downtown areas to minimize sprawl, minimize reliance on cars, maximize the vibrancy of the downtown areas and maximize pedestrian friendliness.
we had more affordable housing and childcare
Please add anything else you'd like people to know about yourself and your ideas. Thank you for taking the survey!
Hello! I am looking forward to representing the towns of Duxbury, Fayston, Moretown, Waitsfield and Warren if you will have me. I love this place and want to make sure that economic diversity, equity and community trust are at the forefront of everything I do for our community.
I have spent most of my adult life, which has been luckily long, helping our country, the communities I lived in and the corporations I worked for. As a U.S. Marine I served in Vietnam, got a great electronics education, and learned how to get things done. I've been employed as an iron worker, cement mason, roofer, deli clerk and delivery boy in the Bronx, as a program mgr., project mgr, consultant, and ski patroller. My mother, father, sister and I lived in a 1 bedroom apartment in a 5 story walk up in a culturally and ethnically diverse neighborhood in the Bronx - a great life. My parents taught me to value and respect others, stand-up for myself and take no crap from anyone. I've been married for 50 years next month with two great successful kids and two great grandkids. I have served as a non-paid professional FF/ EMT/ Rescue tech for 38 years - was a leader and innovator; integrated services fostered better cooperation between companies, obtained over $100K in grants. As a Mayor for 2 years, reduced cost of operations while improving customer service. Worked with developers which resulted in them donating critically needed things the Village wanted. Modernized our PD and instituted community policing. Passed Tree Preservation, Ethics, and cell Tower laws and fixed our blasting, noise and Special Permit laws. I see things holistically and not myopically. I will listen to anyone and understand their issue and concerns and take that into account when making decisions. I have been very successful in turning round dysfunctional organizations, and failing programs - because I break down the problems and understand the different issues - then address each issue. The last thing is if the same people keep getting elected that have created or enable the problems we're having as a nation and state, the only result will be the same poor results. Time for new people! P.S. At age 60, I was diagnosed with severe ADD and dyslexia so you will find some typos!
It is an honor for me to be a state representative for the past four years and an honor to run for re-election. I would like to thank my fellow candidates for also running and my husband and family. In my four years as a state legislator, I have been successful in getting seven bills passed, all signed by the governor. Now, as part of this campaign, I have knocked on over 1,000 doors across the district's five towns, collecting your thoughts and concerns. If re-elected, I will continue to bring my select board experience and perspective with me. I will continue to listen, treat people with respect, be collaborative and open-minded. I will continue to do my best to represent our district's interests at the statehouse, and I will work hard on solutions to move us forward together. Thank you.
Spending time visiting with residents in all five towns of Washington-2 has been a highlight these last months. I've learned so much and have an even deeper appreciation for this creative and kind community. I'd be honored to represent you in the Vermont House. Please visit daratorrevt.com and be in touch at daratorrevt@gmail.com.
A separate post in News has links to candidate forums recorded earlier this campaign season with the four candidates for the Washington-2 House seats.