Biography
- 18 years’ experience as a nonprofit CEO and program director in Vermont
- Founding organizer of Vermont Fair Tax Initiative, Mental Health Advocacy Day @ VT State House
- Fundraising lead for Bernie Sanders’ first successful run for US Congress, 1990
- Long-time advocate and social worker serving Vermonters with disabilities, including people living with serious mental illness, traumatic brain injury, cognitive impairment, and spinal injuries
- Lead organizer & advocate in VT Legislature to adopt Act 62 in 2009
- Land use planner & zoning administrator for towns of Bolton & Charlotte, 2018 – present
- Management consultant, executive coach & trainer for Vermont and national nonprofits
Candidate occupation
Municipal planner
Why are you running for office?
If elected, I will work on:
- Fixing Vermont’s broken education funding system, by replacing taxes based on the value of your primary residence with taxes based on ability to pay
- Rebooting Vermont’s landlord-tenant laws; passing Just Cause eviction protections
- Establishing paid family medical leave as a right for all working Vermonters
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?
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?
- Redirect state resources away from programs that subsidize large business to provide more technical and finance help to small businesses.
- Accelerate state program to disburse federal IRA funds to help homeowners replace fossil fuel-based heating systems with heat pumps.
- Pass the ‘Wealth Tax’ (H. 829) to fund increased state funding for affordable housing construction, universal primary health and dental care, infrastructure, and last-mile broadband connectivity in rural areas.
What changes, if any, would you make to the way Vermont funds its schools?
The past two years have proven beyond a doubt that charging school tax rates based on the value of people’s primary homes is not sustainable. Instead, we need to shift this burden to income-based taxes linked to Vermonter’s ability to pay. I would re-introduce H. 829, which passed the VT House but didn’t make it across the finish line. It’s time for the wealthiest Vermonters to pay their fair share, so we can build a Vermont that works for everyone who lives here. (more info: see fairsharevt.org)
Is Vermont doing enough, too much or not enough to address climate change? Please explain.
We have made progress with the adoption of accelerated benchmarks for the Clean Heat Standard. However, we need to move more aggressively to assist homeowners to transition home heating from fossil fuels to heat pumps, and to replace old gas-powered vehicles with electric vehicles. Federal subsidies are available through the IRA, but the state has not moved fast enough to make these rebates available to all Vermonters. We should also continue to promote ‘smart growth’ development, directing new housing and business towards town centers and downtowns.
Is Vermont doing enough, too much or not enough to regulate gun ownership? Please explain.
Good progress on tightening access recently. We could do more in the realm of threat assessment for individuals at risk of becoming mass shooters, and banning bump stocks, now that SCOTUS has legalized this toxic technology again.
What would you do to help ease Vermont’s housing crisis?
Protect renters through implementing Just Cause eviction protections state-wide. Expand housing loss prevention funding. Increase taxes on short term rentals to subsidize construction of more affordable rental housing, and limited equity home ownership via land trusts. Pilot land banks (to allow communities to purchase & rehab vacant properties & renovate into affordable housing.) Consider increasing minimum residential density rules in communities served by public transit.
How would you address rising homelessness in Vermont?
Strengthen access to year-round, service-enriched, low-barrier shelters in more communities. Pilot more ‘pod communities’ like in Burlington. Adopt ‘Just Cause’ eviction protections state-wide. Improve access to drug treatment in rural areas.
What would you do to increase access to health care services for Vermonters?
Establish universal access to primary health care and dental care. Expand care coordination for elders and others with chronic health conditions. Open more small primary care clinics in rural areas. Fund these initiatives with a tax on health insurer profits, and by reducing out-of-control spending by large hospitals.
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 Lewack’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.
