CRAFTSBURY – I’m Katherine Sims, and I’m running for Senate to fight for the future of our towns.
Twenty years ago, I moved to the Kingdom to milk cows at Butterworks Farm. While I initially came for a job, I discovered a vibrant community. I love living in a place where you walk into the general store and know everyone’s name, where our meat and veggies are tended by farmers just down the road, and where, when a flood hits, everyone grabs shovels and buckets to help neighbors. This is a special place.
Our rural towns are the heart of Vermont, demonstrating the independence, hard work, and neighborliness that define our state. We live by the seasons and cherish the land. Yet, we face tremendous challenges: wages that can’t keep up with the cost of living, difficulty buying homes or paying rent, and struggles affording healthcare, childcare, and retirement. Here in the Kingdom, everything is farther away and harder to access. Our houses are older, our backroads bumpier, and our town workers are stretched thin.
We wonder: How will we make ends meet? Will our kids be able to make a life here? Will we be able to retire? How can our communities evolve without losing what makes them special?
Our future depends on policies that enable real people to live, work, raise families, and grow old right here. Our needs differ from those of Chittenden County and have been ignored in Montpelier. It’s going to take serious elbow grease to get us where we need to be, but I am not daunted by this challenge.
In fact, I’ve always been motivated by a challenge. In elementary school, I fought to get uniforms for the girls’ sports teams. In my twenties, I fought to get local, nutritious food into public schools. Later, I fought to get internet access to the most rural Kingdom communities and to make childcare affordable for working families. I bring people together to get things done for our communities—it’s what I do.
As a State Representative, it has been a privilege to represent our communities at the statehouse, ensuring our struggles and values are not forgotten. I represent the people in my district—not the Democratic party. Kingdom residents know what they need. I’m out talking with everyday Vermonters, from parents and business owners to retirees and teachers. I’m listening and learning, bringing your voices to Montpelier as an independent voice for our region.
Senator Bobby Starr taught me that good state policy is built on trust, respect, and collaboration. As co-chair of the nonpartisan Rural Caucus, I build relationships across parties to deliver tangible results for our communities. I speak up when policies don’t work for our region, regardless of the Democratic supermajority’s stance. I voted no on H.887 because we can’t afford to pay more in property taxes. I voted no on H.289 because we can’t risk skyrocketing utility bills. I voted no on H.706 and S.18 because our businesses are regulated too much as it is.
I focus my energy on policies that improve life for people in our communities. I’ve led the charge on reforming Act 250 to build more housing in our villages, secured funding for building out broadband in our region, and my bipartisan EMS bill gets first responders the support they need. I’ve fought for farmers and loggers to have the right to fix their own equipment.
But our work together has only just begun. That’s why I’m running for Senate: to amplify your voices and get more done for our communities. I’ve heard from you that: You want Kingdom life to be more affordable: more housing options, lower-cost healthcare, a tax structure that eases the burden on average Vermonters. You want growth for our local economies: more and better job opportunities, Act 250 reform for small businesses, support for our farm and forest industries; you want vibrant, sustainable communities: safe neighborhoods, drivable roads and bridges, protection for our unique quality of life.
We need leaders who bring common-sense solutions to ensure every Vermonter has the opportunity to thrive. We want leaders to listen, bring us together, and lead us forward even when it’s hard. With a proven track record of bipartisan cooperation and a deep commitment to our communities, I am ready to do more for us.
This campaign isn’t about me; it’s about all of us coming together to create the future we want, one that works for everyone. I invite you to join us now. Keep asking questions and sharing your vision. I’ll keep listening and fighting for our communities.
Katherine Sims is a candidate for State Senate, Orleans District.
