Elections 2020 Initiative: David Zuckerman
Lieutenant Governor since January 2017, owner of Full Moon Farm, and former State Senator, David Zuckerman of Hinesburg, VT, will be running in the Democratic primaries for Governor of Vermont this August 11, 2020.
VCWA Elections 2020 Initiative
The VCWA, an independent, non-partisan, and apolitical non-profit, is working to raise awareness, education, and voter participation in the upcoming primaries through our 2020 Elections Initiative. The views and opinions expressed are those of the candidate and do not necessarily reflect the VCWA’s position, nor is this initiative an endorsement for any candidate
As an organization we want to encourage citizens of all ages and backgrounds to make their voices heard by voting in the August 11th primaries. As a result, we asked Governor and Lieutenant Governor candidates four interview questions relating to leadership style, platform, and their vision for Vermont. Our objective is to help future voters feel confident and secure in the votes they cast. The questions we selected will provide voters with a well rounded understanding of each candidate.
David Zuckerman
Running for Governor
David Zuckerman
Democrat
How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success? Do you have a “favorite failure”?
As I look back on how I have evolved as a human, there are many moments where my failure has ultimately been a way for me to evolve and move forward to later success.
If I had to choose a favorite failure, it would be a failure that defined my academic study and later my work ethic.
In 5th grade, I was terrible about doing some of my math homework and was not particularly good at doing much of my homework at all. My teacher and my parents told me to plan ahead, prodding me to do the work and catch up on the assignments. I learned that planning for the task and working towards the goal over time is a far more productive and concrete way to get something done.
I learned it is important to work towards a high-quality outcome, no matter how large or small the task, and steady work and persistence are far superior to last-minute efforts. I believe mylong standing work and advocacy on a number of issues demonstrates how I have taken this lesson from my childhood to heart. I keep this lesson in mind as I work in the farm fields and grow my small business. And I have kept this lesson in mind as I have worked in policy arenas where pieces of legislation have taken years to pass. From marriage equality to raising the minimum wage, GMO labeling, to sustainable and diversified agriculture supports, cannabis reform to end-of-life choices, each of these issues has been the result of years, sometimes as many as 20 years, of work.
What strategies have you used to respond to diversity and equity challenges in the past? How will you apply these strategies to engage with the Black Lives Matter movement in Vermont?
Listening to stakeholders and bringing diverse voices into the conversation has been one of my consistent strategies through over two decades of public service. Listening to and understanding the communities most affected by the structural and systemic challenges that we face and are trying to dismantle puts us in the best place to change the system in the most beneficial way.
When I was first elected into office in 1996, some Vermonters were organizing for same-gender equality in our marriage laws. In 2000, just after the Vermont Supreme Court ruled on the issue, Rep. George Schiavone, R-Shelburne, suggested and spoke strongly for a bill that would forbid a man from marrying another man or a woman from marrying another woman. To combat this proposal, I reached out to LGBTQ+ stakeholders and offered to sponsor a bill allowing couples of the same sex to marry if the community wanted such a bill considered. Rather than putting together the bill I had initially suggested, we ultimately worked together to create a bill that I sponsored to make marriage-related statutes gender-neutral in Vermont. While that bill did not pass that biennium, I was also proud and honored to have continually stood with stakeholders on the issue and to have co-sponsored the next bill for marriage equality, which passed in 2009 by an override vote of the Governor’s veto, to make Vermont the first state in the country to legalize same-sex marriage through legislative action.
As Governor, I will use this same inclusive approach in engaging with the Black Lives Matter movement in Vermont. We must and we will have stakeholders at the table helping us craft legislation to rectify the centuries of racism and discrimination within our system.
In the last five years, what new belief, behavior, or habit has most improved your life? How will you apply this to strengthen your vision as the Lieutenant Governor or Governor of Vermont?
As I have grown more experienced in the political world as well as in my marriage, as a parent of a teenager, and as an employer with high standards, I have learned that the habit of employing patience when confronted with any situation makes me both happier and more successful.
For me, part of patience is working to understand where someone is coming from and working to hear the individual experience that is being shared. I work to listen to both what someone is saying as well as where they are coming from, and take the time to absorb the full complexity behind any action or inaction. This patience often results in the ability to find nuggets of common ground and an opportunity to move forward in a common direction.
Patience has helped me build bridges and construct bi- and tri-partisan legislation during my tenure in the legislature. It has helped me speak with and connect with Vermonters across the state as Lieutenant Governor. And, as Governor, it will help me bring Vermonters, legislators, organizations, and stakeholders together to craft comprehensive, meaningful, and proactive legislation that will move Vermont forward.
VCWA’s motto is, "Bringing Vermont to the world and the world to Vermont". What do you believe Vermont’s primary role is in engaging in an interconnected world? What can Vermont contribute to the world that other states or countries cannot?
In 2015 Burlington was launched into the international spotlight as a city powered entirely by renewable energy. I acknowledge that the current system is not fully ideal because there remain some concerns about the carbon generated by the biomass plant, however I believe that we can look to this as an example for how Vermont can act as a test case and a leader on so many issues.
Vermont can show other states and countries how to balance innovative ideas and economic and social justice policies with the needs of a small and rural population. We can be a state that rises to the moral, ethical, financial, and life sustaining issues of our time. Vermont's history of leadership gives us the experience and persistence to get these issues right and we can demonstrate to the world that a better path forward is possible.
I have met with several VCWA groups and some have visited my farm. They are often struck by Vermont’s balance of community centers and open lands. They are struck by how accessible local government is. They always mention the welcoming and friendly people they meet. Vermont’s small size, rural nature, innovative businesses and high quality education provide plentiful opportunities for connection and collaboration with people from around the country and world.
