 the voter outcome and a lot of a lot of voters are now voting more the numbers are increased than were previously because they have that access so it's really improving access to voting to voters and so I think that that's something that should continue on. Great thank you. Aubram should I repeat the question? Yes please. Election security and integrity has been an active discussion both nationally and here in Vermont. Do you believe the legislature should make changes to the election process? If so what changes would you support? It's the first part of the question I needed to remember. I don't believe that there is a significant security and integrity issue in Vermont. I don't think there is in most of the country but I'm very familiar and it's very close up in Vermont. I was before I ran for office I was on the board of civil authority first in Worcester and previous to that in Plainfield where we counted ballots by hand and we sat across the table from people of the other party and it worked and so I do not think that there is an issue. What can we do to improve the process? I'm going to say two things. One I do agree wholeheartedly that the mail and ballot system that we developed and I'm sure it can be tweaked some more but that enables and encourages people to vote who might not have thought about it or not made. I know people who something happens to them on election day and they can't make it to the polls by closing time and so that's an issue. The one thing that ranked choice voting is something I'm interested in and I have not made up my mind the thing that has been discussed over the years that I'm beginning to lean in favor of is the two-year term is a real hardship for statewide as well as legislative official. Thank you. So since you're ready Abram the next question there have been recent events targeting Vermont's LGBTQ plus community this has occurred both here in the state and on a national basis. These threats have included drag queen story hours being held at our local libraries the vandalism of rainbow and transgender flag and the targeting of transgender athletes of public schools. Would you support strengthening Vermont's bullying and bias hate crime statutes? Why or why not? I am very aware of the the increase of these incidents that you've taught me about and I would support that. There is always whether it's in this particular issue or other there is always a long and a question about when this free speech cross over into being a threat or actual harm and so we always have to be careful with that because as much as we may despise what some people say at a certain point they have the right to say that and at a certain point they've crossed the line and to the extent there are things we can do legally to better define that and and say when when that where is that line and you did it and and now there won't be some some form of legal action around that so yes I support that. So I work a lot with that. If not what actions and initiatives would you support? Repeat the first part please. The Montes has begun the process of identifying and confronting systemic racism and its impact on indigenous and communities of color. The guys want to make sure I was focusing on the right person. It's so curious because I spent so many times and so many meetings so many groups on so many committees doing a lot of this stuff and Vermont is the leader. Vermont has been paving the way in so many aspects for so many things which is why I love it. A lot of systems people think the system is broken and our system is not broken. Our system works just as it was created and intended to. However our system was not created and intended to serve all people equally. So what we have to do is really look at who are the people in our community? Who are we trying to serve and how can we make sure there's equity in all aspects and that is what we intend to do. Continue to work on those systems and just want to change that. Thank you. I think it's important to talk about what we mean by the word systemic. We also talk about institutional. They're somewhat related. And so this is not so much about you'll have a law that says you can't. It's against the law to hate someone of color. It's more about looking at our public and institutions, our government, policing and the justice system, our education system and all of that. And seeing where intentionally or unintentionally things like this happen so that biases are encouraged or not discouraged. And that's deeper work than simply just saying a law. This is against the law because again you can't regulate every behavior of a person. However reprehensible they may be. So we need to be doing things that change the structures that change how children in school, what they hear and that kind of stuff. And how our government functions including criminal justice and all of that functions to avoid any kind of bias. Thank you. Reproductive rights. The Vermont legislature completed the process to create Prop 5 Amendment 22 that would add reproductive freedom protections to the Vermont Constitution. Do you support this amendment? Why or why not? I do. As you are aware the process involves two separate bienniums, two-year sessions of the legislature. I happen to serve in both of those. I voted yes in favor and I have marked my ballot. I have not turned it in yet but I will disclose it's a secret ballot that I have voted in favor. And I feel very strongly about this. The circumstances which cause someone to need an abortion are very, very personal. And that is a matter for them to decide with the counsel of their doctor. Thank you. Saudi. Yes, yes, yes. And I encourage you all to vote yes as well on your ballot as they come in or when you do on November 8th. Yes, I support the passing of the reproductive freedom amendment because reproductive health care is health care. And it's not just about abortions. It's about so much more. It's about autonomy. It's about health care. It's about health access. And keeping people alive and safe. So, yes. Thank you. This question may sound familiar. Housing is a critical issue in Vermont. How should Vermont address the need for affordable and accessible housing and reconcile conflict, the conflict between development and environmental concerns? Yeah, a lot. Yes. Well, so it's curious because that's where we've been, a lot of other