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Columns November 15, 2007
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You Can Help Shape Vermont's Future
By Richard Mallary

There's little question that Vermont is changing- and it is changing rapidly.New technology is enabling more Vermonters to work from home or launch successful businesses; higher education is thriving in this state and new "green" businesses are benefiting from Vermont's pristine environmental reputation.At the same time. the state is feeling pressure from development, loss of farms and working land, young people moving elsewhere to make their futures, a warming climate, economic shifts, public safety challenges, an erosion of the traditional Vermont sense of community, and more.The newly formed Council on the Future of Vermont believes that the time is right for the statewide community to identify and understand these changes and explore the answer to the basic question: "What do these challenges and opportunities mean to Vermonters and what do they believe we will need to do to meet the future with confidence?"

The Council is taking that question across the state in the coming year, reaching out to Vermonters in every county- rural and urban communities alike- through a series of public hearings and small meetings. The first set of meetings is planned for next week in Randolph, reaching out to neighbors throughout southern Orange and northern Windsor counties.An open conversation for the public is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 19 at 6:30 p.m. in the Old Dorm Lounge at Vermont Technical College in Randolph.

As a member of the Council, I am asking everyone with an interest in shaping the future of our state to come to our meetings, to step forward, speak up and be part of this important process. The conversation will be wide ranging. Some questions to consider include:

  • What does Vermont mean to you?

  • What common values do Vermonters share?

  • What are your challenges and opportunities?

  • What should our priorities be for the future?

  • What does this mean for our community?

    Those are some of our questions. What are yours? What matters to you?

    The Council wants to hear from as many residents as possible. We are reaching out to young and old, employed and unemployed, the active and the retired, those who regularly participate in civic discussions and - just as importantly- those who frequently sit out the debate.There are plenty of ways to get involved in this process. Contact one of the sponsoring organizations (Chandler Center for the Arts, Central Vermont Community Action Council, Randolph Area Chamber of Commerce, Randolph Area Community Development Corp., Randolph Union High School, the town of Randolph, Two Rivers-Ottauquechee Regional Commission, and Vermont Technical College).

    Visit the Council's site online at www.vtrural.org or call 223-6098. The Council will soon provide opportunities for public input that don't require attending a meeting- allowing you to submit your thoughts online or by other media that best enable your participation.It's less important how you participate. What is critical, however, is that people across the full spectrum of Vermont life step forward to contribute to this discussion. Vermont's future will change, whether we like it or not. That's reality. What matters deeply to me and to the members of the Council is that we, who call this state home, are instrumental in shaping those changes.

    I hope to see you all on Nov. 19.

    (Richard Mallary is a former Orange County Senator, Administration Secretary, and Congressman from Vermont, as well as electric utility executive and longtime dairy farmer. He lives in Brookfield.)



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