Biography
I grew up in Brattleboro and am proud to be Vermont’s 31st State Treasurer. As Treasurer, I have focused on expanding access to housing, investing in climate resilience, and rebuilding the middle class. I previously served six years as the commissioner of the Vermont Department of Financial Regulation under both Democratic and Republican Governors. During the pandemic, it was an honor to help lead Vermont’s COVID-19 response. I currently live in Winooski with my soon-to-be husband, Will, and our English Setter Jetty.
Candidate occupation
State Treasurer
Why are you running for office?
I am running for office because every Vermonter matters, and every Vermonter deserves opportunity. Growing up in Brattleboro, I was raised by two parents who believed we all have a moral duty to serve our communities. Brattleboro gave so much to us, and it was the least we could do to give back.
As Vermonters, we take care of our neighbors and give back to our communities; it’s just what we do. Our government must also live up to that example.
I chose to enter public service because we need our state government to work for every Vermonter; more than anything, we need a government that gives every Vermonter hope.
During my first campaign, I visited every town in the state, and the message I heard was clear: Vermonters need affordable housing, resilient communities, and more economic opportunity. My parents taught me to take care of my neighbors, and that’s been the work of my first term: to ensure that everyone has opportunity in life and dignity in retirement, to invest in our communities and our local economies. Now, I’m running for reelection to continue delivering for all Vermonters.
Issues in depth
What are the most important responsibilities of the state Treasurer’s Office?
The Treasurer has many critical responsibilities.
Chief among them is maintaining a strong pension system. Tens of thousands of active and retired teachers, firefighters, municipal workers, and state employees rely on our state pension funds for economic security. As Treasurer, I manage the pension system, help direct its investments, and advocate that it is fully funded every year. Our public servants have earned a dignified retirement as the reward for decades of service, and so long as I am Treasurer, they will receive it.
The Treasurer also ensures Vermont maintains a strong credit rating. A strong credit rating means taxpayers pay less for critical investments like building new schools, bridges, and wastewater infrastructure. Since being elected Treasurer, I have worked to maintain Vermont’s high credit and issued nearly $200 million in new bonds to support important infrastructure projects while refinancing older debts to save taxpayers $5 million.
Finally, the Treasurer is also responsible for creating economic opportunity for Vermonters. From housing to climate resilience to retirement security, I am committed to investing in meeting the needs of every Vermonter so that everyone can succeed.
What would your three top priorities be if you were elected or reelected to the state Treasurer’s Office?
My top three priorities are housing, climate, and rebuilding the middle class.
Housing is at the core of most challenges we face in Vermont. We need more affordable homes, and we need them now. As Treasurer, I have directed significant resources to tackle the housing crisis head-on. Under my leadership, we have invested over $60 million to finance over 1,100 new housing units across the state. I will continue to invest an additional $40 million in my second term.
In response to the climate crisis, my office is developing a Climate Resilience Implementation Strategy to make our communities more resilient. To fund these efforts, I championed Vermont’s Climate Superfund, allowing us to bill Big Oil for the damage their products have caused Vermont. My office has also created a Climate Credit Finance Facility to provide $30 million in climate investments.
For decades now, the middle class has been shrinking. As Treasurer, I have chosen to tackle this problem by improving retirement security, expanding access to economic opportunity through baby bonds. In my next term as Treasurer, we will implement a baby bonds pilot program to provide children born into poverty with the resources they need to succeed.
If you’re an incumbent, what are you most proud of achieving in the state Treasurer’s Office? If you’re a challenger, what could you do better than the incumbent?
I am proud that our office is meeting the important issue of our time—our critical shortage of housing—head-on by committing over $100 million to support new housing development.
We have already invested over $60 million to build or save over 1,100 housing units and will continue to invest an additional $40 million in my second term. These housing units will provide the foundation for greater economic activity, and they will give thousands of Vermonters the dignity of a place to call home.
I am also proud that we will be providing over 80,000 working Vermonters with retirement access for the first time. The Vermont Saves program was the first piece of legislation I proposed as Treasurer, and I was honored to see it pass the legislature unanimously.
The Vermont Saves program establishes a retirement savings plan for Vermonters who are not currently offered a retirement plan through their employer. It’s designed to make saving for retirement easy and automatic at no cost to employers and no ongoing cost to taxpayers. Vermonters in the program still control their money and can choose how much to invest or whether they invest at all.
What’s the most important thing voters probably don’t know about you?
I got into public service due to the example of my parents. They are both wonderful people who care deeply for their family and committed so much of their lives to caring for other people. My Dad, through community service projects like helping open a teen center in Brattleboro, and my Mom, by founding a soup kitchen and running it for the last four decades.
Although they share the same values of family, honesty and community, they come from different sides of the political spectrum. My Mom is a Democrat, and my Dad is a Republican.
My parents taught me that you can disagree without being disagreeable and that it is critical to listen to people with different perspectives than your own. Ultimately, they showed me that we can always find ways to work together to help people and solve programs. They were the ones who instilled in me the belief that every Vermonter matters.
I try to follow my parents’ example every day. That’s why I got into public service, and it’s why I’m committed to building a government that gives every Vermonter hope.
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 Pieciak’s financial disclosure here.
Campaign finance
Candidates for state office in Vermont are required to report to the Secretary of State’s Office how much they raise and spend on their campaigns — as well as where the money is coming from and where it’s going. VTDigger has analyzed that data and presented it here in a way we hope will best inform readers.
You can use the tables below to view this candidate’s top donors and donors by category. Use the search box to look for a specific entity, or use the arrows to browse through the database. This data is up to date as of the latest filing deadline.
Disclaimer
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