Biography
In 2007, I founded Green Mountain Farm-to-School, a nonprofit advocating childhood nutrition and farm viability. During my tenure as director, the organization built school gardens across the region, educated thousands of children about healthy food, and created new markets for farmers.
In 2017, I was hired to lead the Northeast Kingdom Collaborative, which drives economic and community development by identifying priorities across sectors and developing viable solutions. I helped organize 22 NEK towns to launch NEK Broadband, establish a new child care center in Craftsbury, start NEK Day at the Statehouse, and secured over $400K for outdoor recreation in our region.
In 2020, I was elected to the Vermont House of Representative. In my first term, I served on the House Energy & Technology committee and in my second term, I served on the House Ways & Means Committee–one of the two money committees. I was also elected co-chair of the bi-partisan, 50+ member Rural Caucus.
I’ve served on the boards of the Northeast Kingdom Community Broadband, the Vermont Telecommunications & Connectivity Advisory Board, the Vermont Council on Rural Development, UVM Extension, and Craftsbury Saplings and the NVU Strong Committee.
I live in Craftsbury with my husband, Jeff Fellinger, and our two sons.
Candidate occupation
State Representative, employee at local flower farm, nonprofit consultant and co-owner of property management company with my husband.
Why are you running for office?
I’m running for Senate to fight for the future of our towns. My top priority is making life better and more affordable for residents of the Northeast Kingdom.
We live in a special place, but it’s getting harder to make ends meet and many are concerned about the future. We’re struggling to afford housing, healthcare, childcare, education, and retirement.
As state representative and co-chair of the Rural Caucus, I collaborated across the aisle to get things done for families, working Vermonters and small businesses. I voted yes on policies that reflect our region’s priorities. I spoke up and voted no on policies that don’t.
Now I’m running for Senate to do even more for us. I believe we do our best work when all voices have a seat at the table, when we compromise and we find a way forward together. I will make sure the struggles of rural Vermont are heard and addressed in Montpelier.
As your senator, I will continue to lead on the issues that matter to us:
– Affordability
– Economic Revitalization for rural Vermont
– Housing & Infrastructure
– Lower Property Taxes
– Public Safety
– Healthcare Access & Reproductive Rights
I know that together, we can build a Vermont that works for everyone.
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?
No
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?
Small businesses are the backbone of our communities, and too much red tape disproportionately impacts businesses in our region. I will focus on policies and initiatives that will revitalize the local economy, reduce barriers to doing business, and create jobs without threatening the sustainability of our working landscape or forest economy. I will fight to rebuild our infrastructure to meet the needs of our workforce and families and champion investments in rural communities including: repairing our roads and bridges; delivering high-speed broadband to every Vermont family; secure cyber infrastructure; building physical infrastructure resilient to the impacts of climate change and extreme weather; and more.
What changes, if any, would you make to the way Vermont funds its schools?
Schools in our district are tasked with providing a high-quality education to our children while managing the pressures of inflation, the expiration of federal pandemic aid, a roughly 16% increase in health care costs, payments on school construction or renovation projects, and the implementation of Act 127.
Schools in our district need support and our children deserve it. But residents should not be drowning in property taxes. While the recent adjustments to the weighting system has provided some long-overdue relief in our district, it’s time to rethink our funding formula to provide high-quality education for all kids at a price tax payers can afford.
Is Vermont doing enough, too much or not enough to address climate change? Please explain.
As we saw with the July 2023 flood, our changing weather is a persistent threat to Vermont’s economy, environment, and way of life. Our state is becoming both warmer and wetter. The costs of cleaning up after a disaster are significant–the July flood is expected to cost nearly $1 Billion. We must increase investment in climate resilient infrastructure and help communities adapt so that we can help all communities be better protected against future disasters and save Vermonters money from disaster recovery.
Is Vermont doing enough, too much or not enough to regulate gun ownership? Please explain.
I support the Second Amendment and the right to bear arms. I believe that common-sense regulations, such as background checks and restrictions on high-capacity magazines and assault weapons, are necessary to ensure public safety. Responsible gun ownership and sensible regulations can coexist to protect our communities while respecting constitutional rights and Vermont’s deeply-rooted hunting tradition.
What would you do to help ease Vermont’s housing crisis?
Everyone — no matter their zip code or income — deserves access to quality, affordable housing. But housing costs in Vermont continue to rise. So many of the people who live, work, and power our state are simply being priced out.
Housing is connected to so many other challenges our community faces–workforce, income disparities, ongoing mental health crises, homelessness, or the opioid epidemic–housing is a key component to the solution.
To attract more young people to Vermont and ease the burden on those who have lived here for decades, we must continue to invest in building new housing and address regulatory barriers like easing Act 250 regulations on housing.
How would you address rising homelessness in Vermont?
Vermont should address homelessness by expanding affordable housing, increasing access to mental health and substance abuse services, enhancing support for job training and employment opportunities, and strengthening community outreach programs to connect individuals with resources and support systems.
What would you do to increase access to health care services for Vermonters?
We all deserve to make the healthcare choices that work for ourselves and our families. We all want to prevent, treat, or recover from illness or injury without the threat of going bankrupt.
Our current healthcare system leaves too many people behind. Access to healthcare should be based on need, not on your job or ability to pay. I believe in Medicare for All because no one should have to choose between putting food on the table and getting the care they need. Medicare for All will make healthcare simpler and cheaper: no premiums, no co-pays, and no networks. No more payments for a bloated insurance bureaucracy instead of vital medical care.
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 Sims’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.
