Nearly 100 residents from Caledonia, Essex, and Orleans counties traveled to Montpelier on January 22 for NEK Day, an annual advocacy event focused on the region's priorities. Participants met with lawmakers, gave committee testimony, and attended a press conference featuring Senator Peter Welch, State Treasurer Mike Pieciak, Representative Mike Marcotte, Representative Leanne Harple, and Lieutenant Governor John Rodgers.
Abby Long of the NEK Collaborative, which coordinates the region's federally recognized REAP Zone designation, said the region faces challenges tied to its rural character, including geographic isolation, population decline, and poverty. "It was clear from the region's annual NEK Together convening this past November 2025, that housing, healthcare, affordability, flood and climate resilience all layered with the concern over the shift in sustainable funding are our highest priorities," Long said.
Welch emphasized the need for a level playing field. "The role we have in government is not about handouts, it's about creating a level playing field for rural communities. That means affordable and accessible health care. That means state-of-the-art broadband. That means opportunities for small businesses and farms to grow and thrive," he said.
Marcotte highlighted workforce needs, calling for affordable housing, health care, child care, and education to keep Vermonters from leaving. Pieciak discussed his NEK Baby Bonds pilot program aimed at addressing wealth inequality. Harple, an educator in the region, defended small schools. "They anchor communities. They pass down skills, values, and responsibility," she said.
Rodgers, a fifth-generation Northeast Kingdom resident, said: "I know firsthand the grit and heart that define our communities. NEK Day is about showing up together and celebrating the power that comes from who we are."
Originally reported by Newport Dispatch.
Photo: F McGady (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0). Photo is illustrative and not from the scene.
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