Issue 21 - Volume 136

THEVERMONTCYNIC THE Issue 21 - Volume 136 | February 25, 2020 | vtcynic.com

“A gerrymandered student ward.”

Before

Lilly Page lpage@uvm.edu

Five years after the city of Burlington redrew its voting districts, a city councilor who helped make that decision said she’s left with regret.

“It felt gross to be a part of it,” said Rachel Siegel, who was city councilor for Ward 3 at the time. “It was one of the worst experiences of my life, but also the most educational.”

Siegel was a part of the Redistricting Committee that was made up of four city councilors and nine representatives from different ward neighborhood planning assemblies.

The committee met from 2012-13 to decide how to rebalance the wards and their representation.

The plan they chose, which was approved in 2014 by Burlington residents, created an entirely new ward of student voters by 2015. That ward is now known as Ward 8.

“It’s pretty much a gerrymandered student ward,” said Joan Shannon, who worked on the Burlington Redistricting Committee and was president of city council at the time.

Gerrymandering is a redistricting of voting districts to the advantage of one party or disadvantage of a group, according to Webster’s College Dictionary.

A rising student population in Ward 1 created an imbalance in power. Residents and city councilors weren’t comfortable with this.

The committee had to choose whether to take power away from permanent residents or give more power to a growing student population.

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After

Redrawing the lines After the results of the 2010 census, it was discovered the wards that made up Burlington at the time had too much of a population imbalance.

With UVM’s student population growing, the population in other wards decreasing and the number of people representing all wards going unchanged, city council either had to grow or shrink.

“There was a real possibility of a lawsuit,” she said. “We could have been sued by a voter who could claim that they didn’t have equal representation on the council since the numbers were so far out of wack.”

James Langan, a citizen on the Redistricting Committee, said the center of the problem was the ward most of UVM once called home.

“Ward 1 was the center of it because that’s who was being

Image Source: Burlington.gov

underrepresented as of 2010,” Langan said.

The Redistricting Committee reviewed a number of plans, but the one brought to the full city council, and eventually to the voters of Burlington, was a hybrid model.

“That’s where the hybrid came in, of having eight representatives from the wards, four representatives from the districts, which got the council size down to 12 city councilors,” Shannon said.

Part of the challenges the committee faced were some councilors were not willing to give up what they saw as theirs.

“It was more city councilors wanting to include one of the

neighborhoods they had represented to remain in their ward,” said Max Tracy, who has been city councilor for Ward 2 since the redistricting process.

Looking back on that vote, Shannon said she still stands by her decision.

“I definitely voted no,” she said. “I think we had better options than that.”

Sigel said she had to go against her principles.

“It was like the implication of voting for what I actually wanted was that we would get something that I wanted even less,” she said. “So I chose the lesser of two evils.”

Consequences

Five years later, as the new divisions have played out, the redistricting changes have become clearer.

Candidates running for Ward 8 are faced with having to figure out how to effectively campaign despite UVM policy.

UVM says candidates are not allowed to solicit or campaign within residence halls or staff areas. This includes doorto-door canvassing, a popular way of campaigning, according to UVM’s Department of Residential Life website.

Adam Roof has been Ward 8 representative since the changes went into effect in 2015. He has had to figure out ways to connect with student voters

that don’t violate UVM policy.

“When there’s a problem like that, you work your way around it,” he said. “I’m a big believer in meeting people where they’re at, and if I can’t meet them where they live, you get it anywhere else.”

While some who helped make the decision to create Ward 8 regret that move, for Roof, it’s been a positive change.

“We have a more acute opportunity for young people and students to have either a seat at the table or have their voices heard,” Roof said.

With the 2020 census, the members of city council are hopeful that they can correct what happened in 2015.

NEWS

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Meet the candidates from Wards 2-7 Staff Report news@vtcynic.com

City councilor candidate for Ward 2, Ryan Nick, decided to run because he noticed the need for affordable housing and biking accessibility.

“Burlington, we have incredible assets as a city,”

Max Tracy

Nick said. “It’s a great place to live. It just seems incongruous that we wouldn’t have good housing available for a reasonable rental price.”

One of his goals is to increase the coding needed for houses. This means holding landlords accountable for code violations and

addressing violations, Nick said.

“I have lived in Burlington as a professional adult for about five years and just started to be like ‘okay I live here, probably going to live here for a while, I should probably get involved in my community,’” Nick said.

Winooski Avenue is

being redevloped to include a bike lane. “[I’m a] big biker,” Nick said. “I bike to work every day. But I’m worried that taking away around 110 parking spaces will have a really negative impact on businesses on the corridor.”

Max Tracy currently holds the seat on Burlington City Council for Ward 2 and is running for reelection under the Progressive Party.

He’s been on city council for the past eight years and during that time

he’s worked primarily on transportation, utilities and energy, he said.

“I think one of the biggest motivators for me running is to continue the work I’ve been doing to fight the climate crisis,” Tracy said. “What that means

is trying to build out more sustainable transportation options so that we can get around more easily and safely using all modes of transportation.”

Specifically, Tracy said he wants to see a fare-free transit model throughout

willing to help, no matter the political party, he said.

“When Bernie was the mayor, he worked with both Democrats and Republicans, and I want to be like that,” he said. “If there’s an issue, I don’t care what party you’re from, I’ll work with you.”

When it comes to local

issues, Pine is most passionate about helping those in the community who don’t have a lot of wealth or power, he said.

“There’s often a disproportionate burden on those at the bottom of the economic ladder,” he said.

“I want to tilt the scales to better favor those people.”

Ryan Nick (Image Source: ryannick.com): Ward 2

Burlington.

Additionally, Tracy wants to continue to work on further building bike infrastructure in the city and invest more in sidewalks, crosswalks and traffic crossings.

(Image Courtesy of MAX TRACY): Ward 2

Brian T. Pine is a Progressive running for Ward 3. Pine became interested in politics during his first year at UVM in 1982 when he became a Vermont rotary public, someone with the legal authority to register people to vote.

“I was really inspired when I was introduced

to the mayor at the time, Bernie Sanders,” he said.

“My friends and I used to go door to door to register people to vote, and we had a big impact on local politics. I felt incredibly lucky to be a part of that.”

Although he is a Progressive, Pine wants to solve issues with anyone who is

Brian Pine

(Image Courtesy of BRIAN T PIEN): Ward 3

Sarah Carpenter

Sarah Carpenter is running as a democrat for Ward 4.

She decided to get involved in politics mainly because of her dedication to creating affordable housing.

