Aly Richards is the second Democrat to announce a campaign for Vermont governor.
During the Peter Shumlin administration, she served as the governor’s deputy chief of staff. She is the former CEO of Let’s Grow Kids where she pushed for passage of a landmark child care law.
Richards tells WAMC North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley she grew up in Vermont and the state needs new approaches to tackle and solve issues including housing, health care and affordability:
We really have to shore up our economy here in Vermont and one really important way to do that is building more housing. You know, we agree we got to build more houses here. And it's not just because people can't find and afford that house, that's critical. But it's also because when you build these houses that again we agree rural Vermonters all the way up to Burlington and the governor and everyone agrees on this goal of, you know, building these houses. It's going to revitalize our communities. It's also going to allow our doctors and nurses and teachers to come and be here in Vermont so we don't have to be cutting services. And it's going to bring down our property taxes and it's going to bring down our health care premiums. We have more people here. So that's a critically important goal. And you know, we got to just make sure we're focused on that. We're focused on bringing down our health care costs and doing a better job delivering health care to Vermonters across the state and you know all those things from there. But the bottom line is we got to make Vermont the best place in the country for working families.
Aly those issues and what you just said has been discussed for quite some time in Vermont, not just by the governor but by legislators and such. How would your approach be different and make the state more successful with those issues?
Exactly. Look, we all know what the problems are, that's clear. We've diagnosed the problems well. But if people can't afford to live here, we know we've got a problem and we've got to try a new approach. So I have experience with what it looks like when Vermonters come together around a shared vision. What I believe we're missing is a very clear vision. How are we going to build those houses? Bring all the weight of the administration and the expertise and the data and the tools, you know, and the legislature and the energy and communities towards these top priorities. We have to focus up and we have to come together around them and not rest until we deliver the result. That's the problem. I feel like there's a lot of finger-pointing happening right now instead of really understanding the challenges, the goal and then keeping the drumbeat going until we are delivering those results on the ground. You know, we can be doing things like leveraging our $9 billion state budget much, much more creatively and more effectively than we do today. Look, we did it in childcare. We figured out what was needed and then we marched forward with a solution that worked for Vermont and we passed it through the legislature with a bipartisan coalition.
Aly Richards, you worked in the Shumlin administration. How does that experience help when you're considering how to deal with these issues?
I was his deputy chief of staff, actually, and I was with him for years and I was on the road with him talking to Vermonters all the time, hearing what Vermonters cared about like affordability and access to good paying jobs. And so I understand this job up close. I understand the balance it takes to truly be an effective leader for a state like Vermont. And I have a deep understanding of how the machinery of Vermont works from the administration to the legislature and I have a history of moving things through that machinery to get to a real result on the ground for Vermonters.
Governor Scott has been named one of the most popular governors in the U.S. for several years now. Where do you feel he's vulnerable this year?
Look, you know, our governor managed us through a pandemic and I thank him for that. But right now, we can't afford to have a goalie who's swatting things away. It's time for us to have an offense. It's time for us to have a plan where we're all working together towards these shared goals. I feel like we just haven't been having that energetic one foot forward on the problem solving of these deep issues that we all agree on and that's what I hope to bring to this role.
You will be in a primary, obviously, with Amanda Junoo. How is that affecting your campaign strategy?
It doesn't impact it at all. I'm running to be the governor of the brave state of Vermont, my home, because I want Vermont to be the best place to raise a family. I want it to be a place that everyone can thrive. I'm going to be out there with who I am, just straight from the heart. And you know, my strategy doesn't change. And you know, I'm honestly happy to see women out there running for office, putting it on the line, fighting for what's right. I'm excited to be part of a healthy democratic debate and give choices to the voters.
Aly Richards will face Amanda Janoo in the Aug. 11 Democratic primary.
Governor Phil Scott has not announced his intentions and no other Republicans have announced a campaign.
