Having never assembled a “kitchen cabinet”, chosen a campaign manager, or strategized a campaign plan, we did what most common sense Vermonters do – ask wiser friends and family and hope they have some good ideas.  They did.  We gathered talented friends, well-connected family, and shared ideas a-plenty.  Our treasurer was the easiest pick, Terry Burdick, not only because he is a fellow Taekwondoist, whom I trust explicitly, but his knowledge in many areas of real estate and business came in handy.  Trish Sears & Steve Mason shared invaluable advice, edited articles, and exchanged community development ideas.   Julie Mulroy-Evans, as Vice President of our Orleans Democratic Committee set up my first NEK  TV interview and supplied important facts  sometimes requested at the last minute.  Susan Watson held my first fundraiser and, even though she lived in Newport (not my district), she put in countless hours of calling, emailing, and networking at various places around town to get me those votes.  Energetic Sara Gregoire organized my second fundraiser, and with my mother and several active community and business leaders, I was able to share my vision and ideas.  Nancy Tessier and Mary Kennison from Morgan hosted a fabulous fundraising evening at their home overlooking Lake Seymour.  I met some real movers and shakers and appreciated everyone’s input.  My dear friend Mark Emmons hosted 2 volunteer and fundraising parties on 2 separate weekends. Ellie Primeau made some great signs that will be out on Election Day.  Deb & Seb Sulser, my special friends from Kirby (and ex-Derbyites) called voters and wrote post cards.  Donna Young from Morgan wrote hundreds of postcards, performed other timely tasks and was an invaluable help right up to the end for vote counting & collecting.  Peter and Nancy Engles called people, put up my signs, and were a real positive force in networking for all the democrats.  Diane Moore from Morgan spent about 4-5 hours with me in July, and we visited over 60 homes in one day.  My neighbors and friends the Primeaus, Bannachs and Brandstetters were always there to cheer me on, write pivotal letters to the editor, introduce me to important business leaders,  be a shoulder to lean on, or share a glass of wine – you are all THE BEST!  A special shout-out to The Lyon Family in Brownington – Robert (another fellow TaeKwonDoist with his son Matthew), and Rose, were incredibly helpful!  Matt Lyon (newly earned Black Belt) drove me around Brownington and helped forge introductions, navigate dirt roads, and just be a positive face to rely on.  I pray for Matt’s Mom, Rose Lyon, as she is fighting breast cancer – and letting her boys help me!

My mother, Margaret Erwin, of course, earns the dubious distinction of “fellow commiserater”!  She is even more of a conspiracy theorist than I, and she is THE BEST at making me feel better.  She helped out in so many ways, at so many times.  She knew just who to call, and how to set me up with key people for an introduction and discussion.  My mother is the best, and we have her late mother,  and countless Suffragettes, to thank for winning that fight for women to vote AND run for office!

My husband, Stephen Davidson, native Vermonter and campaign manager, earns my highest mention.  He put aside work duties, put aside other family responsibilities, and worked tirelessly to help carve my message and keep it streamlined.  We actually yelled at each other a few times, but we made up, always.  Stephen has an amazing intuitive gift, and was usually right in all his adviceJ  He helped control my anger a few times, and was the voice of Kingdom reason, looking at issues from both sides of the coin.  From the start, both Stephen and I were insistent on not turning our campaign negative, even though we could have, several times.   

You realize in the end, that anger only breeds resentment, which breeds continual conflict, and the cycle begins again.  People much wiser than I have known this throughout history.  So why are Americans hell-bent on doing this?  It makes money, it fulfills something people seem to need lately. 

I prefer to take a deep breath, center myself, do a few poomse, and reflect on what really matters.  Personally, I’m saving my energy for Montpelier. 

GET OUT THE VOTE!

I have also been impressed with people’s ingenuity around energy consciousness. There are a growing number of people who have wind mills (off or on their silos), solar panels, manure digesters, pellet stoves, biofuel heating systems, and more energy saving/compact florescent bulbs then I have ever seen! I look forward to meeting the people in Charleston who have re-vamped a hydroelectric system on the river and are moving ahead to take care of people locally. There is a smarter “get-back-to-the-land” movement that will be WAY more successful than in the 60′s because these people have access to information & resources from all over the world, use technology wisely for a variety of purposes, and the people seem to understand that business and working the land CAN peacefully coincide.

Are there problems then? Of course.

We MUST figure out how to fox some of the prebate/rebate tax issues that have been noted when preparing town taxes.

