LETTER: Jonathan Griffin launches campaign for state representative

September 9, 2024 | By Jonathan Griffin

Dear community members,

I want to formally introduce myself to you as a candidate for representative in our district. Unless you attended one of the town hall events in Waterbury or Huntington put on by Elizabeth Brown’s campaign this summer, you likely haven’t had the opportunity to hear from me directly.  

Jonathan Griffin is a Republican candidate for the Washington-Chittenden House district. Courtesy photo

I am a proud parent to three young children under the age of 7. Both my wife and I have full-time jobs, and I have also worked nights and weekends for the last eight years to help support our family. Professionally, I’m a licensed engineer with over 14 years of experience, predominately with the Vermont Agency of Transportation. My experience includes the design and project management of bridges within the state of Vermont. This requires working closely with communities, regulators, property owners, and other stakeholders. I also have 8 years of experience supporting Vermont’s manufactured housing industry including assisting home buyers to comply with FHA, VA, or USDA loan requirements. Many of the individuals I have worked with are first-time home buyers and it’s a tremendously rewarding experience to serve them. 

I am running for representative because I am motivated by Vermont’s affordability crisis. I’m deeply concerned for our future based on how unaffordable Vermont is. Since 2019 the state of Vermont’s budget has increased by almost 50%. Inflation over that same period has been 23% meaning our elected officials are far outspending inflation. This is not sustainable. 

If elected to represent our district the number one issue I would like to focus on is housing. I believe that making significant gains in the housing space to reduce the total cost of housing will have the greatest impact on our state across the widest number of metrics. Vermont desperately needs to make immediate and significant improvements to reduce the total cost of housing. The legislature could take immediate action by revisiting bills that were vetoed by the governor and overridden.

I believe that Vermonters need a reprieve from NEW or ADDITIONAL financial pressures and I will not support any legislation that adds additional financial burdens to families including property taxes, utilities, and home heating expenses. I would love the opportunity to represent our district and to serve our community in such a way that Vermonters aren’t financially driven out of Vermont.

I’m running against two incumbents who have dedicated a significant amount of time and energy to our community. I personally want to thank them for their service. While I do not agree with many of the votes they cast or the policies they have supported, I do believe they deserve our recognition and thanks. 

To the community members in our district – I want to give you the opportunity to learn more about me. I will be traveling around the district each week to meet constituents, listen to your ideas, and answer your questions. I look forward to providing you with a choice in November.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me at Jonathan@GriffinforVermont.com.

Thank you very much,

Jonathan Griffin

Waterbury

Jonathan Griffin is a Republican candidate for the Washington-Chittenden district in the Vermont House of Representatives that covers Waterbury, Bolton, Huntington and Buel’s Gore.