This is her first time running for office.

“I’ve had a lot of experience in with organizations

and government,” she said.

“Part of the city council’s role is it’s reactive, where decisions come before the city, and we’ve got to analyze them.”

Carpenter received her degree in social work from UVM, and then went on to work in affordable housing on behalf of elders, people

with disabilities and low-income folks.

For the last 20 years, she served as the director of the Vermont Housing Finance Agency, a statewide agency that provides funding and support to build affordable housing.

If elected, Carpenter said that addressing housing is-

some zoning restrictions and allow for more business,” she said. “Then we can increase our tax base by attracting more businesses.

We don’t need to raise taxes on the few people left, we need more tax payers.”

Redic’s policies will help UVM students, especially those who are living off

campus, she said.

“I want to bring down the cost of living so that it’s not just the wealthy that can afford to live here,” Redic said. “If we want our young people to get out there in the world, they need to not be saddled with such huge amounts of debt.”

sues is at the top of her list.

“I think Burlington needs to be a facilitator,” she said. “The cost of housing and building housing is expensive, so we need to make sure our city policies and permits keep the costs down.”

(Image Courtesy of SARAH CARPENTER): Ward 4

Ericka Redic is an Independent running for Ward 4. Redic has been interested in politics since she was a little girl and has since followed her passions, she said.

“I remember sitting on my father’s lap when I was 10, watching the news when Ronald Reagan was

president,” she said. “I started getting involved in local politics in 2018 when I was appointed to the Central Hollywood Neighborhood Council.”

Redic’s main focuses are improving Ward 4 property laws to better stimulate the Burlington economy.

“I want to loosen up

Ericka Redic

(Image Courtesy of ERIKA REDIC): Ward 4

Nate Lantieri

(Image Source: Facebook): Ward 5

Nate Lantieri ‘19 is a Proggressive running for Ward 5. Lantieri first became interested in politics while he was working for the city, he said.

For Lantieri, one of the biggest problems he sees in his Ward and around all of Burlington is wealth inequality, he said.

Lantieri also wants to promote liveable wage work in Burlington, he said.

“We see a lot of really interesting business in the Pine Street corridor but so often with starting a new business, the barriers for entry for some people, especially for those who aren’t well-off already can be the

thing that pushes them into long-term financial insecurity,” he said.

As a UVM graduate, Lantieri believes he can relate well to UVM students, especially on a housing level. He remembers being in his first apartment getting scraped for his security deposit, he said.

“Tenant protection and tenant access to information about the quality of housing is something that’s really important to me,” he said. “All UVM students pretty much live off campus in their last two years and this is pressing and important to them.”

NEWS

Meet the candidates from Wards 2-7

Chip Mason

William “Chip” Mason ‘91 is running on the Democrat ticket for the contested Ward 5 race.

Mason currently holds that seat and is competing against Nate Lantieri. Mason has been on the Council for eight years.

According to his campaign website, Mason is a

fourth generation Burlingtontonian. He is currently an attorney in Burlington.

Mason is running on a platform of fiscal responsibility, improving public spaces and protecting vulnerable citizens.

“We have made strides to address the high cost of living and affordability of

Burlington,” the website states. “We cannot become a City with no middle class.”

In terms of vulnerable citizens, Mason wants to further expand on work already done including yearround shelters, according to his website.

“I’m committed to work-

“So I grew up as a little girl, seeing my father go off to council meetings Monday nights and I was raised with the idea that it was important to give back to a community that had been very good to me,” she said.

Paul said the issues she sees as most pressing in Burlington are housing

affordability, the current climate emergency and the opioid epidemic.

“We are a city that people want to live in and because of that we have a housing and a housing affordability issue,” Paul said.

“This is not unlike many cities that are desirable to live in.”

At the end of the day, Paul said she’s just trying to make Burlington the best it can be.

“I was just raised to leave the world better than I found it,” she said. “I’m trying to do that by serving on the city council.”

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ing hard to keep our City moving forward, addressing both the opportunities and challenges and maintaining Burlington as the city we all love to live in,” the website states.

Mason could not be reached in time for publication.

(Image Source: Facebook): Ward 5

Karen Paul is running an uncontested campaign for the Ward 6 City Council slot as a Democrat.

Paul has been on the council for the last 10 years and grew up in Burlington.

Paul’s father served on the Board of Aldermen, which was the predecessor to the Burlington City Council.

Karen Paul (Image Source: Facebook): Ward 6

Ali Dieng, the incumbent for Ward 7 in Burlington’s city council, is running for reelection as an independent candidate on March 3.

Dieng said he has always seen himself as an organizer, even before getting into politics.

“I got into [politics] to

Ali Dieng (Image Courtesy of ALI DIENG): Ward 7

How to vote 1.) Look up to see your voter registration status.

2.) If you’re not registered to vote in Vermont and want to be, fill out the online voter registration form on the Secretary of State’s website.

Or

2.) You can also register to vote the day of the election in Vermont at your polling place. Be sure to bring a document that proves you’re you.

3.) VOTE MARCH 3. In this election you vote for Burlington city councilors, and other Burlington items. You’re also voting in the 2020 presidential primary.

Two birds with one stone.

4.) Get one of those cute stickers on the way out and make sure your friends vote too.

improve the communication between my constituents and the city of Burlington,” he said.

Dieng won his first city council election three years ago, in the summer of 2017. He is running for his second full term as a councillor.

“I bring independence,”

Dieng said. “I am not Democrat or Republican, but I am really looking for what works for the city and the constituents of the city of Burlington.”

Dieng said all issues are interconnected and important, but equity, inclusion and diversity are issues that he is particularly frustrated

about.

“I brought a policy that will allow the city to have a director of racial diversity and equity,” Dieng said.

“And now the city council will add a new committee, which is a diversity equity and inclusion committee.”

OPINION

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Students, use your vote wisely

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EXECUTIVE Editor-in-Chief Bridget Higdon editorinchief@vtcynic.com Managing Editor Alek Fleury newsroom@vtcynic.com

OPERATIONS Operations Manager Tim Mealey operations@vtcynic.com Distribution Manager Dariel Echanis Distribution Assistants Cyrus Oswald, Irene Choi, Elaina Sepede

EDITORS Copy Chief Liv Marshall copy@vtcynic.com Culture Sarah Robinson cynicculture@gmail.com Features Greta Rohrer cynicfeatures@gmail.com News / Sports Sawyer Loftus news@vtcynic.com sports@vtcynic.com Opinion Mills Sparkman opinion@vtcynic.com Podcasts David Cabrera vtcynicpodcasts@gmail.com

Staff Editorial

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oting is one of the most direct ways to participate in democracy. This election season, make sure your vote is an educated one.