We MUST have honest conversations about how to save money within our school district totality, and on a bigger scale than nickle and diming each school. This does not include messing with the teacher’s retirement funds that they have already paid into. This MAY include working with school boards to consolidate schools that are close in proximity, and could offer more extracurricular activities or resources for the good of the children. This may increase class size, but I hope that teachers and administrators who know the research around teacher to student ratios will make the best decision based on what is best for the children’s learning. We must support the great teachers who work many hours every day to teach your children. There is a Strategic Plan in place, with teacher’s names on the committees, whom I expect will work hard to make tough decisions, with the good of the children in mind at all times. There are very smart people on each of these committees. There are very effective teachers and there are very effective administrators – and there are people that need more support, mentoring, and consequences for ineffective performance.

This job will be challenging, but so necessary to our democracy. I have 9 more days to go. I know that EVERYONE must be represented – NOT just a select “buddy-buddy” few. All beliefs must be respected and allowed without fear of persecution. Just because one group yells louder, does not mean that group “wins”. People need to listen to each other locally, instead of falling prey to the nastiness, resentment and anger that just breeds nationally. If one side refuses to move, then no one wins. This is a community of many, not a few.

I look forward to working for you in Montpelier. I look forward to working on solutions to our local problems. I look forward to offering my years of expertise in different areas to move this community FORWARD not BACKWARD.

VOTE NOW OR ON NOVEMBER 2ND!

The last few weeks I explored the back roads never traveled while growing up here!  First, was around East Charleston (for Echo Lake Road Race).  The dirt road around the lake was beautiful, but I could feel my blood pressure rise when I realized how many houses there were yet to visit!  Funny situation though.  I entered the walk race (I don’t do much distance running anymore), kept a quick pace, talked the whole time with a local woman who actually shares the same profession as me, and afterward was very surprised to hear my name announced as the FIRST PLACE WINNER!  (I wasn’t even trying, and actually thought some of my friends put someone up to this just to get me in the paper…but probably not).  Anyway, I received a gold medal and my picture was taken, then taken again with the other winners.  My friends yelled, “great!  you’ll be in the papers!”, but nope.  No picture, and only a brief mention in one paper as the winner, but in the other paper someone else was declared the winner!  So much for unplanned press coverage!  Normally, this kind of stuff wouldn’t have phased me, but as a local democratic candidate, one starts to get a complex and think “conspiracy”!  Luckily, my husband (and campaign manager) is a realist, and quickly got me refocused and back on task.  “Eyes on the Prize Lisa!”  It also helped to work out my frustrations while blasting Rocky theme music…I’m not the only one right?? 

Back to the Backroads…explored Ticehurst Road for the first time and visited a friend of my mother-in-law, who has had a farm for years, and is very well connected.  She shared some of the law enforcement problems in town (while 2 kids sped noisily past on their 4-wheelers – on the main road – doing WAY over any speed limit) , admitted she was uninsured (as was her college daughter), and we talked health care coverage.  Her mother is in her 90′s, and needs constant supervision.  Can’t afford to pay for someone else to do it, although they are getting some help for Dept of Disability and Aging.  I was impressed by this woman’s knowledge on many subjects, and shared her delight at her daughter’s entrance into college from a place that seems so far away from any citylife.  Good thing this friend showed me the real map of Brownington off Ticehurst Road, or I would have ended up driving my Prius on a tractor path to get to Charleston…as it was, I ended up exploring another dirt road and found one more couple who had a wind tower.  Found out this turbine was one of many bought from (guess where?) China, and shipped to the U.S cheaply.  Not made to last.  Remember the big news story awhile back about all the failed turbines, and shoddy workmanship of the thousands of wind turbines shipped to the U.S.?  These were hardworking people, moved up from down south a while back, looking to work a real farm, sell to farmer’s markets, and live off the land.  I have met more people who are sick of other states over-regulatory behavior around building their own alternative energy systems!  I will do what I can to make sure people who put up solar, wind or other energy saving systems, are not taxed to death, not burdened with permits, but rewarded for doing what is right for the environment!  We have to allow people to be ON or OFF the grid using alternative energy systems, if they so choose.  Small, neighborhood energy sharing co-ops is also something I am very interested in pursuing. 

So , I visited more of Brownington, ithen into parts of West and East Charleston, to Derby Line, up Valley Road into Holland, onto Mead Hill, and some of Nelson Hill.  My goal was to visit key homes, take a tally of the number of homes in between, and get names of people I should visit (including more farms).  When I can, I get my husband or my son to drive me, not for fear of anything, but for the company, the laughs, and to share in the beauty of our surroundings.  For my 16 year old James, it’s the chance to learn how to drive on narrow dirt roads, and the best way to learn how democracy works.  He is seeing and hearing it all.  ‘Til next time readers.  Onward & Forward.

