Photo: Justin Marsh donating the remainder of their 2012 campaign balance to Kesha Ram Hinsdale on August 2, 2016
I met Senator Kesha Ram Hinsdale (D-Chittenden-SE) a decade ago after admiring her from afar for years. Then she was a young, outspoken, progressive state representative. In 2016, when she ran for lieutenant governor, I organized an event in my hometown and went around Lamoille County, hoping to introduce her to voters who could see what I saw in her. Though she didn’t win that election, I won a friendship.
When I began with Vermont Conservation Voters in 2022, it was nice to know I had friends in the legislature. However, I would learn that at times it’s a tricky balancing act to be both an advocate and a friend to legislators. At times, it’s a huge benefit – you have an established relationship and an easy in-road with the legislator. But on the flip side, when the policies you’re advocating for get in the crosshairs of said legislator friend, it can be an awkward experience.
The latter happened with Senator Ram Hinsdale a few weeks ago. We had arranged to speak on the topic of the Southern California wildfires but just days prior, she was quoted by Vermont Public in a piece that referred to the reduction mandates in the Global Warming Solutions Act as unnecessary yoke. We still recorded that conversation, which you can hear on this week’s edition of the podcast, but instead of being featured as the main guest, we shifted her to our Chump of the Week segment. We needed to have more conversations with the senator. Through dialogue and work with other caucus members, we were able to come to a place of mutual understanding. Just last week, she and Senator Anne Watson (D-Washington) penned a joint op-ed published in VTDigger calling for more climate action. This exercise was a reminder that we can have hard conversations with friends, disagree, hold one another accountable, and move forward hopefully stronger and better aligned.
On this week’s episode of the Democracy Dispatch Podcast, hear the aforementioned conversation with Senator Ram Hinsdale. As a California native, we talk about her personal connections to climate change, the role of incarcerated individuals in environmental solutions, and the workforce challenges facing Vermont. She touches upon the importance of creative solutions to meet the state’s environmental and economic goals and emphasizes the need for rehabilitation and support for those exiting the prison system.
I’m grateful for our friendship and grateful that this important conversation was able to be heard.
As always, thanks for listening,
Justin Marsh, Political Director
Vermont Conservation Voters
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