My Philosophy
Passing a law is only the beginning. Government must ensure that laws are implemented fairly, efficiently, transparently, and consistent with legislative intent.
Too often, the hard work of oversight is left undone. Agencies implement programs with little accountability to the legislature that created them or the Vermonters who fund them. Rules multiply, costs grow, and no one asks the basic question: is any of this actually working?
That question is one I ask every session. It is a core part of my work as Vice Chair of the Senate Natural Resources & Energy Committee — and it applies to every issue the committee touches, from water quality to energy regulation to wildlife management.
Questions I Consistently Ask
Whether I am reviewing a water-quality program, an energy mandate, or a land-use rule, I come back to four questions:
- Is the program working? Are we seeing measurable improvements that justify the costs and burdens placed on Vermonters?
- Are results being measured? If we cannot measure outcomes, we cannot know whether taxpayer dollars are being spent wisely.
- Are agencies following legislative intent? Laws passed by the legislature must be implemented as written — not reinterpreted by agencies to suit other purposes.
- Are Vermonters receiving value for their investment? Every program costs money. Citizens deserve to know what they are getting in return.
Why Oversight Matters
Accountability is essential whether the issue is water quality, energy, wildlife management, housing, or land-use regulation.
Vermont’s citizens, businesses, municipalities, and landowners bear the costs of the programs we create. They deserve a legislature that follows up — that checks whether programs are achieving their goals, whether implementation is fair, and whether resources are being used wisely.
I have applied this standard to the 3-Acre Rule stormwater program, to Act 181 and S.325 implementation, to Efficiency Vermont’s programs, and to fish and wildlife governance. In each case, the same principles apply: transparency, measurability, fairness, and fidelity to what the law actually says.
That is not obstruction. That is responsible government.