BRANDON, Vt.—As election season begins to ramp up, Lachlan Francis, Chairman of the Vermont Democratic Party (VDP), and May Hanlon, Executive Director of the VDP, presented the party’s aspirations for the future and took questions from community members on Sat., Feb. 7.

Former Rep. Stephanie Jerome (D-Brandon) introduced Francis and Hanlon, both of whom hail from small towns, Putney and Island Pond, respectively, with populations that have been historically greatly underserved by the government.

Taking cues from their roots, Hanlon described their goal “as not to be the tax-and-spend party, but rather the party that provides opportunities for all Vermonters–no matter their background or where they’re from.” 

They want the party to focus on what there is to work for, as opposed to work against, and seek to inform the public about the accomplishments they have had in Montpelier.

While not known for its elected officials and candidates working in lockstep, Francis and Hanlon described a party that tends to offer a variety of differing perspectives and opinions on issues. They offered Act 73 as an example, which at its core has to do with school consolidations. On this, the party vote was split right down the middle.

A common question heard throughout the meeting was: How do the Democrats coalesce? “We all do better when we all do better,” emphasized Francis, borrowing the words of the musician Jeremy Messersmith as a rallying cry. “By encouraging neighbors to sit down together and discuss the issues, we begin to see we all want the same things and that we’re really not that different from one another.”

More information on the VDP can be found at https://www.vtdemocrats.org/.

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