Deb Billado: The Democrats’ affordable housing mess and the Republican solution

Editor’s note: This commentary is by Deb Billado, chairwoman of the Vermont GOP.

Thanks to failed Democrat/Progressive policies of the past, Vermont has an affordable housing crisis, and in addition, one in every three Vermont households lives in homes that consume an unduly high proportion of their income.

Excessively high property taxes driven by years of Democrat-directed over-spending in many areas, including education outlays, have made home prices and even rental unaffordable for many Vermonters. Attempts to “contain costs” with mechanisms in Act 46 have proven to be a failure and have hurt many Vermonters.

Deborah Billado, chair of the Vermont GO

Additionally, the Democrats’ refusal to seriously consider real Act 250 reform that modernizes and streamlines the permitting process has created uncertainty for housing developers. In fact, the Democrats’ radical proposed changes will further harm the permitting process for all parties. It’s time for us to demand true regulatory reform of Act 250. It’s time to put our legislators on notice that new building, new business and new industry are not our enemies, but the very elements which will put food on the tables of Vermonters, and keep our young graduates from fleeing to fairer climes where growth and economic vitality are not dirty words.

In 2019, when Republicans proposed 1) reducing unnecessary bureaucratic overlap between Act 250 and other state permits and 2) removing Act 250 jurisdiction from key areas, Democrats used their supermajority status to stall the legislation in committee. For this we need to hold them accountable.

If Democrats truly cared about affordable housing, why in 2018 did they reject a boost to incentives for down-payment assistance? In the last two years Democrats have twice rejected Republican led initiatives to revitalize the existing housing stock through tax incentives. Our statehouse is the place where liberal elites have spent much time and effort, at taxpayer expense, damaging any chance for many to own their own house, and for this they must be held answerable. The way to hold the Democrats/Progressives liable for the harm done to our citizens is to elect Republicans to state leadership positions, the legislature and down-ticket offices.

We must get our message to those who can make the difference. Please review your address book for those who would benefit from hearing our Republican message to them. Please send my message onto them and when you do please copy me (deb@vtgop.org) so I will know you did. We can win in 2020, and when the Vermont political landscape is once again a “rosy red,” so too will be the plight of Vermonters and their desire to live, work and raise families in a home they can afford in the green mountains of Vermont. It really can happen but only if you get out there, run for office, support those who do, and make sure to vote and to encourage disaffected Vermont voters to do the same.

Image courtesy of Flickr/401kcalculator.org

13 thoughts on “Deb Billado: The Democrats’ affordable housing mess and the Republican solution

  1. Rock on Misterman… and to the spineless *kindly* grow a pair…oh and *respectfully* a spine while you’re at it 😉

  2. EDITOR’S WARNING:
    Bruce, are you kidding me, profane language, personal insults !!

    I have not used any ” profanity “, as far as personal insults, I only point them
    at political rivals ” DemocRATs ” as they get what they deserve. I have seen
    what they have done to the state, over taxation, debt, unfunded liabilities just
    to name a few, Rats on a sinking ship…………

    If True North Reports on a subject, then you better be prepared for a response
    that you may not agree with from a real Vermonter’s, maybe your Board Spam
    Filter needs a little tweaking or maybe TNR is turning into a VT Digger ???

    Liberals, just can’t stand the heat, they want it there way only. I have been on
    TNR since the day you started, I have always used and will continue to use
    my verbiage ” NO PROFANITY ” as I have since day one, now it a problem ??

    If you feel I offend Liberals, so be it !! You can remove me, then Vermonters
    will see it’s, Not So “True ” North Reports.

    Freedom of Speech, we all know who wants to squash it !!