UVM is a politically engaged campus. Democrats, Republicans and Progressives are all represented here through student groups, and it’s not unusual to see a presidential campaign sign in a dorm room window.

However, with so many different viewpoints represented on campus, it can be difficult to make a decision about who you should vote for, where you should vote or even how to register.

As a news organization, the Cynic is required to remain unbiased. That’s why we’re not endorsing any local or national candidates or taking bold stances on any issues that affect UVM students and the greater Burlington population.

However, we unequivocally endorse voting wherever you feel most strongly, whether that be your home state or Vermont, and making an informed choice in that matter.

You as a voter have a responsibility and a choice to vote where your voice will matter most.

If you come from a swing state such as Pennsylvania, you should seriously consider who needs your vote more, Vermont

Assistant Editors Henry Mitchell (Opinion), Meilena Sanchez (Layout), Dalton Doyle (Copy), Allie O’Connor (Culture), Zoe Stern, Maryann Makosiej (News), Bailey Samber (Photo), Cole Fekert (Illustrations) Copy Editors Lee Hughes, Kyra Chevalier, Will Keeton, Zoey Webb Page Designers Stephanie Hodel, George Weed, Mac Mansfield-Parisi

ADVISING Faculty Adviser Chris Evans crevans@uvm.edu

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or your home.

Once you’ve decided you are going to vote, the next step is deciding where you are going to register.

Vermont has sameday voter registration and convenient polling places downtown.

However, you can also request an absentee ballot from your home state. If you feel your vote could make more of a difference at home, take the extra time to request a mail-in ballot.

Four pages of the Cynic this week are devoted to educating you on the Burlington City Council election, March 3. We offer straight facts from news

reporters and perspectives on the candidates from Opinion columnists.

The City Council election will take place at the same time as Vermont’s Democratic presidential primary, a race that has gained far more media attention.

But we think local elections are just as important as national ones, maybe even more.

As students, we are a part, albeit a temporary one, of the Burlington community. We should not be afraid to use our voices in this community.

Research candidates’ positions on issues that matter to you, such as public

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transportation or tenants’ rights.

We ask you to exercise your right to vote and that you do it in a thoughtful and educated way.

Your vote, and your voice, matters.

Staff editorials officially reflect the views of the editorial board, which includes the Editor-in-Chief, Managing Editor and Opinion Editor. Signed opinion pieces and columns do not necessarily do so.

The Cynic accepts letters in response to anything you see printed as well as any issues of interest in the community. Please limit letters to 350 words. The Cynic reserves the right to edit letters for length and grammar.

Please send letters to opinion@ vtcynic.com.

Why we should all be reading more news Sophie Oehler soehler@uvm.edu

Layout / Illustrations Kate Vanni layout@vtcynic.com Photo Stephan Toljan photo@vtcynic.com

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hen I was younger, my favorite thing to listen to on the radio was “Wait! Wait! Don’t Tell Me!” on NPR, and my favorite TV show was Rick Steves’ Europe travel review on PBS. I know I must sound like the lamest 7-year-old ever, but my love for NPR and PBS has now helped me appreciate the importance of loving the news.

It’s an interest that has been lost on the American people in recent years, and I think it’s something that needs to be changed. Quickly.

A lot of people’s reasoning for not reading the news is that the news is too depressing, and they don’t want to put themselves through that.

And I get it. No one wants to participate in something that upsets them, particularly if they don’t have to.

But at the same time, it’s not a good reason. If I avoided everything that made me sad or angry on a daily basis, I’d never leave the safety of my bed.

I don’t mean to be insensitive, but at some point we’re all

going to have to dig our heads out of the sand and acknowledge the reality of the world.

Reading the news is the best way to inform yourself and others. Maybe at the breakfast table, you and your siblings can discover a way to keep Russia out of our elections. We can literally only go up from here.

Start small. Check out one or two stories about something that interests you in the world, or in your country, or even your own town.

As of 2016, there were 1,286 daily newspapers being published in the U.S., according to a 2018 Pew Research report.

News also is a big decider in how we vote. The whole point of a free press is to allow people to make informed, unbiased decisions about how they want the government to be run.

A lot of my friends and classmates didn’t vote in the midterm elections because they felt they didn’t know enough about the candidates or issues to have a valid opinion.

But we live in the 21st century, where information is more available than ever.

The cost of information is at an all time low, and yet the consumption of this information is slipping.

Major newspapers such as The Wall Street Journal and

IZZY PIPPA

The New York Times provide three free articles a month for non-subscribers. The same newspapers cost $2.50 to buy in print.

The student subscription to NYT is actually 99 cents for the first month, according to their website.

So, if you spend $3.99 for the student subscription to Spotify Premium, you have enough money to buy a newspaper.

And the cost of information isn’t just about money. It’s time as well. My problem used to be that I thought I didn’t have time to sit down and read an article.

If you have time to send your Snapchat streaks in the morning, you have time to read the Morning Briefing from The New York Times.

If you have time to listen to

your music on the walk to class or work, you have time to listen to NPR, or VPR or a podcast about the day’s news.

Read the Vermont Cynic.

We’re completely independent from the University, totally student run and 100% dedicated to bringing you the school’s best news with very little personal reward.

It can’t only be my parents and their Facebook friends that keep our fan club alive. So pick up a copy every Tuesday, or check us out online.

Let journalism do its job, and fulfill your duty to stay informed.

Sophie Oehler is a sophomore French and political science major. She has been writing for the Cynic since fall 2019.

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OPINION

LUKAS DRAUGELIS/The Vermont Cynic

Candidates from all city council wards except Ward 3 sit during a debate at the Contois Auditorium, Feb. 21. The candidates were seated in order of ward number, with Ward 8 at the left and Ward 1 at the right.

Burlington City Council ward debate We need clear inf0rmation UVM’s role in BTV housing Henry Mitchell hdmitche@uvm.edu

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n Feb. 21, I went to the City Council candidate debate hosted by the Burlington Tenants Union to get a better sense of what to expect from those running.

What I found out instead was that Burlington is apparently a very progressive, but not very organized city.

In order to get the best perspective on the candidates that represent us, we must pay attention to small differences between candidates and hold them accountable for their promises. And we can’t do that without easily accessible information about who they are and what they do.

At the start of the debate, the candidates from each ward said how much they cared about the issue of renting and proposed what they think should be done.