committees that we've been talking about, the affordable housing, short-term rentals, all of these things are housing stock. What does that look like? And the environmental concerns, right? However, for my group personally, the environmental concerns have just become a part of the conversation because it's starting to come up. What are the effects? I'm meeting with VPurg tomorrow to figure out. Let's talk about this and have this conversation on what are the effects of over-development of our communities and sprawl. What are the pros and cons? How can we effectively look at these outcomes and make change? It's a big task to do and it will not be addressed in a biennium. It's something that has been happening for a very long time. The amount of the rate at which houses are going up does not match the rate of number of people experiencing homelessness in our community right now, as well as our waiting list. So we can't really get ahead of it. And so there's all these different aspects to look at. And I'm just continuing to work with the partners and sit at the tables and engage in the conversations and look at how we can address those things, right? So unfortunately, I don't have an answer on how to end the housing crisis right now. However, we are working to address it in partnership and look at responsible development and amendment to active 50. In Vermont, we actually recognized this tension many, many years ago when we established something called the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board. Recognizing that this one entity was going to be dealing both with environmental and land use issues and affordable housing. And I think they've done a good job at that, although the issue continues to arise. I happen to have two very close family members who have worked both on the housing and the conservation side in that agency. So I've heard about that. The issue of short-term rentals is a huge issue. More in some places like Lamoille County, but it's an issue everywhere and we need to resolve that and find the balance between, we don't want to tell an individual homeowner who has an apartment over the garage that they can't make some money running an out short-term. We do not want developers buying up every property in town and turning it into short-term rentals. Burlington has taken some steps around that that I think we need to look at. But the other thing is we need to continue funding affordable housing programs, whether it's the Housing Finance Agency, Vermont Conservation Board, and rent subsidies, and all of that. Thank you. Okay, starting with Avril. Gun-related violence is on the increase both nationally and here in Vermont. Should the Vermont legislature enact additional stronger gun measures? If so, what measures would you support? I support. I start out by saying, as I've said many times over the years, that I'm definitely not out to take away people's guns, to take away Vermonters' right to have guns for hunting, for target practice, and for their own protection. I am in favor of considering very careful steps to continue assuring that guns do not get into the hands of people who are a threat either to themselves or to others. And also to consider, when we talk about the United States Second Amendment and the right to bear arms, and we talk about originalism and the Constitution, what were arms back when that was written? They were not, you know, the kind of weapons that exist today are not what was even imagined then. So I do think that it's reasonable to consider some definition of what we mean by the type of arms that citizens can use as opposed to law enforcement or armed forces, you know, public safety kind of uses. Thank you. Scott, yeah. Yes. So as we experience so much crisis and unsafety, especially with our children in schools and all of these things, I support common law and common sense safety measures and any measures that help reduce gun violence. I don't believe that people should not have guns. You know, especially we live in Vermont, hunting is a thing. That's people's livelihood. Some people, how they get their food. And so we're not trying to keep people hungry. We're just trying to keep people safe. And I think all of the measures that have been outlined and advocated for with regards to safety, regards to wait lists for background checks and all of those other types of measures to make sure that people who have guns are safe to have them. And when they have them, they are, they're storing them safely and securely so that we minimize access and reduce harm. Thank you. Thank you. And with Sonya, current changes in extreme weather patterns are demonstrating the impacts of climate change. That's certainly clear. How specifically would the Vermont legislature respond to climate change? How should it respond to climate change? Would you say? Take it very seriously. I mean, you know, there's, there's so many things that we are trying to do. And so here's the thing. Being environmentalist is expensive. And I've tried, and I've explained this to some of the environmental groups that I've been in communication with. And so when we're looking at reduction of single use plastics, reduction of all the things, recycling and all, et cetera, right? All of the things that will help save our environment and elongate the time. We have to look at the cost and people who have access to those things. And when we're, when we look at the way things are made these days, it's really hard and challenging for people who experience poverty to have access to environmental friendly. Environmental friendly, environmentally friendly solutions. And so I think it's not a one person thing. It's not reducing people's carbon footprint is a help, but it's going to take something of significant, significant magnitude for us to really make the changes we need to make. And so that is looking at creative solutions that really help access for everyone so that we can all play our part in saving our planet and reducing climate change. Thank you. Avram. Energy ended up being my field that I worked in. And for the last two sessions, I served on the House Energy and Technology Committee. But for 16 years, much to my surprise, I ended up being the CEO of an electric utility, a small one, but Washington Electric Co-op, which pioneered first in energy efficiency and then in moving towards