sarah
High Rents and Low Wages Create Homelessness
To the Editor:
Thank you for the article “Action Tabled after Marathon City Council Meeting on Homelessness” (The Bridge, May 6–19). I wanted to be at this meeting, but prior commitments ruled otherwise, so thanks for covering it so thoroughly.
I was not surprised about the city council’s actions. Our scandalous homeless problem seems intractable. Yet, the first thing we must come to grips with is that this homeless crisis is not a natural phenomenon, like the incessant 100-year floods.
The point that stood out most for me was when a community member said that a truly affordable rent for an apartment would be around $500 a month. This member is right. Apartment rents in Montpelier now top $1,000 a month, even for a one bedroom. I saw two Montpelier one-bedrooms advertised today on Craigslist for these staggering rents, which are typical now. One was a studio apartment: $1,400 a month; another was a one bedroom for $1,250 a month. These were the only one-bedroom apartments posted for Montpelier. It’s the same all over Vermont and the nation.
Most working Vermonters probably make somewhere around $20 an hour. The math cannot work against these rental prices. It’s no wonder that cars and streets have become home to so many. I would be out there as well if it were not for the Montpelier Housing Authority. I am a 72-year-old senior citizen who still must work full time. Even with social security and working, I couldn’t possibly handle Montpelier rents.
We all know housing is not a luxury; it is the foundation of stability. Until we understand that low wages and high rents are the crux of our vexing homeless problem, we’ll just be flailing away at the impossible.
Walter Carpenter, Montpelier
Does Montpelier Need Another Public Restroom Right Now?
To the Editor:
The homelessness that plagues some of our neighbors is tragic, shocking, and unconscionable. It is the responsibility of this entire community, including myself, to support improved circumstances for our unhoused neighbors.
… (Despite) a reduction of public restrooms in this city, I respectfully disagree with Stephen Whitaker’s suggestion in his letter in the May 6–19 issue of The Bridge that we should either open city hall for public access to its restrooms nights and weekends, or the city should build a new public bathroom.
Why? … Opening the upstairs bathrooms at city hall is not viable, despite, as Mr. Whitaker pointed out, city hall’s proximity to the police station, and the fact there are video cameras on site. Opening the upper floors of city hall 24/7 would create an obvious security hazard.
On the other hand, the expansion of city hall’s basement, also mentioned by Mr. Whitaker, (site of the former police station, teen center, and Montpelier’s Emergency Cold Weather Shelter) warrants further exploration.
Nonetheless, Mr. Whitaker’s suggestions are overly simplistic and myopic. One cannot seriously discuss homelessness in Montpelier without considering the dearth of affordable housing here. Nor can we ignore the general crisis of affordability confronting all of us in the city, both housed and unhoused. …
The Golden Rule, echoed so beautifully by Fred Rogers, as well as Mayor Marc Gwinn and Mr. Whitaker, cannot be gainsaid in these times of extreme need. This in no way conflicts with … the fact that on Green-Up Day when city hall was locked (much to Mr. Whitaker’s professed chagrin), a clean, secure public restroom was available inside our warm and comfortable (and totally awesome) library, just a few blocks up from city hall!
The suffering of our unhoused neighbors is untenable. It demands a robust and genuinely supportive response from us, and failure is not a luxury that we can afford. But neither is a reaction that ultimately turns out to be knee-jerked, under-sized, and over-priced….
Neil Nussbaum, Montpelier
Community Deserves a Voice in Decision Making
To the Editor:
I am a Rumney parent, volunteer, former volunteer coach, taxpayer, and active member of our school community, writing about the recently announced Rumney/Doty school reconfiguration proposal. (See story, page 10.)
I was shocked to receive a late-year email about a major structural change to our children’s education while simultaneously being told the district is already “moving forward.” This proposal impacts students, families, transportation, staffing, school identity, and community structure.
Under this proposal, some students would experience multiple major school transitions within just a few years. Research consistently shows that stability, peer continuity, and strong school community connections are critical to children’s academic success and emotional well-being. What became clear at the recent community meeting, where Superintendent Steven Dellinger-Pate spoke, is that the driving force behind this proposal is not structural stability for children but administrative convenience.
