Greetings! 

My name is Dennis LaBounty, and I am running for re-election as your State Representative for Caledonia-3 (Lyndon, Newark, Sheffield, Sutton and Wheelock). Serving you as a constituent has been an honor and a privilege, and a responsibility which I take very seriously.

My wife and I are both native Vermonters. Having lived and raised a family here, I am very aware of - and have experienced - the economic challenges that many Vermonters face -- the struggle to make ends meet, to find affordable housing and child care, to pay for groceries and heat, and pay ever-increasing taxes.  The economics of living in Vermont have gotten more difficult each year. 

After retiring in 2021, I accepted a job driving school bus for Lyndon Town School. Knowing the shortage of bus drivers, and the difficulty many parents face getting their children to school, I continued to drive every morning before heading to the legislature in Montpelier. I really enjoy interacting with the kids and talking with them about their day or their weekend activities. We can learn a lot listening to the unfiltered wisdom of kids.

Prior to my retirement, I was the political director of the Vermont AFL-CIO for 18 years. In that role, I was at the Statehouse advocating for workers and their families. I always worked to find a common ground and engage different voices and views to the discussion.  During those many years, I learned to be an effective advocate, and am proud of the legislation that I helped promote --  increases to the minimum wage, improved access to medical care, sick leave, paid family leave, and affordable childcare – all policies that make your paycheck go further. As the parent of three grown sons, and a grandfather, I know the importance of creating good jobs, affordable housing, a clean environment, and creating the opportunities for all our families to succeed.

I serve on the House General and Housing Committee. I’m proud of the work we have done over the last two years. One key achievement was a substantial allocation of state funding to help senior citizens, low-income families and homeless individuals to secure permanent housing. We need more housing across the entire state, and I am committed to helping get more, actual affordable housing built.

Although I am running as a democrat, I am not a party-line voter and my voting record shows that fact. According to CPAC, a conservative think tank, for the 2023-2024 legislative session, I was scored the most conservative democrat as a state representative.  I like to think of myself as a true moderate who tries his best to look at both sides and vote how his constituents would have wanted me to vote. It’s not easy going against your party, and sometimes you have to make quick decisions on the fly, but I do not make any decisions lightly. I do a lot of research and listen to the experts, not special interest groups, but rather, I look to non-partisan opinions from the State economist and the staff from the State’s Joint Fiscal Office (JFO) who specialize in research, fiscal review, and assessment of the consequences of particular issues.   

I am running for State Representative once again because I know that I can represent the needs and opinions of our local voters.  In all the time that I have served as your representative, I have only missed two rollcall votes, and that was became I had a cancer treatment that day. Plus, I also attended 9 of the 10 Legislative Breakfasts held by our Chamber of Commerce, and attended many other events to talk with constituents. If you re-elect me, you can be certain that I will listen and work for you.

I would greatly appreciate your vote on November 5th to once again serve our district.

 Please feel free to contact me: labounty17@charter.net

 Respectfully,

Representative Dennis LaBounty