All Entries in the "Op-ed" Category
Op-ed: The Vermont House Ethics report is out and there’s nothing to see here, really
By John Walters ©2025 Vermont Political Observer Last week, the Vermont House Ethics Panel issued its annual report — and provided its annual reminder that the Legislature’s ethics process is meant to serve its members, not the public interest. The entire report occupies less than half a page of copy. Three paragraphs, 11 lines, 123 […]
Column: Music on a frigid night warms the soul
By Luna Burkland ©2024 Telegraph Publishing LLC On this freezing Sunday night, just three days before Christmas, tucked away in the Peru Congregational Church, concert-goers young and old experienced the joyful sounds of Ida Mae Specker, Emily Burkland, Faith Wood and Mowgli Giannitti. The four, informally known as Ida Mae and Friends when they perform […]
Op-ed: It’s time to move Chester’s revised zoning bylaws forward
By Tim Roper The Chester Select Board finds itself in an unfortunate state of disagreement with regard to moving the work of our Planning Commission forward. During the Sept. 18 and Oct. 16 public hearing to adopt proposed changes to the zoning bylaws, the Select Board heard objections from a few households regarding implementing a […]
Op-ed: Free, fair, accessible and secure elections
By Sarah Copeland Hanzas The General Election is less than two weeks away. As the rhetoric and “noise” intensifies, it’s worth a reminder that Vermont’s elections are not only among the most accessible in the country, they are also incredibly secure. Election policy is always a balance of accessibility and security. I feel very strongly […]
Op-ed: The arrogance of Gov. Phil Scott
By Ken Fredette There has been no shortage of notable quotes from Montpelier recently, and not many of them charitable. Reading that our governor referred to lawmakers as “a bit arrogant” in overriding his vetoes at a press conference Tuesday brings to mind several historical quotes and saws. What immediately came to mind were “Let […]
Editorial: Transparency, lots of public input make for a good zoning plan
By Cynthia Prairie ©2024 Telegraph Publishing LLC Planning commissions in rural Vermont have tough jobs. They must balance the needs of residents with the state’s goals and regulations as well as current town plans, growth potential and visions for the future. And then they must endure the barbs of angry landowners — many of them […]
Op-ed: Big salaries for such a small state
By John Walters ©2024 Vermont Political Observer For all of Gov. Phil Scott’s tough talk about the budget and how tight we’ve got to be with our money, you might not guess that he and his top officials are due to get some very healthy raises in the new fiscal year. The Pay Act, H.889, […]
Op-ed: The power of connectedness protects older Vermonters from loneliness
By Mark Boutwell Senior Solutions In late February, case manager Pam Halme visited one of her clients, Marjorie (not her real name), who was turning 99 soon. Marjorie has polio and is unable to move herself in any way but has been able to stay in her own home now for many years. Halme provides […]
State budgets, Zoie Saunders vote on menu as Vermont legislative session nears end
By Sen. Alison Clarkson There are about two weeks left in Vermont’s 2024 legislative session. This is not a lot of time to negotiate policy differences between the House and the Senate. A great deal of policy work is still not settled. which concerns me. I am not a fan of the work that is […]
Op-ed: Don’t make our children pay for inflation
By Madeline Bodin ©2024 Telegraph Publishing LLC On social media, the “’90s kids” rule nostalgia, with shoutouts to Britney Spears and the early video game Oregon Trail. You don’t hear from ’70s kids. We got the oil crisis, disco and inflation. I saw inflation first-hand, even as a small child. In elementary school, my half-pint […]
Op-ed: What will the Vermont Senate do about Zoie Saunders?
By John Walters ©2024 Vermont Political Observer Gov. Phil Scott’s administration is acting as if Zoie Saunders’ nomination as education secretary is a fait accompli. On Monday, the Agency of Education issued a press release that trumpeted Saunders’ first day on the job. Nowhere did it mention that her appointment must be approved by the […]
Op-ed: Voting rights at Andover Town Meeting
By Madeline Bodin ©2024 Telegraph Publishing LLC Where will you be on Monday, March 4 at 5 o’clock? If you live in Andover and you say, “Leaving work, of course,” you have a problem. For the second time in two years, Andover’s Town Meeting will be held on a weekday afternoon. There is a well-respected […]
Rep. Pajala: School choice flourishes in rural Vermont communities
By Rep. Kelly Pajala It has been a tough year for the rural community I represent in southern Vermont. Flooding struck not once, but twice. July ravaged our towns, damaged small businesses, and forced people from their homes (including my own). Now that the legislature is back in Montpelier, I hope my colleagues can work […]
Sen. Clarkson: Vermont’s housing crisis continues to be priority in Montpelier
By Sen. Alison Clarkson Addressing Vermont’s housing crisis is one of the legislature’s top agenda items this year – as it has been for the last four years. There are many factors creating the challenge we face. Vermont has been underbuilding new housing units since the 1980s. Add to that the Covid pandemic, the loss […]
Op-ed: One small gift leads to so much more
By Sharon Bondroff ©2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC GRAY, MAINE In the late 1970s, searching for a gift for my partner Stevens Bunker, I stopped by a small antiques shop in Ellicott City, Md. Turns out Joe the shopkeeper, was friends with Bunker. They both loved, bought and sold old maritime stuff. Joe was a retired […]
Op-ed: So why is the Scott administration encouraging short-term rentals?
By John Walters ©2023 Vermont Political Observer Lately there’s been a big jump in the number of housing units being used as short-term rentals. You know, VRBO, AirBnB, those fine folks. According to a story co-produced by Vermont Public and VTDigger, “the number of homes listed on platforms like Airbnb and VRBO has grown rapidly […]
Op-ed: Coming to grips with racism at school
By Madeline Bodin If you have ever seen me, then you almost certainly have seen me in a sweatshirt with the Chieftain head on it. During the 10 years that my two children attended Green Mountain Union High School and Middle School, I owned three GM hoodies, two green and one gray. I wore them […]
Op-ed: Vermont is more diverse than depicted
Editor’s note: The public is invited to write and send in op-ed’s on a variety of topics that directly affect our communities. Mail them to cprairie@chestertelegraph.org. By Sara Stowell ©2023 Telegraph Publishing LLC Recently The Chester Telegraph published an op-ed titled Vermont officially perpetuates its whiteness by Phayvanh Leukhamhan. The author critiques recent promotional videos […]
Opinion: Vermont officially perpetuates its whiteness
By Phayvanh Luekhamhan I keep coming back to the question I frequently hear asked: “Why is Vermont so white?” It’s often accompanied by head scratching or a shoulder shrug, as if the phenomenon of our whiteness is inherent as part of our DNA, a natural law, and not something that can be reasonably explained. Vermont […]
Op-ed: A much-welcomed immersion in poetry
By Nicholas Boke We’ve all—everyone, everywhere—been through a lot lately. Maybe your power went out for several very cold days recently; maybe you have friends in Ukraine, or Israel, or Mississippi; maybe you — like me — just spend too much time wondering what will happen to teen-age girls who’ve been raped in Texas, or […]
