The Montpelier Happy Hour

September 18, 2026: With the November elections approaching fast, Vermont Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas shares what her office is working on including a program for employers called Vermont Civic Connect. She discusses recent court rulings about mail-in ballots. All registered voters will receive ballots for the Nov. 3 election in the mail. Copeland Hanzaz recommends mailing these ballo...

September 11, 2026: John Walters of The Vermont Political Observer and Olga Peters remember 9/11. Walters breaks down the latest campaign filings and what they might tell us about the November elections. He also shares what he found digging into the state's county committees. Theme music by Red Heart the Ticker: http://www.rhtt.net

Sept. 4, 2026: On this show, we often discuss what it takes to create a Vermont that works for everybody. In today's episode, Dr. Melissa M. Houser discusses healthcare and the way it excludes neurodivergent people. She then outlines the hallmarks of neuroinclusive spaces and how practices like universal design support communities as a whole. Houser is a board-certified family physician and Execut...

August 21, 2026: Rep. Mollie Burke is stepping down from her seat in the House at the end of this year. Burke reflects on her service on the House Transportation Committee, her work on climate change, and her nonprofit Art in the Neighborhood. Art in the Neighborhood: https://www.artintheneighborhood.org/ A 2023 article about former Rep. Louvenia Dorsey Bright from VTDigger: https://vtdigger.org/2...

August 14, 2026 (prerecorded 8/13): What's more fun than an August primary? Three journalists talking about an August primary. John Walters of The Vermont Political Observer, Randy Holhut, from The Commons, and your host, Olga Peters run down the races. View the VTDigger map: https://vtdigger.org/2026/08/12/how-amanda-janoo-a-progressive-political-outsider-won-vermonts-democratic-primary-for-gover...

July 31, 2026: Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Amanda Janoo joins the conversation this week. She discusses increasing local control, remaining optimistic, her experience with The Wellbeing Economy Governments partnership (WEGo), and building a unified vision for Vermont. A reminder to voters: Vermont's primary is August 11. The state holds open primaries so you don't need to register with a pa...

July 24, 2026: Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Aly Richards stops by The Montpelier Happy Hour. We discuss core values, what it means to be program rich and systems poor, activating leadership, and making Vermont more affordable. A reminder to voters: Vermont's primary is August 11. The state holds open primaries so you don't need to register with a party to vote. To learn more about Aly Richar...

December 27, 2024: In our final episode of 2024, Amanda Kay Gustin, Director of Collections & Access at the Vermont Historical Society, shares her thoughts on Vermont's 74th governor. Davis is known for enacting the state's sales tax and land use law, Act 250. In this conversation, we use Davis' farewell address as a touchstone. Read Davis' 1973 farewell address here: https://sos.vermont.gov/m...

July 10, 2026 (prerecorded 7/9): With the Vermont Primary only weeks away, John Walters of The Vermont Political Observer shares his takeaways from candidates' recent campaign filings. We also discuss recent poll results from the University of New Hampshire Survey Center. Check out John's work at https://thevpo.org/ Read the University of New Hampshire Survey Center's Green Mountain State Poll: ht...

July 3, 2026 (prerecorded 7/2): John Hagen, retired Air Force Officer and chapter head of Indivisible Porto, shares his insights on America's 250th anniversary. In this episode, we discuss civic identity, Sen. Margaret Chase Smith's Declaration of Conscience, and the role of "othering" in US politics. Read the Declaration of Conscience here: https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/resources/p...

June 26, 2026 (prerecorded 6/23): Regional Collaboration. The state talks about it. Many Vermont communities could benefit from it. But what does it take to build successful cooperation? Abby Long, executive director of the Northeast Kingdom Collaborative, shares her experience building coalitions across the NEK's three counties. Long previously served as the executive director of Kingdom Trails,...

June 19, 2026: Randolph T. Holhut of The Commons joins this week's conversation to update listeners on what's happening in Windham County. Read The Commons here: https://www.commonsnews.org/ Theme music by Red Heart the Ticker: http://rhtt.net

June 5, 2026: Windham County Sheriff Mark Anderson outlines a multi-year pilot to establish a regional policing governance program in Windham County. The legislation enabling this pilot is S.255, which sets up the Windham County Law Enforcement Governance Council. The council will be made up of representatives from participating municipalities without police departments. Read S.255 / Act 104 here:...

