I'm running for Addison County Senate!

At the 2024 Town Meetings in Bristol, Lincoln, Monkton and Starksboro I announced that, following my three terms in the house, I will not be seeking re-election to that seat. Instead, I have decided to run for one of our two Addison County Senate Seats. In addition to Addison County towns, this senate district also serves the communities of Buels Gore, Huntington and Rochester. As a lifelong resident of Addison County, including education at Mount Abe and Middlebury College, I have deep connections to this county I call home and feel eager to continue my service in the area of public policy development. 

Particular priorities of mine are:

• Public Education, ensuring that the young people of our state have excellent educational options for the next 20 years, while bringing the price of that education in line with what our taxpayers can afford. I believe that community schools, and embedded human services in our schools, is part of the solution. There are both regulatory and emotional barriers to be bridged in this effort, but I am passionately dedicated to the work. 
• Housing investments to provide greater affordability to Vermonter's who are feeling priced out by our current rental and real estate market. We need common sense land use and zoning reforms that allow communities to build more easily in there village centers. We need to bring the private sector fully on board with creating affordable housing. Subsidized "permanently affordable" housing has an important role to play, but it can't be the totality of our efforts. We need to get out of the way of the more cost efficient building options that continue to emerge in the private sector. This is a tough negotiation, as I have witnessed in my 6 years in the house, but I'm committed to working with all parties on a solution. 
• Climate Resiliency work has never been as urgently needed as right now. But how we respond to the floods of 2023 is an critical first step in charting a course of resilience in the face of changing weather. We need to stick together, and to try new things. Building housing outside of flood plains is critical in some communities, and they need the state's help to accomplish this work. I'm in this effort for the long haul. It will also involve a greater understanding of our connectivity through landscape and watersheds. These problems don't start and stop at county boundaries, so we need a more holistic approach. 

Please reach out any time with questions about my campaign at calelder@gmail.com. If you have questions about policy in the current biennium, please reach out to me at celder@leg.state.vt.us. It's always a pleasure to hear from constituents during our session. And of course, from supporters during the campaign. 

Thanks for reading! Sincerely, Caleb Elder