Updates Roundup!
In September, we talked to Brandon Town Clerk Sue Gage about voting by mail. President Trump has attempted to increase the federal government’s role in the process, which is overseen by states; in March, he issued an executive order instructing the Secretary of Homeland Security to create a list of eligible voters in each state, and directing the United States Postal Service to mail ballots only to voters on this list. Gage said this could throw Vermont’s mail-in-voting system into chaos.
Shortly after we published that article, the Supreme Court barred the Postal Service from implementing some parts of its new mail-in voting rule, at least for now. That means mail-in voting this fall will proceed as it has in past years.
“Vermonters can be assured that they will get their ballots via mail and can enjoy the convenience of voting securely from home,” Vermont Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas said in a press release on September 15.
She also thanked the state’s municipal clerks “who are the front line of our elections process and have been remaining steadfast in their commitment to Vermonters’ right to vote.”
On Sept. 17, a US district court also rejected a Department of Justice Lawsuit demanding that Vermont hand over its voter rolls, which the state had opposed.
“The court made clear: The Trump Administration had no authority to demand access to the sensitive personal information of voters — including home addresses, dates of birth, and Social Security and driver’s license numbers,” Hanzas said in a separate press release.
Absentee ballots have been sent out. Hanzas recommends that those who plan to return them by mail do so by mid-October. Absentee ballots can also be returned to a secure town drop box or brought to the town clerk’s office.
Sept. 19, 2026, at the Vermont Giant Pumpkin Growers competition at Sam Mazza’s farm in Colchester, Vt, Ethan Nelson brought home the state record for tallest sunflower — measuring 24 feet, 9.5 inches. “Risked the heights. Every day I climbed up 24 feet, 9.5 inches to keep the squirrels off this bloom. It paid off. I’ll need a better and safer tower for next year!” Nelson said on Facebook.
In May, we wrote about a Brandon homeowner who benefited from the Energy Navigator program, which helps renters and homeowners reduce their energy use and connect with other programs that make the work and equipment more affordable. Thanks to a grant from the Vermont Department of Public Service, the free coaching is available to Brandon residents through Dec. 5.
We checked in with David Martin, the chair of Brandon’s Energy Committee, about how the program is going. He said so far 21 free navigations have taken place, with 39 still available.
“They really slowed down over summer, which is not surprising,” he said.
But not to fear: Even after Dec. 5, free coaching will still likely be available. Martin, who has trained with Climate Economy Action Center, the Addison County nonprofit currently conducting the navigations, said he plans to continue offering them himself after that date.
He has followed up with several people who have had navigations so far, and said at least two have gone on to do a full audit, which he says is the next big step towards improving home energy efficiency.
While a navigation mostly involves conversations with the homeowner or renter and observations of “what you can see with your eyes,” a full audit is more scientific, he explained. Contractors or consultants use thermal imaging cameras, blower door tests, and other tools to track hot or cold air escaping the house, then recommend specific fixes. They also might recommend switching from an oil or propane furnace to a heat pump or other efficient heating system.
With heating oil prices rising sharply since the start of the war with Iran this February, Martin says the program is all the more relevant.
“It is frightening to think where things are headed,” he said. “I really am concerned about how people are going to get by this winter. Anything Energy Navigators can do to help people figure out ways to reduce their costs, we’re eager to do that.”
In September, we talked to Brandon’s David Fontaine just before he headed down to Washington, D.C., to lobby for stronger regulations surrounding mold in housing. We checked in with Fontaine to ask how the trip went.
“It was incredibly well done,” he said of the Legislative Fly-In he took part in, organized by the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC), a global nonprofit that sets industry standards, including for mold remediation. He joined with people from all over the country to push for laws that strengthen these standards.
Fontaine said he was able to meet with staffers in the offices of Representative Becca Balint, Senators Peter Welch and Bernie Sanders, and three members of Congress from Connecticut — the people who, as he put it, are “going into the smoky rooms with the glasses of bourbon” where political deals are often made.
“[I made] a pretty clean sweep, which was really gratifying,” he said.
He also presented information to the IICRC about the health risks of mold, which he feels are often underestimated. As for the main legislation the group was advocating for — the Military Occupancy Living Defense (MOLD) Act, which aims to address widespread mold contamination and related health problems in military housing — he said it is still in a “foggy nether state” with Congress currently in recess.
“It’s kind of funny-slash-sad because we still don’t have much of a sense of the effectiveness” of the lobbying, he said.
