While Vermont’s governor is receiving kudos for the theme and temper of his inaugural address on Thursday, some are pointing out that one issue affecting the state was not mentioned.
The key themes of Governor Phil Scott’s fifth inaugural address were affordability, housing and education reform. The Republican said in the past biennium the Legislature had been passing bills causing taxpayers, schools and communities to struggle.
"Let’s put our communities above all else and reset the playing field so it’s fair and benefits all of Vermont,” Scott urged.
The Vermont League of Cities and Towns advocates for local governments across the state. Executive Director Ted Brady said the governor captured what state leaders must work on during the biennium.
“We have to address the rising cost of education. We have to address the unaffordability of housing and we have to deal with the impacts of climate change, specifically on making resilient investments in our communities to prevent future damage from floods. Those are the three messages I took away. It’s also the message I’m hearing legislators talking about too," Brady said. "So the central message I took away from the Governor’s address yesterday is exactly what we thought it would be. It’s exactly what I think we need to work on and I think people in the legislature would agree that he captured the essence of our biggest challenges and where we should spend this year working.”
End Homelessness Vermont Executive Director Brenda Siegel says Scott left her hopeful there will be more housing policies crafted during the session.
“I hope that he’s serious about moving forward strong, powerful housing policies. But that has to include keeping people sheltered until there is permanent housing and I did not hear anything about that,” Siegel said.
Brady said any mention of homelessness and action to address the issue was noticeably absent from the governor’s speech.
“We are in a homelessness crisis in Vermont. Our communities are overwhelmed by unhoused people, providing services to those unhoused people. The state needs to be stepping up and provide more resources," Brady noted. "However, the governor spent a lot of time talking about housing. If we build more housing, there will be less homelessness. So, I don’t think he’s ignoring it. But I will say that’s something that I’m hoping the legislature and the governor together work on immediately in the few weeks of the session.”
Siegel, who lost a race for governor against Scott in 2022, expects any action to prioritize homelessness will come from the legislature.
“I believe that there is people from all parties who feel that this is a very important issue and who are willing to work together on it. I’m not sure that’s the governor’s goals," Siegel said. "But I feel really confident that legislators and the legislative leadership are ready to make sure that people are able to remain sheltered.”
Burlington Mayor Emma Mulvaney Stanak, a Progressive, issued a statement noting she appreciated Governor Scott’s “courage to address complex challenges” and agreeing that affordability is a top priority. But she also expressed concern that there were no comments about unsheltered Vermonters in his inaugural address.