renewable and cleaner energy sources. And I also worked in state government in the office that ran the statewide low income weatherization program. So the first thing, very specifically, the legislature passed in the last session the clean heat standard bill that came out of the committee. I was on. It failed to, it overrode, the Senate overrode the governor's veto, the House missed it by one vote. He was wrong in vetoing it and one way or another we need to bring that back because it contains the things that allow people to make the choices. When do they need to make the choices? Individuals and homeowners and businesses to move away from how they use energy now to other ways. And it allows businesses to change the business model, including energy providers like fuel dealers. So that's where we need to start. Great. Thank you. I want to encourage people who are watching this live. If you have questions, please call in 802-224-9901. There are people standing by waiting to hear your questions. So Avram, the Vermont legislature has made several attempts to increase the minimum wage. Do you believe the minimum wage should be increased? And if so, by how much? And then if you could also comment on what you believe is a livable wage. Yes, the minimum wage should be increased. I don't know exactly what the number is and what the latest calculation of a livable wage is, but it used to be $15 and something. It's definitely higher than that now. And the other thing that I always remind people of is it's one thing you pay people $15 an hour, but someone could be making $13 an hour, but have really good health and retirement benefits and they're doing a whole lot better than someone making $15 and nothing else. So those things need to be considered, but yes. We see right now with the hardships that employers are having, that large and small employers are paying starting wages much higher than they were a few years ago because they have to. And I think what the legislature should do is basically make that stick. Okay, thank you. And you're just waiting to answer. Yes. I was just going to lead with the livable wage as opposed to raising the minimum wage. Everyone should have a livable wage and be able to afford to work. I know people who have to work three jobs and still can barely afford to pay for their heat or their bills and that's unacceptable. That someone has to work three jobs full time to be able to live and to put that tax on their body. However, and raising our costs to a livable wage is also going to increase the cost of everything else. And so again, we have to look at how do we build our economy in such a way that we can provide the livable wage or benefits that supplement, right? Because that is a good factor. If someone has the benefits to supplement their wages, then that is extremely helpful. But however, livable wage and building our economy because the cost of everything else is going to rise at the same time. So if we just keep, we're just going to keep chasing everything. It's going to keep going the same way. So we have to just really look at all the whole picture and all of the things. Okay. And kind of in the same morning, Saudia, we have, would you describe the adequacy of health care services in Vermont and what legislative actions would you support to strengthen or improve them? The health, say the first part? The health care services in Vermont. I mean, do you think they're adequate? Do you think they need improvement and, you know, what would you do to improve them? Well, that would depend on who you ask and what kind of coverage they have. So I think we can look at, I feel there are some options in Vermont that are serving people well. So depending on who you are, where you work and what type of coverage you have, some people have adequate coverage in Vermont and some people do not. And so I would look at filling the gaps and how can we get, look at making sure that everyone in all Vermonters have access to quality health care and affordable health care. Because some people cannot afford health care, some people cannot get to their appointments. And our systems, the way they're set up with, depending on which system you're looking at, it does not meet the needs and some they do. But I would, I know we're avoiding the question of the single payer health care system. I know that's where y'all are going. And I just have a quick addendum to that, which is the administration has proposed a process to privatize a portion of state pension plan by moving retirees from inclusion in the currently negotiated health care plan to private Medicare advantage plans. Would you support such a move? I am not aware of that. So I would have to see what that looks like. But I support pension plans that support our workers and making sure they have the benefits that they need. So I don't, I don't know what that, I would have to look at that and see what it looked like before I agreed to support it. If it's something that benefits them, then yes, I will. And if it's something that takes away from what they are trying to obtain, then absolutely not. Thank you. I'll answer the first part of the question and then the second one. The, the issue in Vermont is, is how we pay for it. It's not whether services, good services are available. I think by and large, I'm sure there are gaps and maybe in different parts of the state. I know people have trouble getting dental care because of availability. But the real issue is, is how we pay for it. I am ultimately a supporter of a single payer or what's been called Medicare for all. My father, who was a family doctor in the old days, got himself in trouble for, for supporting Medicare when it was first proposed because he thought it should, three years later it should just roll out to everybody. So that's very difficult for Vermont to do on its own. And that's a large reason why you can't, I mean, even, even the health care providers in some parts of the state, most people go to Dartmouth, Hitchcock in another state for their services. And in other parts of the, in New York, people go to Burlington for health care services. So it's difficult to do one small state. But that's the direction we need to go, we need to go to. In terms of the specific proposal, I happen to be, that is targeted at retired state employees. I happen to be one. So this, I'm looking