Candidates for state Senate, Windsor District 5: a Q & A

Democrats Alison Clarkson, Richard McCormack, and Alice Nitka are the current of officeholders. Republican challengers Randy Gray and Jack Williams also ran in the previous election and were defeated by the Democratic. incumbents.

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Candidates for state Senate, Windsor District (5): a Q& A By JEFF EPSTEIN Vtreporter@eagletimes.com 13 hrs ago 0 Election 2018 WINDSOR, Vt. — Democrats Alison Clarkson, Richard McCormack, and Alice Nitka are the current of officeholders (marked with * below). Republican challengers Randy Gray and Jack Williams also ran in the previous election and were defeated by the Democratic incumbents. Alison H. Clarkson (D)* Hometown: Woodstock Clarkson is completing her first Senate term, after previously serving in the House. She represented Windsor-5 from 2005 to 2017, according to Ballot-pedia. In the Senate, she sits on three committees: Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs; Government Operations; and Judicial Rules. Clarkson is a theatrical producer, and earned her B.A. from Harvard College in 1977. Eagle Times: How has the majority status of your party in Vermont affected your campaign strategy? Alison Clarkson: It hasn’t. I run my own campaign, focused on this Windsor County district. ET: How long have you served in office, and what are you most proud of achieving while in office? AC: In the Senate, I serve as vice-chair of the Senate Sexual Harassment Panel, and am a member of the Legislative Climate Caucus and of the Women’s Caucus and on the State-Wide Workforce Development Board. There are many things I am proud of: serving my constituents to the best of my ability, helping pass marriage equity, a balanced budget every year, increasing the minimum wage, improving health care coverage for Vermonters and pay equity for women, passing common sense gun safety measures, passing innovative economic development measures, investing in our downtowns by expanding our TIF program and increasing downtown development tax credits, and improving the Current Use program. ET: What challenges face the senate in the upcoming term? AC: Because the Vermont legislature meets only four and a half months a year, there is always unfinished business. My guess is that it will return to address: paid family leave, raising the minimum wage, creating a regulated marijuana market, the next steps with Act 46, creating a funding mechanism for cleaning up the waters of Vermont, more affordable childcare, and reducing health care costs. ET: What particular issues affecting the Windsor senate district would you like to get state action on? AC: We need to continue our work spreading economic development more evenly throughout the state — especially to Windsor County where we have the internet and architectural infrastructure to accommodate growth. In addition, we need to strengthen our opiate prevention and treatment programs, continue to improve our Workforce Development programs and opportunities, and to build better programming in corrections so that people return to our communities better educated and trained — ready to work productively. Randy A. Gray (R) Hometown: Springfield This is Gray’s second try at a Senate seat; he ran unsuccessfully in 2016. Gray is the chair of Springfield Republicans and serves as vice chair of Spring-field’s Trails, Green-ways, Byways and Rural Economy Advisory Com-mittee. Gray works in sales administration and transportation. Eagle Times: How has the minority status of your party in Vermont affected your campaign strategy? Randy Gray: I have always felt it is best to vote for the best candidate and not a party. I reach across party lines. A legislator is suppose to represent all of the constituents, not just those in their party. ET: What special skills or experience do you have that make you the best candidate for the office? RG: I have worked many years in sales and as a sales administrator, dealing mainly with Vermont small businesses. I serve as vice chair on one of Springfield’s municipal committees. I am the chair of the Springfield Republican Committee and serve as secretary to a local recreational club. ET: Do you have a particular issue you are focused on? What would you like to achieve in office? RG: I feel if we improve our economy many of the other problems will fade, such as the drug issue. I have a multi-step plan to reduce drug abuse. I have a goal to lower the business tax rate and work toward reducing or eliminating the sales tax. I will fight hard for clean water, mandating municipalities to improve their waste water infrastructure preventing raw sewage spills. I will refuse to vote for any bill that threatens our constitutional rights. ET: What particular issues affecting the Windsor senate district would you like to get state action on? RG: The sales tax is devastating to retail business along the Connecticut River Valley, I will work to reduce or eliminate the sales tax. I will work to bring a secondary vocational school to Windsor County, providing employers with skilled workers and providing skills for employees. I will push to rein in Act 250, making river buffer zone rules specific to site locations, by example, Springfield is protected by a good control dam, so the buffer zone rules should take that into consideration. I want to eliminate Act 250 regulation from all single-family residential homes. I would promote hydro power generation using diversion dams or current generators. Providing treatment for addicts and much stiffer penalties for drug dealers is a must, along with early prevention programs in our public schools. A repeal is being drafted for Act 46, I will support it. Richard “Dick” McCormack (D)(P)* Hometown: Bethel McCormack seeks reelection to this seat, where he serves on the following committees: Senate Committee on Appro-priations; Senate Committee on Health and Welfare' Advisory Council on Child Poverty and Strength-ening