Kate McCann
Democratic Candidate for Vermont House of Representatives in the Washington-4 District
What do you believe is the role of state government, if any, in ensuring that everyone living in Vermont has the food they need to thrive?
Was so proud that one of my first votes cast was for universal school meals! State government should do all they can to ensure everyone has the food they need, nutritional and local.
What would be your policy priorities to move Vermont toward food security for all?
I'm a school teacher and as such, my primary concern is ensuring kiddos and their families have what they need to not be hungry. We must continue to ensure our most vulnerable including the unhoused have food to fuel their bodies.
What do you believe are the root causes of hunger, and what should the state do to address those underlying factors?
Raise the minimum wage, consider the Housing First program to get all people a roof overhead, universal healthcare, and ensuring utilities cannot be shut off for non payment during times of extreme heat (I introduced a bill for this that was incorporated into another that passed the House this year and stalled in the Senate)
How would you help strengthen the state’s agriculture and food economy to ensure Vermont farms can continue to grow the food we all need?
It was really important to finally get language for accessory on farm so that farms can diversify to ensure they are able to survive after extreme weather events. It was also important to ban paraquat. We need especially the apple farms to get the education and resources they need to replace paraquat with something that isn't dangerous to Vermonters.