I don't do this very often, but because the issue is so important I'm bumping and updating a diary I did two years ago talking about why we need to keep Sally Fox in the State Senate.

 To supplement my points below, I want to talk about how hard Sally worked during this past legislative session for the rights and interests of some of the most powerless people in the state, those who receive mental health treatment at what was the State Hospital until it got flooded out and the other community hospitals. Sally fought hard for patients' rights, both before and after she had to take a medical leave for cancer treatment. Sally is the co-chair of the Mental Health Oversight Committee and a reliably progressive voice on the Senate Health and Welfare Committee. 

If you're a voter in Chittenden County, one of your votes should go to Sally Fox.

Sally has a record of thirty years of progressive advocacy. She's been a lawyer at Vermont Legal Aid, representing disabled and impoverished Vermonters. She has served on the boards of the Vermont ACLU, the Vermont Children's Forum, and the Vermont Commission to End Childhood Poverty. Because of her great work on behalf of children, Sally was named Legislator of the Millennium by the Vermont Children's Forum.

Sally gets things done. After leaving the legislature in 2000, Sally became the Director of Family Court Operations for the Vermont Supreme Court and served there until 2002.  She was responsible for the administration of all of the Vermont Family Courts as well as policy development, planning, and grant development.

Sally has served as Policy Director for Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility,as the coordinator for the City of Burlington Offender Reentry Program, and as the legislative liaison for the Vermont State Colleges. She has worked to develop supportive programs for returning offenders, and she helped to establish the Vermont Pre-kindergarten through 16 Council, which will bring stakeholders in education from preschool through college together to develop a plan to increase the number of Vermonters who continue their education beyond 12^th grade.

Sally has a proven record of legislative leadership. She has served in the House for fourteen years. During her time in the House Sally served as chair of the House Judiciary Committee, the House Appropriations Committee, and the Joint Fiscal Committee. She was also Assistant Majority Leader. Because there will be so much turnover in the Senate this year, Sally's experience is more important than ever.

Sally is a reliable progressive voice. With some of our strongest leaders in the struggles we care about, like health care and Vermont Yankee, leaving, and extreme budget pressures working against the efforts to serve human needs, we will need someone to keep the needs of the most vulnerable Vermonters, the poor, children, people with disabilities, and working people at the top of the agenda. Sally can be counted on to be that person.

It is rare that Vermont voters have a chance to elect someone as well-qualified and committed to Vermont's progressive values as Sally Fox. When I talk about “more and better Democrats”, Sally Fox is the kind of candidate I'm talking about. I hope you'll do everything you can to elect Sally Fox to the Vermont Senate.