May 29, 2026 (prerecorded 5/28): Journalist John Walters updates us on the issues he's watching as the Legislature plans to wrap up for the year. There are a number of bills still moving through conference committees; specifically, we're watching the education reform bill H.955. John will also touch base on campaign season. Read John's work at https://thevpo.org/ Theme music by Red Heart the Ticke...

May 22, 2026: Have you heard of the Vermont tax? If not, it's a tongue-in-cheek way to explain the calculation many Vermont workers make: do they choose Vermont and a high quality of life, or move away for better wages? In this episode, Public Assets Institute State Policy Fellow Katrina Menard shares data on the state's income gaps, including rising income inequality, and on what most residents e...

May 15, 2026 (prerecorded 5/11): State Senator Scott Beck discusses H.955 (education reform), CESAs, and the state budget. He also shares his thoughts on how to lower costs and make Vermont more affordable. Theme music by Red Heart the Ticker: http://www.rhtt.net

May 1, 2026: The Commons News Editor, Randy Holhut, joins this week's conversation. He updates listeners on local issues and examines potential education changes that could affect Windham County schools. He also shares memories of reporting on outgoing Representatives Mollie Burke and Leslie Goldman. Theme music by Red Heart the Ticker: http://www.rhtt.net

April 24, 2026: John Watlers from The Vermont Political Observer is back! In this episode, we discuss the ongoing Legislative Session, Act 181, and Primary Candidates. Read John Walters' work at The VPO: https://thevpo.org/ Theme music by Red Heart the Ticker: http://www.rhtt.net

April 17, 2026: With Act 181 in the news, here is a rebroadcast of the first conversation with then Rep. Bongartz about the revisions to Act 250 that eventually became Act 181. From the January 26, 2026, broadcast: Rep. Seth Bongartz joins this week's show to continue the housing conversation. Bongartz has worked on a number of housing-related bills and will share his insight on what's working (or...

April 10, 2026: "Act 181 was the straw that broke the camel's back," explains Loralee Tester in this week's episode. Tester, the executive director of the Northeast Kingdom Chamber of Commerce, shares her concerns about how revisions to land-use laws might hurt small communities. Her worries don't stop with Act 181. For Tester, the policy's potential impacts on small towns are broad and likely to...

April 3, 2026: John Walters from The Vermont Political Observer is back and filling us in on what he's seeing on Vermont's political landscape. In today's conversation: Democrat candidates' frustrations with the VDP, campaign finance filings, ICE in South Burlington, the role of agitators, and why we're still optimistic. Read John's work here: https://thevpo.org Theme music by Red Heart the Ticker...

March 27, 2026 (originally aired 12-27-2019): This week, we continue our conversation about infrastructure with a twist. Instead of built infrastructure like roads and bridges, we're discussing regulations. Rep. Emilie Kornheiser and the Commissioner of the Department of Financial Regulation share their thoughts on positive regulation and how it can support businesses. Theme music by Red Heart the...

February 20, 2026: Annual Town Meeting is around the corner. It's a day wrapped in traditions, stories, civic engagement, potluck lunches, and discussions about dollars and cents. But it is also an annual gathering that raises questions about how we ensure access, practice self-governance, build community, and the health of our local democracy. Writer and educator, Susan Clark, has studied town-me...

January 29, 2026: In today's conversation, John Walters of the Vermont Political Observer updates listeners on Nick Deml's new job, shares his thoughts on Governor Scott's budget address, and questions the need for county sheriffs.  As mentioned: PAI's 2019 State of Working Vermont Report, looking at underinvestment in public needs:  https://publicassets.org/research-publications/state-o...

January 23, 2026: Housing, raising more local revenues, lowering property taxes, and transportation funding are just a few of the issues facing municipalities this year. Josh Hanford, director of intergovernmental relations, updates listeners on VLCT's work on behalf of Vermont's towns. The Vermont League of Cities and Towns: https://www.vlct.org/ VLCT's testimony on Housing, including Act 181: ht...