Hello! My name is Pamala Smith and I am running for Secretary of State, without any party affiliation – I am running as an Independent.
My hometown is St. Albans, Vermont, which is in the northwest of Vermont – 30 minutes North of Burlington and 20 minutes South of the Canadian border.
The Secretary of State’s Office consists of multiple divisions but the two that I am focusing most on in my campaign are the Elections Division and the Professional Regulation division because there are changes that I would like to see in those divisions and that is why I am running.
The change that I would like to see happen in the election division is that I would like to provide voters with a way to see that their votes were actually recorded correctly. As it is now we just have to trust that it was. But I would like voters to be able to see their votes in the collection of votes that lead to the total outcomes. And in order to do this voters would need to be assigned a number, that only they know. In this way their vote will be able to remain private.
The change that I would like to see in the Professional Regulation division is more overarching. I remember when the Secretary of State’s Office, under Deb Markowitz, really took the role of Professional Regulation seriously. During this time, this governmental role, that serves to protect citizens when they have interactions with organized industries that are licensed, cultivated goodwill and credibility among citizens for its work on their behalf. Since then, we haven’t heard much about it at all. I would like to bring the Professional Regulation division back to a place where it does protect citizens and concurrently, as a result, helps to strengthen the industries as well.
I believe that I am the most qualified candidate because the position of Secretary of State is an Administrative position – it is not a political position – even though it is an elected position. I have a Master’s Degree in Public Administration and this degree program is meant to train students in the Administrative side of the Public Sector. The Secretary of State’s Office is meant to fulfill tasks for the Government of Vermont. And very important tasks at that. Having a person in the position who is trained professionally – who is trained in being a professional could really help the state as a whole.
Furthermore, I have many years of research, study, and experience in the field of Information Technology. It would be hard to imagine how well someone could do in this fast-changing and crucial position without a certain amount of expertise in Information Technology.
So these are two of the reasons that I think that I am better and more qualified for the role of Secretary of State.
Regarding your question of my earliest recollection of government importance, role, or experience?
I suppose it would simply have to be my mom’s love for Jimmy Carter. I really was hardly conscious before then and then the remainder of my formative years were under Ronald Reagan who, generally, did not elicit nearly as much delight as Carter did – and Reagan’s tenure felt like a REALLY LONG time. To think back on it, and to look back on the drastic effects that a politician can have, you may only have to look at the 1980s.
Thank you for hosting my video presentation Barstow Memorial School – Maybe I will see one or more of you on the campaign trail in the years to come.