at this as both a legislature, a legislator and as someone who receives those benefits. I have a lot of problems with it. It is said that it saves money and it costs, there are lots of stories about, it also raises some out-of-pocket costs for the participants. But mostly on the 8th of this month, The New York Times published a truly shocking story about the major health care providers and how they have screwed the government by overcharging in these types of Medicare, they're called Medicare Advantage programs. And I prefer sticking with the old-fashioned Medicare, there was nothing wrong with it. It had lower administrative costs than anything else. And the move to go to Medicare Advantage was in fact politically an attempt to unravel the Medicare program when it was first created. So I'm watching this very carefully, but I have a lot of concerns about it. Thank you. Back to Avram. I'm really intrigued by the concept of citizen legislators here in Vermont, which translate to me as you're all making very low salaries. Critics have suggested that that kind of eliminates the people who are even able to run because it's a very time-consuming job. What is your response to the question of citizen voting? I'm sorry, citizen legislating. I do say, and I responded to this in another when asked, in another forum about this, we say we have a citizen legislature, we like to think we do. Really, what happens is that not everybody, but a very large number of the legislators happen to be retired like I am, or happen to have businesses or jobs that allow them to take the time off from their job. But it is not a full-time job. We only get paid for the days when the legislature is in session, period, and expense reimbursement and all that. But a very large number of younger people have been elected in recent years, last two election cycles in particular, and a very large number of them this year have chosen not to run again because they can't make it. So that's an issue, and I do support. I don't think we want to go to a full-time legislature in Vermont. I don't think we need to in terms of the amount of time. But do people need to be compensated better for this? And do they need to be compensated some for all of the work they put in year-round? Yes, I think we need to take a real look at that. Thank you, Saudia. So, not having been in this position, it's very curious for me. And so I want to speak to a couple of things. They say it's the citizen legislature, which is why I'm running, right? And I do support making the pay available because I know some representatives who are not running for re-election this year because they could not afford to run for re-election. I would like to be clear and state that I cannot afford to run and serve, right? However, I am doing it, right? I am trusting, I am trusting in our system and our community to make sure that as a citizen who is running to serve our community that I will be okay, right? And so I do support. I don't know if you would say increase of pay because I don't know how that works considering they only get paid for the days they're in the legislature, right? And then there's the benefits, losing health care, all of the other things that are not considered. I support having access to those things because I will need those things. I don't know how it's going to happen. So do I support it? Yes. But I'm running on faith, on faith on our systems and faith of our communities and I'm hoping we can figure out a way to make it work. Great, thank you. Maybe I'll be the example, right? Just very briefly, just information-wise, legislators get paid a per diem, a flat amount, and they get paid for mileage. They get a flat meal allowance for every day that they're working. And for those that need to have housing in Montpelier, they get a housing allowance. There's no other benefits that are paid to the legislators. But holding on to that benefit theme, Sadia, the legislature in Vermont has made several attempts to pass paid family and medical leave and the last attempt was veto. Would you support another effort for paid family leave if so, for what length of time? I know. Yes, absolutely. Just when you thought you knew the question. I know, right? I was like, oh, I can answer this one. Yes, I absolutely support paid family leave. And I think it should be determinant upon the business for which it is and the factors of what you're looking at. When we know what the pandemic has shown us is that some families required more time based off of sickness and childcare and other things. And we had the family care that supplemented that during that time. So if we learned anything during that time, it's that we need to have more paid family leave. I'm not saying I'm trying to steer away from terms around maternity leave or paternity leave, right? And I'm trying to consider all aspects of healthcare that we need. And so it's a matter of health and safety and making sure families can be okay to be able to be okay so that they can still go back to work and be ready to provide and be citizens and communicate and do what needs to be done. Albert? The answer is yes. I voted for it in the past. In terms of the question of how many days, months, weeks, whatever, I was not on a committee that dealt with that. I was on the receiving end of the outcome of their process, which was involved huge amounts of controversy. Well, disagreement about people who were pointing to the need and people who were saying that's too much because we can't afford it. It could be subject to abuse, which it could be, and all of that. So I don't have a magic answer for how many days. And what Saudia said is correct. We're not just talking about maternity, paternity. We're talking about the need to care for a family member and all of that. And as I think about it, those could be different amounts of time, at least in theory. How do you roll that into a program that is actually fair, not subject to abuse? That's what the committee wrestled with, but they came up with something that the majority of people in the committees agreed in, and I voted for it, knowing that it is never a perfect answer. Thank you for your answer and thank you for your vote. Abram, what is the most important issue for the legislature coming up? And what actions would you support? One issue, huh? Well, no issues. I do think, and again, these