Kari Dolan, Waitsfield, state representative for the Washington-2 District, will not seek a fourth term as state representative.
“It has been quite an honor to represent the towns of Duxbury, Fayston, Moretown, Waitsfield and Warren and to serve along with Representative Dara Torre, and previously with Maxine Grad,” Dolan said. “The best part of these six years is the people in our district. I have truly appreciated meeting folks and hearing from business owners and town officials. I carried their issues and concerns with me every day, as I try to make a positive difference in peoples’ lives and for our communities.”
Dolan has served as state representative for the past six years, the last two years on the House Appropriations Committee.
“I am proud of what we have accomplished over the past six years,” remarks Dolan. “In addition to the challenging work to balance the state budget every year, two experiences particularly stand out. That first experience was when I volunteered with the Department of Labor during the COVID-19 pandemic to help businesses and individuals in our region and across the state navigate the unemployment assistance programs. My second experience was in helping communities across the state recover from the three devastating floods of 2023 and to improve community resilience to future flooding.”
Dolan has championed a number of initiatives over her tenure including housing, particularly for adults with disabilities, home and community-based services for older Vermonters, flood and climate resilience, clean water, toxics reduction, environmental justice, pedestrian safety and affordability and use of public funds in the state public education funding system.
“Legislative work is challenging and often messy, as every issue brings with it a whole array of differing points of view. My approach has always been to find common ground on the issue in front of us and to have a goal of incremental improvement. At the end of the day, the legislation won’t have everything you had wanted to see but hopefully it is heading us in a positive direction towards improving Vermonters’ lives for this and future generations,” she noted.
Dolan’s decision to step down leaves open a seat in the two-seat Washington-2 District. Major party candidates must file with the Vermont Secretary of State’s Office by May 30 to be placed on the ballot for the August 13 primary, ahead of the November election.
