Hello and good evening and welcome to channel 17 town meeting television tonight. We have Another of our candidate forums. This is for Chittenden six seven for state Representative and we have two candidates and only one is here right now We have Hal Colston and we're waiting and hopefully when she gets here We'll have Deanna Gonzalez as well now these folks are representing Winooski and we're gonna go through we're gonna start with how this is a pretty easy one how Why don't you tell the folks exactly why you're running and what brings you to the table tonight? Sure. Thank you, Howard I'm running for Representative to be a voice for the people. I believe that we need to have a voice Under the Golden Dome that speaks to social economic and racial justice. I also have a platform Three things I want to focus on housing policy So we have policies that are fair for all people living in Winooski as well as Vermont I'm interested in economic development Winooski is a growing city and I want to make sure all of our voices are heard and community development community engagement We have a very diverse city in Winooski We're the most diverse city in the state if not the region and I want to make sure that all our voices are heard I have an experience as a social entrepreneur. I started the good news garage I started neighbor keepers and in all of those efforts community engagement has been a very important Strategy for making sure all voices are heard. So I want to be the representative for all of Nui Winooski That's excellent. How tell me a little bit about You know what you have found for the economy one of the things that were it looks like that Vermont is got a bleak outlook for the economy coming up Who knows if that's true or not, but that's kind of the prediction right now What do you think your role would be if you were our representative to help Vermont? Pull out of that that prediction. I think we do have challenges with our economy going forward We're the second-grade state in the country We have baby boomers who are retiring every day And are coming out of the workforce So we we have our challenge, but I think we also have an opportunity We have many new American residents who have skills who are engineers who are doctors who are nurses who are professionals And the way our current system is set up Their credentials aren't acceptable So we need to find a way to engage that part of our potential workforce and and move our economy forward That's fascinating. I want to also remind our viewers that You can call in questions and the number is 8 6 2 3 9 6 6 if Deanna you're out there and trying to get to us you can call in also if you'd like that's 8 6 2 3 9 6 6 maybe you can get a voice in that way. So that's interesting So let's tie that that whole thing and also to health care and what you'd see for the vision of health care here in Vermont and maybe even nationally I Served on the VNA board for seven years I chaired it for a few years and I serve on their honorary board as well That's a Vermont nursing Vermont nursing Association, which just went through a renaming Process now allied with the University of Vermont Medical Center health network The VNA Provides Such a service and value to our health care system that it's it's one tenth of what it would cost to hospitalize someone So the goal of getting people back into their homes and under that kind of collaborative care is really really crucial I think the holding down our cost and I also believe that the all-payer model that the UVM Medical Center is Testing out for the next five years is something to look closely at Their goal is to have 70% of the health care providers into that system into that network as a way to cap and hold those costs down Well, that's it. Let's expand on that a little bit. So what? Where do you see if that holds true? How's that going to affect because we do have a diverse community I'm from Winooski as well. And how does that impact? We obviously have a Community not only diverse ethnically but also economically as well. So well As I mentioned before with regards to how do we move our economy forward? How do we? Employ and engage our new American neighbors to be in the health care profession There are folks out there with qualifications, but we have to find a way to Honor their credentials And has that been a problem? Well, yes, I think so. I think that's a challenge for our current system Not recognizing, you know at and looking at apples and oranges We need to take a real serious look at how do we revamp our our accreditation system So the licensing system out of the state is right now kind of not allowing people to absolutely And there certainly seems to be a need for care people all over the place. So that's interesting You know, that's that's an interesting and if I were of the boot knees community I'm gonna be more apt to go to a boot knees practitioner and and feel safe and comfortable And be able to engage so I think we have we have it right in front of us We get have to figure out how we're going to make this work Yeah, that's fascinating and what do what? I'm kind of looking at our list of questions and a little bit is a little bit about the paid leave and What what your feelings are about either supporting or not supporting the paid family leave and I? I'm all for the paid family leave. I believe at the end of the day are Approach to budgeting and and and creating our plans to to Allocate our resources is really a moral process because of budgets of moral document And we need to be doing the right thing to support families to to help them thrive It's a disincentive I think for for folks who don't have that kind of benefit And and they're going to be more apt to to go elsewhere where they can find that benefit And how do you see when new ski right now? Are we are we? Growing are we shrinking? I mean in terms of population and and those word. What do we know about when you ski right now? And where we're going when you ski is growing we have a very vibrant downtown Thanks to the leadership of Clem Bissonette and his efforts years ago to help make that happen where we're almost out of Space to develop at this point We're really looking at affordable housing and how do we make sure and ensure going forward that we have a Suitable stock of affordable housing We have one of the highest rates of renters in the state So so we we we have a mix of of folks who who called when you ski home, but I think Going forward. We're