Bridge StaffPelin Kohn: Common Sense Problem Solver
To the Editor:
I have worked with Dr. Pelin Kohn, a Democratic Primary candidate for the House of Representatives, Washington-4 District, Montpelier. We met as members of the board of directors for ORCA Media, where she contributed with thoughtful suggestions and was the keynote speaker at ORCA’s annual meeting.
I hosted a show on ORCA for about 15 years called, “Vote for Vermont.” Pelin approached me to do a similar show with her called “Banter & Beans: What’s brewing in Vermont.” Pelin’s interview skills are excellent, and she has mastered the art of listening. She knows the important issues on a local, national, and international level and can explain them concisely.
Pelin and her family moved to Montpelier from Türkiye eight years ago and set about getting to know her community. She volunteered for several committees and programs as a leader and participant. She then won a seat on the Montpelier City Council. Pelin accepted a position with Norwich University, where she became chair of the Leadership Program, later designing a leadership degree curriculum and serving as director of the Norwich Leadership Center. She now works at the Community College of Vermont, teaching at several campuses.
Pelin is focused on education, housing, workforce, healthcare/mental health, enforcement and safety, and cost of living. She recognizes the work that needs to be done in Vermont and is willing to cross the aisle to get these issues addressed.
I admire Pelin’s ability to apply common sense to solve problems. A good trait to possess for sure!
Pat McDonald, Berlin
Jones and Curry for Assistant Judge
To the Editor:
I am writing to endorse Leah Murphy Jones and Caleb Curry for the two Washington County assistant judge positions. Together, this pair brings experience, integrity, and common sense, and represents a valuable balance of continuity and fresh perspective.
Leah Murphy Jones has already proven her leadership as Washington County assistant judge. She has worked collaboratively with community partners and county officials, helped secure FEMA funding for courthouse and sheriff’s building restoration while protecting taxpayers, and remains calm under pressure. She listens before she decides, and her dedication to the community shows in how she leads.
Caleb Curry has proven himself dependable, organized, and a skilled problem solver. His practical experience managing infrastructure, facilities, and operations, along with a strong grasp of budgeting and responsible spending, reflects a genuine commitment to serving taxpayers well. He brings new energy to the role while respecting the traditions that keep Washington County running smoothly.
I urge my fellow residents to vote for Leah Murphy Jones and Caleb Curry in the August primary. They share a commitment to transparency, accountability, and thoughtful problem-solving — qualities we need in leaders who are approachable, willing to listen, and grounded in common sense.
Kristin Cantu, Montpelier
Dielensnyder for Assistant Judge
To the Editor:
Anne Dielensnyder is the smiling face on posters around town running for assistant judge in Washington County. She stands alone, unlike opposition who are running like a team. I hope voters will consider each candidate independently and not simply vote for a candidate riding the coat sleeves of an incumbent. Anne has the experience, smarts, and integrity to do great service for our courts and those seeking justice through them.
I first met Anne in her role as a guardian ad litem years ago in family court. Anne’s commitment to the children she represented and the best interests of them and their family outcomes were manifest. Since then, in addition to continuing to serve as a guardian ad litem, she became a trained mediator, worked in the Legislature, and performed for the best interests of Washington County residents and their families. With Anne you will get a dedicated straight shooter willing to go the extra miles for just results.
Dot Helling, Adamant
Vote Jared
To the Editor:
We’ve gotten to know Jared Duval through meetings, most recently at a neighborhood gathering, about his priorities and what inspired his run for state representative. You can read about them at jaredduvalvt.com.
What most impressed us is his ability to listen and answer plainly while drawing on a deep and nuanced understanding of virtually every issue raised and how it might be addressed.
His focus on affordability in housing, energy, and healthcare; a tax policy that is fairer and more progressive; his extensive knowledge about climate and energy; his commitment to defend threatened civil rights and civil liberties; and his decades-long public service all make him a candidate we enthusiastically endorse. We believe climate and democracy are both under existential threat, and believe Jared has a unique set of skills to work hard for us in the legislature to protect both.
He will bring to legislative work his background as an energy researcher and analyst as executive director at the nonprofit Energy Action Network (according to its website, works “to achieve Vermont’s climate and energy commitments in ways that create a more just, thriving, and sustainable future”) and as board chair of the nonprofit Public Assets, (which, according to that website provides “sound, accessible tax, budget, and economic data and analysis to advance policies that further racial, social, and economic equity”).
His experience with Vermont’s legislature is clear, both in his understanding of the legislative process and players, and from the valuable experience and insight gained through having been invited to give expert testimony there many times on economic and energy issues. We would be fortunate to have Jared representing our community at the Statehouse.
Andrea Warnk and Geoff Brumbaugh, Montpelier
To the Editor:
I will be voting for Jared Duval for election to the Vermont House of Representatives in the Aug. 11 primary. Many have already written endorsing Jared, describing his deep experience in the areas of the Vermont economy, public fiscal policy, energy, and the environment.
I want to address his quality in terms of his character, intelligence, communication, and attention, which I know about because I have served and worked closely with him for many years on the board of the Vermont Public Assets Institute.
