Biography
I have lived in the Chittenden 15 district with my wife, Marianne, since 2001. We’ve raised two daughters within the Burlington school district who both then graduated from UVM. We have so many strong connections to our neighbors within the district and are truly privileged to live in such an amazing community.
I moved to Vermont in 1996 with a graduate degree in the field of Higher Education Administration from Colorado State University. Prior to that, I completed my undergraduate degree in Psychology and Sociology from the University of Wisconsin state system. In addition to working primarily for UVM, I have also held positions with the HR Department for the City of Burlington and as a co-owner of a landscape design and installation business. I received an initial certification from the Dry Stone Wallers Association of Great Britain and enjoy the continuing design of my own gardens. Additionally, you will see me on the running routes around Burlington and enjoying the live music scene throughout the state.
I have worked with the UVM Center for Student Conduct since 2008 and am a proud member of the UVM staff union. In my current position, I’ve learned the value of bringing restorative practices into conflict resolution work. I understand the need for continuous critical reflection on how those of us who have always benefited from systems of power and privilege must repair the inherent harm within those systems. These are the foundational values I bring with me to serve my district in Montpelier.
Candidate occupation
Assistant Director, UVM Center for Student Conduct
Why are you running for office?
I feel nothing but fortunate to have been served and mentored by the outstanding representatives who we have elected to become our voice in Montpelier. Upon honest reflection, I realized that I am currently in a great place to continue that cycle of mentorship by holding the seat, serving the district, and ultimately then handing off the role to our next generation of outstanding young leaders. I was moved and energized by those who led our recent unionizing efforts with UVM Staff United. I have already benefited from the stewardship of my incredibly committed union representatives and came to understand the obligations of service I have been taking for granted.
I align and caucus with the Progressive Party of Vermont and seek to serve its core commitments to economic, social, and environmental justice while bringing a sincere allegiance to the voice of the often overlooked working class.
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?
We are already realizing the potential benefits available to us from the population growth we began experiencing with the influx of new residents during the COVID pandemic. We continue to see clear evidence that a similar migration of new residents will continue as people seek to live and thrive in a community committed to environmental protections and a political climate defined by acceptance and equity. We simply must be ready to provide an easy place to land for those eager to add value and service to our community.
During the last biennium, we took bold steps to improve our childcare infrastructure with the passage of Act 76. We committed to significant policy initiatives and investments that will create a robust child care system for all Vermonters. This is critical as we build a network of support for our working families. That said, it’s the first example of many steps we will need to take in order to attract more.
Workers are always going to be at the heart of a strong economy. Paying those workers a livable wage so that they can thrive and remain in Vermont is critical. Providing those workers with the security of affordable housing and access to responsive health care is crucial. Repairing our public education system for all working families by attracting and retaining skilled educators and securing our educational infrastructure is a priority.
These foundational components of a thriving economy will require a more progressive tax system to protect our low and middle income Vermonters. Paying the low and middle income earners in Vermont a sustainable wage, shifting the tax burden to our wealthiest residents, and providing a strong network of social support systems will allow all Vermonters to purchase more from the resulting economy.
What changes, if any, would you make to the way Vermont funds its schools?
First, public funding must serve public schools. Full stop. While federal legislation has certainly had an impact on the voucher program within Vermont that is diverting tax dollars to private and religious institutions, the issue is certainly correctable.
We must continue to explore and then implement a progressive and income based taxation model to fully fund a sustainable Education Fund in Vermont. The wealthiest Vermonters must pay their fair share and have consistently indicated their willingness to contribute to a robust public education system. Our over-reliance on property taxes to fund our schools is creating a system by which landlords pass those costs onto an already unsustainable and unaffordable rental market while destabilizing the capacity by which longtime Vermonters are able to age in place within communities in which they’ve lived for decades. Misinformation about the current funding model has been used in disingenuous ways that have sabotaged our students and teachers. It’s time we create a more transparent and easily understood funding system that is not disproportionately shouldered by the working class. Though it shouldn’t need to be stated, I will continue to push back on the Governor’s one-time short sighted suggestions. We will not, now or in the future, balance the school budget in any given year by draining our fund reserves or eliminating our universal school meals program.
The current weighting system that acknowledges the absolute truth that not all school districts have been funded from an equity framework is critical. Students from small and rural communities, students for whom English is a second or third language, and students from low income households all require equitable approaches to their learning. Any statewide public education funding structure must continue to acknowledge this reality.
We must absolutely acknowledge that elephant in the room that is our current healthcare system. When we gate-keep access to the fundamental human right to prompt and adequate medical treatment by attaching that access to employment, we unnecessarily drive up the costs of our education system. Releasing the costs of health care from the cost of sustaining our schools through the creation of a single payer healthcare system is critical.
Finally, Governor Scott must begin to respect the well practiced legislative process by which the Secretary of Education is ultimately approved by the Senate. His actions in defying that process during the 2024 session must be corrected immediately.
Is Vermont doing enough, too much or not enough to address climate change? Please explain.
I don’t foresee a time in the near future when I can state that we are doing enough to reverse the devastating impact of climate change that is, without question, attributable to human consumption. That being said, I’m proud to have been part of the 2023-24 biennium in which we passed groundbreaking legislation to begin the processes by which we correct our journey:
Act 122 creates a first of its kind fund that requires fossil fuel companies to reimburse the state for climate change related damages.
Act 132 limits the use of PFAS “forever chemicals” in many products. The ban would include all clothing, diapers, menstrual products, makeup, and cookware by 2026 and then extend to turf by 2028.
Act 179 requires every utility in Vermont to source all of its power from renewable resources by 2035. The bill also requires a Public Service Department report on policy options to ensure that low and moderate income families benefit equitably from new solar power generation and options for replacement of group net metering for community solar projects.
