Since making Vermont my home a few years ago, I’ve come to recognize the critical importance of engaged state legislators that give us the opportunity as individuals to more fully participate in representative government. Representative Kathleen James and Seth Bongartz are two such leaders that deserve the attention and support of voters in the Bennington-4 district.
James was first elected to office in 2018 and has jumped in with both feet to listen to, engage with and be a champion for the residents of her district. She has co-sponsored at least 30 bills. She has immersed herself in Education Committee work, co-sponsoring at least three bills as part of this committee. James understands the importance of nurturing the whole child. That’s why she fully supports expanding one of the best early childhood education programs in the country and in-school meals for those children who need them; she knows how important good nutrition is to a child’s ability to learn. In the short time James has been in office we’ve worked together on new approaches to solving our state’s problems. One of those is social impact investing through public private partnerships for early childhood education, child hunger, climate change and homelessness recovery. James is the kind of energetic, open-minded and collaborative leader we need. Given what she has accomplished in less than two years, I can
only imagine how much more she can achieve for us in her next term.
Seth Bongartz’ record of service to the Northshire speaks for itself. A successful leader for many not-for-profit organizations, most recently Hildene, Bongartz has a wealth of experience in understanding and advocating on issues that are important to us. He has served multiple terms in the legislature, leading successful efforts on behalf of Vermonters in land management, affordable housing and conservation. Bongartz recognizes that bringing his business experience to government can make him more effective in framing and solving problems.
James and Bongartz are readily accessible, which is rare in politics these days. You can contact them for a meeting directly, and they will get back to you for a date to have coffee. They understand that one of the most basic commitments to effective representative democracy is to meet with their constituents and work together. This election day let’s help them continue the good work they’ve done.
Phil Peterson, Manchester