LETTER: There’s an alternative to ‘a powerhouse team’

July 16, 2024 | By Steven Martin

To the Community: 

I am writing in response to “LETTER: A case for a powerhouse team” published July 10, 2024, in the Waterbury Roundabout.

Speaking of our incumbent House representatives, now running for re-election, the author states in his opinion piece, “It should be no secret that Waterbury holds an oversized power in the State House. That is thanks in part to the fact that both of our representatives in the House hold committee chair positions.” 

It is then conceded that we are seeing substantial increases in property taxes and the legislature has created a confusing education funding system, with education costs rising faster than inflation, and that there may well be a better way to fund our education system. I would add that these problems mentioned stem largely from the very requirements, policies and programs that our incumbent representatives have voted for at every opportunity.

Let’s look at the facts. 

The cost of education and property taxes are skyrocketing in significant part due to the drastic revamp of the whole “equalized pupil” scheme, state funded continuation of a federal COVID program to feed all students two free meals a day (estimated at $29 million a year) while federal assistance already exists for students of low income families, and the added payroll tax expenses for employers (where the FY25 HUUSD school budget increased over $110,000 to pay this tax) in order to steer more taxpayer funds to childcare facilities and provide taxpayer subsidized child care for families with incomes of over $120,000, all supported by our current representatives. 

We are told that, “Waterbury's oversized power in the statehouse could aid us all in its correction.” The argument is then repeated that “this outsized influence will be lost if either of our representatives lose their seats.” Really? The same team that was just touted as wielding extraordinary power and influence in Montpelier, where in recent years education cost containment and the education funding system have been arguably destroyed – they are our best choice for correcting the damage they helped create (perhaps even pushed through if they really do wield such extraordinary influence)?

Our incumbent representatives may be excellent citizens, wonderful neighbors, and have the best of intentions. Those qualities, while admirable, may not be most critical when thoughtfully considering the spending of billions of taxpayer dollars and have resulted in Vermont being one of the most taxed states in the country. For 2022, Vermont ranked as the 4th-highest taxed state, with a state and local tax burden of 13.6%. If you work five days a week and 8 hours a day, more than one hour of every work day is dedicated to just paying state and local taxes. That was before any 2023 and 2024 tax increases. The decisions made in Montpelier are often complex, inter-related, and have real-world intended and unintended consequences for vast numbers of Vermonters, and those decisions are compounding.

So maybe there is a place for fresh ideas and different skill sets as we self-govern through our representatives. Education funding and property taxes are only one currently highly visible, example of where our legislature is failing us. We are in deep trouble in Vermont and increasing taxes so that we can throw more and more money from the working class at education, “affordable” housing, homelessness, and addiction without a long-term interconnected view, understandable goals, and clear, objective measures for success is not a rational plan. Instead, I believe that the path we are on is a formula for continued failure.

If you are satisfied, even happy, with the direction that our state has been going, and your values are being well represented in the legislature, by all means, vote for the incumbents. That only makes sense. Why would you want to tamper with a winning formula delivered by a powerhouse team? The author of the piece suggests that they wield enormous power, so they should be able to deliver more of the same results if that is what you want.

If you are not satisfied, or perhaps you even downright disagree, with where we are headed, you might consider supporting someone else this year with different skills and fresh ideas and who may better share your values to be your representative. 

The good news is, we do have a choice this year. There is a town hall meeting upstairs at the Waterbury Main Street fire station this Wednesday, July 17, beginning at 7 p.m. All four candidates who are running to fill our two available seats in the Vermont House of Representatives will be there. I encourage you to attend and share your thoughts, ask your questions, and decide for yourself who you believe will best represent you in Montpelier for the next two years.

Steven Martin 

Waterbury