The timing feels profoundly insensitive. Families are learning about this after end-of-year conferences, where teachers had already reassured children about next year’s classrooms and routines. WCUUSD’s own core values emphasize transparent leadership and community engagement. Article 15 of the Articles of Agreement requires timely and sufficient opportunity for local input. District leadership has acknowledged in writing that the approach was decision first, community engagement second. That is not a process that reflects this district’s stated commitments.
Rural towns like ours work hard to attract and retain young families. When decisions of this scale are made without community voice, it signals to current and future families what kind of partnership they can expect.
This is not about resisting change. It is about trust, and about ensuring that taxpayers and families do not lose their voice in decisions that directly shape their children’s lives and their community’s future. Families deserved to be part of this conversation.
Natasha Stevens, Middlesex
Be Proud of Vermont’s Renewable Energy Standard
To the Editor:
Ian Buchanan’s May 6 letter (“Do 100% Renewable Energy Standards Make Sense”) is a misreading of Vermont’s landmark law cutting greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to taking 250,000 cars off the road by 2035.
Contrary to Mr. Buchanan’s claim, Vermont, like the rest of New England, has many proven, safe, and affordable options to fossil-fuel-generated electricity, namely solar power, energy storage, local hydropower, and on- and offshore wind.
Here’s just one example out of many: if the 3,500 MW of offshore wind that’s planned for New England had been on the grid during the 2024–25 winter, ratepayers would have saved $400 million on energy costs by displacing dirty and expensive natural gas and oil plants.
Mr. Buchanan states that Vermont should be exploring “clean” energy options instead of renewables. But don’t be fooled — “clean” is the nuclear industry’s greenwashing of its expensive power, which cannot be delivered as safely, quickly, or cheaply to Vermonters as the renewable energy like wind, solar and local hydropower.
For these reasons and more, Vermonters should be very proud of our 100% Renewable Energy Standard.
Peter Sterling, Executive Director, Renewable Energy Vermont
Policing the Word “Milk”
To the Editor:
Efforts to restrict plant-based products from using the word “milk” are gaining traction again, despite little evidence that consumers are confused (Reuters, April 24, 2026). Most people know exactly what oat milk is — and choose it intentionally.
So why the push to regulate language? It’s hard not to see it as an attempt to shield one industry from growing competition.
Consumers benefit from clear labeling and diverse choices. Limiting how products are described doesn’t protect the public — it limits innovation and restricts access to alternatives many people prefer for health, environmental, or ethical reasons.
What’s next? If the dairy lobby has its way, you soon might have to buy peanut spread instead of peanut butter.
Maxwell Branset, Montpelier
Anne Dielensnyder for Assistant Judge Washington County
To the Editor:
I have entered the 2026 Vermont primary election as a candidate for Assistant Judge in Washington County. I welcome the opportunity for a higher level of public service, where my broad experience will best serve the courts in their judicial capacity, Washington County in its executive management role, and the best interests of the community at large.
For over 40 years, I have served the public at various levels. My extensive experience and knowledge of the legal system from 1987 to 2022 includes serving as a Guardian Ad Litem for each of the Vermont courts in over 160 cases. This work included assessing the best interests of the respondent through due diligence, fact-finding, and providing oral and written recommendation to the presiding judge to assist with the most informed decision and ultimate court ruling. I continue to expand my knowledge base of Vermont law, court procedural, and evidentiary rules.
As a trained mediator, I have an understanding of underlying causes of conflict and needs assessment. As a guardian ad litem, my mediation experience enabled the efficient disposition of cases with framing of issues and interests, and assisting with negotiated agreements for the court’s ultimate ruling.
It will be a high honor and privilege to serve as an assistant judge, as well as serving in a county executive management role. I have strong interpersonal, organizational, analytical, and perceptional skills. I have the energy, the temperament, a high bar of integrity and ethics, a deep understanding of and involvement with the community-at-large, and knowledge of county operations. I will be a great asset to the Vermont courts and to Washington County.
I appreciate your vote on August 11. Thank you.
Anne Dielensnyder, Berlin
Letters to the editor represent the opinions of the authors and do not reflect the opinions of The Bridge. Submit your letter by email to editor@montpelierbridge.com. Preference is given to submissions by those who live in central Vermont, should not exceed 300 words in length, and may be edited for brevity and accuracy.
