James and Hunter to Run for Bennington-4 House Seats
Rep. Kathleen James and Rob Hunter are running as a team to represent the two-seat Bennington-4 district in the Vermont House of Representatives.
James is wrapping up her third term in the House. She serves as Assistant Majority Leader and ranking member of the House General and Housing Committee. Hunter retired in 2023 from a 32-year career as an award-winning English teacher, the last 27 years at Burr and Burton Academy.
James is running for re-election to the seat she has held since 2018. Hunter is running to replace Rep. Seth Bongartz, who recently announced his campaign for the Vermont Senate. They are both Democrats.
Together, James and Hunter are focused on education — including education funding and property taxes — as a top priority and believe it will be one of the defining issues of the upcoming 2025–2026 biennium.
“This year, a ‘perfect storm’ of financial pressures — including the end of federal pandemic dollars, rising healthcare premiums, and the cost to maintain aging school buildings — pushed up school spending all across the state. And when school spending goes up, property taxes go up,” says James. “As a state, we have to change course and make tough decisions. Our district will need two thoughtful, collaborative representatives who can balance the very real concerns of taxpayers with strong support for our district’s unique mix of public and independent schools.”
“I am looking forward to bringing a practical, experienced-based voice to the House when it comes to education. More than ever, educating today’s students to be discerning and intelligent members of society is paramount. My children attended both public and independent schools. I believe that all Vermont students — whether at Arlington, or in any of the Taconic and Green schools, or at BBA — require the same things: great teachers and administrators who have a vision of the future. I know what works and I am looking forward to assisting our legislature to continue to move Vermont forward,” says Hunter.
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James and Hunter are also focused on key issues like affordable housing, affordable healthcare, affordable childcare, forward-looking climate policy, and community health and safety. These issues are deeply connected.
Hunter says, “Here’s the large knot: If you begin with housing, you quickly see how it’s tied to other issues. My wife Nancy and I used to joke that we bought the ‘last shack’ in Manchester. We had two small children at the time. A three-bedroom, one-bath ranch house for $112,000. That was the spring of 2001! Shortly after that, you quite literally couldn’t find a three-bedroom house for under $200,000, and that was 23 years ago. With inflation, stagnating wages, a serious shortage of workers, there is not just a need for affordable housing, but for quality affordable childcare, and accessible health and dental care for all. People are having to make very hard decisions about what to prioritize financially. I’m hoping that my experience with more than a generation of Vermont students and their families can help the legislature move forward on these issues in creative ways. To be a hard-working Vermonter and struggle to put a roof over your head, or find quality childcare, or access affordable medical and dental care, is, quite honestly, disrespectful. Folks who contribute to this economy, to this Vermont community, should be our priority. I am one of those people. I want to fight for those people.”
“Across the state and here in our district, Vermonters are struggling with both affordability and access — finding and paying for basic building blocks like housing, childcare and healthcare,” says James. “Vermont is also facing the rising cost and impact of climate change, as last summer’s flooding proved. When confronting these issues, real fiscal responsibility goes far beyond simplistic slogans. Sometimes you have to cut costs and sometimes you have to make strategic investments that help the folks who need it the most while saving everyone much more money in the long run. Act 76 of 2023 is a perfect example. This bipartisan bill is already stabilizing our struggling childcare system, supporting early childhood educators, and making high-quality childcare much more affordable for thousands of Vermont families. That’s a smart investment that helps families, businesses and our economy. I also have a strong track record of supporting balanced climate policy that boosts community resilience, cuts down on carbon pollution and — most important — helps low–income and rural Vermonters transition to sustainable, renewable energy in a way that folks can afford.”
“Working with Kathleen and representing this district for the last four years has been a great experience,” says Bongartz. “Kath and I have collaborated constantly to make sure that the needs of our constituents — across all four towns — are not only heard but advanced in the State House. I’m also thrilled that someone of Rob’s stature and talent is ready to step up. He’ll have a big impact on education issues in Montpelier from day one, and that’s what we need.”
