Isaac for Vermont

07/30/2026

Some of you have asked me who I'm voting for on August 11th. I'm excited to share my endorsement of Amanda Janoo for governor, and Molly Gray for lieutenant governor, on or before Tuesday, August 11, in the Vermont Democratic Party primary election. These opinions are my own.

As we fight to keep our hospitals open and our families safe, and as we face a governor who has sold out to the White House – Remember how he handed over Vermonters’ sensitive data to the feds? – we need leaders who will stand up for us.

As a member of the Brattleboro Selectboard, I see how our government needs leaders who are willing to speak up for the public. I’m supporting Amanda and Molly because of their bravery and leadership at a pivotal time.

As an economist, Amanda Janoo communicates a clear-eyed assessment of the connection between extreme wealth inequality, authoritarianism, and affordability. She has been willing to strongly commit to solutions where other candidates have waffled. Specifically, she has clearly differentiated herself from her opponent in her readiness to 1) Increase taxes on the very wealthiest Vermonters and 2) Require congressional authorization prior to deployment of our Vermont National Guard to the president’s wars.

I have been similarly impressed by Molly Gray’s readiness to stand up against the Trump administration’s devastating policies. Molly, a human rights lawyer, and our former Vermont lieutenant governor, consistently speaks out.

Both Amanda Janoo and Molly Gray have spent time over the past many months getting to know southern Vermont residents and our needs. Prior to the race, in Molly's work as the executive director of the Vermont Afghan Alliance, she traveled the state, working in solidarity with our refugee neighbors and their allies here in Windham and Bennington Counties.

I recently crossed paths with Amanda and Molly at a demonstration in Burlington in response to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)’s heinous violence. ICE had killed a community member in nearby Maine, and in the week prior, had detained five people here in Vermont, sowing terror among our immigrant neighbors. Of all the statewide candidates, Amanda and Molly were the two who showed up to stand side-by-side with our neighbors in the face of fear and violence.

During the recent debates on Vermont Public, the moderator asked the candidates about their support for the Vermont Defend the Guard Act. This bill would require congressional approval prior to deployment of the Vermont National Guard to overseas combat, in line with Article I, Section 8, of the U.S. Constitution, which assigns the power to launch a war exclusively to Congress.

In their respective debates, both Amanda and Molly expressed support for the legislation – as did Esther Charlestin also running in Molly’s race. Unfortunately neither Aly Richards nor Ryan McLaren, the other candidates, were willing to take such a stand.

Many Guard members privately support the Defend the Guard Act, but have remained silent because speaking out for it jeopardizes their careers. That is why we need candidates such as Amanda and Molly who are willing to show courage and speak up. We need leaders who won’t wait for someone else’s leadership.

More of the same – more kowtowing to Trump, more trying to lay low and hope that we don’t get too much blowback – will not serve us. History has shown that is not a winning strategy against fascism. What has proven successful is people standing up for one another and fighting back. That’s what Amanda and Molly are doing now, and what they’ll do as our elected leaders.

If you too are looking for leaders who will work to protect Vermonters against Trump’s devastating policies, who will speak up when their voices are most needed, I encourage you to join me in voting for Amanda Janoo for governor, and Molly Gray for lieutenant governor in the Vermont Democratic primary election on Tuesday, August 11. You can find voting information at https://vote.vermont.gov/public/dashboard.

07/16/2026

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo and Joan Sebastian Guerrero in Texas and Maine respectively in the past few days. People across the country are standing up in solidarity with our families and neighbors who are under attack. We are here in Burlington, Vermont, standing with our immigrant community.

07/07/2026

Last week I asked for a statement in support of Brattleboro Memorial Hospital's Birthing Center to be put on the selectboard's meeting agenda. This evening we will discuss such a statement.

I am deeply concerned about plans to close Brattleboro Memorial Hospital's Birthing Center.

This is part of a nationwide trend, and the result of federal policy. It doesn't have to be this way, and we can fight to save this critical community resource.

