Author Archives: wattsnew4u

My wife and I moved back to Essex when our oldest turned five to take advantage of the Essex schools. For the next many years, we both volunteered heavily in our three sons’ classrooms and I coached every soccer team that our boys played on. We were also involved with Essex Boy Scouts where allContinue reading “Opening Statement”

On Thursday, October 8, at 6:30pm on Channel 1087 (formerly Channel 17), Town Meeting TV will host a State Representative Candidate Forum for Chittenden 8-3. All three candidates have agreed to participate. Tune in to hear from each candidate as they discuss issues important to you and to Vermont. The candidates have been given aContinue reading “Channel 1087 Candidate Forum”

As soon as my name went up on the Vermont Secretary of State’s candidate website, I started getting email surveys asking for my opinions in trade for a potential endorsement. I have not completed any since an endorsement implies that I would owe something to the endorsing organization. I believe that seeking endorsements would beContinue reading “No Endorsements for Me”

Here is a list of issues that I am interested in. Some of them are about how local and regional governments run and others will affect your tax bill and yet others are about equity and fairness. Please send me comments and/or questions on any of them or suggest other issues that you would likeContinue reading “What do you want to hear about?”

Rather than posting a weekly summary of the past Legislative week, it is my intention to look forward and ask for comments on what is ahead. I will post here and on Front Porch Forum with the intent to highlight upcoming votes and topics of relevance. Telling you how I voted in the past weekContinue reading “Looking forward”

My wife asked me to describe someone who was at a meeting I attended recently. She was wondering if this person had been one of her students. I found that I didn’t remember any distinguishing characteristics other than being young and white. I was feeling pretty good about not seeing any stereotypes that might biasContinue reading “Book by its cover”

I had the opportunity to go to Brazil several years ago as part of IBM’s Corporate Service Corps where I worked in Sao Paulo for a month at a non-profit that encourages kids to stay in school. During one of my weekends there, I stopped at a craft fair in a park near my apartmentContinue reading “Motivation”

A legislator needs to make hundreds, if not thousands, of decisions each session. Unlike workplace decisions, where there is likely a chain of command, each Legislator is on their own. For party members though, there is a loose chain of command and pressure is applied to follow the party line. As an Independent, I willContinue reading “Decisions, decisions”

There are four words that we, as a community, should keep in mind to drive better civic engagement. Those words are, “What will we do?” Starting with the word “we.” In this case, “we” means all of us. Not just elected officials or government employees, but all of us. We need to act together. WeContinue reading “What will we do?”

I had the opportunity recently to interview a number of folks who are interested in housing issues. I asked some of them whether they expected climate change to impact housing trends. Most went to the topic of home energy efficiency. A couple mentioned access to transportation. No one mentioned the possibility that policy changes couldContinue reading “Climate Change”