If I could condense what many people said today, it had to do with Freedom of Speech, maintaining individual rights, and not having “big government” dictate every part of their lives.  What most people appreciated, actually, is that I was stopping at their home, and asking their opinion.  It’s one thing to complain to a friend, it’s another to have someone listening and taking notes.  Believe me, I have pages of notes.  If I don’t find out what people want, how am i supposed to help?   The two teenagers with me are the next generation of voters, and to see democracy in action, at it’s most basic level, opened their eyes and got them thinking. 

The first people we visited with today were a father & son, building  a  shed by the side of the road.  These are the Webster’s - Junior & Senior.  They have lived off Hinman Settler Road (H.S.R.) for years, but hailed from Brattleboro.  The Webster’s said they actually live on the corner of H.S. R. and Cemetary Lane, a Class 4 road according to them, but they’re paying over $2000.00 a year in taxes – no plow goes on their road because it’s not a town road.  He’s afraid that some medical emergency might befall his family in the middle of winter, and it would be difficult for any emergency vehicle to get them out.  Mr. Webster (jr) has a nice view of the mountains, but you have to climb the roof to get a Lake view, so his location might not be the reason for the  high tax rate.  Either way, this father and son had some legitimate complaints, but guess what?  The have never registered to vote.  Well – with great fanfare & solemn reading of the Voter’s Oath,  I registered my first 2 people of the day – a 60 something year old, and a 40 something year old. 

Every home on Parker Road was visited – not all were there – but again, some enlightening conversations with those who were home. I met experts in organic farming, ex-farmers, child-care workers, college educated people & minimally educated people, a nursing home aide, handy-men, retired people and young families.  In all, more people were registered to vote;  two people refused to register.  My mantra ,with a smile, was “It’s Get out the Vote Day!  Hi, I’m Lisa….”  No one closed the door in my face, although I’m finding that if one person on the road sees you visiting houses, phone calls start bouncing around warning of my approach.  I can get most people off any racist or bigoted comment, tell them I disagree with their point of view, then re-focus on issues that actually might help them.  Inevitably, if they keep on talking, we can find some common ground.  Luckily, my son knows my love of people, and talking, and patiently waits. 

Moulton Road, Regal Road, Kathy Road (sp?interpreted by son).  Wow – we were out from 10 am to 6:00 with a 30 min lunch break at B&W in Orleans (I still think they have the best onion rings around – and teenage boys can eat a LOT)

Here are some items I need to investigate:

(1) I need more information on how to help people appeal their tax rates if they really think they are unfair – one of the jobs of a J.P. is to be a county officer (civil authority – like tax abatement and appeals) so I guess if they find out who their local JP is, that might be a start.  Contacting your local town selectboard, and even going to your Town Clerk, can be a useful trip.  If readers have other  immediate ways, please contact me.  When I get elected, I will be taking specific issues I see as unreasonable and unfair, and speaking to the committee members or the governor to work out solutions. 

(2) What are local town police departments doing to get drug trafficking out of this town? (yes, and other towns) Are officers stretched to the max in drug enforcement duties?  Is heroin still the big-bad drug around here? What can citizens do to help report and capture the people doing drug deals around them?  Local breakins seem to be on the rise, for petty cash, to buy the drugs, and yet tips and suggestions to police don’t seem to be followed up on (community perception that is). 

(3)  Where is the education to help organic farmers test their soil for too much of one kind of mineral, or too little of another?  How can all farmers test for soil toxins?  What is the easiest and cheapest way to test water sources for toxins?  Who is enforcing the elimination of pesticides and bad fertilizer from ALL farms?  It’s one thing to tell farmers about this pollution, it’s another to get them to stop doing it  – and by whom?

(4) How can the local growers of fruits and vegetables (strawberries, corn) get larger numbers of people to work and pick the produce fast and efficiently to make it to market before it spoils?  Why can’t we use more legal immigrants who are looking to work hard, get out of poverty, send money home, and have an equal opportunity?  I have heard repeatedly that most local people don’t want this type of work, they don’t pick fast enough, complain a lot, and don’t last long through a season.  It is hard work – hot, sticky, buggy – but we have local, small business farmers wanting to grow local food, but no people power to harvest it.  

