Brother Jonathan for Lincoln Council

[Brother Jonathan]

I voted nay on the confidence motion before the Council today. I did so knowing that motion was all but guaranteed to pass and did so to register my concerns and those of the voters who elected me, with the direction of the Council.

That being said, we shall have an able Chancellor and one I hope who shall will all of the Council to find solutions to our problems.

[Brother Jonathan]

Update on Council Activity:

Today, I introduce legislation written by a group of bipartisan legislators aimed at promoting election integrity in Lincoln. Voting is vital to our republic, and we must always work to ensure that it is secure while also being open. The bill would extend the period from registration until one becomes eligible to vote, a measure that I and many others on the Council feel is needed to combat methods designed to sway elections and effectively manipulate public opinion. I am told that similar legislation is being considered in other regions, and I think it is a reform that is clearly much needed.

I have also been working with Councillors from the government to discuss possible changes to the Lincoln tax code, to simplify the tax structure, and make the system more equitable. We are still in the early phases of this discussion, but I am hopeful that once we have passed a budget we can get to work and pass reform that will meaningfully improve our tax situation which I, and many others, believe is not likely sustainable to desirable over the long term.

I am also pleased to say that it appears we may have a resolution that would reinstate a prohibition on overly discriminatory affirmative action projects in public colleges and universities across the region. While we all share in our desire to improve outcomes for minority students, we must not allow our good intentions to create policies that are overly restrictive and which in the end will likely harm students of all backgrounds.

[Tamika Jackson]

Congrats!

[Brother Jonathan]

Speech in Support of Federalist Candidates—Hinesburg, Vermont
Livestreamed on various internet platforms

You know I've heard it said recently, by a few folks here and there, that 'party of Vermont is the party of Labor'. Well, I suspect you all know my feelings on that sort of thing, but if you had any doubt about the depth of my convictions just know it was enough to convince me to give this speech, which I had no intention of delivering while enjoying some rest after a long term in regional government.

Yet here I am, compelled I think once again to stand before you and urge you to support your local Federalist candidate, many of whom I am well acquainted with. Up and down this state, the Federalist party is running strong, independent-minded candidates committed to preserving and advancing our Vermont values, the values of hard work, Yankee thrift, and tradition that we all share and have always shared in this state. While there can be no denying that this past year has been difficult, bringing with it a tempest storm that has wrought devastation across the country, we as Vermonters can take pride in our shared work as a community. Set aside for a moment the caterwauling of the Laborites, who do so enjoy to heap onto the Federalists all sort of base motives and malign them for imperfections and shortcomings which in their own ranks are quickly and quietly to be ignored, and consider instead the fabric that we, here in this state, have retained through it all. Ours is a time of turmoil, this cannot be denied. But in Vermont, in this corner of the country at least, I think it is abundantly clear that community persists. Yes, that here, here even in the darkest hours, we have managed to reach out, neighbor to neighbor, friend to friend, and most of all stranger to stranger to give a helping hand.

We here in this state have suffered, so too have people across our union, but we here in Vermont have never lost sight of the values deeply rooted in the soil. We believe in racial equality here, and we can stand proud of our abolitionist heritage, and we recognize that we must work to make our state more welcoming for all. We believe in thrift, which is why the current administration has sought to toe a tight line even as spendthrifts implore us to return to the mayhem of Labor tax and spend which have created so many problems for our region. We believe in justice for all, and so we fight for due process and common sense criminal justice reform which does not resort to the sort of extremist solutions and sloganeering we so often hear these days from both sides. Perhaps that can be said to be one of our great values—nuance.

Still, despite what we hear over and over again from the opposition, Vermont still leads the nation. We have set the pace on vaccination, we have some of the lowest positivity rates in the union, and we have opened our schools in a safe, effective manner in collaboration with the regional and federal governments. I will not defend every aspect of the Federalist administration, but I will encourage others who would be quick to malign us to consider first our record, and the great progress we as a state have made recently.

The 'party of Vermont' ladies and gentleman, in so far as Vermont is a state which can be reduced in all its complexities and nuances to one party, is and always has been the Federalist party. With our disposition to preserve but a willingness to reform, our firm belief in the value of communities large and small, and our belief in putting hard work first we are truly the party of Vermont. Whatever the big names say, ladies and gentleman, I know that in the chambers of our state legislature your Federalist members are working hard to put forward a program that works for Vermont, and they always will. I urge you to back the Federalists and to reject the domination of any single party. Let's continue to lead the nation, Vermont! Vote Federalist!