Issue Position: Economic Development is Community Development

Emilie's vision: Every working person earns a livable wage and has dignified working conditions.

Vermont is not too expensive, and our taxes are not too high--our incomes are too low. Over the last decade, annual wages at the bottom grew by only $500, while those at the top got a $6,000 raise. Currently we have an economy split between low-wage, temporary jobs and slightly higher-wage salaried jobs that still barely pay enough to cover the student loans required to obtain them. Vermont is a state that prides itself on strong relationships, capable hands, resourceful small business owners, innovative managers, and high quality of life. Vermont needs to develop industries that build on these specific local assets--rather than engage in a race to the bottom to attract more business-as-usual. We succeed when we build our apprenticeships, grow our worker co-ops, and provide flexible and humane work arrangements. We need wages that reflect and support the reality of our expenses--including good quality housing, health care, and food. When workers are respected for their time and skills, the entire organization sees benefits, from increased employee retention to better problem solving. And when we invest in our community infrastructure and quality of life, from IT to public recreation spaces, businesses attract qualified and happier employees.

Emilie has spent 20 years working at the intersection of economic and community development--brokering partnerships between government and industry, training government employees in accountability and change management, and working tirelessly to remind everyone at the table that economies exist to support communities rather than profits. This experience will allow her to work with people from all sectors and backgrounds to build an economy that works for our communities.

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