Rep. Dolan: Stepping aside after six years in the House
May 17, 2024To the Community:
I want to let you know that I will not be seeking a fourth term as state representative for our two-seat district.
It has been quite an honor to represent the towns of Duxbury, Fayston, Moretown, Waitsfield and Warren and to serve along with Rep. Dara Torre, and previously with Maxine Grad. The best part of these six years is the people in our district. I have truly appreciated meeting folks and hearing from business owners, town officials and community members. I carried the issues and concerns with me every day as I tried to make a positive difference in peoples' lives and for our communities.
I have served for six years, four years on the Natural Resources Committee and the last two years on the House Appropriations Committee. The work has been challenging, but rewarding.
There were two experiences that particularly stood out for me. That first experience was when I volunteered with the Department of Labor during the pandemic to help businesses and individuals in our region and across the state navigate the unemployment assistance programs. My second experience was in helping communities across the state recover from the three devastating floods of 2023. We know all too well the impacts, risks to public safety and economic disruption that flooding can cause. This year, I worked with colleagues to address flood response, recovery, planning and climate resilience – important to help us minimize impacts and more quickly recover from future floods.
Other priorities of mine over these years included housing -- particularly for adults with disabilities -- home and community-based services for older Vermonters, clean water, toxics reduction, outdoor recreation and tourism, environmental justice, pedestrian safety and our education funding system regarding both support for public education and need to address affordability.
My approach has always been to find common ground on the issues in front of us and to strive for incremental improvement. At the end of the day, the legislation may not have everything I would have wanted to see but it should, at a minimum, be designed to head us in a positive direction towards improving Vermonters' lives for this and future generations.
Thank you for your support over these six years. It has truly been an honor.
Rep. Kari Dolan
Waitsfield
Democrat Kari Dolan is one of two House members representing the Washington-2 district of Duxbury, Moretown, Fayston, Waitsfield and Warren. Reach her at kdolan@leg.state.vt.us.