For the first time in six years the legislative district that includes Waterbury will see some competition for its two seats in the Vermont House of Representatives in the upcoming November election.

Incumbent Rep. Thomas Stevens is running for a seventh two-year term, and Rep. Theresa Wood is running for her third term after her appointment in 2015. They represent the Chittenden-Washington House district that also includes Bolton, Buels Gore and Huntington.

Both Democrats have one official opponent so far, political newcomer and Republican Brock Coderre of Waterbury.

The 29-year-old Coderre hopes to win one of the seats in November. The district for Waterbury hasn’t had a Republican representative since Karen Steele served from 1987 until 2001.

Select Board Chair Chris Viens. Photo by Gordon Miller.

Another candidate on the horizon is Waterbury Select Board Chair Chris Viens, 60, who says he plans to run as an Independent.

In an email reply to Waterbury Roundabout inquiring about his plans, Viens said: “Yes, in fact I am running for house. And as an independent … I want to play for team taxpayer! Not red or blue,” he said. “I'm running as an independent because the rest of the system seems to be completely broken and no longer able to do the proper work for the people.”

On the Select Board since 2012, Viens won re-election unopposed to a three-year term in March. He said he hopes to rely on his experience in resolving issues by meeting people in the middle. Viens has not yet officially filed to run for state office. Independent candidates have until Aug. 6 to register to be on the November ballot.

Viens, however, is featured on a website for John Klar, one of four Republican primary challengers to Gov. Phil Scott. Klar lists like-minded candidates he calls “devoted team players” who are running mostly for legislative seats. Both Coderre and Viens are included on Klar’s site.

The Aug. 11 state primary election will decide major party candidates for November. Voters receive three ballots -- Democratic, Progressive and Republican -- and vote one of them in the primary. Independents would be listed on the Nov. 3 general election ballot.

The primary does not set up any contest yet since no party has more than two candidates for the district’s two House seats.

A young Republican

Challenger Brock Coderre of Waterbury Center. Courtesy Photo.

In a recent interview with Waterbury Roundabout, Coderre was asked to describe his perspective that he would bring to the office.

“I consider myself a moderate Republican who is basically trying to change the face of the Republican party. I’m a non-libertarian, a tick right of center, just baby pink,” he said.

Coderre has been living in Waterbury for just over four and a half years. “I was raised by electricians and loggers and mill workers up in Canaan, Vermont, in the Northeast Kingdom,” he said. With a population just under 1,000 in the 2010 census, Canaan is in the furthest northeast corner of Vermont, bordering Quebec and New Hampshire.

Over the last decade, Coderre said he has worked in the solar industry for several years and built houses for some time. He graduated in 2012 from Vermont Technical College with a degree in business management and information technology.

Brock described himself as being in between jobs before the coronavirus pandemic shut down many businesses. “When COVID-19 hit I decided to work instead of draw unemployment, so I have been working at Jimmz Pizza across the street from my house until our economy opens back up,” he said. “Better days soon to come… We'll just have to see where the opportunities come from and play it by ear.”

Coderre admits he has much to learn about being a state representative, but he said he is eager for the challenge. “This is my first time running for public office and I am very excited. Just because I’m young I don’t have that experience, but the drive is there,” he explained. “I can learn that. I want to learn more readily than I think other people will. And I’m willing to burn that midnight oil.”

Corderre said he has been inspired to run just by talking with people. “My drive is stopping into gas stations, going to restaurants, being out at different sporting events and hearing people no matter where I go giving this constant sigh of ‘man I wish I knew where my tax dollars are going. Vermont’s taxes are so high. I’m going to leave because I’m 30 and I’m trying to start a family. It is so not small-business friendly,’” he said.

At the center of Coderre’s politics is a focus on upholding the Constitution, he said, especially when it comes to policy decisions. “I’m an extremely constitutional thinker. Every single bit of legislation that comes our way, I’m going to cross-reference with our state, then federal constitution in that order. And that is going to be my rule,” he said.

Coderre said his goal is to better represent the people of the legislative district. “I want to serve my people, serve the locals. I’m not trying to reach up for anything. I’m just a guy. I’m just a farmer and a nurse’s son and I want to do the work,” he said.

COVID-19 dominates the agenda

While Coderre begins his campaign, the incumbents have been busy in Montpelier tackling the many challenges caused by COVID-19. Wood, a Waterbury native, said campaigning hasn’t been a priority.