Some solutions included expanding legal aid available to tenants, increasing tenant organization and providing additional information for renters about their rights.

The Q&A session brought up a lot of interesting questions about how candidates would solve issues such as homelessness, police working with ICE and how UVM fits into the picture.

I am not very informed about Burlington politics and did not know a lot of the key issues or candidates going into this, but was happy I went.

Despite living here for almost three years, I have rarely been exposed to problems that the rest of the city faces.

In addition, I don’t think our current resources on the City of Burlington’s website do much to address the lack of accessible information.

Wards are relatively small and

often only have one candidate running, which makes it hard to care about the election.

Of the eight total wards, Ward 3, 6 and 7 have only a single candidate for councilor.

At the debate, only Wards 1 and 8, which made up half the panel, had all their candidates show up.

Only 20% of all eligible voters voted in 2019, with that amount increasing to 32% in the 2018 mayoral election, according to the City of Burlington’s website.

Small races don’t get the attention that makes voters want to know their local issues and what exactly their candidate will do about it.

If you want to learn more, finding the right information isn’t exactly easy either. If you want to see who is running for councilor, you have to go to the election page and look at the sample ballot.

We often like to claim how progressive we are; all of the candidates supported enforced weatherization of homes and protecting undocumented residents from ICE, policies often proposed by those on the left.

All of the candidates except for Ali Dieng of Ward 7 supported providing more public bathrooms downtown.

However, with little competition or concern about politics, it falls to a select few residents and organizations to actually monitor what the city does and if candidates follow through with their promises.

It is impossible to learn any real information from a single debate, especially not when it comes to differentiating fairly progressive candidates.

The best way to learn more about candidates is to attend more than one debate.

Henry Mitchell is a junior political science and economics major. He has been writing for the Cynic since fall 2017.

Emily Johnston ejohnst2@uvm.edu

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y main takeaway from the Feb. 21 Burlington Tenants Union City Council debate was that all candidates at the debate agree there is a housing crisis and they all agree UVM plays a role in this crisis.

I think UVM students and the campus itself play a large role in the politics of Burlington.

I often feel like the University demographic is ignored, since the campus is not spread out into every ward.

The candidates, Sharon Bushor, Zoraya Hightower, senior Jillian Scannell, Ryan Nick, Max Tracy, Brian Pine, Sarah Carpenter, Nate Lantieri, Karen Paul, Ali Dieng, Adam Roof and Jane Stromberg, were asked a series of questions about their thoughts on the housing crisis.

Not many strayed from the consensus that there are problems with housing and homelessness in Burlington.

However, agreement is not a bad thing. A big issue discussed was the role of UVM in raising rent prices.

Ward 4 candidate Sarah Carpenter argued UVM students should not be treated differently than other tenants.

“A tenant is a tenant,” Carpenter said. “UVM students are no different.”

I feel like this sentiment is accurate. It reflects the high costs of dorming and of the competitive housing market downtown.

Stromberg said there is an artificial inflation of housing prices in the downtown market.

Additionally, the City of Burlington should hold UVM accountable for this inflation.

Several candidates brought up the fact that UVM’s prices for dorms—a traditional double costing $8,501 per year, according to UVM’s Department

of Residential Life’s website—raises the price of renting downtown artificially.

After students spend the required two years living on campus, they often choose to live off-campus.

This is for several reasons, but first and foremost it is usually cheaper to live off-campus, despite the high prices of renting apartments.

Another factor is the fact that there are fewer restrictions on what a student is allowed to do.

Burlington needs to take into account that the student market exists, and is separate from the residential market.

Stromberg also told a story about speaking to a tenant on College Street whose landlord told them to go up the street to Waterman Building and use the water services at UVM while they waited to have it fixed.

If landlords are taking advantage of students, and the University is increasing housing prices, it is time the city of Burlington and the University work together to fix the issues.

While the actual campus is only part of Ward 8 (Redstone, Athletic and Central campuses) and Ward 1 (Trinity campus), the impact is felt city-wide.

I feel that the candidates all understood this, yet I am unsure of what they will do about it.

Education and outreach were floated as the solution for several housing-related problems, but education and outreach are not the solution to systematic problems.

Holding the University accountable is one way to try and fix the housing crisis, but it will not fully fix it.

Unless both the city of Burlington and UVM commit to working together, the issues that affect both will not be solved.

Emily Johnston is a sophomore environmental science major. She has been writing for the Cynic since fall 2018.

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OPINION

Don’t count out Bernie Sanders just yet Matt Heineman mheinema@uvm.edu

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olitical experts on the left sometimes argue that Sen. Bernie Sanders’ supporters could present a problem for the Democratic Party’s effort to defeat President Donald Trump in the presidential election. They are wrong.

Some notable criticisms have come from figures such as New York Times opinion columnist, Bret Stephens.

In a Jan. 30 New York Times opinion piece, Stephensstated, “no other Democratic candidate has so many venomous followers to return fire with fire...the only real analog in U.S. politics today to the Bernie nasties are the Trump nasties.”

Additionally, many worry that Sanders’ supporters cannot be relied upon to vote for the Democratic candidate if it’s not Sanders and may defect from the party and vote for Trump, or abstain from voting all together.

However, Sanders’ base is not an intolerable mob of predominantly white men as figures like Stephens seem to suggest, but a diverse group of men and women with unique identities and a common passion for Sanders and his campaign’s message.

In fact, the Vermont senator’s supporters are in many ways more diverse than that of his Democratic competitors.

In a Jan. 19 New York Times Poll Watch, Giovani

Problem Solved COLE FEKERT

Russonello stated that based on surveys conducted by Texas Lyceum survey, Sanders holds a significant lead among Hispanic primary voters in Texas.

This lead is significant because one of Sanders’s weaknesses in 2016 was his inability to appeal to the Hispanic voting bloc.

His lead this time around suggests that Sanders is both more popular with this bloc than former Vice President Joe Biden is, who trails him 36% to 24%.

Moreover, this same study indicates that Sanders can appeal to more centrist voters, as the African-American and Hispanic Democrats are more likely to identify as moderate or conservative amongst the Democratic party.

This is important because the former voting bloc of African American voters were thought to favor Biden’s candidacy significantly.

Yet, Sanders led Biden in support from non-white voters by three percentage points according to a Feb. 8 CNN poll.

This matters because Biden was long thought to be the favorite amongst minority groups.

Finally, Democrats should not fear that Sanders supporters will defect from the party, nor should they fear that he is too left to gather strong support from the base.

