To the editor: Pajala announces she will not seek re-election to Vermont House

During those seven years, our community and the whole state of Vermont has experienced struggles with a worldwide pandemic, a statewide housing crisis, increasing costs of living and unprecedented flood damage and relentless efforts to dismantle our successful local school choice system that is so valued by families. Perhaps I shouldn’t start with the negative but those topics are continually on my mind and will remain there in everything I do in the future.

Those same seven years have seen support for our child-care system, Vermonter’s reproductive health, improvements to our telecommunications systems, a recreational cannabis market and continual efforts to address the balance between development and environmental conservation. Those and so many other positive efforts have made me proud to be involved in state government.

All of that being said, I am not seeking re-election in 2024. While this feels like a big decision and was not made lightly, it is also clearly the right thing to do at the right time for me and my family. The next few years are the last my kids will be just that, kids. I want to be able to give them the best of myself as they make choices about growing into their own lives. I will miss serving in the Vermont legislature, but I leave without regret.

I also feel confident that there is an excellent community member who wants to serve in the Vermont House to represent all of us – Chris Morrow of Weston (former owner of the Northshire Bookstore). As a small business owner, former school board member and community leader, Chris is ready, willing and able to be the voice of the  Windham-Windsor -Bennington District in Montpelier. I look forward to seeing Chris out in the community during the campaign season and hope that people take the time to talk with him in the months to come.

Again, thank you to the whole community for making the job of representing you all one I can feel proud of.

Respectfully,

Kelly M. Pajala
State representative
Andover, Londonderry, Weston and Winhall