we're really looking towards a major Revitalization of our main street corridors 23 million dollar bond was passed by the voters We're looking at you know We having our pool that's been out of commission for the last couple of years You know those things that make a quality of life and attract families So I think when new ski will continue to grow. We also I think have a gem in our school system The Wenuski school district. That's where I was going next. What do you think as a state representative? Obviously the whole idea of paying for Schools it comes right back on the state reps which comes right back to the local thing What what's how's your what are your thoughts on how we can afford our school systems in the future? Well, I just want to say a little bit more about when you ski schools We were very fortunate to benefit from a major grant from the Nellie Mae education foundation And I was involved with the partnership for change for the past five years and and we helped when you see the partnership for change What is the partnership for change is a school change initiative? Okay, and and we had about five point two five million dollars over a six-year period To focus on when you ski as well as Burlington in particular the high schools Oh, wow and to help them shift to a student-centered Proficiency-based learning system remember that I do remember the whole presentation on that exactly yes Which which is starting to shift the paradigm about how teachers deliver education So instead of teaching to the subject you teach to each and every student and and with both of those high schools having Diversity where there's 40 plus different languages spoken It comes a real challenge for teachers to to connect and and to deliver their education So so having that that that shift. I think has has really Made when new ski middle high school or real gem where if it was located in another city It could be a charter school with people lined around the box to get in so it's It's it's really I think producing the outcomes that we want to see where our our kids are graduating with a sense of Purpose of aspiration and there'll be successful in community college or career Okay, so let's get back to the state's role in all that and how they can help us achieve those things for our kids Well with act 77 that passed several years ago the flexible pathways legislation it's given schools The mandate to shift to this model that I just described So by 2020 all of our students will be graduating based on proficiencies And what that means is that you have to demonstrate that you have mastered a unit and a course before you move to the next unit to the next unit as opposed to being pushed through and Sometimes graduating without the skills and the 21st century skills that we all know that are important, you know collaboration communication creativity Problem-solving and and being civically connected. So those are the kind of soft skills that that we need now in our workforce so Having schools shift to that kind of model is is going to be better for our communities and for all of our students But for many of the citizens in when you see it's really comes down to What's how's it going to affect their dollar? How their wallet was? What do you think the state's approach should be as it's becomes more challenging? Winooski obviously may be growing but so many parts of the state are seeing decreases and yet their costs are going up as well Yeah, so, you know as a state rep you're gonna be you know having to you know kind of work with all those sides Sure, I'm willing to look at at some other ways of funding our educational system Possibly an income-based tax system that would be fair and equitable of course You have to be here in mind when you have folks who are struggling with a lack of resources. It's important that We have a system that's fair to them But I'm not so sure if the current system based on property taxes is really delivering all what it intended to deliver great Well, we're pretty lucky that Diana made it here. We're so happy to see you and And We're gonna get her mic'd up and we'll give you a couple minutes here Diana just to tell the audience Give us an update on why you want to continue doing this. Yeah. Well, firstly, I apologize for having the time incorrect I thought we were at 45 so Super glad to be here And I'm running for a third term because I really have been very humbled to be part of some amazing legislation that we've been able to go through that has had a huge impact on remontures in general and Folks menuski specifically so in my first term one of the bills that I was part of was ban the box And that bill says that if you are applying for a job you It is not now legal to have a little spot that says have you ever been convicted of a crime and that now is Something that you can't do which opens up the doors for for folks that have had interactions with the Magical system in some way or another and it just makes it possible for people to get to that next step of actually face-to-face So it's one very small thing that has a really big impact that I was able to be part of the first time that I was in session and my first term and last year I was also part of some really impactful things and Two things that I want to highlight around Employment and one was that Vermont Did not have any protections for workers that were pregnant So there was just a hole in the law and we saw some horrific stories in that of People losing their jobs or having unsafe working conditions and so we fixed that and so now there are protections for Employees who are pregnant and then we also looked at what happens when people give birth And looked at and we passed and paid family medical leave insurance program that would have Have had great benefits for Vermonters Unfortunately that bill was vetoed And that is something that myself and a number of other legislators are really looking to try again on and And things like that that have very tangible results for folks is something that I'm very proud to be part of and Let's move things forward. I want to just keep with you, Deanna just for a little bit and that What what have you learned and in your first two terms? What from when you started and now being a part of the legislative process? What what can you tell us that you've you've figured out now? That's what we want, right? We want politicians to figure it out to like know what it is to do And I think not necessarily but I you know