NEWPORT — Susan A. Davis announced that she is running for Newport City Mayor. Davis was born and raised in the Northeast Kingdom, and is a graduate of Sacred Heart High School in Newport and Vermont Law School. She has practiced law in Orleans County for over 25 years, and was elected and served as Essex County State’s Attorney from 1991 to 1995.
Below is a statement Davis issued laying out her platform for Mayor.
Economy:
Businessmen like Bill Stenger or Tony Pamerleau have a lot to offer. They have vision, contacts and resources, and to the extent they want to offer these to our area, more power to them. I would not want to see that stop. But it is clear that we cannot rely on someone else to bail us out. We cannot wait for others to decide our future. We need to encourage and support the people who are already here, who have dedicated their time, energy and resources into building up the businesses that are the heart of the Northeast Kingdom and the lifeblood of Vermont.
Over 90 percent of all business in Vermont are small businesses. And nearly 60 percent of all workers are employed by small businesses. Small business means local business. Local business means keeping the dollars at home, paying wages to those who live here, and supporting community services. Unless we can build our own economy from the bottom up, we cannot thrive.
Having outside money helps – a lot. Depending on it to bail us out is like depending on the one-company town to survive. If anything happens to that company, everyone else is sacrificed.
I welcome businesses that can come in and help us out, but our first priority must go to shoring up, encouraging and supporting the people and businesses that are already here.
Natural Resources:
We are currently being threatened by an East Coast version of the Keystone Pipeline, which could be built from Canada to Maine via the towns of Troy, Irasburg, Orleans, and Victory. We can’t afford to have the kind of ecological disaster that occurred in Kalamazoo, Mich. This is not crude oil. Tar sands oil is a very heavy, very dense, very toxic substance.
Our area relies heavily on its natural resources for economic survival. Hunting and fishing comprise one of the largest generators of income in the state. We are known for our scenic beauty, which draws tourists from all over the world, and for our agriculture, horticulture and animal husbandry. A healthy environment is not just about milking cows. It’s also about Wright’s Fishing Derby, the open water swim events, the Dandelion Run, community gardens and farmers’ markets, orchards and beekeeping, local florists, Farm to School and Farm to Plate programs, and having clean, potable water to drink right from the faucet.
Local Pride:
Newport has a great history. Despite being physically isolated, we have hosted international races, arts competitions, music festivals, and many other events. We boast artists, writers, musicians and theatrical performers. We are blessed with teachers who raise the level of education above the norm in the areas of arts, artisanship and the trades. We have a right to be proud of our resources, our people and our accomplishments.
Newport should be showcasing these accomplishments. Main Street should be alive with ideas new and old, ideas that represent the finest we have to offer.
I have a very positive vision of Newport. I want to see it grow and flourish, not from the top down, but from the bottom up, by shoring up the foundation of our economy – the people who invest in Newport as a home and as a place to work and prosper.
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Davis has served on numerous area boards, including those of North Country High School, Northeast Kingdom Learning Services, Coutts-Moriarty Camp, Northern Vermont Chapter of the American Red Cross, and currently serves on the board of directors for NEK-TV, the local public access television station.
She grew up on working dairy farms in West Barnet and Lyndonville and was one of the founding members of the University of Vermont Rescue Squad. She served two years with the United States Air Force, was honorably discharged, and attended college on the GI Bill.
In addition to her legal work, Davis is an author, poet, and supporter of the arts. She is a strong supporter of local economies, community gardens, protection of natural resources that serve as the economic basis for the Kingdom’s agricultural and tourist industries, and community development.
