All Entries in the "Commentary" Category
Op-ed: Domestic violence should not be condoned
By Marilyn Mahusky ©2025 Telegraph Publishing LLC Driving home from the Green Mountain Unified School District Board meeting Thursday night felt a bit like it did after the verdict was announced in the O.J. Simpson trial in which O.J. was accused of murdering his wife. Prior to her murder, Simpson had pled no contest to […]
Editorial: Two boards too weak to make the right decisions
By Cynthia Prairie ©2025 Telegraph Publishing LLC Over the past two weeks, both the Chester Select Board and the board of directors of the Green Mountain Unified School District could not have come across as weaker, more spineless. Under the mistaken guise of avoiding a political morass, they each punted their responsibilities: in the case […]
To the editor: Silence is not the choice Chester’s Select Board and school board should have made
In a town meeting, you don’t expect silence to be the loudest thing in the room. Yet at our most recent Chester Select Board meeting, you could have heard the proverbial pin drop. At this meeting, our Select Board’s duty was to review candidates and provide their endorsement of a candidate, to then be considered […]
To the editor: AG Clark, Vermont lawyers ignoring the U.S. Constitution
This is a letter of response on the subject of Vermont Attorney General Clark and more than 300 Vermont lawyers who gathered in Burlington earlier this month to rally and protest against the Trump administration. Why are Clark and more than 300 Vermont lawyers blaming the Trump administration for the ongoing lawless choices and irresponsible […]
To the editor: A letter to the Chester Select Board on how two rallies were organized for the Green
An open letter to the Chester Select Board: What follows are responses to the incomplete and misinformed comments presented at the May 7, 2025, Select Board meeting. Comments made at the meeting implied that the organizers and attendees at the April 5 and May 1 rallies on the Chester Green were not concerned about the […]
Op-ed: Protect voting by rejecting the SAVE Act
By Sue Racanelli President League of Women Voters of Vermont On April 10, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, H.R.22, passed the U.S. House and is on its way to the Senate. The League of Women Voters of Vermont opposes the SAVE Act because it would require all Vermont citizens registering to vote or updating […]
To the editor: Did Bill Schubart have a change of heart?
Bill Schubart is a lifelong progressive Democrat. (Chester Telegraph, April 21, 2025, Op-ed: Where are our once vibrant towns?) In 2011m he was a keynote speaker at an education conference I attended, sponsored by the Vermont League of Cities and Towns and the Vermont Superintendents Association. This was held at the South Burlington High School. […]
To the editor: Former Vermont lawmakers say education reform bill weakens system
More than 50 years ago, Vermont recognized the hardship faced by homeowners whose property taxes were rising faster than their ability to pay them. Since then, state fiscal policy has moved, in fits and starts, toward a system where school taxes are based on Vermonters’ income, the best measure of their ability to pay. We, […]
To the editor: GM middle schoolers do their part on Green Up Day
On Friday, May 2, close to 80 7th and 8th graders of Green Mountain Middle School participated in Vermont Green Up Day. Students spent a few hours on Green Mountain Turnpike and Popple Dungeon Road collecting discarded litter. Students collected hundreds of bottles and cans as well as plastic containers, car parts, a dozen tires […]
To the editor: Bellows Falls Trump, DOGE protest attracts more than 485
Saturday, April 19 was an amazing day in Bellows Falls with over 485 people lining the streets protesting the actions of President Donald J. Trump. Despite the rain, protesters came from Bellows Falls, Saxtons River, Chester, Springfield, Brattleboro, Westminster and Claremont, N.H. The man from Claremont came dressed in a kilt and carried the […]
Op-ed: Do Vermonters want radical change in education?
By Jack Hoffman Now that the state House of Representatives has passed an education reform plan, it will be easy to get bogged down in the minutiae that differentiate it from Gov. Phil Scott’s “Education Transformation Proposal.” But before Vermonters get lost in the weeds debating these proposals, they might want to ask themselves if […]
To the editor: The impacts of Trump tariffs are hitting Vermont
For anyone who thinks that what is happening in Washington isn’t having a profound effect on life in Vermont, think again. It began with neighbors being fired from USAID and has evolved into destabilizing commerce with Vermont’s biggest trade partner, Canada. In addition, President Trump’s irresponsible rhetoric about Canada is having a profoundly negative impact […]
Bill Schubart: Where are our once vibrant towns?
By Bill Schubart What are the cohesive elements in Vermont’s 247 towns and cities? What sustains their human connection, commerce, and community? Though born in New York City, I grew up in Morrisville from the age of 3. It was a small bustling town. On weekends, the daytime streets were filled with shoppers and timely […]
Commentary: A little fascist cosplay right here in Vermont
By John Walters Vermont Political Observer Thank God Becca White was there. I’m so sorry Becca White was there, because she had to witness… I’d call it a farce, which it is, but it may well be a harbinger of the post-democratic America that Donald Trump wants to create. A post-democratic America which would be […]
To the editor: S66 is a bill that is just noise, nuisance
Is S66 really needed? Just a few things Sen. Alison Clarkson fails to mention about S66 (To the editor: Clarkson updates legislative work at the halfway mark The Chester Telegraph, March 31.) Currently, there are laws that govern public nuisance in creating loud noises. Maybe instead of creating more laws about loud noises, our public […]
To the editor: Senior Solutions thanks Chester for its support, commitment to those aging
Thank you to the generous residents of Chester. Yet again, you have shown your support for Senior Solutions. I am the executive director for Senior Solutions, and it is heartwarming to see Chester’s commitment to our aging neighbors and family members. For over 50 years, Senior Solutions has been a trusted partner in providing guidance, […]
To the editor: Clarkson updates legislative work at the halfway mark
Both chambers in the Vermont Legislature are working their way through the large number of bills which ‘made’ the ‘cross-over’ deadline. Cross-over is a deadline we set each year which roughly marks the halfway point of our Legislative Session. It forces us to finish the work in our House and Senate committees on the bills […]
To the editor: Anti-trans rhetoric is dangerous and irresponsible
The U.S. has serious issues of economic struggle, hunger and climate-driven disasters. Yet if you look at conservative media, you think that the country is facing an existential threat from an army of transgender and non-binary individuals. Republican officials are pushing bills to deny trans rights and even criminalize someone for identifying as transgender. So […]
To the editor: Come to Chester Housing Commission Open House; enter to win a sleigh ride!
Having had my first cup of coffee, I headed out to the barn to do Thursday morning’s chores. The first three days of last week had been busy: Town Meeting on Monday night, a Select Board meeting Wednesday night and, at the polls on Tuesday, I did hand out information about the Chester Housing Commission’s […]
To the editor: When Canadians hid American diplomats from Iran
Jan. 27th marked the 45th anniversary of the escape from Iran of six American diplomats during the Iran Hostage Crisis. The six Americans had eluded capture by the Iranian students who had overrun the U.S. embassy in Tehran. Fifty Americans were taken hostage. Canadian diplomats hid the six Americans for 79 days inside their embassy […]
