When you register to vote in Vermont, you have to swear an oath that goes something like this:
Whenever you give your vote or suffrage, touching any matter that concerns the State of Vermont, you will do it so as in your conscience you shall judge will most conduce to the best good of Vermont.
And I say this as a former chair of the Town of Essex Democrats: when I look at the race for Senate in Essex, Milton, Fairfax and Westford, the decision of which candidate will do the best for Vermont is clear to me: Ashley Bartley.
What stands out to me is that Ashley is willing to be clear about what she believes and then actually do something about it.
Housing is a good example. Vermont has a serious shortage of housing, and that shortage contributes to our high cost of living. As vice-chair of the House General and Housing Committee, Ashley got legislation passed that that allowed Vermont to draw down $40 million in federal funds for affordable housing.
She has also been willing to take positions that are unpopular with parts of her own party. She supported legislation requiring Vermont law-enforcement officers to remove masks in specified circumstances. She joined the resolution opposing ICE actions in Minnesota. Whatever one's view of those issues, I think it is worth having legislators who are willing to make their position clear and defend it publicly.
And then there is something that doesn't show up in a legislative voting record: trust.
I have had disagreements with Ashley, as people in politics inevitably do. But I have found her to be straightforward and trustworthy. That matters to me.
Sound familiar, Milton Democrats?
We have also seen the opposite kind of political behavior from her opponent. Whether that's only being a Democrat only when it's convenient for her campaign12, to printing lawn signs saying “no merger no tax hike” when merger's failure was followed by Essex Town taxes to jumping 20%, to attacking (including one documented case of doxxing an opponent's street address) folks who disagree with her.
There is plenty of room in politics for disagreement. In fact, I think disagreement is healthy. What matters is whether people can disagree without making every disagreement personal, and whether they can be trusted to stand behind what they say.
Ashley Bartley has demonstrated that she will do exactly that.
The Vermont Senate affects each of us, no matter where in Vermont we live. I want senators who will tell me what they believe, explain why they believe it, and then do the work. Ashley Bartley has demonstrated that she will do exactly that. That's why I am endorsing Rep. Bartley.
Please vote for Ashley Bartley when your ballot arrives.
Brian Shelden
Essex Junction
This letter was submitted to the Milton Independent, and is reproduced here. It reflects my personal opinions and not necessarily the opinions of the City of Essex Junction nor its City Council.
- Here's a flyer distributed at the Chittenden County Democrats' booth at the Champlain Valley Fair. I've seen more disparaging flyers.
. ↩︎ - In this interview, Ms. Wrenner says she only picked the Democratic party because she couldn't win the Senate race four years ago except as a member of a party. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhKYFkkGsjw ↩︎
