October 9. 2026 | By Keith Whitcomb Jr. | The Times ArgusThis story was first published by The Times Argus on Oct. 2.
Three people are vying for the office of state treasurer.
Incumbent Mike Pieciak is seeking reelection as a Democrat. Lynn LaFleur is running as a Republican. Zachary Hampl won the Progressive Party nomination.
Lynn LaFleur
Lynn LaFleur, Republican candidate for state treasurer. Courtesy photo
LaFleur has lived in Vermont full-time for the past 10 years, she said. Born, raised and educated in Massachusetts, she said her family had a property in Stowe since the 1970s they would visit regularly. She said she came to Vermont to live full-time after her youngest child went to college and the military.
LaFleur said her background is in accounting, having earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Northeastern University. She said her first elected role was for dorm treasurer. She’s held a number of other treasurer roles since, she said, serving the Stowe Republican Committee and now the Vermont GOP.
She said she also runs an accounting business of her own and does tax returns.
“My number-one goal is to save people money, find ways to cut expenses, and, if possible, increase revenues. And I have a good history of doing that. I think I could do that for the state. I certainly have been doing a lot of research on possible ways of saving money and certainly not creating more overhead for us,” she said.
LaFleur said she’s been forging relationships with people and organizations who can help her lower the tax burden.
“What I won’t do is create new programs that increase our administrative overhead. That just increases our tax burden. I’m going to look for ways to see if we have any duplication of payments. I’m going to strictly adhere to the budget,” she said.
LaFleur said the programs Pieciak has created add to the tax burden and aren’t as beneficial to Vermonters as advertised. The state’s accounting practices need to improve, she said, and more needs to be done to address the state pensions.
LaFleur said she wants to move Vermont away from pensions and more toward defined contribution plans. She said pensions don’t create generational wealth. The change would take time, she said.
Mike Pieciak, Democratic candidate for state treasurer. Courtesy photo
Mike Pieciak
Pieciak took office in 2023.
“We have more work to do in the treasurer’s office, building on the record we’ve had in our first two terms,” he said. “Our number-one priority in our office so far has been to support the creation of new housing across Vermont. We see that as our number one economic issue. We’ve done that by expanding a program called 10% in VT, now retitled as Invest in Vermont.”
He said that program has provided millions of dollars in low-interest loans that have led to the creation of 1,700 or so housing units.
“We also want to continue to build on the success of our Vermont Saves program, which we got passed in my first term and stood up and implemented in my second term,” said Pieciak. “It’s already proceeding well. There are 8,300 Vermonters saving in that program, saving for the first time in their lives most likely, and building a much more secure future for themselves.”
He said he’s looking forward to seeing the ArrayRx discount drug program begin in 2027.
“In other states that have implemented this program, they’ve seen up to a couple of hundred dollars a month in savings for people who are regularly using the card. We look forward to getting that running up here in Vermont,” he said.
Pieciak said he has been proactive in the treasurer’s office on things to make living in Vermont more affordable. Everything from housing to healthcare to education and food is getting more expensive, he said. Federal cuts to food aid programs and Medicaid that will take effect in 2027 will be felt in Vermont.
Pieciak said one thing he’d like to do if reelected is something to help small businesses with succession planning. Many small businesses in Vermont are currently owned by people about to retire, and many will close because of this. He said he wants to make it easier for a business to become employee-owned.
The general election is Nov. 3.