(5)  The “Pasture Plan” – right now it sounds like a calculation all organic farmers must learn to use every day, and every night(eve) (NOFA rule).  I guess it’s basically a way to make sure cows get enough dry milk  (must have a % of dry & wet milk from what I understand so far) and  it’s a way to calculate the health of the pasture (what the cows eat affects quality of their milk), so it’s a calculation that is meant to measure the length of grass, the thickness of the grass, and make sure cows are switched every 12 hours.  If you have to have a master’s level mathmatician figure it out, and it takes them hours to figure it out, how the heck is the farmer supposed to do this calculation?  It may be necessary, and I have to find out more, but it sure doesn’t sound practical as it is right now.  BTW, the cost of equipment repair on a farm blows my mind – it’s beginning to sound like you can have 2 kinds of farms – really big, like an agri-corporation, or really small and manageable, but anyone with over a 100 acres is out of  luck and outpriced…that ‘s how it appears to a non-farmer like me anyway. 

(6) If people are awarded the unemployment extension, and they try to follow the criterion to find the work, why the heck are people being penalized around here for going in person to the potential jobs?  Phone calls do not work in most cases.  This is not the first person who has called to find out about a job, and no one answers or gets back to you.  Around here, you generally inquire about  a job by meeting the employer in person.  Well, aaccording to this one resident, she was told she now owed the Labor Dept.  $1350.00 now because she “didn’t follow the printed criteria, and applied 3 x in person”.  (a “no no” I guess) This woman felt that due to her age of 59, people weren’t returning her phone call.  So, she did what anyone would do if desparate for a job – you go in person. 

Well, for all these stories, I sure hope I get into office.  As a regular, hard-working citizen, I don’t know how much power I have to help out these people, but if all you readers in my district elect me, I’ll sure try.    Goodnight.  BTW – thank you so much Matthew Lyons for driving today, and my son James for keeping me organized on roads and names.

Today, for example, I met an older gentleman in Derby who doesn’t get out much.  In fact, even though he said he “could” walk to Derby Store, I didn’t think he’d be able to walk down the 3 steps to his house.   This man actually looked very ill, however, he didn’t seem to be aware of that fact.  He waved, smiled and summoned me to his porch.   While sitting in the shade of his small porch, flies buzzing around his open sores, he told me he was from NYC, Brooklyn actually, and he missed seeing a multitude of people.  He missed the noise, he missed the busy city, but most of all, he missed the frequent transportation.  This man, who had some type of disability, was genuine in explaining that his daughter tried to help him, but she had 3 boys to care for, and just couldn’t take him out every day, nor to every doctor appointment.  He was quite aware of the RCT bus, but he couldn’t walk to the Derby Store pick up area, nor stand too long to wait.  He said that even if he tried to catch the bus, it was no guarantee that his appointment time at the doctor’s office would match up with the RCT pick up and drop off.  In fact, he had missed 2 doctor appointments due to transporation issues, and according to this man, was told they would have to cancel his remaining appointments because he had missed 2 already.  Now granted, he may not have called the doctor’s office to cancel and explain this problem, but given where I work, I can surely make a few phone calls on Monday and find out the facts. 

We must remember that there are people in our district who cannot afford to buy a car, or can no longer drive one.  These are the same people who want to contribute to our economy.  They want to spend their money at our local grocery stores.  They want to visit other local stores.  They want to take their dog to the vet.  They want to go to the library.  They want to buy their own groceries on their own time, and visit different towns and people for a change of scenery.  They need to get to their doctor and therapy appointments.  Lastly, most of these people so far, have wanted to VOTE.  

First of all, I encourage all who have family, or a neighbor, who could benefit from using our Rural Community Transportation (RCT), to browse their website which includes a map of pick/up & drop off, and schedule:  http://www.riderct.org/highlander.htm.  Many improvements have occured over the last few years, and I applaude their efforts.   I do believe the infrequency and unpredictabilty of drop off/pick up times needs to be better addressed, but I’m sure a discussion about this problem would be welcomed.  There are numerous benefits to a public transporation system:  (1) less cars on the road – less C02 in the air, (2) better access for ALL people (e.g. RCT is American Disability Act compliant), and they have driven to people’s houses in snow and ice, (3) more public transportation means more money spent at our local businesses , (4) older children and teenagers who don’t  have driver’s licenses or bikes (roads are pretty dangerous these days), could travel around the area to various public sites, stores, post office, be messengers for businesses, or just visit their friends in other towns.  I would love to see our public transportation system purchase a fleet of biofuel or electric vehicles – even better!  More service, and less fuel costs.  I don’t know if RCT is hiring (employment opportunities  are listed on their website) but here’s a business that seems worth working for if you have a great driving record.  Then again, maybe someone who knows a lot about public transportation will step forward and create another type of transportation service meeting the continued needs of our community - another business per chance? 

Stay tuned for my next story.  Hope to hear yours.