Act 182 bans the sale or use of neonicotinoids (a known threat to pollinators) in Vermont.
We will always be able to do more. We must drastically improve the public transportation infrastructure across this state and return back to the practice of fully subsidizing the use of our buses. Green Mountain Transit has proven to be a reliable partner in the delivery of public transportation and we must do all that we can to fully fund their operation.
As we deliver on the promise of recent Act 250 adjustments, we must do all we can to develop our cities and towns into walkable and bikeable communities that become sustained by infrastructure that does not continue to cater to the use of gas powered vehicles.
Finally, we must get honest about our continued reliance on the use of biomass as an energy source despite the fact that it will never be considered as a true option for eliminating greenhouse gasses. Similarly, we must end our reliance on carbon credit schemes (corporate or otherwise) that allow wealthy corporations to opt out of a global commitment to creating energy systems that are truly green.
Is Vermont doing enough, too much or not enough to regulate gun ownership? Please explain.
Vermont has a long history of gun ownership that has not needed significant regulation. Unfortunately, this is no longer the case. Vermont is not immune to the increasing and devastating impact of the proliferation of weapons that are only designed to destroy life, often in the service of crimes of desperation and the expanding market for illicit and deadly drugs.
I was proud to support Act 45 (2023) that increased penalties for the negligent storage of firearms and allows families to request extreme risk protection orders. We can and should do more. I support repealing all exceptions to background checks. I support giving municipalities the right to develop their own statutes for firearm regulations. I support legislation that would make it illegal to possess or sell certain semi-automatic “assault weapons”.
What would you do to help ease Vermont’s housing crisis?
I’m proud to have supported Act 181 which provides much needed modernization and updates to our longstanding Act 250. While the answer to how we help ease the housing crisis in Vermont is, ultimately, simply stated (build more housing and keep it affordable), getting there is going to take some time. Getting there while protecting the environment and landscape that make Vermont unique will remain complicated and is certain to sustain continued debate.
We need to build considerably more housing to include that which is truly affordable. This includes the obvious areas that are currently defined as our most populated municipalities as well as remaining creative as we increase development opportunities within the core districts of some of our smaller cities and towns. In many places, this will require new zoning considerations that will encourage a higher density of housing options in neighborhoods that have been accustomed to single family homes on large lots. We all need to remain open to paradigm shifts about what it means to live in Vermont neighborhoods. With higher density comes the absolute requirement that we’re creating walkable and bikeable communities that are not necessarily going to include mandated parking space. When this pairs with a vibrant and robust public transportation infrastructure, we can truly keep Vermont connected between the larger municipalities and the quaint historic villages. Building affordable housing for a workforce that desires to live in close proximity to where they work is critical.
Once provided, we must guarantee the persistence of a person’s housing by initiating renter protections and by finally enacting the just cause eviction protections that Burlington and so many other municipalities have now passed. We have received clear indication from a growing number of city councils, select-boards, and Vermont voters that statewide protections for renters is a non-negotiable demand.
How would you address rising homelessness in Vermont?
Despite the recent SCOTUS decision that indicates otherwise, it is not a crime to be without a home. Housing is a human right and we have failed as a society when we resort to criminalizing those who are currently unhoused rather than creating the systems by which we provide for that human right. We must address the increase in the number of unhoused Vermonters by committing to housing-first approaches.
I’ve been nothing but disappointed in the administration’s disregard for the intentions of the legislature’s continued funding for the general assistance housing program. If we’re going to phase out the motel program we initiated during the pandemic, we must have alternative solutions and services ready to implement immediately. Statewide solutions must proportionally support our larger communities that are so clearly becoming centralized hubs to which our unhoused neighbors arrive. When the churches and existing shelters within our most populated counties are called upon to manage the overflow of our unhoused neighbors, we have an obligation to respond with state funded low-barrier shelter alternatives that become immediately available.
When our unhoused Vermonters show up in clear need of substance misuse assistance, we have an obligation to provide the pathway to recovery and stability. By funding social services that address the epidemic of addiction and mental health crises in our communities, we create this stability for our most vulnerable.
As I’ve already stated, renter protections and a statewide moratorium on no-cause evictions are critical to protecting the fragile housing system that so many Vermonters are barely holding onto.
What would you do to increase access to health care services for Vermonters?
As I’ve stated clearly, healthcare is an absolute human right. We have an obligation to continue the push we began during the last biennium to expand our Medicaid and Medicare programs to more Vermonters. Wages are not keeping up with the increasing costs associated with living in Vermont. More and more Vermonters are delaying or outright opting not to treat early health concerns that then quickly become healthcare emergencies. We are unable to recruit healthcare workers to our hospitals and clinics once they realize the absence of any affordable living space. While the UVM Medical Center has committed to building housing for its employees, we cannot rely on “company housing” models that link a person’s shelter to their job, thereby perpetuating a system of captive employees that become discouraged to speak out about low wages and other workplace satisfaction issues. Our healthcare system has resorted to an overreliance on traveling nurses that siphons wages from our permanent staff members. Our school budgets are overburdened by the increase in health insurance costs each year that pulls public funds from actual curriculum and staff development.
We must develop a single payer healthcare system that is funded by a progressive tax on corporations that claim to promote workplace wellness. It is becoming more and more evident that a single payer system would cost less than what employers are currently paying to competing insurance providers.
This past year, we passed Act 111 which gives primary health care providers more flexibility to order tests and procedures for their patients and eliminates the need for prior authorization from insurance providers for the patients of primary care doctors. It’s time to take the next step and initiate Medicare and Medicaid for all Vermonters.
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 Headrick’s financial disclosure here.
Disclaimer
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