  3. There was no housing mess until dysfunctional Montpelier and Burlington Democrat’s created it.
    Get the state out of housing.
    It is not a proper state function
    In a Socialist state, the government runs/controls all.
    The less government, the more freedom for Vermonters

  4. Great points, great points. On an even bigger, epic scale it has nothing to do with ACT250, it’s on the zoning level of almost EVERY town. See our town plans were written and formatted, by VNRC, which is really a lobbyist group to implement Agenda 21. Regional planning commissions are brought out to implement the plan, not voted for by any town but appointed, massively funded.

    The two state plans are thus….millions of dollars spent and massive personell,, time and citizen buy in for the following:

    A) Building a tiny home, coincidentally on a trailer with wheels. A fancy landscape trailer with custom features that has no market value, no value in which to lend on, a property that has no hope in hell of getting normal house financing is your first choice. And if you should like to change your mind or invite somebody for company, you’ll have to step outside for there is no room for either, best forget about raising a family, of course hamsters may be accustomed to this size home, which is smaller than most medium sized living rooms.

    B) Renting from the state, a socialist real estate dream brought to us, not coincidentally by our beloved Mr. Sanders. You see home ownership, something of great American pride, success and the back bone of lifting people from poverty is fine for him, he even owns three homes. But for people getting on their feet, retired, starting a small family, perhaps not totally consumed by the trapping of this world, a modest home is not for thee. We could have affordable home ownership for those on minimum wage, most could reduce there rent by 50% and OWN their home!!!!

    But no the “Vermont” plan which was adopted by Agenda 21, name changed to sustainable development, implemented by lobbyists of the VNRC while enriching the builders and all involved by inflated home prices 4x higher than normal,, where rent is subsidized by the state…….

    IS THE ULIMATE GENERATIONAL POVERTY TRAP EVER INVENTED!!!!!!!!!

    Renting from the STATE is very in Vogue, kings loved this too!!! You too can become a Vermont citizen, formerly knows as a vassal, serf……a servant or slave to the king!

    Ironically this is promoted by our SJW programs…it’s really a serious twist of the truth. Sophists of the highest order…..being sophisticated, is NOT a compliment. Truly evil what is being done in this state with regard to housing.

    in g

  5. Deb, you have listed plenty of great ideas, but as long as Progressive DemocRATs
    control the legislative position in Montpelier…………… nothing will happen.

    Vermont needs to wake up and start running conservative candidates to take control
    of the House or nothing will ever change

    Vermonter’s, are overtaxed and responsible for its unfunded liabilities with no end in
    sight, Montpelier’s unfriendly business atmosphere and they ” Liberals ” can’t understand
    why the young won’t stay and the old want to leave !!

    Progressive DemocRATs, maybe the supermajority so can take the blame for ruining our
    state…….. wake up people, vote these clowns out.

      • Butthurt much…there’s a Salon Pas for that 😉 instead of sniveling into your Sleepytime perhaps you could debate or discuss your issues? But thats not what this is about is it…it’s about lurking on a comment platform to find a reason to slam those you disagree with – bc all haters esp Democrat – have a perpetual hair across a** and take great umbrage at all things right of center. And since you’d be called out for anything ‘untruthful’ or misleading appears ya can’t take that chance.

        *Facts* Very few ppl would come to a discussion platform to cry about such pettiness but you did. Hope you’re feeling better sir.

    • EDITOR’S WARNING: CHenry, keep it civil. Comments with profane language or personal insults will start being flagged by the board’s spam filter. Continued violations may result in a suspension of posting privileges.

      • Many comments are already being caught up in the automated spam filter because they are laced with profanity and personal insults.

        Keep it civil.

    • CHenry: Thanks for your bold and fearless comments your pov and perspective is valued…at least by me…we need more ppl like you 🙂

  6. Solving Vermont’s ‘housing mess’ isn’t the end game for Democrats. They want to perpetuate the misery so they can blame everyone else for the malaise. Unfortunately, with 40% of the Vermont workforce employed in government, social services, healthcare and education, the Democrats control not just a dysfunctional voting majority, but a dysfunctional super-majority. Good luck trying to change that.

Comments are closed.