Get to know your new State Representatives
Todd Nielsen surprised many with a successful write-in campaign in the August Republican primary in Brandon, winning over 90 votes to secure a slot on the November ballot against 3-term incumbent Democrat Stephanie Jerome.
“I was praying for 25 [votes],” said Nielsen in a conversation at his home in Brandon. “I was totally amazed. Nobody knew me. It was really just word of mouth.”
But by November, it had become clear that Nielsen had tapped into a groundswell of frustration with the status quo in a year when property taxes saw double-digit percent increases and both the Otter Valley school budget and the Brandon town budget were rejected twice by voters.
“I knocked on a lot of doors,” said Nielsen. “75% of the people I spoke to were upset about taxes. They couldn’t understand where the money was going. Some people didn’t even mind paying, they just wanted to know where it was going. You can’t throw money away.”
On November 5, Brandon chose Nielsen as its next State Representative, 1,258 votes to Jerome’s 1,056. Nielsen was among two dozen or so Republicans who picked up seats from Democrats in this election cycle, breaking the supermajority the Democrats have held in Vermont for the last two years.
“I was excited. This is my second life,” said Nielsen, who has never held elective office before, having spent much of his career as a carpenter and security guard. His home in Brandon, where he moved 14 years ago from New York, is testament to his carpentry skills: he restored the 1880s house he shares with his wife, Aida, a registered nurse, and is currently putting up an outbuilding to store large equipment. He even raised pigs until a hernia put an end to that. He is, as he admits, a complete newbie to the world of politics and legislating.
But he felt compelled to run for office after the local Republican group sought a candidate to run against Jerome, who was seen as vulnerable in a purple district in a year when resentments toward incumbents were high.
“People were telling me they couldn’t afford to live here anymore,” he said. “I met people who said they loved Brandon but it was too expensive now so they were moving to places like Tennessee.”
Even though the write-in campaign was a surprise success, the campaign for the November election was not always smooth sailing, with letters to this paper and posts on Front Porch Forum often criticizing Nielsen for his stated goal of “voting no on all new taxes,” which some Brandon residents found simplistic and unrealistic. He was also criticized for his inexperience and lack of polish, especially in comparison to Ms. Jerome, who had been in office for 6 years and had once worked for NASA. The criticisms reached a peak after an admittedly shaky performance at a Candidates Forum sponsored by the Brandon Area Chamber of Commerce in October.
“I was kind of scared to go there,” he said. “But a friend told me to ‘man up and do it.’ I thought I was treated fairly by the Chamber. Some of the people who wrote about me after I thought were friends. But I’ve got to get over it. When you do something for the first time, it can get to you. But it will bounce off me now. I will continue to do what I think is right.”
Nielsen will begin his House orientation in November, with the legislative session officially beginning in January. New House members are matched with experienced mentors who will help them acclimate. In addition, members of the Rutland County delegation and Rutland County Republican Party have reached out to ease Nielsen into the legislative swing of things.
“I’m surrounding myself with people who can help me,” he said.
As for his legislative priorities, he hopes to join committees on homelessness, drug abuse, and housing. He’d also like to help expand cell-phone coverage to underserved areas like Forest Dale. He also noted that he will stand up for Vermont’s laws, even if he doesn’t personally agree with them, as he made clear at the Candidates Forum when he said he stood by Vermont’s abortion laws.
“I am honored to be in this position. I don’t want to promise more than I can deliver. I don’t want to make empty promises.”
Nielsen also stated that he encountered a fair amount of hostility toward the Republican Party while he was campaigning, even once being yelled at in a local store. But he wants to assure his new constituents that he intends to represent everyone.
“I don’t vote the party line,” he said. “I vote the Brandon & Forest Dale line. I’ve traveled all over the world. Brandon is the best place I’ve ever lived. It breaks my heart when I hear people are leaving.”
