Kitchel grew up on the Beattie farm in
Danville
and was exposed to political life early on. Friends of her family
introduced her to Sen. Ralph Flanders, and Kitchel remembers him. Her
mother, Catherine Beattie, served in the House of Representatives and her
father, Harold Beattie, was a selectman.
She said her decision to run was not made
quickly, commenting, “I weighed it all out.” She knows “to serve the
people well is hard work” but she is prepared to make the commitment.
Kitchel said someone told her running for public office “is like a job
interview” and she looks forward to getting out all over her Senate district
and meeting voters.
Kitchel believes one of the major issues
facing the state is health care and government organization and structure.
She said numerous compartmentalized programs have evolved that provide services
to narrow categories of recipients, but that this compartmentalization is
inefficient, expensive and can be frustrating to someone looking for help, who
may not “fit” into the tight boundaries of a particular program.
According to Kitchel, the Legislature has not
grappled with the large question of how state health-care services will be
financed. In a few years, Medicaid will face a $40 million shortfall and
the Legislature must make some very tough decisions on how to handle the
shortfall. Kitchel believes her background and experience can be helpful
making the tough decisions on financing and organizing human service programs.
She added, “That’s why I decided to run; I
can be a voice on issues.”
She stressed, “You have to accept the fiscal
reality” that the state can’t afford to do everything and “you have to
prioritize where you want your public resources to go.”
Kitchel asserts, “You have to have spending
that is sustainable” and “you have to decide the right balance.”
Kitchel mentioned a quote by the
environmentalist John Muir, “Everything is hitched to everything” as she
discussed the connections among health care, mental health and corrections and
how all of those topics lead back to strong, healthy communities. She said
strong communities include good jobs. She talks about “looking at our
systems” and “seeing how state policies can help communities.”
A very strong believer in community and local
control, Kitchel sees healthy communities helping people in ways the state
cannot.
“Communities are so important,” said
Kitchel, who looks forward to getting out and meeting people in towns she will
represent, seeking their input to learn what the public’s priorities are and
how and where to spend the state’s limited dollars.
—Source: The Caledonia-Record.
St. Johnsbury
,
VT
,
Tuesday, Jun 8, 2004
. Vol. 166, Number 259. Pages 1 & 20.
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