This article is by John Flowers of the Addison Independent, in which a longer version was published March 13, 2014.
MONKTON — What a difference two years can make in politics.
In 2012, incumbent Reps. David Sharpe, D-Bristol, and Michael Fisher, D-Lincoln, were unopposed in their successful runs for new two-year terms representing the Addison-4 House district.
With the 2014 legislative session barely half over, two Republican candidates have already confirmed their plans to oppose Sharpe and Fisher in the two-seat district that includes Bristol, Starksboro, Lincoln and Monkton.
Earlier this winter, Bristol’s Fred Baser announced he would challenged the incumbents and the Independent interviewed him about his decision to run.
On Monday, Monkton’s Valerie Mullin spoke with the Addison Independent about her budding campaign in Addison-4.
Mullin decided to run for an Addison-4 seat in an effort to make a difference for her fellow Addison-4 residents, as well as to instill some core values, such as public service, in her youngest son.
“I saw in the last election that my opponents were running unopposed, and I thought someone should do something,” Mullin said.
On the campaign trail, she is emphasizing a need to “balance the state budget,” reform the state’s property tax system, and expand private insurance options for Vermonters instead of proceeding on a path toward a single-payer health care system.
“We can’t compete with Montpelier’s stroke of the pen,” Mullin said, in describing the recent trend in tax increases.
She noted the Shumlin administration has already announced a 7-cent increase in the statewide education property tax and that a single-payer health care system will require other tax hikes, including potentially on payrolls.
“I can’t understand how Vermonters are being asked to pay for something when we don’t have a plan to pay for it, or know how much it’s going to cost,” she said of the single-payer system.
“We cannot afford any more (money) taken from us,” Mullin said. “Our state cannot afford to stay on this course.”
Mullin is also concerned about the numbers of young Vermonters leaving the Green Mountain State following graduation to pursue careers in states with more job opportunities. Mullin noted recently announced job losses at IBM, Vermont Yankee and Plasan Carbon Composites. She said one of her older sons is currently under-employed, while another left the state to find employment.
Mullin also pledged to be an independent voice.
“I don’t plan on voting along party lines,” she said.
Mullin will be looking to her fellow Addison-4 district residents to pass along their top concerns.
“I hope they ask me a lot of questions and get to know me,” she said. “This campaign is not about me. This is about the people of these four towns in this state who are working hard at just trying to enjoy life and get by financially. I’d like to think I offer a different path, one of financial responsibility.”
Reporter John Flowers is at johnf@addisonindependent.com.