Statement from Esther Charlestin on Legislature's Override of Gov. Scott's Vetoes
This week two things became abundantly clear. 1) Vermont’s legislature has a critical mass of hardworking people committed to bettering the lives of their constituents. 2) Governor Scott’s veto pen has been busy. Despite the legislature’s steadfast resolve to override several of Governor Scott’s vetoes this Monday, it does not change the fact that the governor saw fit to veto eight well-crafted and beneficial bills in rapid succession. Eight bills with the foresight and creative problem solving needed to tackle the issues of Vermont in our time reached his desk. And eight times, Governor Scott stood in the way of progress.
Among the six vetoed bills that the legislature overrode into law are some sterling examples of comprehensive problem solving for Vermonters. These are bills I wholeheartedly applaud. H.289 will ensure we are actively moving toward a 100% clean energy future. H.72, a bill with bipartisan support, provides for a lifesaving overdose prevention center to be built in Burlington. H.687 updates Act 250, a major necessity in the fight to build more affordable homes for working Vermonters. And H.887 ensures our children and education workers will be fully funded, an action that I think is our highest responsibility as public servants.
Each of these bills offer solutions, compromise, and comprehensive implementation. It is a proud day in Vermont that they become law. But for Governor Scott to veto them all, as well as four others, one would expect for him to have a better reason than that the bills were “imperfect.” To veto one of the eight bills on the grounds of imperfection could be excused, even understood. But to veto them all is unacceptable, and it shows us that Governor Scott is shying away from the real work that needs to be done.
Is it acceptable that fewer and fewer Vermonters are able to own a home? Is it acceptable that this housing crisis is continuously squeezing working people in the form of high rent, inflation, increased houselessness, and an ever-disappearing opportunity to build their own wealth? Is it acceptable that the effects of climate change, effects like the devastating floods of last year and the dangerous heat wave hitting the Northeast this week, get drastically worse every year? Is it acceptable that the most vulnerable among us, from the single mother unable to find an affordable home for her children to the person bravely fighting this opioid epidemic, should have no support from their Governor? Because that is what Governor Scott is signaling with his complacency and inaction.
In a time when the issues of the moment demand action, we have a governor who would rather sit on his hands, raising them only to wield the veto pen. We need a governor who, when faced with difficult issues, does not shy away from the moment. I envision Vermont having a Governor who works side by side with the hardworking legislature, who have spent the last two years tirelessly crafting comprehensive ways to better Vermonters’ lives. I envision a Vermont where a working family can own a home, where a thriving education system is a priority, where we protect ourselves and our neighbors from climate disasters, and where the most vulnerable among us are not forgotten. This is the Vermont I want to lead. This is the Vermont we can have, but it cannot happen without bravery and action.
Esther Charlestin is a Democratic candidate to be Vermont’s Governor. To learn more about Esther Charlestin’s policy platform and help her campaign, please visit www.estherforvt.com.
Thank you, Esther Charlestin