by Aaron Warner

Despite the massive shift to the right in Vermont the town of Hartford managed to hold the line on voting for Progressives this past election.  Perhaps the bluest state in the union, Vermont, is now solidly purple after seeing the Senate go from a 22(D)-7(R) supermajority to a nearly dead even 16(D)-13(R) chamber.  Even more eye-opening was the House Democrats losing an 18-seat supermajority, going from 105-37 to a lean 87-56 advantage.  Add to these, both the governor and lieutenant governor are Republicans, and the voice of the people is ringing out a clear message – Democrats have failed the people of Vermont.

Yet Hartford residents somehow missed the memo as they re-elected all Democrat candidates representing Windsor County.  Not even a female person of color, Andrea Murray, could break through the line despite running a solid campaign focused on positive messaging of sensible policy adjustments and balancing the power in Montpelier.  Career politicians Becca White, Alison Clarkson, and Joe Major all rode in on a Democrat super ticket, billing themselves as a package deal that the town apparently bought for Christmas as all three will be seated in Montpelier.  Perhaps the most shocking is Clarkson, who presided over the senate alongside now ousted Lt. Governor David Zuckerman, both critical in using the supermajority power to overturn numerous Governor Scott vetoes, which have led to Vermont being the second most taxed state in the country. 

Also enjoying re-election is fellow career politician Kevin “Coach” Christie, who, despite persistent health problems, also sits on the town school board.  Christie won despite murmurs around town regarding his role in helping long-time superintendent Tom Debalsi skate out of town with a year of pay despite resigning while paying a second superintendent to take his place.  The board also paid a head-hunting firm to find Debalsi’s replacement rather than find a local candidate qualified for the job.  Junior legislator Esme Cole also returns to Montpelier alongside fellow twenty-something-year-old and fellow Hartford High School graduate Becca White. 

The long glimmer of hope in this was the voter turnout in 2024 was up seventeen thousand from 2022, with a massive number of Republicans turning out to voice their disapproval for the crippling costs and increase in crime throughout the county.  In 2022, the vote differential was nearly double in favor of the Democrats.

Windsor County 2022

Windsor County 2024

Murray, a first-time candidate, clearly moved the voters to turn out for her message, nearly doubling the previous high vote total from 2022.  Jack Williams also resonated with voters as he ran on fiscal responsibility and was a voice for the common man. 

Despite these record levels of change, Hartford remains recalcitrant as a town committed to progressive politics. Why?   The school board was embroiled in scandals for two years due to apparent wasteful spending.  The town select board, also dominated by progressives, opted not to decorate the town with Christmas lights for the first time in known history while fighting townsfolk over hanging veteran memorial banners.  Promoting the multiple pride events and speaking in favor of Drag Queen story hour were, however, among their cause celebs.  A green bike strip emerged on Route 5 less than seven years after voters asked for a second car lane, which is now absent in favor of the almost non-existent bike traffic the town sees other than brief stretches in the warmer months. 

Hartford, like other desperate-to-seem relevant townships like Burlington and Montpelier, appears to operate on the political lake effect where policies that catch on out west in places like Washington, Oregon, and California take root. 

All three states are now more famous for their homelessness crises and wildfires than natural beauty and the industries that made them successful. 

Gaven Newsom is now looking at calls for his resignation thanks to the last burning straw from the conflagration assaulting Los Angeles.  The progressive failures of the left coast led to vast swaths of California voting Republican, making the political map look redder than the L.A. skyline. 

The connection isn’t just political. The DEI wind swept through a few years back, and Hartford’s leadership bragged about hiring their first lesbian town manager. She barely lasted a year after calls for her resignation due to incompetence and poor people skills, which led to her ouster due to her ultimate failure to manage the town budget. The fire that has engulfed billions of dollars of prime real estate in Los Angeles comes on the heels of LA County bragging they hired their first lesbian fire chief, a Harvard product no less, who managed to not fill the reservoirs despite record rainfall or fire hydrants, nor work with the land management department amidst complaints from locals and even Donald Trump that the surrounding forest areas were a poorly groomed tinder box.

Meanwhile, here in Hartford, we had three overdoses in one day, as the police tell us it’s usually “just” one a day.  Citizens post online about daily issues with homeless people on their lawns, intimidating their children and generally creating a lack of safety. 

Hitting close to home, my wife has had to call the police twice in the past six months, the first being a robbery that took place next to her business, then just yesterday, a homeless man stood so close to the back of her parked car she was afraid to get out. I recall warning the town as I ran for select board the last election of these very things headed our way.  I was mocked and attacked by the local mob of progressive Karens who regurgitated the talking points handed to them by their party relations think tanks.  Suddenly, they don’t seem to be as vocal.

Hopefully, Hartford is starting to learn.

The author is a VDC columnist and Upper Valley regional reporter. He lives in Hartford, VT where he owns two award-winning small businesses. He is a graduate of Leadership Upper Valley class of 2010.