By Colleen Geddis

As the creator and administrator of Rural Vermont Rising Facebook Group, I feel compelled to address the recent joint commentary from House Speaker Jill Krowinski and Minority Leader Pattie McCoy regarding the legislative debate surrounding Act 181.

Our online groupis run by me—Colleen, known to my grandbabies as “Meemaw”—an unaffiliated nobody whose usual passion is holistic dog health, not political theater. My goal,to give a voice to thousands of everyday landowners, farmers, and working families who are directly impacted by sweeping changes to land-use regulations. From our inception, our strict policy has been clear: we urge our 15,000 members to contact their elected officials respectfully, professionally, and productively.

While we are deeply concerned by the breakdown of productive dialogue, we are equally perplexed by the sequence of public statements and media reporting over the past week. We believe it is necessary to address three critical points regarding where this “discourse” stands:

The Moving Goalpost of Allegations:

We find it deeply troubling how rapidly the narrative has shifted. Last week, state leadership issued a grave public statement alleging physical threats and safety concerns. Yet, when investigative journalists pressed for concrete information and examples, aides admitted they had no copies. Now, the narrative has shifted to exposing standard, albeit ugly, internet name-calling. It is hard not to conclude that these allegations were intentionally amplified to tarnish our name, silence our members, and discredit a completely peaceful grassroots movement of working Vermonters. Unless documented evidence proving otherwise is brought forward, we refuse to let the distasteful comments of a few unverified online accounts be used as a political shield to invalidate the real, economic anxieties of 15,000 citizens. Furthermore, by publicizing these comments while refusing to provide us with the specific account details, state leadership has made it impossible for our moderation team to investigate or take action. If leadership truly wanted to solve this issue rather than use it for political leverage, they would work with us to identify these profiles, instead of using them to paint an entire community with a broad brush.

The Perplexing Absence of Law Enforcement:
Representative Amy Sheldon indicated to the press that she received “veiled threats” and at times felt physically unsafe. If any individual has made a credible threat of violence against a public servant, it is a matter for law enforcement, not a press release. We are left questioning why proper authorities were not immediately involved to investigate these alleged threats, and why leadership has not produced any records of them—with a spokesperson telling the Vermont Daily Chronicle that they “don’t have copies” and that they “have probably been deleted by now.” Making broad public allegations that tarnish thousands of law-abiding rural citizens while claiming the evidence has been deleted undermines public trust.

Where is the Missing Discourse?
Legislators have expressed frustration that the pushback is “unrelenting.” Respectfully, public engagement does not stop simply because a committee decides they have “met us halfway.” For months, thousands of our members have sent professional, polite emails detailing how Act 181 devalues their land and harms their retirement security. The vast majority of these constituents have received automated responses or complete silence. True discourse cannot be a one-way street where legislators only speak at rural Vermonters through the media, rather than answering the people they represent.

Vermont has always been a state where neighbors can look each other in the eye, disagree passionately on policy, and still share a cup of coffee at the local diner or country store. That is the Vermont we know, and that is the spirit we want to bring back to this table.

We are not professional lobbyists or polished politicians. We are your neighbors—the people who milk the cows, clear the roads, manage the woodlots, and keep Vermont’s rural economy alive. When laws like Act 181 threaten our land values, our family legacies, and our retirement security, we have a right and a duty to speak up.

True Vermont discourse isn’t found in carefully managed press releases or media sound bites that paint everyday citizens as extremists. It happens when elected officials open their inboxes, answer their constituents, and listen to the people who actually have to live with the laws they pass.

We don’t want vitriol, and we don’t want political posturing. We expect our concerns to be addressed in policy actions, not just in the performance of listening. Our doors are always open, and we sincerely invite our legislative leaders to look past the internet noise, come out to our communities, and talk with us as neighbors. Let’s work together to find a path forward that respects both our environment and the hard-working people who care for it.

The author is a Newark Vermont resident and Creator/Administrator of Rural Vermont Rising Facebook Group