Justin Tuthill is among four candidates whose names are on the Republican ballot to unseat Congressman Peter Welch in the race for Vermont's U.S. House seat; a position Welch has held since 2007.
VPR’s Mary Engisch spoke with Justin Tuthill, and their interview below has been condensed and edited for clarity. VPR is interviewing all of the candidates for Congress.
Justin Tuthill: I'm a Vermonter. I'm a husband. I'm a father. I'm a full-time employee and I am decidedly not financially rich. And as such, I feel like I'm a little more connected to the issues facing the average Vermonter, and I have a vested interest in change. Because those changes will affect everyone in Vermont, the United States, myself and of course, my daughters when they are older.
Mary Engisch: I understand you've studied abroad in France and Canada and you've lived in Poland. What have you learned from seeing Europe's policies and systems and how might those translate to policies you could apply to Congress?
I graduated from Norwich University, I studied in Quebec and France. I went on to get my Master's degree in Poland, where my wife is from. In Poland, I got to see a lot of Europe's policies and I would like to use my experience over there in the United States.
Find VPR's Vermont Primary 2020 coverage, including a full debate schedule, here.
One thing I really take away from Poland is the idea of paid vacation time and a separate paid sick leave. We should have addressed this decades ago but during COVID-19, we really saw this become a crisis ... Now is definitely the time to give people paid vacation time, paid sick leave and of course ... paid maternity leave and paid paternity leave, which is also something I got to experience in Europe because we had our first daughter in Poland.
As a member of Congress, you would be among a body of elected officials who have the power to make law. Which policies would be first for you to try to enact?
We're talking about similar issues year after year. "Maybe we'll change gun laws," or "Maybe we'll change immigration." It's the same topics, especially every presidential election. I'm kind of looking around and I'm thinking, "When are we going to talk about different issues ... sick leave, paid leave?" These kind of started as minor issues in my campaign but the more I tried to navigate it in the United States, I thought, no, this is actually a big deal. So when are we going to get politicians who recognize that we need maternity leave, we need paternity leave, we need sick leave, we need vacation days?
Right now in Vermont, as in every state in the country, we're still reeling from COVID-19 and trying to rebuild and recover. Can you give us your take on healthcare and economic recovery?
Each major crisis is unique in history and we can look to lessons from the past and see what can be applied right now. We see three main topics: prioritizing human welfare and human capital, understanding that there may be a "new normal" after this incident and setting long-term policy during the crisis, for example, right now. And, human capital means helping people maintain their jobs or giving them training to get new jobs later.
We need to be wearing masks. We need to be wearing face shields. We need to be doing testing, we need to do more contact tracing. And we need strategic shut-downs where incidents are spiking.
When voters show up to the polls, they have a lot of key issues on their minds, including protests across the nation, and across the world, against racism, police brutality. Many people are calling for the idea of defunding the police. Where do you land on that?
When I look at Vermont, I want to see that there's a real local need for the change. We can look at restraint engagement procedures, as well as training. We should not seek to inhibit law inforcement and let them do their job. What they have in Poland are city guards. They act in conjunction with the police but with less power. We could enact something like this in Burlington. They can respond to ... less violent calls.
More from VPR: Police Reform Bills In Montpelier Get Pushback From Both Cops And Their Critics
Can I ask you who you're supporting for president in 2020?
I haven't decided yet who I'm supporting in 2020. I think President Trump gets enough flack, so he doesn't need any more from me. We're still going through the process, so we'll see down the line who's the better candidate.
Anything else you want voters to remember when they cast a ballot?
I'm not looking to implement my own or party ideology. I'm looking out for their best interest.
Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message or get in touch with reporter Mary Engisch @RadioMaryW.
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Vermont’s primary election is on Aug. 11, so VPR is reaching out to candidates in contested races for governor, lieutenant governor and the U.S. House to find out why they're seeking to serve, and where they stand on the issues of the day. Find our full coverage here.