what you know what? You know what what's the end I want the behind-the-scenes kind of thing of okay? This is how I figured out how to get these things done So well, I think the biggest thing is really listening to your constituents So what is it that is happening in people's lives and what is it that people need? So it's not always possible for people to articulate what it is that they need to get fixed But it is possible for people to say this is the problem that's happening and I I need something around it And so then I really see it as my job to take what folks are saying of what it is that is going on for them And then see how we can address that at the legislative level There's so many avenues for social change and the legislative level is just one of those and there Really the thing that I figured out in my two terms is talking to people So it's my responsibility to talk to constituents and listen to folks And it's my responsibility to talk to my other legislators and see what is it that they need in order to move forward on things? That I think will really improve the lives for Monters. Thank you So I'm not going to talk too much about agriculture because we're not that agriculture really based in our And and Winooski, but I do want to talk about the opioid thing a little bit and how I mean I'm gonna Give give us a little bit of What we need to do to address this because that is impacting our area and Tell me what you think your thoughts are on that. Well, I think it's even bigger than opioids I think we have an addiction, you know epidemic and I would look to the work that's being done in Burlington they have a structure called Comstat and they bring together probably 30 to 40 people including the mayor and the police chief and and all these these Organizations that are involved in this work and they sit around the table and they communicate, you know about, you know John Doe who's having challenges? Who knows this person who's doing what for this person? It's it's this collaboration live And I think we have to have that kind of approach because these are our neighbors, you know And we have to realize that they need support and they need help and and we got to make sure we're all working on the same page And I think Winooski can learn from that model and I'm looking forward in the future to see how we might participate in that model What do you think? I think one of the things that we forget to talk about Is not just the direct service which Hal is talking about and it's very vital to really look at what services Individuals who are struggling with addiction need, but we also need to look at why there's an addiction issue in the first place And it has a huge thing to do with the economics and a huge a huge factor of do you have hope? Do you see opportunities? Do you see options and when we? Pull back and look at the economics and I know one of the questions on your list is economics Maybe you all have already talked about that, but that we have low unemployment in Vermont However, most of those jobs are low-wage jobs And we do not have folks that have enough money to get by we can look at our Livable wage index that we have in Vermont that says if you are childless If you live with the roommates if you have no debts and you have no savings and you never go on vacation Then $15 an hour is a livable wage now Find me somebody that doesn't have debts that doesn't want to save for the future And that has all of those conditions It's gonna be a rare person yet, I can find lots and lots of people that are making below minimum wage and that And we were able to pass increasing the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2020 Which I think is still kind of slow and it would but it was on a track that Enough business owners were able to see how that would be possible to do and again our governor vetoed that and so Really looking at when we're looking at addiction We need to pull back and look at the economic situation and the hopelessness that a lot of people have when you're in a dead-end job that doesn't make a livable wage and so It's hard to have hope and that's when people turn to addiction How do you want to respond to that? Well, I totally agree with Deanna. I think People don't wake up and want to be poor and and we have a structure that really makes it so difficult for for folks to move into that livable wage realm and What happens is we we we pay downstream, you know with our AHS budget, which is over a billion dollars And so we have all these resources and interventions that we have to pay for and I think it's it's really Pound foolish that we need to really focus on how do we grow our economy with economic development and jobs that really support families And how do we do that? I mean that I guess that's really the golden question in some ways You know, there will be people who say well We have too many if we cut taxes or make it easier for businesses to come in that will bring in jobs and others that say no You know, that's you know that it's that pull and you know tug that we constantly have How does that? How do you at the state say okay? How can we make the economic environment better for not only Winooski, but everyone else? So what do you think well? I think one Vermont is forward-thinking in lots of ways and one way that we have done it that we have a great Opportunity and and how is a lot of experience in this is with the personalized learning plans that we have in our school system now and so with those there's an opportunity for apprenticeship and internship like there has never been before and so really Connecting high school students with the job training that they need to fill the jobs that we have in Vermont We have high-skilled jobs here in Vermont We have tech companies that are begging for Fulfillments and yet we're not quite matching that and and I think that the personalized learning plans can really assist that and those are Still in formation in a lot of places But it's it's a really great opportunity to connect and looking at that we need to think about timelines So one of the challenging things about Creating legislation is that we're on two-year cycles as elected officials and yet the economy is not on a two-year cycle and Education is not on a two-year cycle and so looking beyond that is is vital to saying Even though I'm only elected for two years at a time and and I hope to be able to serve you never know But nevertheless, I need to look we need to look