Jared is an honest, warm, outgoing, and humble man, who works extremely well with others. Further, he is a person who readily expresses genuine appreciation for those with whom he is involved. Above all, he is committed to service for the common good.
Jared also has an insightful and astute mind, capable of understanding the big picture as well as the details of issues, and of discerning areas of uncertainty, contradiction, or potentially perverse consequences. This capacity is complemented by his articulate communication skills, which he uses first to ensure he understands; second, to express and seek answers to his questions; and third, to explain his conclusions and the directions he thinks should be pursued.
Finally, Jared makes you feel like you are the only person in the room when you talk with him. He skillfully puts forward his own ideas and joins them with the thoughts of others to craft the best direction forward.
All these qualities: his warmth, his honesty, his intelligence, his articulateness and sincere interest in others, his humility, and his commitment to service for the common good, make him my candidate for the Vermont House. I urge you to join me in sending him to the Statehouse.
Steven M. Gold, Montpelier
WCUUSD District-Wide Vote = Gerrymandering
To the Editor:
Our district, Washington Central Unified Union School District, was a “forced merger” eight years ago. Two towns, Calais and Worcester, were reluctant to join because the three other towns’ schools (in East Montpelier, Middlesex, and Berlin) had debts our taxpayers would have to help retire.
Here is one of the terms the two non-debtor towns required in the district’s Articles of Agreement:
Before the district could close an elementary school, the voters in that town would have to agree by voting.
Retiring a debt means spending property tax dollars that could be spent on other needs — roads, culverts, building upgrades. To date, our two towns have contributed about $2.8 million to the district for a debt we did not vote to approve.
All five towns voted on the Articles of Agreement eight years ago. On Aug. 11, voters in all five towns are being asked to change that provision.
I don’t know about you, but I try to keep my promises.
The Aug. 11 vote comes from petitioners who did not like the result of the Feb. 10 town votes; both Calais and Worcester voted by large margins to keep their schools open. So they want to change the rules.
Changing our system from a town vote to a five-town, district-wide vote is enlarging the pool of voters to get a different outcome.
That’s gerrymandering.
Our smaller schools are out-performing our larger schools not just in test scores, but in community spirit.
This vote is not the right way to solve problems. Our communities listen respectfully to each other. We forge compromises, even on difficult issues.
With forced district mergers on the horizon statewide, we can show the state that we keep our promises, that small schools are not necessarily bad schools, and that in central Vermont, we respect our neighbors.
Linda Gray, Calais
I’m Voting NO on WCUUSD Rules Change
To the Editor:
The problem with the Washington Central Union Unified School District Aug. 11 vote is it asks us to go back on the agreement we made with all the district towns. This is fundamentally unfair. Two small towns voted overwhelmingly to keep their schools open. When folks who think those schools should be closed didn’t like that outcome they want to change the rules.
Yes, the rules also say that some of those rules can be changed by a vote of all towns as a group, but I doubt most folks realized that when they agreed to these rules.
I don’t have a solution to the declining population in our schools. We need one. Everyone wants good, sustainable outcomes. But the way to approach this is by cooperating, not pitting those of us in smaller towns against those in larger towns. We need an open, facilitated process in each town to discuss questions that have no easy answer.
What should be the future of the school in their town? What vision do folks have about their town? How would each town deal with declining school population? If their school were closed, what should that building become? How could that be positive for the town? How could young students retain a sense of home and identity in their town? How could education in a very small school retain excellence? How can an approach to change avoid or at least minimize disruption and transitions for children?
Discussion has been solely based on the school board’s strategic plan for education. The board put forward great educational goals, but our schools do not exist in a vacuum. They are at the center of our small communities. Let’s vote down this rule change and start a process of reconciliation, building trust, and moving forward as one community.
Andrew Shapiro, East Montpelier
Not Just a City Issue
To the Editor:
Recent Montpelier City Council conversations regarding the right response to the growing number of our unhoused neighbors now calling the city streets and parks their temporary home have proceeded as if it is up to the city alone to address this humanitarian crisis. It’s time to broaden the discussion.
Like many other issues facing Montpelier, homelessness is not just a Montpelier problem; it is a Vermont problem.
Policy decisions made at the state level — such as Gov. Phil Scott’s 2025 veto of legislation to overhaul the motel voucher program and prior vetoes regarding adequate funding for that program — do not actually reduce the cost of responding to the crisis. Rather, they shift the cost burden from the broader statewide tax base onto already-stretched municipal budgets like Montpelier’s. Municipalities on the front lines of crisis response need more resources from the State to help our unhoused neighbors in need with shelter, services, and security.
City Councilor Pelin Kohn has proposed a path toward a broader intergovernmental conversation than is currently occurring. Under her April 2026 proposal, still pending with the council, a formal small group made up of select councilors, city staff members, the legislative delegation, and relevant state agency staffers would meet regularly — and publicly — to “build shared understanding of key challenges” and work toward greater state support for frontline communities.
I urge our city council to adopt this common-sense proposal, and our soon-to-be elected legislative delegation and administration to invest in the intergovernmental collaboration it seeks.
Anthony Iarrapino, Montpelier
