DIST. ORANGE-CALEDONIA · GROTON / NEWBURY / TOPSHAM
Tom Otterman is the founder of Otterman Surveying & Septic Design. For 45 years he's helped rural Vermonters enjoy their land the right way — and as affordably as the rules allow. He'll bring that hands-on know-how to Montpelier.
Two Ottermans are running. When you vote, select TOM Otterman.
Meet the candidate
For three decades, Tom Otterman has run Otterman Surveying & Septic Design — staking property lines, evaluating soils, and designing wastewater and potable water systems the right way. He's the person Vermonters call to navigate increasingly complex regulations, and he's worked closely with our state agencies on their behalf. Tom understands what's working and what needs reform to better serve regular people.
He and his wife Donna live in West Topsham, right where they both grew up. Against the odds, Tom and Donna raised kids who stayed.
Read Tom's full story →The platform
Consolidation doesn't serve our rural communities well, and school choice is deeply valued by those who have it. The complex, immediate challenges of education performance and spending require Vermont's legislature to truly put aside politics and work like never before.
ANR does vital work, but even they acknowledge areas where service to Vermonters falls short. The legislature has rejected bills that would bring clarity, ease, and a more collaborative relationship with our regulatory agencies. It's time to speed up permitting and process reform.
Ordinary Vermonters who tend and work the land have been indispensable to the health and beauty of our landscape. Special-interest-guided policy that creates a false choice between the environment and rural people needs to come to an end.
We need to stop placing a disproportionate impact on Vermont's lower-income rural population. Vermont must ensure that all climate and energy legislation is contingent upon meeting the Environmental Justice State Policy (3 V.S.A. § 6003).
Montpelier lacks a vision for rural Vermont. The antidote is a more inclusive legislature that places constituent needs and perspectives before those of lobbyists — committing to direct communication with the communities we serve and gathering more direct testimony.
Hands-on experience generates better results than abstract ideology. For too long the legislature has favored theorists who dismissed unintended consequences. We need to measure what we fund, sunset what doesn't work, and focus on practical results.
Stay in the loop
That's where Tom posts events and news, and where to find him across the district — plus where he stands and how you can help.
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