beyond that time frame to see how we can support Our education system that's gone through a lot of different changes with governance merging and and act 46 in all of these ways Yet it's still we're still able I think to encourage the systems That's already in place to help match the skilled jobs that we currently have in Vermont. I would also look to education The data shows that when a child is an elementary school their level of aspiration is that it's highest and Then by middle school it starts to dip and then by high school It tanks. So how do we make sure? kids are inspired to Welcome their education There's an example at the South Burlington high school. There's a program called big picture learning so it's a school within the school and it's all project-based learning and big picture learning is a network not only around the country, but around the world and They have shown in their data their longitudinal data that 70% of their students are in a career path that was directly related to their project So how do we really get kids excited about education is really the key? That's where I'm going to be a little bit of self-indulgent But I do want to remind our viewers that you can call in and with a question and the numbers 8 6 2 3 9 6 6 you can call in any time when we'd love to have one I want to talk get a little self-indulgent here about Funding for things like channel 17 and open media Because you know it's an issue for us if those of us that believe in democracy that seems to be an arm How what do you think would would you see you know funding sources are starting to dry a little bit? Do you think communities will back or increase and help us in the open media way? I think we need to be really Creative and figure out how do we how do we look to the Netflix's and the hula's who who are out there? drawing in billions of dollars and and and they do I think have a role in supporting this this part of our of our democracy So I think we need to Find that strategy to bring them to the table and and to have those conversations about how do we? How do how do we tax them in a way that's going to support our our community? Media and and our local democracy Yeah, well, I think that when we look at the scope of funding that we are able to offer as the state I think the avenues for democracy are key and we have been able to do a lot of non-funded Movement in terms of democracy and Vermont being the one of the few states that has same-day registration now so these pieces that are in structurally and really I think we need to be key and Maintaining an open media and part of that is funding places like this where people have access to information about local candidates information about what's happening in our local community because as as as how Brings up these different big media things that are Our information is getting narrowed and narrowed and specialized and specialized And so in that our view of the world is getting narrowed and it's really important to maintain the places such as such as CCTV in order to Keep open access and keep democracy so that we're not just narrowing in We're down to just a few minutes And so I want to give an opportunity for both of you to give a couple minutes of closing But if you can indulge me a little bit about government effectiveness What you think you've both have been involved in communities and working with the what how can we improve government effectiveness? Well, I think transparency. I I would love to see how we can Make public The the day-to-day transactions in the legislature, you know the committee meetings Why is that behind closed doors? You know? I think we need to look at different ways to to bring in the community and into our work at the legislature So I think transparency is an important one I think we also need to look at how do we how do we capture good data and and utilize it across all the various the departments and And and so that we're effectively working as as I gave the example of a com stat model That that we're all in the same page and and we have data that we can work with and that's going to change our behavior It seems like if we can do this at the high school What do you think you've been in the system now a little bit? What would you do? What could you tweak to make it more effective? Yeah? I think that one of the funny things that's happening at the national level and in here in Vermont is that that some of the traditions that we have had and People are not following and so there's pluses and minuses to that and so part of the minuses that we can see in the last Two years in the last biennium is that we got curveballs at the end of the session by the governor and and those Not following tradition. I think Makes it a little difficult. I think you're you may be at a time So I want to give you both at least a minute here too Yeah, we can to just tell the tell the people, you know your final message start us off How and then we'll give sure the last word here Well, I believe we are in a very divisive time and more divisive than I've ever seen in my lifetime And I think it really calls for You know building relationships across differences and How do we learn to really listen understand and accept our differences and and and learn what it really means to be in Dialogue and to collaborate and I think if we can accomplish that we will do great things Yeah, I am trying to find which camera to look at I'm so excited to be running again for a third term as I mentioned in the beginning It's been very humbling to be part of amazing legislation that's made a huge impact on people's lives And I hope to continue to do that to really look at the ways that we can Can shift things to benefit folks in Winooski and across Vermont Well, I want to thank both of you I feel as a Winooski resident that we're very lucky whoever gets this position is We're in good hands no matter what happens. So well, and it's both of us Just to be clear to the viewers out there of that. We're a two-seat district So there's eight thousand residents in Winooski and a bit of Burlington And and how is as a writing candidates and and I'm on the tickets Both of you when you get in so we're in good shape right right there And I want to thank the folks who have been watching you can find us online also you can find repeats of this if you want and don't hesitate to support town meeting television and Open media of all types and we really appreciate it. Thank you so much for watching tonight