BRATTLEBORO-Since my first primary seven years ago, Windham County was known for some sleepy election cycles.
But in this election, voters had the choice of another strong candidate. Someone with a trusted family name and a strong work ethic.
Putting your name on the ballot and your face in the paper is hard no matter the reason you do it. Running for office allows you to see our community in a new way - the beautiful people and bends in the road, as well as some nastiness and substandard housing.
I'm grateful for the strong show of support in the Democratic primary and another opportunity to keep doing this work, to keep seeing each of you and our community in our full opportunity and struggles.
Brattleboro has faced hard choices and hard issues, as has Vermont as a whole. Thank you for trusting me to work toward real reform. I know that here we believe that the wealthy should pay their fair share, that we need to solve the affordable housing crisis, and that kids deserve good schools. So this moment is also an opportunity.
This is an opportunity to show the state what we're made of, to work together.
As you know, we are at a turning point and voters in Brattleboro have affirmed that we can try to manage the change. Together, we can make this a state where anyone can make it work, not just the wealthy few.
You showed up, you showed up for me, and you showed up for other candidates in our area. Thank you for believing that more is possible. That we can solve tough problems with courage.
And let me be clear - we aren't done. This is an inflection point, and there is hard work ahead. Please keep showing up with your bodies, with your voices, with your hope. And showing up for the general election. Our community deserves our attention. We need it. We value it.
Please stay in touch and keep talking. We need fewer lawn signs and more conversations if we're going to get through this.
Emilie Kornheiser
Brattleboro
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