While it is true that roughly 12% of Sanders supporters defected from the Democratic Party and voted for Trump according to a November 2017 Center for American Progress

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report, this criticism isn’t unique to his supporters.

In the 2008 presidential election, 15% of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s supporters defected from the Democratic party and voted for Sen. John McCain, and 13% of Trump’s 2016 voters also voted for former President Barack Obama in 2012 according to the same report.

While none of this guarantees that Sanders supporters

will definitely vote for the Democratic candidate, it does show that concerns about his voters are not unique.

Additionally, Sanders holds a favorability rating of 71% within Democratic constituents, six points higher than Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s, 16 points higher than Biden’s and 18 points higher than former Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s, according to a Feb. 18 Atlantic article.

Democrats’ main concern

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should not be whether we can count on Sanders supporters to vote for the Democratic nominee.

It should be whether or not any candidate will excite enough voters to turn out to the ballot box and beat Trump in 2020.

Matt Heineman is a senior political science major. He has been writing for the Cynic since spring 2020.

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CULTURE

Fleming opens season with costume ball Sarah Robinson culture@vtcynic.com

UVM Provost Patricia Prelock was dressed in a kneelength flapper dress with sequins arranged to look like peacock feathers.

The sequins shone green and gold, which Prelock said was an intentional choice to represent UVM’s school colors and the peacock features of “Animal Transformations,” one of the new exhibits at Fleming Museum.

After being rescheduled due to a snowstorm, Fleming Museum threw a Costume Art Ball Feb. 20 in Marble Court to introduce the spring 2020 collection to UVM affiliates and community members.

Admission price was the standard $5 unless attendees came dressed in a costume, in which case their admission was free.

The party celebrated the three new exhibits: “Let’s Have a Ball! Wood Gaylor and the New York Art Scene,” “WARP: War Rugs of Afghanistan” and “Animal Transformations.”

Hosted by Prelock, Fleming Director Janie Cohen and the Museum’s board of advisers, the party featured a bar serving ‘20s style cocktails, live music, hors d’oeuvres and a photo booth.

A guitar and piano player duo’s sound bounced off the marble in the room as attendees filed in.

UVM Dining catered the party, featuring charcuterie boards with meats, cheeses and fruits, pigs in a blanket and a full cash bar.

During her remarks, Prelock said Fleming Museum is one of only 16% of all academic museums accredited by the Alliance of American Museums.

Prelock said she was eager to host the event because she believes in the mission of the Fleming.

“I always love the connection between education and art for our students,” Prelock said.

“I’m hoping [the community] realizes the Fleming is a real gem.”

The party was inspired by New York painter of the early 20th century Wood Gaylor, whose work often features extravagant parties.

The organizers decided to draw inspiration from Gaylor’s paintings and throw their own ball.

Andrea Rosen has been the curator at Fleming since 2016.

During that time, Rosen had been researching Gaylor.

“His paintings are really bright and fun and depict these wacky artist costume balls that he and his friends would throw,” Rosen said. “It has been a long time coming.”

UVM acquired a few of the 27 Gaylor works from alumnus David Pitman ‘31.

Rosen said Pitman got to know Gaylor’s widow, Adelaide

Lawson Gaylor, and was gifted much of Gaylor’s collection.

“And then he donated them to the Fleming,” Rosen said.

Junior Ailinn Santos is an intern at Fleming.

Covered head to toe in bright yellow including a floral headpiece, Santos said she and other interns created the props for the photo booth.

She said she hopes the hard work put into the ball brings more of the community to the museum.

“I hope it draws more people into the Fleming,” Santos said.

“This is an awesome museum, it has a little bit of everything that you would want.”

Former employee at the

Fleming and senior Gina Costello said although she no longer works at Fleming, she wanted to come to the party to show support.

“It’s so small but has such great cultural value,” Costello said. “People in Vermont have great minds.”

Rosen said she has big plans for both the future of the museum and the Gaylor exhibit.

“We wanna work towards reinstalling our African gallery which is looking pretty out of date,” Rosen said.

Other museums have picked up on Rosen’s research on Gaylor, and she said the exhibit is headed to tour at other museums as well.

BAILEY SAMBER/The Vermont Cynic

TOP: Patricia Prelock, Provost and Senior Vice President, and husband Billy Prelock pose for a photo in their costumes by the Wood Gaylor exhibit in Fleming Museum, Feb. 20. The exhibit is open from Feb. 7 to May 8.

LEFT: Attendees of the Fleming Spring Opening mingle in their costumes for the opening of new exhibits, Feb. 20. Food, drinks and live music were offered at the event.

RIGHT: Two attendees dance to live swing music in Fleming Marble Court, Feb. 20. The event was a reflection of the extravagant parties in Gaylor’s paintings.

BOTTOM: Business Manager Stephanie Glock stands in her costume for the gala Costume Art Ball, Feb. 20. Props were available at a photo booth for people to wear.

“Let’s Have a Ball!”, “WARP: War Rugs of Afghanistan” and “Animal Transformations” will be on display until May 8, according to Fleming’s website.

Before closing her remarks

and turning the microphone to Cohen, Prelock quoted sociologist Charles Cooley.

“An artist cannot fail,” she said. “It is a success to be one.”

8

CULTURE

Stage managers make magic backstage

Marjorie McWilliams mmcwilli@uvm.edu

While actors take the mainstage, stage managers are the movers and shakers of the UVM theater department.

The department puts together three mainstage shows each academic year, and this month, they are putting on “Shakespeare in Love,” Feb. 2629 and March 1.

The show has the largest cast of the shows this year, requiring an extra assistant stage manager.

The backstage production crew is responsible for coordinating the transitions of the show.

Senior Katelyn Paddock is a theater and psychological science double major and production stage manager for “Shakespeare in Love,” which she said proves to be a time consuming task.

“As production stage manager, I am responsible for overseeing the process of the technical elements from the minute we decided to do the production to the minute it ends,” she said.

Paddock oversees production meetings, coordinates schedules, writes reports for other tech members after each rehearsal and calls the light and sound cues.

Paddock has had experience in both acting and stage man-

MARY MCLELLAN/The Vermont Cynic

John Forbes, Professor and Resident Lighting Designer, monitors computer readouts during a rehearsal of UVM’s “Shakespeare in Love,” Feb. 18. Forbes holds a Master of Fine Arts in Theatre Lighting Design from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. agement but finds stage management particularly rewarding, she said “I love performance, but I’m very drawn to organizational and managerial positions, so it combined what I love about theater with what I consider to be my strong points,” she said.

