By Marisa Dawson
Community members gathered at the Bennington Fire Station on Saturday, April 25, for a Town Hall hosted by The Bennington Buzz, offering residents an opportunity to hear directly from the three candidates vying to represent Legislative District 18.
The event, held at 3 p.m., featured candidates Derek Schwartz, Jess Goldoni and Taylor Royal in a “meet the candidates” format designed to inform voters ahead of the May 12 primary election. Legislative District 18 encompasses much of the Bennington area, making the race particularly relevant to local residents.
Approximately 50 people attended in person, while an additional 1,200 viewers tuned in to watch the recorded livestream, reflecting strong community interest in the race.
Questions for the candidates were submitted by community members in advance, with Bennington Mayor Clint Adams serving as moderator. A range of those questions were selected to pose to each candidate, followed by a live Q&A session that allowed audience members to engage directly.
Adams emphasized the value of events like this in helping residents make informed decisions.
“Just since joining the city council five years ago, and being mayor, you can almost never over communicate,” Adams said. “This is just another avenue, another route for these candidates to be able to put themselves in front of more eyes for people to understand what they’re all about and make informed decisions. It’s just super important.”
He also encouraged voters to take an active role in researching candidates before casting their ballots.
“Whenever you’re putting your name to a vote, it’s always super important that you do your due diligence,” Adams said. “You want to make sure you put your name next to someone that you truly believe in. And you’re not always going to know what somebody’s going to do once they get in an office when you can at least do your part, be the most informed you can be and make the best decision for you and your family.”
Also in attendance was Senator Justin Wayne of Legislative District 13, who said he came to support the effort and highlight the importance of dialogue across different communities.
“The biggest reason is it buds up to my district, and it’s an urban/rural district…,” Wayne said. “I was able to bridge that gap. I did a lot of work with rural senators. I think it’s good to have that conversation and see where people are.”
Wayne noted that opportunities for direct engagement between candidates and voters are especially important in today’s political climate.
“I think it’s important to have more of these,” he said. “I think with all of the digital ads and negative mailers and party stuff, it’s good to just hear from them directly. So I think that’s very important.”
Drawing on his experience in the Legislature, Wayne also shared a broader message for voters as they prepare to choose their next representative.
“We can’t let Lincoln become Washington D.C. and this year I was really disappointed in looking at how people were interacting and how we couldn’t do our one constitutional job, which was pass a budget and a balanced budget,” he said. “So we can’t let that happen. We have to be able to reach across party lines and get things done.”
The Bennington Buzz plans to continue offering opportunities for community engagement and civic awareness. Residents who were unable to attend can watch the full town hall recording here: Livestream Recording.
Additional information about each candidate, including responses to a set of 10 questions, can be found here: Three Candidates, One District: LD18 Candidate Profiles.
