Biography
June Goodband has worked for over 30 years as a counselor, supporting people’s efforts to experience emotional wellbeing and live meaningful lives without addictive substances. She has seen how public policy affects people’s lives and witnessed how the strong influence of corporations on government has led to more and more people struggling to survive. She is not interested in helping people adjust to a system that treats people like commodities to be used and thrown away. She is a mother and a grandmother and wants to make Vermont a safer and more just place to live.
Candidate occupation
Psychotherapist
Why are you running for office?
Vermont needs to prioritize making sure everyone’s basic needs are met and respond to climate change with the urgency it demands. This seems to be blocked by an unspoken commitment to protecting the big money interests that fund campaigns and pay lobbyist. I want to be a voice for the people who think that every person matters and that people shouldn’t be treated like commodities to be used for other people’s profit, then thrown out. I want to gather information and ideas from people with who understand how the system works and develop a blueprint for more effective governance of the state that prioritizes the wellbeing of the people.
Issues in brief
Do you believe Vermonters are better off now than they were 10 years ago?
No
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?
Yes
Do you support increasing penalties for property crimes such as shoplifting?
No
Do you believe Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election?
Yes
Issues in depth
What would you do to help grow Vermont’s economy?
I would support the development of micro businesses and worker cooperatives. I would also invest in things the state needs like building an effective renewable energy and electric transmission infrastructure, quality childcare, expanding affordable housing, and developing an effective food production and distribution system that can meet the needs of the people here without reducing our forests. I would stop contracting with out of state businesses to do the work of the state and would employ people here. My focus would be on building an economy that works for everyone, not just for the owner class.
What changes, if any, would you make to the way Vermont funds its schools?
School funding should be done through statewide taxes to make sure that funding for schools is equitably distributed. The details need to be worked out by a legislative committee that pays attention to unintended consequences of this kind of taxation. For example, if property taxes continue to be the primary source of revenue for schools, we will need robust homestead tax exemptions so that people can continue to live in their homes. A specialized tax structure for landlords might need to be developed to protect tenants from unaffordable rent increases. For example, the tax for landlords might be based on the profit they are making from their property rather than on the value of the property.
Is Vermont doing enough, too much or not enough to address climate change? Please explain.
We are not doing enough to address climate change. We need to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and prepare effectively for the unavoidable consequences of climate change at the same time. We are taking action to reduce green house gas emissions from the generation of electricity and from private vehicles, and we are also trying to make buildings in Vermont more energy efficient. We need to expand these efforts. We should not allow new biomass generation facilities to be built. We also need to change farming practices to reduce the production of methane and nitrous oxide and focus on local production and distribution of food without reducing the area of forested land. We are working on improving infrastructure to deal with much more frequent severe flooding. We also need to build strong local economies and community support systems that will help Vermonters survive the effects of climate change.
Is Vermont doing enough, too much or not enough to regulate gun ownership? Please explain.
There is a sensitive balance between protecting individual rights and public safety. I believe a committee of people who are concerned about these issues could most effectively strike the right balance between these important values.
What would you do to help ease Vermont’s housing crisis?
I would ask the legislature to create a state bank that could offer no profit loans to help people buy stable long term housing. Units purchased could be apartments in coop buildings, very small houses with a central community building, or single family residences. The state would take a critical role in purchasing or repurposing property, rehabbing buildings and finding ways to make this housing affordable. This would compete with the for profit housing market and bring rents down. I would also support responsible legislation that would control rents, and require employers to pay a living wage. We also need to provide transitional assistance to help people get established in long term housing. Homes that are left vacant for extended periods of time should be taxed at a higher level than primary residences.
How would you address rising homelessness in Vermont?
We can work to keep people in their homes through creative financing strategies that fit individual situations. This could be managed through Community Care Teams. The state could buy any home that comes up for tax sale and work with the current residents to keep them housed affordably. This would allow municipalities to collect their taxes and provide an inexpensive way to keep people housed. The state could also use the property to house other people if there are no current residents or the residents don’t plan to stay. Responsible regulation of business can bring incomes into line with the actual cost of living in Vermont. We need to require or create a short term disability insurance program that would assure people would be able to live and stay in their homes if they become ill or disabled. Even people who develop permanent disabilities may have to wait so long to get approved for SSDI that they lose their housing. We can prevent this by creating bridge programs. Implementing a universal health care program would prevent people from losing their housing because of medical costs.
What would you do to increase access to health care services for Vermonters?
I would work with the legislature to implement the Universal Healthcare law that was passed in 2011. I would suggest that we start with the funding proposal that was put forward by the Vermont Worker’s Center in 2014, then work to update it and expand it so that we can provide birth to death coverage with one system. This approach would cut out insurance company profits and high executive salaries and would also eliminate redundant and unnecessary paperwork that adds to health care costs. Almost everyone in Vermont would have a net savings from this plan and no one would have to worry that they can’t afford the care they need. I believe that a universal health care plan would also attract health care professionals with high moral standards to work in Vermont.
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 Goodband’s financial disclosure here.
Disclaimer
We emailed a questionnaire to every candidate with a valid email address. The responses provided by candidates are in their own words. VTDigger has not edited or fact-checked information provided.
If this is your candidacy and you’d like to fill out the questionnaire or report an error, please contact us at voterguide@vtdigger.org.
