As Election Day looms, I seized a chance to sit down with D/P candidate for Lieutenant Governor, Cassandra Gekas to ask what final message she would like voters to take with them to the polls.

Cass has been an extremely “hands-on” candidate throughout the campaign, preferring to spend the extra minutes with individual voters to reach them with her policy concerns rather than hitting large numbers in broad strokes.  An advocate by nature, Cass never wastes a chance to make her case for healthcare reform and the kind of initiatives that will make Vermont a more affordable environment for families.

Coupled with modest fundraising returns and a working woman’s limited resources, this intensely personal approach to the campaign trail has made her journey to the Lieutenant Governor’s seat more challenging; but Cass believes the reward is more than worth that effort, as she sees an opportunity in the traditionally light-weight position to transform it into a dynamic platform from which to advocate for the working family.

As Cass very reasonably argues, one of the key differences between the current, very part-time, Lt. Governor, Phil Scott, and herself is her willingness to treat the office as a full-time position, commanding all of her attention and energy for the tenure of her service.  She points out that, while Mr. Scott is well known and appreciated for his other pursuits, including business and racing; he is, in fact, juggling three “jobs” at once and must divide his attentions proportionately. His initiative in office has therefore been negligible.

There is a fundamental difference in where each candidate sees economic opportunity for the state.  Phil Scott adopts the GOP position with regard to financial benefit “trickling down” from above, with emphasis on tax-breaks for the wealthy and large corporations.  While this may have been a plausible argument thirty years ago, it has since been well-tested and proved a spectacular failure.

Unlike the Republican meme that frames Vermont as a liability to unload on some reluctant corporate suitor, who can only be enticed through bribery,  Cass takes the position that people settle in the state willingly, because they are attracted to the  values and the quality of life here.  

That people who have a choice of where to live are choosing Vermont in significant numbers is evidenced by the fact that the mean income in Vermont is relatively higher than in other states.  Undeterred even by the weather, they are, on the whole, willing to contribute a little more to maintain the quality of life that has attracted them to the state.

According to Gekas, where we have the greatest opportunity to improve the economics of the state is by supporting working families, who are the backbone of a consumer economy and the engine that drives productivity.  If affordable healthcare, quality childcare and early education become the priorities with which the state is branded, the effect will be felt as an invitation to prosper here, attracting both big business investment and skilled labor.

If our families are strong, Vermont will be strong.

Using an example from her own experience working with Hunger Free Vermont to extend Food Stamp assistance, she illustrates how helping families helps the economy.

Every dollar that comes into the state in Food Stamps generates $1.84 in economic activity.

That is where she says the state should be focussing its energy.  A dollar in the pocket of someone who is earning minimum wage will do far more to stimulate the economy than one saved by a wealthy person in tax breaks.

Phil Scott and his GOP cohorts worry only about whether or not the numbers work to cultivate the loyalty of out-of-state CEO’s, making deals on tax breaks for the wealthy.  But, first of all, says Gekas, the numbers, have to work for the families who live here.

She says we should be more worried about cultivating the loyalty of the employees, who will want to stay here and build a prosperous future for the state.

She characterizes Phil Scott’s position as “reactive,” whereas she promises to be a “proactive” Lieutenant Governor.

This inclination to be proactive seems to have played a compelling roll in her personal story.

Driven from an early age by the desire to be a “vehicle for change” in the lives of working families, Cass Gekas matured into the tireless workhorse she is today.  

From her experience in the Statehouse as a policy advocate, she took away the lesson that, even when equipped with the most compelling arguments, you can’t win support on an issue without the numbers.  So she returned to school to add mastery of economics to her toolbox.  Echoing D/P candidate for auditor Doug Hoffer, Gekas says that she has become “a numbers person.”

When all is said and done, Cass Gekas says she is committed to a lifetime of public service in Vermont.  Expect to see a lot of initiative from this dynamic agent for change in the coming years.