The latest legislative breakfast hosted by the Rutland Region Chamber of Commerce and the Rutland Economic Development Corp. drew about 50 people.
A contingent of five state legislators spoke for about an hour, briefing the audience on activity in the Statehouse since the legislative session began in early January.
Two of the four Rutland mayoral candidates in Tuesday’s Town Meeting Day election also took part, both raising their hands seeking answers to questions.
Mayor Christopher Louras, running for his sixth two-year term, wanted to know how lawmakers were bracing for federal cuts or program changes that may be coming from President Donald Trump as they prepare the state budget.
“Have you been thinking about that?” the mayor asked.
Rep. Peter Fagan, R-Rutland, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, assured the mayor it’s an issue on the radar.
“One of the things we’re doing is we’re not touching any of our reserves,” Fagan said. “We’ve squirreled a little bit of money here and there to be able to address issues. … Yes, it’s a big part of what we talk about every day.”
Sen. Peg Flory, R-Rutland, who serves on the Senate Transportation Committee, said a great deal of the federal transportation funding that pays for projects that have been in the works for some time appears to be safe.
“We feel reasonably comfortable with that,” she said.
“I ran because I was so ticked about Route 7,” she said.
However, Flory said impacts on other parts of the state government are not so certain.
“That’s the big unknown, what’s going to happen in health care,” she said. “That’s the huge unknown that none of us know what to do.”
Another mayoral candidate, Michael Coppinger, head of the Downtown Rutland Partnership, wanted to know if there are any plans for the downtown state office building on Merchants Row and the state-owned parking garage behind it.
“What is the long-term vision for that?” Coppinger asked.
He said uncertainty over the future of both, and if there are any changes in ownership planned, has hindered finding a tenant for one of the prime downtown locations on the office building’s first floor. It has been vacant since a restaurant there, Three Tomatoes, closed in 2015.
“We’re, frankly, looking at all of the property the state currently owns and leases, or just leases, to see if there could be a more logical way to do things,” Flory said, “because it’s dumb the way we’re dealing with it.”
“As the state continues to mull that over, that very large footprint where Three Tomatoes used to be will continue to be vacant,” Coppinger replied. “No one is going to come in and rent a place if they don’t know the long-term endgame.”
In addition to Louras and Coppinger, the other mayoral candidates are Alderman David Allaire and resident Kam Johnston. Neither attended the event Monday morning.
Rep. Larry Cupoli, R-Rutland, a member of the House Education Committee, spoke Monday of the need for greater use of technical and vocational centers in the state.
He suggested starting students in tech schools at a younger age, as early as the seventh grade, to spark interest in careers in the trades, such as plumbing and carpentry.
Rep. Linda Joy Sullivan, D-Dorset, a member of the House Committee on Commerce and Economic Development, spoke of businesses and their need for workers. “It’s very important that we find how to get our labor force trained and aligned with the jobs,” she said.
Rep. Butch Shaw, R-Pittsford, chair of the Rutland County legislative delegation, told the crowd that it’s critical for lawmakers to get input from people outside Montpelier. He encouraged anyone who feels strongly about a matter to go to the Statehouse and make their voices heard.
Or, he said, it can be arranged to testify by phone.
“It’s important to hear from you,” Shaw said to the crowd, “because without your help we can’t get anything done.”
