SUE MINTER ON FRANKLIN COUNTY
By Latimer Hoke
Vermonters will have three choices to lead the Green Mountain state when they hit the polls next week: the Libertarian candidate, Bill “Spaceman” Lee; the Democratic candidate, Sue Minter; and the Republican Candidate, Phil Scott.
Plenty has been publicized about the three, and how they plan to improve Vermont, but we wanted to know how they’d help locals in and around Franklin County. Specifically, we asked what each Candidate’s election would do to help Franklin County.
The Courier reached out to these candidates, both by email and phone, with mixed results.
Sue Minter
Minter’s campaign did not respond to an initial email. Minter’s listed phone number goes to her Campaign Manager, who referred the Courier to another email address, from which no reply was received.
Of note from Minter’s campaign website, however, is that Minter is endorsed by Vermont Senator and former presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders.
Minter has some plans that seem to have direct implications for Franklin County. As one example, Minter has said that she would like to expand Vermont’s trail networks to increase recreational opportunities for biking, hiking, and cross-country skiing. She wants to continue to improve Vermont’s road and bridge infrastructure. Expanding cell phone and broadband internet service would likely be welcome to area residents, as well as increasing investment in clean energy sources and improving the farm-to-table network.
For younger Vermonters, Minter hopes to enable students to attend Vermont Technical Center or Community College of Vermont, tuition-free for two years.
Minter has said she is a proponent of increasing the minimum wage, increasing treatment options for those with opiate addictions, universal healthcare coverage, legalization and regulation of marijuana, and expanding public school opportunities while “stabilizing property taxes.”
As the issue of clean water in Lake Champlain’s northern bays heats up, so has Minter’s promises for a cleaner lake. Minter has promoted the idea of penalizing people who pollute Vermont’s waterways. She also has said she wants to improve water treatment infrastructure.
As for taxes, Minter calls for holding the State sales tax at its current 6%, lowering taxes on the middle class and small businesses, and closing loopholes that corporations and wealthy individuals enjoy. Her tax plan, has, at times, included adding the 6% sales tax to the service industry. That tax would include haircuts, vehicle repairs, and property maintenance.
If elected, Minter would be the second female Governor of Vermont.
