CALEDONIA, WASHINGTON COUNTY – In the Caledonia-Washington House district representing Cabot, Danville and Peacham, Republican Greg Burtt of Cabot and Democrat Tom Ziobrowski of Danville are running to replace Henry Pearl who has held the seat since 2021 and chose not to run for another term.
Their answers to seven questions we asked before the primary follow.
Question: Tell us a bit about your background, why you want to fill the position and why you are a good candidate for it.
Ziobrowski: I’m running because Kitty Toll asked me to. I’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback and think I can do a good job of it.
I’ve practiced medicine in St. Johnsbury for about 40 years. I grew up in a small town in central Pennsylvania and went to a large regional high school where I knew everybody. That and practicing medicine where I got along with people, sometimes in an intimate setting, is a good qualification for this job.
The job is a lot about listening, which I’m good at. I have the energy to do it. I’m very healthy and have the time to do it. My kids are grown and my wife supports me.
Burtt: I grew up in Cabot, my parents bought our farm when I was three and I’ve been there ever since. Me and my wife run the farm now, with four kids and we have Burtts Apple Orchard. I was asked by Steve Larabee, former representative for our towns, back in May if I would like to run and decided to do it. I feel led to do it out of duty to my community, to bring a voice of common sense and affordability to the statehouse and practical experience with the Vermont landscape and running a business. I have a background in business and agriculture. I went to UVM for five years for mechanical engineering. I believe in finding simple solutions to our problems. That’s been part of the success for our farm.
Question: Taxes keep rising as we address the needs of an increasingly complex society. What’s the right balance between meeting the needs of the population and keeping taxes manageable? How does funding schools fit into that?
Ziobrowski: It’s a huge issue many people are very concerned about because it depends mostly on the property tax. I don’t have the solution..We need excellent schools.
One of my goals is to make the towns so that people can come back here if they go away to school or if they stay here they can thrive. It has to be affordable with good education.
Burtt: I think there’s a lot of room for simplification in what is asked of the teachers. I am taken aback by the expectations of teachers these days, versus what it was when I was in school. We need to find solutions to remove some of that burden from teachers, simplify things, streamline and remove some costs. That’s one way we can save tax dollars and meet the complexities of our societies and our schools.
Question: What do you see as the solution to creating affordable home ownership and rental options for Vermonters? How does that work to make Vermont attractive for young people?
Ziobrowski: It’s necessary to make it attractive for young people and it’s really hard to do. Where we are, in the NEK as well as Cabot, real estate values aren’t that high so a builder isn’t going to make as much money as he can in Chittenden County or in New Hampshire. That’s a huge issue. Regulation may be part of it. I’m not sure how to get at it. It’s one of the biggest things. People hired by the hospital decide not to come if they can’t find good housing. That’s something that I’d like to work on. I think it’s a state issue, it’s not a national issue.
Burtt: We need to have a good conversation between contractors, builders, and the state, to figure out what regulations are going to help us insulate our homes and reduce carbon, but at the same time not bog down projects. We’ve got supply chain issues, we’ve got a lack of labor force to build houses. The state needs to do its best to work alongside tradespeople, so they can do their jobs well and streamline things to cut out costs.
Question: Gov. Scott seems to be having difficulty striking the right balance between funding housing for homeless people and reducing spending on programs to house the homeless. What do you see as possible solutions to help Vermont’s homeless population?
Ziobrowski: Everybody should have a home; that comes first. I’m not sure how to do it. There’s a big problem with cost, but it’s really important. It’s not just the homeless; affordable housing for seniors to stay in their homes. I don’t know the answer. It’s a big issue with the support they’ve given to keep people in their homes. That’s a baseline; we have to do that. It’s a basic human need.
Burtt: I would need to learn a lot about this issue to answer the question well. I do believe in finding simple solutions. What programs do we have already in place and how can we improve those? I would focus on that.
Question: How can the state meet the challenges of maintaining the state and town infrastructure of roads, bridges, water and sewer systems as weather events are increasingly destructive? As more vehicles become electric and the gas tax becomes less effective at funding those needs, how can that funding gap be filled?
Ziobrowski: The state is already in the process of taxing electric vehicles based on mileage. That tax has to be part of the mix because they don’t pay the gas tax. There’s an issue with those who drive out of state that needs to be addressed.
Whether we’re able to be resilient for the next flood. Climate change is happening. It’s not going to get any better. Our choice is to try to keep it from getting any worse and how to deal with that.
Burtt: I think we do have to find a good solution to our infrastructure. The water quality in Lake Champlain, to me that’s more important than a lot of other environmental issues. If we want to be a model for the rest of the country, and Burlington keeps dumping sewage into the lake, that’s the first problem we need to address. My focus would be on diverting money to municipal infrastructure, over a wind or solar project.
Question: Please share your perspective on how the issue of abortion should be addressed in our state and country. What specific policies do you support to ensure women’s health and reproductive rights are adequately considered?
Ziobrowski: I think it’s already been settled in this state and I agree with it.
Burtt: Anything we can do to support women, families, or women in the process of starting a family, whatever we can do to support women is crucial. I would like to see more pro-life programs that encourage women to keep the baby. In my mind, a mother has basic human rights. When do we decide a baby has human rights? I lean towards helping mothers have their babies as best we can. Obviously factoring in the needs, health and rights of the mother, but also the baby.
Question: Is there anything we haven’t asked you about that you’d like to share and might be important to your constituents?
Ziobrowski: Cell phone coverage is a safety issue. Work on the internet is important but won’t help that. The biggest issue is trying to keep the society so that people want to come back here. People are concerned that high property taxes are going to drive them away. Housing and health care are issues too. I have a lot to learn. My goal is to listen to everybody. I’m not offended by those who can’t stand Democrats. We need to work together to get what we can get.
Burtt: I’d love to try and improve our schools. Covid-19 really did a number of things. I know several families who are homeschooling now because they feel like they have to. I really think its time for our state to come in and do something about that.
