John J. Burns, Moretown, is running as an Independent candidate for the Washingtin-2 legislative district, representing Moretown, Waitsfield, Warren, Fayston and Duxbury in the Vermont Legislature.

VR: Why are you running for office now?

During veto override week I learned that only two candidates were running for the two seats representing this district. I believe we need choices and alternatives to have a healthy political system. Additionally, there is a lot of discontent across the state with our Democratic majority in the Legislature and the two candidates are Democrats. I felt compelled to put my name on the ballot so people have a choice and a bit of hope for this upcoming election in November.

VR: What is your background and experience?

I was born and raised in Burlington and graduated from UVM in 1992 with a political science degree, and was commissioned as an Army officer. I moved to Moretown in 2007 and retired from the Vermont Army National Guard in 2020 with over 30 years of service. Fifteen years of this was full-time service which included two deployments to Afghanistan and numerous years as a practitioner of ‘non-lethal’ operations. These operations include engagements, negotiations, and cultural awareness factors which enable a military commander to avoid using force. When not serving full-time, I was an entrepreneur, working on and developing my properties and helping others with their property needs. I also taught ROTC college students for five years at Norwich University. I complemented my experience with education by completing business programs at UVM and Champlain College, completing a ‘sustainable building’ program at Yestermorrow Design/Build school, and getting my Master of Public Administration degree at Norwich.

VR: What are your priorities if elected, first, second, and third?

My first priority is to do everything I can to help people not be taxed and expensed out of their home The ‘affordability’ issue is damaging the fabric of our state by gutting our communities. This is probably my second and third priority too but for the sake of the question, I’ll say the second priority is addressing climate change here in Vermont, within our geographic border and fiscal capability. My number three priority is to bring a sense of respect and decorum back to the Legislature.

How can Vermont deal with a changing climate and back-to-back flooding?

Good question because it contains its answer. Vermont can deal with a changing climate by doing some real projects to prevent future flooding. New Orleans has developed solutions to contain flood waters and hold the ocean back, we can probably do some real projects with our rivers by restoring flood plains, or channeling where necessary to protect developed locations. We can also continue to help Vermonters insulate and upgrade their inefficient buildings, and build new energy-efficient housing. That brings up another issue, the housing shortage. Well, there is a synergy there that can be capitalized on once the legislature stops being so polarized. There are real hands-on things we should do in Vermont to address climate change, and our current legislature is fixated on extravagant carbon credit schemes that nobody understands.

Why are you running as an independent?

I began seeing myself as an independent back around the John McCain era. I was from a solid Democratic family, but I grew out of that and I didn’t fit into the Republican party either. I am a fiscal conservative and have a libertarian streak. I believe we are stronger when we strive to maintain what we have built. We know that change and progress are always a factor in life, and I believe this should be planned and managed, not experimented with as our current Legislature is doing. Being Independent allows me to better ascribe to these principles and beliefs.   

Reach out to Burns as follows:

https://independent4vt.onepage.me/

(802) 328-8001 | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.