Mark MacDonald Runs for Senator Again

Details: Created on Tuesday, 30 October 2018 01:19; Written by Chelsi Byrnes

VERMONT -With elections just a week away, Senator Mark MacDonald who represents Orange County is running for re-election.

During his previous term as a Senator, he saught changes in climate, the environment, and worked to find new ways of creating a broadband co-op. Now, one of his main efforts will target finding new ways to change the education system in Vermont. Another will be working to negotiate dairy prices so people can have better access to jobs closer to home.

"Well in Vermont we have a no taxation policy. We don't tax dairy products, and we don't have taxation on farm machinery. But it's a national problem where the price of milk keeps dropping, and we don't have a supply and demand system like they do in Canada, which seems to work better for the dairy farmers. That's a big problem here in this county," said MacDonald.

He went on to talk about the tough economic environment, stating that he'd like to make a change. "40 percent of my county has income declined workers that work paycheck to paycheck to send kids to daycare, to commute, and to work. It's hard and tough especially in rural Vermont."

MacDonald also noted schools, and how the population keeps decreasing. He would like to see more kids attending community college so jobs can be filled.

"I'd like to see more help for young people to go to community college and get the skills necessary to fill jobs that are now available in this state a job that people who have been overlooked at to go to college since the great recession and take on great debt with prospects for employment were not good," said MacDonald.

Kingdom East superintendent, Jennifer Botzojorns, would like to see these educational issues be fixed as well. "The state of Vermont passed a law recently so young people in high school can do what is called dual enrollment. So while they are going to high school they can also attend a college, a community college, or Northern Vermont University, and obtain credits," she continued. And they can double dip as if it were more likely to begin college with credits. I do think the inordinate amount of loans that people who graduate from college have is untenable, and it's something we need to fix. I do think that providing quality college education for young people who want and need it is important. And I think also technical training is also important. You know, we need people to be able to take care of our houses, to build houses, to be plumbers, to be good agriculturists, and loggers. So we need to have technilogical training in those areas as well."

MacDonald is competing against Sarah Copeland Hanzas, Chip Conquest, and Joe Parsons.