are, when you're talking about big, try to describe a big issue, it's not something that you can write one bill about. And say, this is the bill that's going to solve this. But to me, there are two huge issues. One, in the big definition of it, which I answered earlier, is the economy, the ability of people to actually make it. And that involves all of us as individuals, as well as businesses, small businesses, and large businesses. We don't want large businesses leaving that employ lots of people. The other thing personally is climate change, because it's already overwhelming us, and it is costing us. It's costing us all the time in our town and state budgets, roads and everything else, and it's costing individuals, not as badly as in some other places in the country yet. But it is happening, and we need to take steps to help people make the changes. It's not that everybody must get rid of their oil burners and their furnaces tomorrow, but when that boiler needs replacement, then they need help making the right choice. That just happened to me this past year. So I went from a cordwood boiler to a pellet boiler, because the cordwood boiler blew, so I had to do something. And I got help. I got public help that's available from various programs for doing that. Thank you. There are so many important issues, and it's really challenging to pick one, but intersectionality is real, and everything is intertwined, everything is connected, everything is dependent upon something else. And so when we're talking about climate change, we're talking about economic development. We're talking about the ability to be able to afford those things. When we're talking about healthcare, we're talking about the ability to be able to afford those things. How do we pay for it? So I think the creativity around how money is spent in our state will be a big issue. So I think economic, I would say economics is going to be a big issue in the legislature, as we are looking at all these new things that are happening. And I think that's going to drive a lot of what happens. For me personally, I'm going to have to say that just really making sure that we're looking at all the bills and every piece of legislation that is put forth is done equitably and responsibly is important to me. And so I'm really hoping that we start to use the probing questions to look at things in the legislature as we go forward. Thank you. This is our last question before we ask you for closing statements and it's a really broad one. What questions would you have liked us to ask that we haven't? What would you like us to consider? Chandra? I don't know. Sadia, I'm sorry. It's okay. I'm thinking. I quote me off-guard. Right? That's our role. Okay. I do think the issue that I struggle with as a legislator, and I've kind of alluded to this, is how to look at things completely holistically, when at the same time the only thing we can do is pass changes in this section of statute or that section of statute or add a new section of statute or propose a constitutional amendment, none of which are, you know, we talked about, you know, institutional racism earlier. The issue is much bigger than that and it involves not just the people, the classes of people that were mentioned in the question. It ultimately involves everybody. And so it's very difficult, part of the frustration and why some people shouldn't try by running for the legislature is that what we can do is limited by asking a lawyer who works for the legislature to come up with language that would do a particular thing. And then we argue about that and it either passes or it doesn't. So it's really how do we keep a much more of a bigger picture of view of things? And now we just have time for closing comments. Sardia has had to just gather her thoughts if she may, if she wishes. No, that's okay. I welcome all questions, you know. I do. I do. And so it's really what I explained to people when we have these things. It's really, for me, I'm a part of so many different organizations as I stated before and I do so much work in my community that for me, my brain is always focused on something different and always on the next thing. So I enjoy when people ask questions because it helps me focus on that one specific topic at that moment in time. But everything is all interconnected and so I welcome all questions and I'm so glad that you asked the questions you did. So thank you. I appreciate the questions you did. Thank you. So now each will have a minute for a closing comment. I will tell the people who are watching that both of you have websites. So if they would like more information or to become more involved in your candidacy, they could refer to that. So, Avram. I can't tell you how many times people have said to me, talking about the legislature, I could never do that. And what I say to them is, well, then don't. If you care about issues, and that's usually what it's about, there are lots of ways to work on those issues without running for the legislature. You have to have the temperament, as I said earlier, it's sometimes called making sausage or whatever. Sometimes you work on something all year long, it goes up in flames in the last week, it comes around again. And so that's one thing I offer is that temperament. And I have the experience, both in my work and now in three terms in the legislature, to figure out how to find common ground with people who disagree with and to get things done, to really get things done. Thank you. Sadia. Thank you. Well, my parting words are, I have not been a legislator. However, I'm very much forward looking forward to being one and learning all the things along the way and doing the best that I possibly can do. You can join my campaign, learn more about me at Lamont4Vermont.com, Lamont4Vermont on all social media platforms, and reach out and call my business. My phone number can be found on my website and all of those things. I'm really looking forward to continuing to connect with people in the communities, because this is about you. I'm running to serve you and be a voice for you. So please let me know your issues. Let me know what's important to you and how I can best help and serve you in the legislature and the state house. Thank you so much. Thank you. So thank you to both of our candidates. Thank you for moderating with me. And thank you for watching.