Ashley R. Bartley
Ashley R. Bartley (Republican) of Fairfax is an incumbent Vermont Senator representing the Chittenden-North district in the 2025-2026 General Assembly, and works as Current State Representative Franklin-1, Human Resources Professional.
Campaign site
What is one part of Vermont’s economy or cost of living that needs greater attention from elected officials?: “Montpelier needs a more holistic approach to the conversations on economy and cost of living. That is why I co-founded the "Caucus for Vermont's Economy," a non-partisan group of Legislators focused on bringing the voices to Montpelier who are often left out of the conversation.”
“I support the direction the Legislature has taken, but it can't be the finish line. Vermont's education system has too much administrative overhead spread across too many small districts, and consolidation reasonably responds to declining enrollment and rising per-pupil costs.”
“Local control is something I will always fight for, it's critical However, under the current system, one school district's budget can affect the statewide property tax rate — which effectively strips other communities of local control and predictability. The system is broken; which is why we need to continue collaborative conversations on what the new system will look like.”
Irene Wrenner
Irene Wrenner is a Democratic candidate for the Vermont State Senate in the Chittenden-North district in the November 3, 2026 general election, residing in Essex Town, Vermont, where Irene's background includes work in 2 years, State Senate. 12 years, Essex Selectboard. 21 years, local gov't volunteer.
Campaign site
What is one part of Vermont’s economy or cost of living that needs greater attention from elected officials?: “Accountability. People w/ the time and ability and expertise to access the public record will begin to uncover the backdoor deal-making and outright circumvention of laws put in place to make sure our tax dollars are well spent.”
“Local control is important to Vermonters. I support school consolidation if and only if a town(s) votes to consolidate their schools.”
“Administrators, with input from instructors, should set the priorities and goals for their schools' budget. Having seen firsthand some lobbyists and consultants at the state level who've leveraged their power to make money for themselves, I would be reticent to entrust the state with the power to set school budgets.”