Tristan Roberts represents the Windham-6 district in the Vermont House of Representatives, where he has served on the House Corrections and Institutions committee.
HALIFAX-Dear friends,
Like you, I love my family and I love being a Vermonter.
The greatest privilege of serving you as state representative for the past two years has been the opportunity to love my neighbors in three towns by offering you the strongest possible representation in the Legislature.
I'm proud to have served my neighbors in Halifax, like those who keep our town strong no matter what challenges arise through their service in town offices, and in pillar town organizations like the Halifax Fire Company and the Halifax Community Club.
I've also found that my favorite vistas in the district are from some of the high fields and curving farm roads in Whitingham, where I can chat with multigenerational dairy farmers about what they're seeing on their land this year and what it means for our future.
Some of the most exciting policy conversations I've had in the last two years have been with the can-do business owners of Wilmington. That includes both the relative newcomers on the scene and the proprietors of the reliable service stations who have been there for us for decades.
Every Vermonter I've talked to has at least three things in common: You're proud to live here, you're concerned about the future, and you want to be treated like a peer by Montpelier.
I took both your hopes and your frustrations to the state capitol. No matter what issues I brought forward or what bills came before me, I did my best to represent all 4,200-plus Windham-6 residents and all Vermonters.
No matter your political leanings, I considered your concerns and communicated my positions and my reasoning.
I'm especially proud of:
• Supporting policies for working families, including Vermont's historic 2023 child care bill.
• Voting for balanced budgets that brought home our fair share of education funding, increased our local share of funding for roads and bridges, and invested in resilient community infrastructure.
• Working with my colleagues from all parties to improve our criminal justice system. We closed gaps in corrections, modernized pretrial options, and added positions to move criminal cases to trial faster.
There remains much to do.
However, I'm excited to announce that, barring unforeseen circumstances, I'll be taking a paternity leave from politics. I will not be seeking re-election this fall.
* * *
Excited? OK, there's more to it than that.
I also feel sad and everything in between.
I've felt 1,000% engaged with the job and how much it means to you to have strong representation. I'm proud of our accomplishments, and in other circumstances I would be excited to run on my record.
However, with our family welcoming a new baby in August, I've decided that it doesn't make sense this time around.
My partner and my 12-year-old have been more than supportive - they've been incredible partners in my work these past two years. But explaining to a new baby why I'm two hours from home for the legislative session of January through May, especially while earning little, is a different matter.
I'm grateful to you, Windham County residents, for your conversation and support, in all the forms that has taken.
I would be delighted if another resident could take their turn doing this work. If you even feel the smallest bit of curiosity about running, I'd be happy to share what it takes. Please message me!
I will serve out my term through January 2025. Residents can continue to contact me at [email protected] with your policy input and for help navigating issues with the state.
I look forward to devoting as much time as I can to issues right in my community, as well as continuing to contribute to topics of statewide concern. More to come on that soon.
I've had the time of my life working with all of you. What's next? Let's stay in touch.
Love, Rep. Tristan Roberts.
This Voices Legislative Update was submitted to The Commons.
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