Biography
ANDREW PERCHLIK was born in Greeley, Colorado in 1968. He attended school on the campus of the University of Northern Colorado from Kindergarten through the on-campus K-12 Laboratory School and for his B.S. interdisciplinary degree in Environmental Politics.
Andrew first came to Vermont in 1991 and after serving in the Peace Corps and time back in Colorado he moved permanently to Vermont in 1995 as a VISTA volunteer. With his wife Marianne Donahue they lived in Hubbardton, Randolph Center, and in 1998 they moved to Marshfield where they raised three children. In 2017 they moved to Montpelier and in 2022 they moved back to Marshfield. Andrew was first elected to the Senate in 2018.
He works for the State of VT as the Director of Vermont’s Clean Energy Development Fund and was the founding Executive Director of Renewable Energy Vermont
He served in the Marshfield Volunteer Fire Department and on the Marshfield Selectboard (including as Chair).
Candidate occupation
Manager
Why are you running for office?
I am excited to continue the work in representing the 23 towns in the Washington Senate District (all 18 towns and 2 cities of Washington County plus Stowe in Lamoille County and Orange and Braintree in Orange County). I promise to work for and with all citizens, to promote prosperity and good health for all Vermonters. I wholeheartedly embrace the understanding that our state and communities are created by our individual engagement and our collective impact. I am eager to continue as your engaged Senator, actively working for Vermont and with Vermonters in service towards creating more prosperous, safe, and vibrant communities in the Washington District and across Vermont.
Issues in brief
Do you believe Vermonters are better off now than they were 10 years ago?
Yes
Do you believe Vermont needs a new education funding formula?
Yes
Do you support imposing new taxes on the wealthiest Vermonters?
Yes
Do you support the establishment of overdose prevention centers?
Yes
Do you support a ban on flavored tobacco products?
No
Do you support increasing penalties for property crimes such as shoplifting?
Yes
Do you believe Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election?
Yes
Issues in depth
What would you do to help grow Vermont’s economy?
Supporting businesses already here and trying to grow over giving tax breaks to lure companies here and focusing on building clusters of like sector companies. For ex. building our aero-space businesses/sector leveraging the early success of Beta Technolgies. Building on our existing strengths and natural resources, like the forest products sector and value added agricultural products. I also think we should focus on building our clean energy businesses, building an economical foundation based on our own local renewable energy sources and businesses.
What changes, if any, would you make to the way Vermont funds its schools?
I would like to see a tighter connection between the budgets that local school districts are voting on and the property taxes they pay. I think excess spending limits for state-shared education spending should be imposed but allowed if local voters want to pay for that increase entirely with local taxes they get to vote on.
Is Vermont doing enough, too much or not enough to address climate change? Please explain.
We haven’t done enough, but we are heading in the right direction. We have done innovative and effective work in building smart clean energy and energy efficiency businesses and solutions that make Vermont a better place to live and a magnet for interest in safer climate solutions. Key to continuing our progress will be how we transition our thermal energy sector away from polluting imported fossil fuels to local efficiency and clean energy options. This is something I’m particular interested in seeing the 2025 legislature work on.
Is Vermont doing enough, too much or not enough to regulate gun ownership? Please explain.
I do not think we have done too much and support sensible firearm regulations.
What would you do to help ease Vermont’s housing crisis?
I think the housing and Act 250 bill passed in 2024 (over the Governor’s veto) was the type of legislature that will help ease the housing crisis. We need to build more housing and changes to planning and permitting will help with that. We also need to build more permanently affordable housing and shelters and that takes investment of public funds. We should also continue programs like the Vermont Housing Improvement Program (VHIP) that provides funds to renovate vacant housing – bringing new units to the market very cost effectively and with added benefits.
How would you address rising homelessness in Vermont?
We need to build and provide professional staffing support for more shelters and affordable housing to ease the crisis. We also need to deal more holistically and completely with the substance abuse and mental health problems that are driving chronic homelessness.
What would you do to increase access to health care services for Vermonters?
I think supporting local community clinics and free clinics located in populated areas is an effective way to increases access, both physically (as transportation to health care is a problem) and affordably/cost effectively.
Financial disclosure
Candidates for state and legislative offices are required to submit a financial disclosure when filing to run. These disclosures include each source, but not the amount, of personal income of each candidate, and of their spouse or domestic partner, that singly or jointly totals more than $5,000 for the previous 12 months. The information provided is an opportunity for voters to learn about candidates’ potential conflicts of interest.
You can find Perchlik’s financial disclosure here.
Disclaimer
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