John Freitag: The opportunity to get it right

Editor’s note: This commentary is by John Freitag, who is chair of the Strafford Selectboard.

[W]hile many despair at politics in Washington, we in Vermont have, over the next two years, the opportunity to show how divided government can actually work well in challenging times. The fact is that Vermont has a real advantage in that it has been done before. One need only go back and see how Gov. Richard Snelling and Speaker Ralph Wright were able in difficult economic circumstances to put the needs of Vermont ahead of partisan politics. Peter Welch, when serving for many years as president pro tempore of the Vermont state Senate, knew how to do this as well, and is now extremely respected in a deeply divided U.S. House of Representatives for his ability, honed in Vermont, to work with those on both sides of the aisle for the common good.

We are fortunate that in Phil Scott we have a practical non-ideological leader who like the vast majority of our elected legislators is there for the good of people of Vermont. There is no question that having a Republican as governor will be different than the last six years when Democrats were in charge of the executive and the Legislature. This is not necessarily a bad thing. While it is less likely that sweeping legislation will be passed, it is more likely that whatever comes before the governor to sign will be more carefully considered.

The diverse five-member Strafford Selectboard, on which I serve, is committed to a fair process in which members can express their opinions and are encouraged to question and explore alternatives rather than feeling pressured to agree to proposals. There is space for input from the public and there is transparency in what we do and how we as individual board members vote on issues. No member always gets their way and once there is a vote taken, unless there is new information or developments, we accept the decision of the majority and move on. While we often disagree, we all respect each other and recognize the fact each of us has the good or our community at heart.

My hope is that the next two years in Montpelier will see less power politics, horse trading and spin, and more transparency, open discussion and listening. None of us will agree with all that happens, but if the process is fair and respect given on all sides, Vermont could provide a needed model of governance and civility for the rest of the country.