Biography
No answer
Candidate occupation
Non-profit management
Why are you running for office?
No answer
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?
No answer
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?
A large factor stunting Vermont’s economy from growing right now is our lack of housing units. If elected, making sure that the legislature continues to invest in bringing more units onto the market would be one of my top priorities. This investment does not only include monetary investment but also simplifying the permitting process for developers, investing in infrastructure (particularly water and sewer), offering tax incentives to encourage revitalization of dilapidated properties and supporting development to revitalize units and create workforce housing.
What changes, if any, would you make to the way Vermont funds its schools?
With fewer and fewer kids enrolled in our public schools, we definitely need to think long and hard about the way we are investing in the next generation and how that is impacting our aging population and others on fixed incomes. One of the first steps, and one that we could easily get accomplished ahead of the March budget votes is to update the income-sensitivity component. For instance, if the $90k figure had kept up with inflation it would now be $131k adjusting for that plus the house site value could materially impact property bills for middle and working class Vermonters as early as next year.
We also need to look at some of the shifts in the human service side cost by Gov. Scott from the General Fund to the Ed Fund (local property tax). One of the high-level growth centers in the education fund has been a spike in the need for mental health services. And while this used to come from the General Fund, we are now feeling the burden on the Ed Fund due to Gov. Scott’s decision to shift that burden from the state to local property taxes.
The final two changes that we seriously need to consider is getting healthcare under control for ALL Vermonters as the increase in healthcare premiums and the fact that most districts do not offer all school employees healthcare is one of the main factors school districts need to take into consideration when building a budget and seeking to retain good teachers, paras and support staff. We also need to reconsider how we are funding education in general. Tying education funding to home ownership rather than income is a regressive tax where the middle and working class get the short end of the stick. Moving to an income-based system where those with the greatest means pay their fair share would be much more equitable and relieve some of the pressure we are facing. The current system we use hasn’t been adjusted to keep up with rising incomes and home values. Moving to an income based system should be paired with continuing the work to build out other categories of property for non-residential rates – like taxing second homes.
Is Vermont doing enough, too much or not enough to address climate change? Please explain.
Vermont has been a decent job adapting to climate change; working on lowering emissions through incentivizing EV ownership and other means; as well as promoting sustainable and affordable energy options for heating and transportation. Is there more work to be done? Absolutely! However, ensuring that the policy decisions the legislature makes is based not only on data and facts but also on what Vermonters can afford is essential.
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?
As I mentioned above, continued investment in bringing more units onto the market would be one of my top priorities. This investment does not only include monetary investment but also simplifying the permitting process for developers, investing in infrastructure (particularly water and sewer), offering tax incentives to encourage revitalization of dilapidated properties and supporting development to revitalize units and create workforce housing.
How would you address rising homelessness in Vermont?
With a majority of our unhoused neighbors being either part of a family with school aged kids (200 children in my district are currently unhoused) or elderly and/or have life-threatening disabilities should they be unsheltered, we need to do more as a state. We can not continue to support the hotel/motel program as it stands. However, we can also not simply put an arbitrary cap on the number of rooms we will pay for or the number of nights one can access shelter when there are not enough housing units available in our state. We need to continue to have more coordinated services and a sheltering system that is sponsored by the state for people to go as we strive to bring more housing units on the market.
What would you do to increase access to health care services for Vermonters?
We need to have a preventative health focus and support universal, publicly funded primary care, mental health services and substance abuse treatment. This step would help lower the need for expensive emergency services. We also need to reduce prescription drug costs. We can do this through supporting VT Medicaid’s ability to negotiate drug prices and even look into bulk purchasing agreements. Controlling hospital and administrative costs and expanding telemedicine are other factors to consider.
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 Battah’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.