Rep. Theresa Wood. Photo by Gordon Miller.

“To be honest I haven’t really thought about campaigning yet. It is something I will have to do at some point in time, but it is on the back burner right now,” she said. “My responsibilities are responding to constituent issues and trying to help us get through this pandemic.”

Wood, 62, sits on the House Human Services Committee and described how the pandemic has shifted the committee’s focus. “Our committee work has been superseded by COVID-19 response work.”

Wood said that she was very involved in the COVID-19 response effort, working closely with other committees to quickly grant different sectors of state government the authority to respond quickly.

It’s that work that Wood said motivates her to seek another term. She emphasized the importance of this moment and the obligation she feels to her constituents. “I’m running for reelection because there is so much work to do, especially in the wake of this pandemic. I feel an obligation to not leave this position in the midst of continuing work that we will have to do over the next few years to guide the state back through a recovery phase,” she said.

Stevens, 59, said he also sees his role as ongoing. This session, Stevens became chair of the House Committee on General Housing and Military affairs where he feels he has an important part in legislation pertaining to the impacts of the pandemic, particularly regarding housing.

“The issues we deal with are really human-based, people-based. I still have something to offer in terms of moving on policies that help Vermonters, especially lower- income or vulnerable Vermonters,” Stevens said.

Stevens echoed Wood’s remarks on how CODID-19 upended the workflow in the legislature this session. “The normal rhythm of the session was obviously broken up by the crisis. It forced us to deal with issues at a level we have never dealt with before. Nine years ago, when we dealt with Tropical Storm Irene, one of the things that stood out was that people came to help us. Surrounding towns, states, people came to help us,” Stevens recalled of the devastating storm in August 2011.

*Rep. Thomas Stevens. Photo by Gordon Miller.*

“COVID was total. Within days of having a state of emergency, we went from a 2.5% unemployment rate to one of nearly 20% and nobody was going to help us. Every town, every state, was suffering through the same thing,” he added.

In addition to their committee duties, the incumbents have spent a large part of their time in recent weeks following developments in the state’s response to the pandemic as it relates to small businesses and individuals navigating unemployment insurance. As the system initially was overwhelmed with constituents seeking help and frustrated with state government, many turned to their representatives for help.

Wood said that’s an important role House members have. “I think that I hold the trust of the electorate here in our district and I’ve done my best to connect people with their government, which I think a lot of people have felt disconnected from,” she said.

Stevens also discussed his worry for the future because the pandemic is not over. “Humans want to work in a way that is linear. They want to see improvement; they want to know things are getting better. They want to commit to something that goes down the line that says, hey, we are getting back to normal,” he said. “I worry about what the next wave is going to be like ... I fear that when the next wave comes we are going to be so psychologically tired that we are really going to have to turn around and do this again, and again.”

The Vermont Legislature adjourned on June 26, more than a month after its scheduled date of May 8 but that was after a lengthy stretch from mid-March on where lawmakers were adjourned during the initial response to the pandemic.

With a partial budget mapped out for the fiscal year starting July 1, lawmakers are expected to return to Montpelier around Aug. 25 to pick up where they left off with updated information on the economic fallout in order to complete their budget work and look ahead to next year.

Fall campaigning will be different

Their return to the State House may overlap with campaigning into the fall. Stevens and Wood both said having challengers in an election year is to be expected.

“I don’t know Brock [Coderre]; I don’t know who he is. But I always expect there to be a race. I never expect to be unopposed,” Stevens said. “Having a race is good for democracy in general. I think I represent my constituents well and I think Rep. Wood does amazing work as well, and within her committee.”

Wood gave the newcomers to the race some credit for opting to run under very unusual circumstances. “It is going to be a different kind of election, the door-to-door stuff isn’t going to happen. The group gatherings aren’t going to happen, so I have to say I have respect for somebody who wants to put their toe into something that is so unusual at this point in time, without some of the normal trappings of running for political office,” she said.

As for whether Viens makes it officially a four-way race come November, Wood said she’s prepared. “I knew that it was a possibility that he would enter the race as an independent. Just like with the other gentleman, I think that everyone has the right to run and represent their communities. It’s part of the democratic process.”

Stevens offered similar thoughts on Viens as a fourth candidate. “I know Mr. Viens through his work on the Select Board. The great thing about our democracy is that anyone can run for an office like state representative,” he said.

Ballots for the primary are available now by request from town clerks in order to vote early by mail. Details can be found here.