Assistant Stage Manager Juls Sundberg, a senior, also said there is a unique skill set needed to work backstage.

“It teaches you time

management, how to operate in a professional environment, communication and teamwork, among many other skills,” he said. “It’s also really fun.”

Sundberg acted before attending UVM but did not have any experience in tech, which hasn’t held him back in the slightest from making plans to move forward in tech and stage management after graduation.

“The professional connections I made as an assistant

stage manager at UVM have gotten me a full-time job at Vermont Stage after I graduate,” he said.

Paddock said experience is not a necessity for people looking to get involved in tech.

“There’s always people who may be in a completely different major but still take an interest in tech crew, and there is always space for them here to learn,” she said.

If a student is interested in

Students: Are you working for social justice?

UNITED ACADEMICS WANTS TO GIVE YOU A SCHOLARSHIP!

/

Application deadline for all scholarships is Wednesday, April 1, 2020. @

participating in UVM drama from the backstage, they can walk into the Royall Tyler Theatre and flag someone down.

“The best way to go about it honestly is just walk in and talk to the first person you see about getting involved,” Paddock said.

“Most of the people who are hanging out in Royall Tyler are connected in some way and can help out.”

CULTURE

9

Anya Kauffman aakauffm@uvm.edu

As students enter and exit the Marché, pottery wheels and giant bins of clay mark the entrance to an art studio.

These materials belong to the Living/Learning Center’s Pottery Co-op, a space that hosts a variety of pottery classes for its members all year long.

The Pottery Co-op is a feature of Arts and Creativity, one of UVM Department of Residential Life’s learning communities.

The Co-op is not, however, affiliated with UVM’s art department or Williams Hall’s pottery studio.

Co-op classes are not offered for academic credit.

Along with UVM students, the Co-op offers pottery classes for the larger Burlington community.

Members of the Co-op are all ages.

Olivia Hartwig is the clay studio manager for the Co-op.

The Co-op was founded

by Tim McCosker ‘70 in 1973, Hartwig said.

“When he graduated in the ‘70s, there was just this space, and he said ‘we could have pottery here,’” Hartwig said.

McCosker started to bring a group of his friends together to teach each other pottery, and it eventually turned into this small community, Hartwig said.

Sophomore Sofie Pedemonti is a TA for one of the beginner classes.

The class periods are a combination of instruction, free time and teacher guidance, Pedemonti said.

As a TA, Pedemoniti assists the instructor, prepares the clay and supports the students.

The Co-op provides a nontraditional class setting in that the classes are composed of older community members, as well as younger college students, Pedemonti said.

The class instructors are either current UVM students or community members, much like the Co-op’s members Additionally, there are 13 student employees who are paid through federal work study.

The student employees generally serve as studio assistants, Hartwig said.

The community aspect of the Co-op is the best part of it, Pedemonti said.

“It’s just a really cool way to constructively support each other and build your own skills,” Pedemonti said.

Hartwig said the Co-op is based more on community than it is on clay.

They said members feel like they belong, and use the space to connect with people from varying experience levels and ages.

First-year Ike Goldman is currently taking “WheelThrowing for Beginners.”

“It just seemed interesting to me, and like something valuable that I hadn’t had an opportunity to do before,” Goldman said.

Class sign-ups happen at the beginning of every semester, early in the morning and online.

There is no application process, but it is very competitive.

Seats are first-come-firstserve and usually the classes fill up within 30 seconds, Pedemonti said.

There are 10 active classes at the Pottery Co-op this semester, each meeting once a week.

Hartwig said this is the highest number of classes there have been in one semester since they’ve been a member of the studio.

A UVM student pays $120 to enroll, and a community member pays $220.

To remain a member of the Co-op in following semesters, members continue to pay their allocated fee.

However, the price deal is fair, Pedemonti said, considering pottery is an expensive hobby to tackle.

“You have to take a class to become familiar with the studio culture and systems and safety,” Hartwig said. “Outside of your class time, you can kinda make whatever you want.”

In addition to fall and spring semester classes, the Co-op also has summer and winter sessions. Hartwig creates all of

STEPHAN TOLJAN/The Vermont Cynic

TOP: First-year Grace DiGiacoma shapes a piece, Feb. 12. Spinning clay on the wheel is called “throwing.”

LEFT: A shelf in the UVM Pottery Co-op bears member works categorized by where the pieces are in the firing process, Feb 12. The pieces shown have been glazed, but are waiting to be fired.

RIGHT: Members of the beginner’s wheel throwing class watch a centering technique demonstration, Feb 12. Centering clay on the wheel is essential for creating symmetrical pieces.

LEFT BOTTOM: Various tools stand in an organizational holder in the co-op, Feb. 12. The holder was made in the UVM Woodshop.

RIGHT BOTTOM: Dzeraldina Zigic practices throwing clay, Feb. 12.

The UVM Pottery Co-op is also open to members of the public, like Zigic. this programming.

“Being in the space, and connecting with different people, is where the joy and the

fulfillment really come from,” Hartwig said.

Illustration by STEPHAN TOLJAN

10

CULTURE

Farmers unite for cheese and dairy fest Emma Adams eadams5@uvm.edu

UVM students skipped the dining halls and loaded up on maple milk and cheddar at the Cheese and Dairy Fest Feb. 19 in the Davis Center.

Local cheese farmers and producers displayed tables of cheese samples as they talked to students and visitors about the production process.

According to UVM Program Board’s website, 93% of New England’s milk supply comes from Vermont. Some producers source milk from one cow, while others source from hundreds.

Cathy Vadnais runs Hillside Creamery in Milton, Vermont, with her husband, Rob Vadnais.

They have two Holstein cows, Addy and Snowball.

Currently, only Addy is milking while Snowball, a cow rescued from a factory farm, is on hiatus. Addy produces eight gallons of milk a day.

“I am a one woman operation,” Vadnais said. “I do everything except for milk the cows, which is my husband’s job. This is his dream.”

Vadnais makes garlic herb spread, yogurt, maple milk and cheesecakes with homemade cream cheese. She sells yogurt and maple milk at UVM’s Marché.

“The science behind cheese is huge,” Vadnais said. “They could have a whole degree on it here.”

ELAINA SEPEDE/The Vermont Cynic

Cheese and a knife rest on a cutting board during the UVM Cheese and Dairy fest, Feb. 19. The event was held in the Davis Center and sponsored by UVM Dining.

Vadnais said good cheese is not supposed to be perfectly consistent like manufactured cheeses are.

