I’ve been fighting for fairness in our state’s school funding for nearly thirty years now, and that’s the primary reason why I’m running for Governor.

I was the lead lawyer in the 1997 Claremont case that declared our school funding system to be unconstitutional, and the state has never lived up to its responsibilities. All of our students deserve a quality education, regardless of their zip code. We rely on the local property tax more heavily than any other state to fund our schools, which leaves students in property-poor districts behind.

I’ve refused to take the Pledge because I feel that it’s time for us to change this broken system that has one town paying quadruple in property taxes of a town next door, depending on whether they are near a lake or a ski resort.

Second, as governor, I would cut property taxes for the majority of our state as they continue to crush seniors and working families the most. The property tax is horribly regressive and continues to increase every year.

Another issue we must urgently confront is climate change. I’m a grandfather, and I think about how climate change is going to affect our children every day. I refused to back the Granite Bridge fracked gas pipeline and I refuse to accept money from Liberty Utilities, the only candidate for governor to do so. That’s because I’m dedicated to building a sustainable, clean energy future that preserves our air and water while providing good paying jobs.