Vote for Larry Satcowitz - August 11, 2020

Issues Larry Cares About

Education

A strong education system is critical to the health of our community. Larry has worked in public and private schools; at the middle school, high school and college levels; with students from diverse backgrounds. His children attend the local high school and he's a member of the RUHS Parent-Community group. For the past five years he has taught math as a volunteer at the local elementary school. He knows how schools work and how learning happens. He has the depth of knowledge to be both a strong advocate and also a supportive critic who can help our schools grow and adapt to our changing world.

Economy

The students who graduate from our schools provide the ultimate basis of our local economy; a complex web of businesses, private non-profits, educational institutions, and municipal government. While these organizations need the capable, creative and knowledgeable young people that graduate from our schools, those same young folks need stable, well-paying, engaging jobs so that they are able to stay and contribute to our community. As a member of the Randolph Selectboard and a resident of central Vermont for over 20 years, Larry has gained much insight into the concerns of these organizations and is committed to their continued growth and well-being.

Health

Our current healthcare system is an inefficient, costly drain on our economy, and with costs going up much faster than inflation we’re devoting an ever-increasing proportion of our incomes to it. In addition, for most working people, health insurance is tightly tied to employment. People often work more or less than they’d prefer and it can be difficult to switch jobs as a result. Employers face ongoing challenges while trying to figure out how to pay for and manage this benefit. No one would design a system to be like this from scratch. It needs to change.

Systemic Racism

Systemic racism is a problem that needs to be addressed at all levels of government. The legislature should be combating it through three main approaches: symbolic, economic, and law enforcement. A good example of a powerful symbolic effort is the painting of “Black Lives Matter” on the street in Montpelier. Leaders throughout society need to present a consistent, ongoing message that racism is not tolerated. Economic approaches focus energy on supporting the most disadvantaged in our society and would include measures such as increases in the minimum wage, paid parental leave, and implementing affordable, high-quality health care. Law enforcement measures, at a minimum, would involve reducing our prison population and making sure that arrest and incarceration rates are not racially biased.

Climate Change

Climate change is a major concern. Fortunately, stemming carbon emissions and strengthening our economy often go hand in hand. We should be promoting development in our downtowns to encourage transportation and land use efficiency, investing more in weatherization of existing residences and businesses, tightening standards for new construction, make public transportation free in cases where rider fares are already a small portion of the cost, enact rules that hinder the further fragmentation of our forests, and continue to promote local solar power.

Larry's Candidacy Letter

My name is Larry Satcowitz and I’m a candidate for State Representative for the towns of Braintree, Brookfield, Granville, Randolph, and Roxbury.

Eighteen years ago, my wife and I bought our house Randolph. We had our first child on the way and it seemed like the right time to settle down. I didn’t know much about the area, other than it was within a reasonable distance from both our jobs, but over these many years I’ve gotten to know this community well and I’m grateful for our good fortune in having landed in this beautiful and sane place, filled with wonderful people. A few years back, as our kids were getting a bit older and needing less attention, I was looking for a way to give back to this place that has given me and my family so much, and so I ran for an open seat on the Selectboard.

I’m now in my second term on the Randolph Selectboard. During that time I’ve helped to provide leadership that has resulted in a revitalized recreation program, a revamped police force, and the hiring of an Economic Development Coordinator who has helped to bring in many hundreds of thousands of dollars of grant money to the town. I currently work closely with the Recreation, Water/Wastewater, and Budget committees. I was the chair of the ad hoc committee that studied policing in Randolph a couple of years ago. I’ve been a consistent voice for local government that is transparent, accountable, and responsive.

In general, I'm a well-informed person. I've long paid attention to local, state and national affairs, and I read widely in many other areas as well. As a math teacher of many years, I'm practiced at explaining myself to others while taking their feedback into account and I'm comfortable with statistical and numerical analysis. As a house builder, I've learned a great deal about the complexity of even modest projects and how to successfully manage them. I'm not a natural leader, but through my teaching, building, and Selectboard experience I've learned a lot about how to help groups work toward a common goal. I like to think of myself as practical, open-minded, and fair.

Please remember that our district has two representatives, so you get two votes. I hope one of them will be for me. Return your ballot early or vote in person on November 3rd!