As someone who was also born at BMH, it is personal for me.

From my past work as a family planning and reproductive health educator in Federally Qualified Health Centers, I understand the critical importance of community-based birth care.

Good quality perinatal care, birth care, and support for babies, toddlers, and their families is a key factor in improving life expectancy. I am deeply committed to the work of improving birth outcomes, keeping Brattleboro a community that welcomes and supports families, and doing what we can to keep critical resources here in our community.

The hospital is in a difficult position because of federal cuts, and I look forward to seeing what we can do to support. I look forward to our discussion this evening and to taking steps together to meet the needs of our community.

Photo from Brattleboro's July 4th parade. Credit: Cristina New

06/26/2026

This is what public investment can look like.

Organizers cited record turnout for this event compared to similar ribbon-cutting ceremonies in much larger cities.

It’s great seeing Brattleboro and neighboring communities come together to celebrate.

Public transportation is good for our bodies, minds, communities, environment, and wallets.

06/24/2026

Awesome community celebration of the opening of the new accessible Amtrak station here in Brattleboro, Vermont. Good for our health, our communities, and the environment. Shout out to Wendy Harrison & Mollie S. Burke, VT State Rep for their leadership.

06/14/2026

Welcomed passengers on Amtrak today as part of the annual Pride Whistlestop Tour as the Vermonter train traveled from St. Albans south to Brattleboro, Vermont!

It was a demonstration of unity and community to those traveling through Vermont as an LGBTQIA+ individual, organization or ally by gathering and cheering at our local train station while the train passed by.
​
From the event organizers: Amtrak’s Vermonter train service sees over 75,000 visitors a year. The LGBTQIA+ community knows how important it is to foster safety and equality. Being able to travel and explore can mirror one’s ability to learn about themselves and their place in community.

Thanks Liz LaVorgna Realtor VT/NH 🌈 Brattleboro Area Realty Liz LaVorgna for inviting me!

06/11/2026

All aboard! Join me and fellow Brattleboro Selectboard members as we celebrate the opening of Brattleboro, Vermont's new accessible Amtrak station platform on Wednesday, June 24, 2026.

This exciting event marks the completion of a major infrastructure project that will improve accessibility and enhance rail travel for passengers using Amtrak's Vermonter line.

The celebration will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the station, located at 10 Vernon Street in Brattleboro. The event will feature a ribbon-cutting ceremony with local and state officials, representatives from Amtrak, and project partners. After the ceremony there are a number of related events happening throughout the afternoon. Check out all the details here: https://brattleboro.gov/blog/amtrak-event-06-24-2026

05/08/2026

Hi from the pedestrian/bike bridge across the Connecticut River just south of Brattleboro, Vermont. I’m excited to work with my colleagues on the Brattleboro Selectboard, Oscar Heller, , & , and the Hinsdale, New Hampshire Selectboard, for the opening of the pedestrian twin bridges between our communities.

03/25/2026

Members of our Brattleboro community have reached out to me recently about events in South Burlington that have raised questions about the role of local police during Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations. On Monday (3/23/26) I spoke with our Brattleboro town manager and assistant police chief who both confirmed that the Brattleboro Police Department follows the state’s model Fair and Impartial Policing Policy. Our police force is trained on this policy at the Police Academy, and I am fully confident in their ability to follow this policy, which is now available in 15 languages through the Brattleboro Town website.

I have requested that this policy, which governs Brattleboro Police Department collaboration with federal agents, be placed on an upcoming Selectboard meeting agenda for review and discussion.

On a related note, yesterday the United States Supreme Court decided to shield a Vermont police officer from a legal claim that he used excessive force after physically injuring a protester during a nonviolent sit-in at the Vermont State House in 2015. That nonviolent protestor was Shela Linton, a Brattleboro resident and deeply valued lifelong member of our community. Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson criticized the majority for its approach to cases involving qualified immunity for police.

