u/aschylus

We need to stop listening to and electing candidates whose sole platform is "I will not do my job" and call it "reform." Reform takes places in the Legislature, not as an executive officer tasked with carrying out the laws of the state.

Candidate Bloom has two bad ideas. First, they propose that they stop serving civil eviction papers. Second, they propose placing distressed renters into debt to employers where the renter will be required to pay off their debt to the employer or face eviction.

The first idea is bad because the sheriff would intentionally be refusing to carry out one of their essential duties - the service of civil and criminal documents. See 12 VSA 691. Readers may argue that Bloom says they will still serve papers if ordered to by the court. This ignores two important facts: first, an eviction starts with giving the renter notice that the landlord is terminating the lease and it does not require the sheriff to serve the notice. Second, if a complaint is filed with the court for eviction, then the landlord is required to serve on the renter a summons - signed by the court clerk. So are sheriffs going to ignore serving court process unless it is signed by a judge?

And it would give landlords even greater pause to rent to lower income people because they will want to avoid being stuck with risky renters and deal with the hassle of eviction (having the byproduct of making rent even more expensive for everyone else).

>So they want to create a program that could help people facing eviction keep their housing and get a job. 

>The proposed program would start with a group of local businesses that need employees, Bloom said. If a tenant was facing eviction, the sheriff could get the person enrolled in the program, and an employer would front an amount of money, say $500, that the tenant owes the landlord. 

>The tenant would be able to keep their housing, pay off their debt to the employer through working and have a lasting job to pay rent, Bloom reasoned. 

>If someone were ordered to be evicted from their house, Bloom said they would carry out that court order and would connect the tenant with housing resources and social services. 

The second bad idea (although well intentioned - I am sure) is that law enforcement place renters already in debt to a landlord in further debt to an employer. And to then pay off both through working for the employer. And, assuming the distressed renter fails to work/pay their debt, law enforcement will then come and evict the renter (who will now owe money to a landlord and employer). This also ignores the fact that a renter in an eviction process can defeat an eviction for non-payment of rent by paying the rent owed to the landlord (*once, within a 12 month period).

The idea comes from a good place with the intent to help. But I can assure you that the impact will be negative across the entire county.

I agree with the sentiment that rent costs are too high, that housing costs have outpaced wages/salary, and that homelessness may exacerbate lots of other issues, including substance use and crime.

I strongly disagree that we should elect executive officers that campaign on the promise to not do their job. That is not reform. That is tyranny by executive fiat (regardless of whether they are republican, progressive, democrat, or some other party).

Disclaimer: this is not an endorsement of any candidate. I do not know Gamelin. I am just a Chittenden County voter.

Anyone want to play some tennis at one of the parks? I have some experience playing and I have rackets if you don’t have one.