Families; Govern-ment Accountability Committee; Joint Committee on Judicial Retention; Vermont Child Poverty Council; Commission on Act 250: The Next 50 years The candidate did not return the Eagle Times’s questionnaire Mason Wade (I) Hometown: Rochester Mason “Cloud” Wade, running as an independent candidate, lives on a homestead in the Rochester area, three miles from a power pole and lacking cell service. He has lived in the Rochester area for over 30 years. Eagle Times: What is your campaign strategy? Mason Wade: My first campaign strategy is to see as many 802 Windsor folks run for an office. Here in Windsor County we’re pushing 18 House seats and many need candidates to create debate. Since Aug. 9 has past as deadline for independent candidates filing, the next step is to see folks understand that it’s time to create independent write-in campaigns. Why? The party system is failing Vermonters — those independents going to Montpelier will be for the voters, not the party! ET: What special skills or experience do you have that make you the best candidate for the office? MW: All of us can run. I bring my homesteading skills, my entrepreneur skills, my 50 some years of experience of the parties failing, just dividing the state and the nation, three years on a school board, and doing an Alaskan expedition 1976 which has not been repeated. ET: Do you have a particular issue you are focused on? What would you like to achieve in office? MW: Number one issue is our democracy as is number two and three. Particular issues are for Windsor folks to share with me as their senator. Not losing our democracy will be a big achievement while in office. Sorry, but wake up, we are in trouble. ET: What particular issues affecting the Windsor senate district would you like to get state action on? MW: One state action may well be having Windsor become two counties to have better representation to the region. Also it may well be time to amend the state constitution so the voters have the right to hold state referendums. The friends of Ludlow Auditorium will be sharing democracy with us on Oct. 25 at 7 p.m., a forum of candidates for Windsor Senate and House seat Windsor 2. At this time I am the only independent Senate candidate, and we are lucky that an independent candidate is running for House seat Windsor 2, Peter Berger. Go Peter! Alice Nitka (D)* Hometown: Ludlow Nitka works providing services to children, and seeks reelection to this seat, where she serves on the following committees: Senate Committee on Appro-priations, Vice Chair; Senate Committee on Judiciary, Clerk; Joint Committee on Judicial Retention Eagle Times: How has the majority status of your party in Vermont affected your campaign strategy? Alice Nitka: The majority status of my party in Vermont hasn’t affected my campaign. There are of course praises and criticisms of certain bills that passed in the last session and also lamentations regarding bills that didn’t pass or were vetoed. Although people frequently ask about what party you are a part of, they are more interested in where you stand on an issue. In campaigning, I am trying to meet people from all parties as well as those who aren’t affiliated with any party. ET: How long have you served in office, and what are you most proud of achieving while in office? AN: I served eight years in the House of Representatives until elected to the Senate where I have served from 2007 to the present. While I am always very proud of achieving a balanced state budget for many years while serving on the Appropriations Committee, the passage of the law allowing the use of Naloxone (Narcan), the drug used to save the lives of those suffering from an overdose has had the most personal impact on our citizens. I am always interested in how any bill proposed, be it about business or natural resources will impact the “person on the street”, so to speak and in addressing unintended consequences. ET: What challenges face the Senate in the upcoming term? AN: Challenges the Senate will face in the upcoming term are dealing with water quality, climate change, retraining workers for the many employment opportunities that are available in the state, expanding services for care of persons with mental illness so they are not being housed in hospital emergency rooms, continuing to fight the opioid crises, increasing affordable housing for workers, addressing high prescription drug costs, addressing the needs of small businesses, juvenile justice issues, reinventing our downtowns and much more. These are the same issues that are a concern in Windsor County and our surrounding towns. ET: What particular issues affecting the Windsor Senate district would you like to get state action on? AN: In addition to the many issues previously mentioned I would like to pass a bill that changes the high school dropout age from age 16 to age 18 while providing alternate routes to graduation for persons who feel the need to drop out. There would be exceptions for persons who complete the requirements before turning 18. Wayne Townsend (R) Hometown: Bethel Originally from Randolph, Townsend is a farmer and a logger. Eagle Times: How has the minority status of your party in Vermont affected your campaign strategy? Wayne Townsend: It hasn't — the people are ready for a change. ET: What special skills or experience do you have that make you the best candidate for the office? WT: Commonsense, and I was born right here in Vermont which better qualifies me than our sitting senators. ET: What challenges face the Senate in the upcoming term? WT: Property taxes, carbon tax overspending, education, constitutional rights. ET: What particular issues affecting the Windsor Senate district would you like to get state action on? WT: Making Vermont more business friendly to create opportunity for our children and future generations. ET: Lowering taxes, so Vermonters can afford to live here. Jack Williams (R) Home-town: Weathersfield The candidate did not return the Eagle Times’s questionnaire.