CALEDONIA COUNTY – Rep. Scott Beck says he spent Wednesday after the election decompressing after a long campaign that began with a contested primary. His election to the Vermont Senate will have him representing all 12 Caledonia County towns that include Hardwick, Walden and Stannard in the Gazette area.
By Friday he said he’d already started having conversations with both Republican and Democratic colleagues about the many decisions and actions that will take place before the official start of the new session in January. That work will include setting committee assignments and identifying leadership for the new session, he says. His focus is now on how best to accomplish his campaign goals in the upcoming session.
Important concerns for Beck are housing affordability and the costs of development. Education funding reform is a critical area he plans to give attention to and sees addressing the “benefit cliff” for low-income workers as a priority.
Beck has served in the Vermont legislature for the better part of a decade, since 2015. He now represents the Caledonia-Essex House District covering St. Johnsbury Kirby and Concord.
He has taught history at St. Johnsbury Academy for 26 years and does not have lead teacher responsibilities in the spring, which allows him to balance his work with his legislative duties.
Beck’s involvement in community activities included a term as president of the Kiwanis Club, which recently ended.
He only half-jokingly shared his passion for keeping old facilities open, having been involved with the annual opening of the Kiwanis Pool in St. Johnsbury and on the board reopening the Fenton Chester Arena in Lyndon Center for skating. Most recently Beck has been working on a potential regional recreation center in St. Johnsbury.
He and his wife own St. Johnsbury’s Boxcar and Caboose bookstore, which his wife manages.
With regard to school budgets, Beck emphasized the importance of local control and well-informed decisions, suggesting the fiscal implications of decisions should be transparent. He also noted a report on educational goals due for the new session, which will include considerations on school size and capacity which will help guide the discussion.
Asked how he would plan to keep the state operating while putting more money in people’s pockets, Beck highlighted that he thinks Vermont is currently drawing down the maximum amount of federal aid, so any increase in state spending would need to come from Vermonter’s pockets.
He emphasized the need to address the “benefit-trough” issue, where minimum wage workers lose public assistance at a faster rate than their income increases.
Increasing the minimum wage would not necessarily benefit workers, as they would still be worse off due to federal rules on eligibility and benefits, said Beck. He suggested the government would be the only beneficiary of such a policy change, as they would gain more tax revenue.
Beck pointed out the challenges faced by Vermonters in terms of income and job security, suggesting the Earned Income Tax Credit is a potential solution.
As to his thoughts on higher marginal tax rates for very high-income earners, Beck said he’s open to considering options, but doesn’t believe there’s much tax capacity at higher income levels given Vermont’s proximity to New Hampshire and the federal tax rate structure. He suggested federal income tax brackets for very high earners should increase instead.
Questioned about the controversial Clean Heat Standard, Beck said he opposes increasing heating costs for Vermonters, given the cold climate. He supports incentivizing new technologies but not penalizing people for not adopting them quickly enough. He believes Vermonters will shift to new technologies when they become more affordable and available.
Beck sees a critical need for more housing, particularly in rural areas and identified the need for regulatory and permitting reform to encourage more affordable housing options, including allowing higher density neighborhoods. His biggest concern is that it costs more to build a new home now than it is worth when it’s completed. That’s a negative incentive for developers to build in Vermont, he said. Resolving that problem needs to be the first housing priority, he says.
In response to a question about a trend toward large houses, Beck agreed a cultural paradigm shift in Vermonters’ attitudes towards housing and living spaces might include smaller homes that are more similar than different as is true of historic homes in some Vermont communities now.
Beck supports broadband expansion efforts as a critical way to facilitate remote medical appointments and to bring those high-speed internet capabilities to area residents and businesses that are available in much of the rest of the country.
Asked about the close race for lieutenant governor between vote leader John Rodgers (R) and Incumbent David Zuckerman (P/D), which will come to the legislature for a decision because neither candidate achieved the necessary 50% to be elected, Beck revealed he would vote for Rodgers because his district voted for Rodgers.
Paul Fixx is editor of The Hardwick Gazette and lives in Hardwick.
