I consider Mike Mrowicki a friend, and I wish him no ill.  I do, however, feel like I can’t just let this sit, despite our friendship.   I find this to be an extremely difficult post to write, but it’s necessary.  So…

In yesterday’s Brattleboro Reformer, Mike had a letter to the editor:

Howard Weiss-Tisman’s March 17 article clearly articulated the dire circumstances facing child care providers and the Agency of Human Services.

A vital omission though is that I did not vote in committee for these cuts in the administration’s proposed budget. I’m well aware of the importance of having people who can meet, face to face with those seeking help.

I agree with Senate President Pro Tem Peter Shumlin’s statement that, in this instance and many others, cutting position funded in part or fully, by federal dollars, is senseless.

[…]

The fact of the matter is simply that Rep. Mrowicki (along with 122 other members in the house) voted for these cuts when it came to the broader vote outside of committee.  You can see the whole bill outlined here with the complete roll call here.  

Nearly everyone in the legislature supported this.  It’s going to cause us serious problems that I think need major undoing, but in order to figure out how to work through these problems, it does not serve us to compartmentalize our behavior so well.  I’m sure voting for this was very difficult for Mike, and I can respect that.  What is problematic for me is the choice to write a letter which implies that the vote came without his help.  I know Mike can do so much better than that and it’s part of my obligation to push him to do so.