Back in that 2015 incident, Ms. Linton, the one Black person of the 29 protesters who were protestors arrested, was unarmed and nonthreatening, but the officer injured her, causing permanent loss of motion in her left wrist and shoulder, as she described in her lawsuit.

Ms. Linton asked me to share a statement with you here today. She said, “Vermont is not immune to violent acts from law enforcement. We don’t have the laws to protect us and we need to have the political will to change the system that allows for violence from law enforcement to be immune.”

We have been taught that Black people are the aggressors and should be feared. That is wrong. So often we who are white become silent while so many Black people bear the brunt of systemic violence.

Today I want to remind everyone of the Brattleboro Inclusion Statement posted in the Selectboard Meeting Room and on the Town website.

When we experience threats to our communities, we may be tempted to go quiet to avoid the attention of an abusive federal government, or of a bully. In times like these, I turn to the words of Vermont’s motto, freedom and unity. To keep those words alive, when our neighbors are under attack, we must stand up and speak out.

03/20/2026

Vermont’s Democratic LGBTQI+ Community Remembers Terje Anderson

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - March 19, 2026

CONTACT: Sen. Rev. Debbie Ingram, secretary, LGBTQ+ Caucus of the Vermont Democratic Party, [email protected]

This week Vermont’s LGBTQI+ community mourned the passing of Terje Anderson. Mr. Anderson served as Chair of the Vermont Democratic Party from 2017 to 2020. Previously he served as co-chair of the Vermont Coalition for Le***an & Gay Rights, executive director of Vermont Cares, executive director of the National Association of People with AIDS, and as a member of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS.

Keith Goslant, long-time Vermont LGBTQI+ community advocate from Central Vermont and host of the Vermont-based television program All Things LGBTQ, and a member of the newly formed LGBTQI+ Caucus of the Vermont Democratic Party, said, “Terje was instrumental early on in building the Vermont q***r community’s influence nationally, connecting our community with people in power and helping secure a presence in the Vermont Legislature.”

“Terje was one of the people essential for connecting advocates with people best able to bring about change,” Goslant said. “I’m still trying to absorb the loss to our communities and to me personally. I’m getting text messages from people across the country about Terje.”

Isaac Evans-Frantz, chair of the LGBTQI+ Caucus of the Vermont Democratic Party, said, “Terje was a pillar of our community. At times like this, when so many of us are under attack, we draw strength from the courage of people like Terje who have gone before us. We give thanks for his tenacity in fighting for our rights and for our lives.”

Former Vermont State Senator Rev. Debbie Ingram, secretary of the LGBQI+ Caucus of the Vermont Democratic Party, said, “Terje was such a wonderful person and a quiet, humble leader. He was party chair while I served on the executive committee representing the senate, so I got to see him frequently. I was impressed that he could get things done, but he did so while treating everyone with kindness. He was just a really good human being.”

“It’s important to remind one another of the people whose shoulders we stand on as a q***r community,” she said.

Ian Hefele, of Vernon, in southern Vermont, said, “I remember reading Terje’s Vermont Democratic Party newsletters where he would talk about how we would make it through those dark times. Terje’s words made me want to get involved in Vermont politics.”

# # #

VTDigger Seven Days Vermont Public WCAX-TV Vermont Democratic Party Ian Hefele

We are heartbroken by the passing of former Vermont Democratic Party Chair Terje Anderson.

Terje’s legacy is defined by courage, compassion, and an unwavering commitment to justice. A prolific activist and dedicated leader, he worked tirelessly to advance equality, strengthen communities, and build a more inclusive Vermont.

His impact reached far beyond our Party, from his leadership in HIV/AIDS advocacy to decades of service uplifting LGBTQ+ Vermonters and organizing for lasting change across the country.

We mourn this profound loss and extend our deepest condolences to Terje’s family, friends, and loved ones. His legacy will endure in the progress he helped achieve and in all those who carry his work forward.