As I wrap up my first year as Vermont’s Lieutenant Governor, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about where we’ve been — and where we’re headed. It’s no secret that folks are feeling squeezed these days. Whether it’s the cost of housing, heating fuel, health care or just keeping up with everyday expenses, Vermont’s affordability crisis is real, and it’s affecting people in every corner of our state.

Douglas, Shumlin, and Scott issue statements supporting John Rodgers in lieutenant governor’s race

After the first televised lieutenant governor’s debate with my opponent last week, it is clear that his answer to everything is more taxes and fees.

“I think our message is being well received, and a lot of Vermonters are ready for change,” Rodgers said in an interview Tuesday night after results were announced. “And they feel like I'm the candidate to do it."

ST. ALBANS — When John S. Rodgers left the statehouse in 2021, he thought his time in politics was over. 

John Rodgers runs a construction business up in West Glover, Vermont most of the year. He runs a plow business in the winter. He rents properties, he runs a cannabis farm with his son, he's a stonemason. He's one of the busiest guys I know. And for sixteen years John served in the Vermont Legislature — eight years in the Senate and eight in the House. I met him on his farm, which has been in his family for about 200 years, and we talked about what it costs to be in the Vermont legislature, and some of the cultural tensions that he’s feeling in the state right now, as people with more money move to the state.