If you’re lucky, every year you spend in the Legislature comes with a highlight. The high moment my first year was the successful attempt to dramatically expand Pre-Kindergarten education in Vermont. Before the Governor signed that bill, your community was probably limited to ten Pre-K slots, and it was even odds you drew out of a hat to see which kids lost. Then, at the Blooming Minds Pre-School in St. Albans, Peter Shumlin signed S.53, the first bill I ever reported on the floor of the Senate and one I’d pushed hard since day one. And that all changed.
A year later, the Governor signed S.223, a bill I co-sponsored with Anthony Pollina, increasing coverage for autistic Vermonters from age 6 to age 21. That was an incredibly happy day in the Governor’s Ceremonial Office — especially when one of the kids moved Shumlin along by grabbing the pen and offering to sign the legislation herself.
Days like those are why I’m working every day to be re-elected to the State Senate. Making change like that, even though it doesn’t come on every issue, even though it doesn’t come without costs and compromises, is one of the greatest feelings going.
And right now, we’re just about $1000 shy of what we need to raise to have everything scheduled and paid for in this re-election bid: lawn signs, campaign literature, stickers, palm cards, social media, print ads, etc. and so on.
When we’ve raised that $1000, we’re done, all except for the honking and waving.
And the last reporting deadline is Monday.
So if you can help us now, on this last push, it’ll be very deeply appreciated. the safest and most progressive donation site out there. Or if online donation doesn’t work for you, our address is the same as it’s always been: Baruth Senate, PO Box, 876, Burlington, VT, 05402.
Thanks in advance if you can help, folks. This forced march will only last three more weeks or so. Onward.