“All [of America’s] dairy is altered but ours goes right from the cow to the vat to the product,” Vadnais said.

Sophomore Maeve DillonMartin said she considers herself to be a diehard cheese fan.

“I like how people come together from different areas in Vermont,” Dillon-Martin said.

“They are able to show us what they do, because this might not be in a grocery store.”

Carlton Yoder is the owner and head cheesemaker of Champlain Valley Creamery in Milton, Vermont.

Yoder’s creamery sources its milk from 40 Jersey cows in

Cornwall, Vermont.

“We’re 100% grass-fed organic,” Yoder said. “Part of our organic certification is humane animal treatment.”

Tom Perry, cheese sales manager at Shelburne Farms, said that the price of milk has dropped by about a third over the past two years and that it is creating challenges for many working family farms.

Perry said knowing where your cheese comes from is key to economic and environmental stability.

“If you want to keep the working landscape across Vermont, you can do that best by supporting small local coops instead of buying cheaper from a national company,” Perry said.

Play about young Shakespeare comes to Royall Tyler Alicia Wolfram awolfram@uvm.edu

Filled with singing, dancing and swordfights, “Shakespeare in Love” is hitting the UVM stage.

UVM’s Royall Tyler Theatre department is putting on “Shakespeare in Love” at the end of the month.

The show tells the story of how a young William Shakespeare, struggling with writer’s block, finds inspiration for his masterpiece “Romeo and Juliet” when he falls in love with a woman named Viola.

The show is directed by Craig Wells, UVM theater professor and former Broadway actor.

The cast began rehearsing the weekend before classes started this semester and have been meeting every week Monday through Friday for four hours a night and every Saturday for five hours.

With 18 people, the cast is larger than usual for a UVM performance.

This brought along some new challenges for Wells as a director.

The show was originally written for 21 people, with a cast of four women and 17 men.

Wells decided to alter the cast breakdown in order to create an equal gender distribution.

“I wanted to cast the show in

a way that just made gender not a main directive,” he said.

The cast has nine men and nine women, with women playing men and men playing women.

The play itself is about a woman who wanted to act but was unable to because it was illegal for women to perform in 1593.

“By actually having women playing men in our production, it continues to play off of that theme,” Wells said.

Senior Anna Cataldo plays Philip Henslowe, the owner of the theater that puts on Shakespeare’s plays.

“The show is really fast moving and keeps your attention the whole time, and we have some really incredibly talented singers in the show,” she said.

Sophomore Kyra Gillespie plays Viola, Shakespeare’s love interest and muse to write “Romeo and Juliet.”

This is her first main stage performance.

“Becoming Voila and diving into her character has been really interesting, because there is so much more than just the dialogue,” she said. “You have to create the whole identity to make it believable.”

At many schools you can’t really be involved unless you’re a theater major, and a lot of

ETHAN GATFIELD/The Vermont Cynic

Various cast members hold senior Anna Cataldo down on a table as part of a rehearsal of “Shakespeare In Love,” Feb. 20. The play debuts Feb. 26. schools which have Bachelor of Fine Arts programs only give parts to junior and seniors, Wells said.

But at UVM, you do not have to be a theater major or minor to participate in any of the shows.

Wells, and both Cataldo and Gillespie, encouraged people to see the show.

“It’s funny and romantic, and it’s sort of a love letter to the creative process of theater,” Wells said.

Shows will run 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 26-29 and 2 p.m. Feb. 29 and March 1. Tickets are $10 with a student ID.

SPORTS

11

Men’s lax seals home opener with a win

Aryanna Ramsaran aramsara@uvm.edu

Parents of UVM’s men’s lacrosse team filled the stands, with lanyards of their son’s lacrosse stats around their necks, to cheer on the team in their first home game.

The Catamounts faced Quinnipiac University Feb. 22 in their first home game of the 2020 season and came out with a 16-7 win.

The team was led by head coach Chris Feifs, who is entering his fourth year as head coach at UVM, according to UVM athletics.

“I thought there were some really good individual performances,” Feifs said. “We wanted to start faster than we did last week, and I thought we did that.”

The team’s first game scheduled against Jacksonville University Feb. 8 was postponed, and they lost their game against College of the Holy Cross 10-9 Feb. 15, according to UVM athletics.

“Coming off of a loss, we felt like we really had to pay attention to the little details, and we were really intensive with our scout teams this week and trying to replicate what Quinnipiac was doing offensively and defensively,” Feifs said.

At just over a minute into the game, the Bobcats scored their first goal, according to the

Image Source: UVM ATHLETICS

Sophomore midfielder Sal Iaria battles a Quinnipiac player during UVM’s home opener, Feb. 22. UVM won the game 16-7. box score.

The Catamounts retaliated with four goals before Quinnipiac could score again and the first quarter ended 5-2 in UVM’s favor.

Senior midfielder Rob Hudson had a hattrick in the first quarter and all three of those goals were unassisted, according to the box score. Hudson scored two more goals in the third quarter.

Sophomore attacker David

Closterman and first-year midfielder JJ Levandowski both scored in the first quarter. Closterman scored a second goal in the second quarter, and Levandowski scored a second goal in the third quarter.

“Overall I thought we played hard, and we were pretty consistent throughout the day,” Feifs said.

Quinnipiac sophomore midfielder Will Abbott scored five of the team’s seven goals and

tied with Hudson for most goals scored in the game.

Sophomore midfielder Thomas McConvey also had a hattrick and made three assists in the game, according to the box score.

First-year midfielder Connor Boyle, sophomore midfielder Jonathon McConvey, junior attacker Liam Limoges and senior attacker and captain Ben French all scored one goal in the game.

“For me, I just want to see these young guys have success,” Feifs said. “That’s what makes me the most happy.”

The team’s next three games will be at home starting against Merrimack College Feb. 29 following with Dartmouth College and University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

“Next week, it’s going to be the defending national champions and so it’s going to be a tough game,” Feifs said.

What’s the Men’s b-ball playoff picture looking like?

Hayley Rosen hrosen@uvm.edu

T

he UVM men’s basketball team’s prospects are shaky after the shattering of their 12-game win streak Feb. 22.

Despite their No. 1 seeding, the Catamounts lost 61-55 to No. 4 seeded University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

In many ways, the Cats seem like a clear contender for winning the America East conference and advancing to the NCAA tournament.

But after this game, against UMBC, the bracket-busting team that blocked UVM from March Madness in 2018 and went on to be the only team to beat the No. 1 seed as a No. 16 in the tournament, you have to ask yourself: If UVM, with a completely healthy roster, can’t beat a lower seeded rival team, just how far can they make it this season?

