Letters to the Editor (7/2/25)

Whither Willoughby?

Thank you, Seven Days, and reporter Kevin McCallum for your thorough coverage of circumstances surrounding the proposed Industrial Tower and Wireless radio tower near Lake Willoughby in Westmore [“Communication Breakdown: A Proposed Tower Near Scenic Lake Willoughby Riles the Tiny Town of Westmore,” June 25]. After navigating numerous hurdles trying to protect one of Vermont’s National Natural Landmarks, we residents see how important it is for other small rural towns to be better prepared for a similar scenario. Your reporting plays an important role in doing that!

Vermont has a legacy of protecting its distinctive rural character and natural nonindustrialized landscape, recognizing them as economic resources for the ever-burgeoning tourist industry; witness its cutting-edge 1968 billboard ban. Honoring this legacy, senator Patrick Leahy was quoted in 1998 warning against Vermont becoming a pincushion of telecommunication towers.

Since publication of the Seven Days story, the Public Utility Commission hearing officer’s proposal for decision was released, concluding that “the proposed project will promote the general good of the state.” As noted in your story, the Department of Public Service agrees. It is unconscionable that, with so little evidence of public good or demand, a massive industrial radio tower would be constructed in a place treasured for its natural beauty, extending from its southern dramatic glacial gap north to its rolling fields and woodlands unmarred by any large industrial structures. This decision clearly disregards the recommendations of the Westmore Planning Commission and Selectboard.

It’s not too late to act for those who want to keep Lake Willoughby free of industrial development. Please submit comments to the Public Utility Commission for Case 24-1755-PET before 4 p.m. on Friday, July 11, at epuc.vermont.gov/?q=node/52/198631.

Cynthia Krieble

Westmore

The Other Bernie Bro

What a wonderful profile of our naturalist friend and neighbor Bernie Paquette [“Going Apian: Citizen Naturalist Bernie Paquette Spreads the Joy of Spotting Wild Bees and Other Bugs in One’s Own Backyard,” June 4]. Bernie’s enthusiasm for all things outdoors, and his penchant for capturing photos and cataloging bees, are inspiring. So inspiring, in fact, that I wrote a poem for Bernie that he encouraged me to send in:

A man and his beesPerhaps down on his kneesTakes a shot for the world to shareWith dozens in flightThere’s a ton in his sightIt’s more fun than a person can bear.

Keep up the great work, Bernie!

Steve Martano

Jericho

Farmworkers Need Housing

It’s sad that housing experts and developers have no knowledge about farming or building off-the-farm affordable farmworker housing [“Home Hacks: Co-ops, Community Partnerships and Tiny Homes: Vermonters Pursue Innovative Solutions During an Unrelenting Housing Crisis,” May 28]. Such development for our agricultural workers could have a huge positive impact.

Farmworkers are essential workers, and Vermont cannot afford to keep farmworkers in the shadows. We need investment in agricultural workforce housing to continue growing food in our communities.

Ernest Caswell

Milton

Downtown Needs

[Re “Food Fight: Plans to Relocate a Free Lunch Program in Burlington Just Got Messier,” May 28]: Perhaps the quandary of determining a suitable location for Burlington’s free lunch program recalls the maxim to craft a problem-solving strategy only after defining the need for that strategy. In other words, determine the need first.

What are the respective needs? I understand that the food cart is concerned with providing accessible nutrition and human support to other humans, whereas the Church Street Marketplace is concerned with shoppers, tourists and merchants.

I encourage the participants in this quandary to set aside judgmental bias and instead hone in on the needs of each faction. Unless there is a valid need to locate the two — Marketplace and free lunch — close to one another, then let them be physically separate. History tells us that they may have conflicting needs.

Also, unless there are needs that warrant proximity, I trust that Burlington has an open area, accessible by public transportation and located away from the Marketplace, that can host the meals program and serve the needs of its clientele.

Hugo Liepmann

Middlesex

‘Powerful Juxtaposition’

Thanks for providing the powerful juxtaposition on the Last 7: Week in Review page [June 18] of the Sackler family’s paltry settlement for accelerating the nation’s opioid crisis and the insane use of force to subdue two people who had the audacity to bring meals to people who are working on farms, orchards and dairies across the nation.

The Sacklers and their Purdue Pharma settled for $7.4 billion for contributing to the more than 1 million deaths since OxyContin was released in 1996. In 2024, the Sackler family had a net worth of $10.8 billion. Because the fine can be paid over time, the Sackler family only had to come up with $1.5 billion down and can pay the rest over 15 years. At the current 4 percent interest rate on money markets, the Sacklers can bank $236 million per year. And no one is facing prison or deportation.

At the same time, two people here without documentation were forcibly arrested and are facing deportation. Faced with armed individuals who were masked and refused to identify themselves, they were targeted because they are brown people. They and their entire community were traumatized and now live in constant fear.

We have to ask ourselves, as a country: Are we better off with the Sacklers or with Heidi and Jose?

John Garn

Ripton

Phone-Free Forever!

As executive director of Kinhaven Music School in Weston, I was deeply moved by your recent article on Harwood Union Middle and High School’s phone-free policy [“Bye, Phone: Vermont Is Poised to Ban Cellphones During School. It’s Already Been a Success on One Local Campus,” May 28]. At Kinhaven, we have operated tech-free summer programs for decades, and I can say with certainty: It works — and beautifully so.

