Washington District Senate candidates take part in forum
October 16, 2026 | By Eric Blaisdell | Times Argus staff writer
Washington District state Senate candidates take part in a forum on Oct. 1. Left to right: Anne Watson, Peter Schmeekle, Andrew Perchlik, Christopher Neddo, Rob LaClair and Ann Cummings. Photo by John Lazenby
MONTPELIER — Candidates looking to represent Washington County and the towns of Braintree, Orange and Stowe in the Vermont Senate took part in a public forum at Montpelier High School earlier this month, discussing a wide variety of issues.
Three Democratic incumbents, Ann Cummings, Anne Watson and Andrew Perchlik, are all seeking reelection. Cummings, of Montpelier, is seeking her 15th term; Watson, of Barre, her third; and Perchlik, of Marshfield, his fifth.
They are challenged by Republicans Rob LaClair, of Montpelier, Christopher Neddo, of Barre Town, and Peter Schmeeckle, of Stowe, in the General Election on Nov. 3.
The six candidates participated in a forum on Oct. 1 hosted by the editors of The Times Argus, The Bridge and the Waterbury Roundabout. A video recording of the forum is available on ORCA Media’s website and YouTube page.
The candidates were asked what the most pressing issues are that are impacting residents.
Cummings said affordability is the most important issue. She said property taxes are out of control and health insurance costs are high. She said the Legislature has been working on affordability issues and has started to make some progress.
LaClair said he agreed with Cummings that affordability is a major issue for many. He said he wasn’t sure that the state was making the necessary progress it should have made.
Neddo agreed, too, saying property taxes are the top issue he hears from residents. Along with additional fees, he said residents don’t understand why their costs keep increasing. “And, quite frankly, a lot of people want to leave,” he said.
Perchlik said the affordability issues boil down to the Trump administration’s “attack on regular Vermonters” and citizens. He brought up the war in Iran and said that conflict is leading to higher costs for heating fuel. Perchlik said tariffs implemented by the federal government have led to increased costs for materials, driving up the cost of building housing, and cuts have been made to federal aid programs.
Schmeeckle said affordability, obviously, is a big problem. He said he remembers growing up in Barre, and it was rough then as it’s rough now.
Schmeeckle said the state needs more unity. He then took issue with Perchlik’s remarks about the President and said President Trump is not attacking the state.
“That’s just bogus, alright. I think the President loves the people of the United States of America,” he said.
Watson said affordability, property taxes, and health care costs are at the top of her list. She said the Legislature has been working on affordability, and she’s starting to see results that she’s encouraged by.
Watson said one issue that hadn’t been raised by the candidates was protecting our democracy and ensuring that we continue to have free and fair elections. And she noted climate change is an issue acutely felt here, since Washington County is one of the most disaster-prone counties in the country.
The candidates were asked what the state could be doing better to address the unhoused population.
Schmeeckle said there are three kinds of unhoused people: the homeless, drug addicts, and those dealing with mental illness. He said we no longer have an institution for those people. He said we used to have facilities for those who can’t take care of themselves.
He said he wasn’t saying build a giant prison, but communities across the state are dealing with an overflow of addicts and homeless people. He said the state needs a facility, possibly a forensic facility as has been proposed, where people can be helped.
Watson said the Legislature has passed a bill increasing funding for shelters, and she wants to see that continue. She said lawmakers also made it easier for communities to receive permits for shelters.
“I realize that can be controversial, but I think it’s really important that we have places for people to go,” she said.
She said there are different reasons as to why someone may end up homeless, so it’s important to have supports in place to help people get out of homelessness. And she said municipalities and police departments need support as well, as they try to help this population.
Cummings said the state is responding to a crisis that has many causes. She said people are priced out of housing, and some are dealing with mental illness or drug addiction, an issue that skyrocketed with the opiate epidemic.
She said the state needs to improve basic social work. She said the state needs trained case managers, not someone right out of college with a music degree, but experienced social workers. She said people would receive one-on-one assistance navigating the system so they would have some structure and help in their recovery efforts or obtaining health care and counseling.
LaClair said Montpelier is struggling “tremendously” with its unhoused population. He said he wanted to learn more about the root causes that end up with someone losing their home and why this problem has “exploded.”
He said he knows mental health issues and drug use are factors but asked what the other factors are.
And he said the way the state has approached this issue hasn’t worked. He said the state has done a good job focusing on the compassion side of the issue, but he wanted more focus on accountability because people say they don’t feel safe walking around downtown Montpelier anymore.
Neddo said unhoused people need help, but he doesn’t know how to get them that help. He said if someone wants to keep using drugs, he’s not going to help them. He said the state has many programs for those who do want help.
He said he was worried about unhoused families, with about 600 kids living on the streets in the state.
Perchlik said what can help is to get people housed. He said housing-first models have been shown to be effective. He said people need shelter, and then you deal with addiction or mental health issues.
He said studies have been done on homelessness here, so we know what the factors are driving the problem, but it’s a matter of finding the necessary resources to house people. He said the state needs to support municipalities dealing with these issues.
This story was published by The Times Argus on Oct. 2.