The Cats have an overall record of 22-7 and 12-2 in conference play. The Cats have already clinched a home game in the America East quarterfinals.

There are no current

recorded Catamount injuries.

As a result, Vermont has a solid amount of depth on the bench which they can and have been utilizing.

This season, Vermont has proved that they can hold their own against fierce competition in non-league games.

In an away contest Nov. 19 against University of Virginia, a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference who won last year’s March Madness tournament, the Catamounts lost by only six points with a final score of 6155.

The Catamounts won America East and advanced to the NCAA tournament last year, and based on their win streak, points per game average and distribution of stat leaders, they’ve had an even better season this year than in 201819.

This would suggest a high probability of a strong playoff run and an even higher March Madness seed than they have had in recent years.

But the Cat’s loss at the hands of UMBC Feb. 22, has burst that winning bubble for the team, casting some doubt on just how far they could make it this season.

Before this game, the Cats’ Feb. 20, 63-54 win over Stony Brook University was

MADDY DEGELSMITHThe Vermont Cynic

Junior guard Stef Smith moves to pass a University of Maryland, Baltimore County defender during a game, Feb. 22. UVM lost the game 64-66. exciting for Catamount Country considering that in their prior contest Vermont lost 81-77.

However, amidst this excitement, it is important to recognize that in this Catamount victory, Stony Brook was missing their leading scorer, Elijah Olaniyi, who dropped 28 points in the Seawolves’ previous contest against the Cats.

Regardless, the loss at the hands of UMBC Feb. 22 came

as a shock.

UVM head coach John Becker described the loss against UMBC as disappointing in a post-game interview.

“Tough loss tonight, surprisingly, on a night when we had the opportunity to win the regular season title,” Becker said.

Also, at their match Jan. 11 against UMBC, the Catamounts dominated play and won by a score of 74-50.

The America East playoffs are scheduled to begin March 7. The NCAA March Madness tournament will begin March 17.

Hayley Rosen is a first-year psychological science major.

She has been writing for the Cynic since fall 2019.

12

FEATURE

Women In Politics

Vermont native represents hometown district at 24

STEPHAN TOLJAN/ The Vermont Cynic (TOP): Vermont State Representative Felisha Leffler sits during an interview, Feb. 13. Leffler, 24, is one of 64 women who work as house legislators.

(LEFT) Leffler sits just outside the Statehouse chambers, Feb. 13. Leffler graduated from Sweet Briar College in Virginia with a Bachelor of Arts in government.

(RIGHT) The Statehouse chambers stand empty during a recess, Feb. 13. The chambers seat all 151 members of the House, as well as extra seating for members of the public and media.

Tulley Hescock thescock@uvm.edu

Felisha Leffler wore a pin that said “Young People Make a Better Vermont,” a sentiment she carries with her every day as a 24-year-old Vermont House Representative.

Leffler grew up in Enosburg, Vermont, and now represents her town in the Franklin-7 district.

Leffler knew she wanted to go into politics from a young age. When she was 10 years old, Leffler accompanied her mom as a volunteer for the homecoming and deployment of military personnel in Vermont.

Leffler remembers Former Vermont Governor Jim Douglas waited long hours with her and the other families at the airport.

“I would pester the life out of him...I’d bring a notebook and ask him ‘how do roads work, how do schools work?’”

Leffler said.

She said Douglas taught her the importance of starting local when thinking about politics.

After graduating high school at 16, Leffler decided to attend Sweet Briar College in Virginia.

While in college, she suffered a traumatic brain injury that forced her to return to Vermont, where she spent her recovery attending local political events.

“During that time I was reconnected with my community,” Leffler said. “It brought me back to the fact that politics isn’t just an overhead that I can be a part of, but that it was integral in my community.”

After graduating college, Leffler decided she wanted to focus her energy on helping her Vermont community by assisting in local campaign work; however, she soon saw an opportunity to run herself.

In 2018, Leffler ran for a seat in the legislature as a Republican Representative and won against Cindy Weed, taking office in January 2019.

Leffler sees Vermont as a place that gives young people the opportunity to run for political office due to the lack of hierarchy.

She said in other states there is an order of priority for candidates based on experience, but in Vermont, the candidates are those willing to expend energy and who have free time.

“I’m only able to run and serve because I have excellent support, but if I had already started my family, or couldn’t work another job, I couldn’t afford to be here,” Leffler said.

Leffler said the legislative session runs for five months out of the year, compensating only for the time legislators are in session, which is usually around $20,000 per year. The salary and time constraint of the session make it difficult for Vermont citizens to run for office because they may need a time-flexible job to supplement a salary for the rest of the year.

“A lot of people who are independently wealthy or have already retired and have had wonderful careers can run, which creates an average age of 64 years old, which is 40 years older than I am,” Leffler said.

Leffler said the demographic of the legislature sometimes creates differences in perspective between the older and younger generations.

Though they have good

intentions, the older male demographic of the legislature has an impact on her daily work life, Leffler said.

Leffler was running a meeting in the legislative lounge when she was interrupted by a Senate staffer informing her she was in the wrong place because only legislators can use that space.

Leffler said it takes more work for her to feel respected in her position around an older male demographic.

“I find I will apologize for asking questions in committee,” Leffler said.

Before Leffler ran, she asked her friends and former co-workers from her time in Virginia if she should run for house representative. Her close friend Connor Marley, whom she met working on a campaign in Virginia, said many of them felt she shouldn’t run because of her age.

“But she did it anyway and won,” Marley said. “If I could capture her passion, I’d bottle it and sell it.”

For Leffler, this passion has grown inside the Statehouse.

She has learned a lot and has gained support from other seasoned law makers, such as

Rep. Butch Shaw.

“She doesn’t necessarily take no for an answer,” Shaw said. “She’s very persistent, and that’s good. The young legislators bring new ideas with them.”

Sophomore Katie Wynn, a political science major, said she had never heard of such a young woman running.

“I know how to discuss politics, write about it and think critically about it, but that’s a whole different thing than rolling up your sleeves and making laws that will affect real people’s lives,” Wynn said. “I think that might be keeping young people out of the substantive tangible act of politics.”

Leffler advises young people like Wynn to ask questions and attend local meetings to become more informed about local politics.

Leffler remains passionate for the Vermont community she represents and uses her position to advocate for the perspective of young people inside the Statehouse.

This is part two of a three-part feature series on young female legislators in Vermont.

Illustration by GEORGE WEED