A Conversation with Rep. Marty Feltus

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Created on Wednesday, 06 November 2013 19:58

Written by Daniel Weiner

She's dealt with issues such as the decriminalization of marijuana, which she voted in favor of, and also she sits on the Natural Resources & Energy committee.  We had some questions for her about what's she's learned in the state house her first session, what she plans to do in the next year, and whether or not she will be seeking re-election next fall.

Q: How was your first year in office?

A: It went well. I was pleased with the way things turned out. As a freshman being the first year there, obviously it was kind of overwhelming in the beginning. After awhile when my committee began actually working on things I thought 'Oh, we're actually productive, we're actually doing something.' Then towards the end, there was just all kinds of things happening very quickly and that was a little difficult to get used to and to understand what was going on. But overall, it was a pleasant experience and I enjoyed it.

Q: What are you going to be doing in your second year?

A: The committee I'm on is Natural Resources & Energy and I know we're going to be looking at some of the issues we've studied over the summer like sighting of electric generation plants.

I'd like to look at the energy goals we have, to determine whether they are appropriate or if they need to be modifed a bit looking at current consumption.

I expect we'll be looking at thermal efficiency again, we did very heavily last year and we came up with some proposals for it but we couldn't come up with a lot of money to support it, and whether we'll be able to come up with the money this year I don't know, but nevertheless I think what we want to do is improve the cultural acceptance of trying to make each home thermally efficient and get individuals to get involved and to take care of that responsibility.

Q: What did you learn in the first legislative session?

A: I wasn't quite sure how the committee system worked, and so I learned that. Understanding that if you're not on a particular committee, you don't have a lot of clout. Certainly you can talk to your colleagues who are, for instance, on the education committee. If I had concerns about the education process, or I had constituents that were concerned about the process then I personally don't have any influence on that but I could talk to other people I know on that committee. Understanding that division of labor was interesting, and the structure of how the committees work.

Q: What about Vermont's political system as a whole?

A: I think I've learned it's far more complex than I thought it was. It's not quite so simplistic to sit at home and listen to the news and say "Oh! That's a dumb idea, why'd those people do that?!"

At first blush it might be a dumb idea, or someone may say that, but then you look into things and you discover "Oh well, if you do this, then that happens, if you do that, this happens." It becomes far more complex.

I think that's an issue that many lament don't understand, that there's so many factors that go into each issue that you really need to understand as many of them as you can so you try and balance them and come up with a reasonable solution.

Q: What's it like being a republican in Vermont?

A: It's a little frustrating. One will vote a particular way, you think that's the right way to go, and you know you will not win the vote, because the numbers are far too great on the other side, that you know will oppose that particular position.

It's more a matter of 'Well, this is what I believe and that's what I'll stand for and I'm going to say so anyway' even though I know it will not carry the day.

Q: How are republicans in Vermont different?

A: Vermonter's tend to be far more practical. To respect other peoples moral beliefs and religious beliefs. Among the Vermont Republicans there's not a division over abortion issues, gay marriage or things like that. Certainly some persons feel very strongly one way or another on that and they vote with their conscience, but it's not issues that they bring to the forefront, that they say "I'm going to vote this way because I'm a republican." or "I'm going to vote this way because that's the way I personally feel on a particular topic"

I think Vermont Republicans tend to not side with those particular side issues quite so much, and they're looking at broader, more practical issues like as few taxes as possible, growth of the economy, those kinds of issues that override certain personal and moral issues.

Q: Are you running for re-election?

A: I haven't decided yet, but I've had a good experience so far and I certainly would tend toward running again.

Q: What are your free-time activities?

A: I like to walk a lot, I like to read, I like to get together with my grandchildren who don't live here so I visit them in Massachusetts or Colorado.

Q: What's your favorite pizza topping?

A: Pepperoni. I don't eat it often and it solves that salt craving.