When students arrive on our campus, they relinquish their phones and instead immerse themselves in two powerful forces — nature and music. What begins with a little unease quickly gives way to something extraordinary. Students look one another in the eye. They listen. They form friendships that run deep, unmediated by screens. And the music they make reflects this depth — honest, expressive, and full of presence and vulnerability.

Like Harwood, we’ve found that removing phones doesn’t isolate young people; it liberates them. Their attention spans stretch. Their conversations deepen. The power of community, built through shared meals, chamber music rehearsals, morning walks, spontaneous laughter and late-night storytelling, becomes the true technology of connection.

Many of our students tell us they don’t want to go back on their phones after Kinhaven. They crave the rare, profound gift of real, uninterrupted human connection. I was particularly struck by Harwood teacher Phil Stetson’s words: “It’s been an amazing change.” I couldn’t agree more.

Harwood’s example — and this potential statewide policy — sends a powerful, necessary message: Our students deserve spaces where they can be fully present. Sometimes, the most radical and loving act is to simply put the phones away.

Tony Mazzocchi

Weston

Good Boy

I enjoyed your recent article about therapy dogs at the airport [True 802: “Calming Canine,” June 4]. What a great way to highlight the comfort and joy these pups bring to travelers!

I’m the handler for Buddy, a 2-year-old golden retriever who also volunteers at Burlington International Airport as a therapy dog. Since our names were briefly mentioned, I wanted to reach out and share a bit more context about Buddy’s role.

Buddy is a graduate of the Therapy Dog Academy run by Deb Helfrich of Gold Star Dog Training. Following a thorough background check and TSA clearance, Buddy and I began visiting the airport in July 2024. We are there three or four times a week and coordinate with John Wrobel so there’s transparency and consistency in coverage.

Our approach is a little different from John’s — we typically set up in a fixed spot in the North Terminal so that passengers can choose to approach Buddy if they’d like. We’ve found this to be a respectful and effective approach, especially in a public space where some people may be afraid of dogs, have allergies, come from cultures with different views about dogs or simply prefer not to interact. Creating space for people to opt in — or not — is an essential part of doing this work responsibly.

We’ve received incredible feedback from passengers and airport staff alike. Many say spending a few minutes with Buddy eases their anxiety before a flight. In addition to our airport visits, Buddy and I also make therapy dog visits to the Colchester Rescue Squad, the Burlington Fire Department and Rice Memorial High School.

Thanks again for spotlighting the positive impact of therapy dogs in our community!

Cathy Chamberlain & Buddy the Therapy Dog

Colchester

‘Bold Solutions’

I want to thank the authors at Seven Days and Vermont Public for their journalism in [“Exposed: Overdose Is the Leading Killer of Homeless Vermonters. But a Shift From Motel Rooms to Tents Presents New Dangers,” February 5]. This reporting brings attention to the systemic neglect that has allowed homelessness and preventable deaths to persist in our state. I’m also grateful for the community members who continue to show up — our solidarity matters.

The article highlights the intertwined crises of homelessness, substance-use disorder and mental health. Vermont’s reliance on the emergency motel program has failed to address root causes, such as the lack of constructed housing available, and has worsened conditions for vulnerable Vermonters. Additionally, for those questioning, “Why do people keep coming here?!,” I posit curiosity and pride in the sense of safety and opportunity Vermont offers. We are at risk of deepening social and economic divides, fueling xenophobia, and weakening our values if we do not act. Our denial brings instability, not security.

Vermont needs a comprehensive system to track homeless deaths and guide data-driven policy. We also need bold solutions. Permanent supportive housing with integrated services is critical for long-term sustainability.

One solution in plain sight: second and vacation homes that sit vacant most of the year. Taxing these underused assets and directing the revenue toward frontline social services could transform our trajectory. A statewide fund dedicated to housing and care would reflect a real commitment to justice and community.

Homelessness is not inevitable; it is the result of our choices that prioritize property and wealth over people.

Evie Blair Campbell

Essex Junction

Campbell works for COTS, a nonprofit that works to end homelessness in Vermont.

‘People, Not Property’

[Re “Short on Rent: Housing Assistance Cuts Could Keep More Vermonters Homeless,” June 11]: Who does the system serve? The answer to that question has been laid bare as we witness the continued rollback of programs meant to support our vulnerable brothers and sisters in Vermont.

Facing budget shortfalls, the Burlington Housing Authority hasn’t asked landlords to freeze or lower rents — as some housing authorities in other states have done. Instead, it’s cracking down on renters. These are parents, veterans and working-class people already on the margins now left to face a brutal housing market with no support.

The BHA says it can’t “force anything down a landlord’s throat.” But it can — and does — revoke a renter’s lifeline. That’s not neutrality; it’s a conscious decision, part of a deeper structure that, yes, exists even here in Vermont: a system that prioritizes the owner class over the working class. BHA’s language reflects a structural constraint that is ideological as much as it is fiscal. After all, BHA is operating within a political-economic system that treats housing as a commodity, not a right.

Once again, we see that the institutions of this country are designed to protect private property — not to meet the basic needs of people. Nowhere is that clearer than in this struggle over Section 8 vouchers.

We need a different kind of politics — one that puts people, not property, at the center. That means confronting the power imbalance between landlords and tenants and rejecting the idea that rising homelessness is just an unfortunate by-product of “budget constraints.”

Matt Kobzik

Burlington