Maida F. Townsend

Representing Chittenden 7-4 District in the VT House

I am a Democrat. I was raised in a household in which Franklin
Roosevelt was revered. How could I be other than a Democrat. That said, while the donkey is the symbol of my political party, I am no mule. I listen, I think, I welcome and respect differing views… as do the majority of Democrats with whom I have crossed paths. But even though I once chaired the State Party, if my Party’s leadership in the Legislature feels it necessary to issue “marching orders” and I cannot in good conscience “fall in line,” then I must respectfully disagree and stand my ground. Perhaps I am a bit of a mule after all.

 
I am pro-union. My parents were both factory workers and active in their respective unions. Their goal was that my younger brother and I should have more education than they had been able to have… that education being the “open door” for us. Imagine the reaction when I called home from my fancy girls’ school college and announced that unions were a root of evil in our country. The irony is not lost of my being, many years later, President of Vermont-NEA… as well as having been active in my local union throughout my years in the
classroom.

 
I am indeed a teacher… albeit retired at this point. Apparently, as I hopped off the bus after my first day at kindergarten, I announced that I wanted to be a teacher. My mother was aghast, and spent much energy over the next several years trying to convince me to pursue any career other than teaching… she really hoped that I would be a scientist of some sort. Ultimately, she came to be a proud advocate for teachers and teaching.

 
I began teaching, in Vermont, in 1966. I worked at West Rutland High School (1966-1969), Vergennes Union High School (1970-1981), and Winooski High School (1989-2008). When I retired in 2008, a group of very kind Winooski students wrote a note which I keep tucked inside a book they gave me. Here’s a snippet of what they said: “Ms. Townsend has been a wonderful, hard-working and dedicated teacher… She always has the time to help a student before or after school and she’s a fountain of knowledge….”

 
I do not know about wonderful, but I was hard-working and dedicated. As South Burlington’s District Chittenden 7-4 Representative to the Vermont House, I hope also to always be seen as hard-working and dedicated. The same energy, commitment, and work ethic which I demonstrated in my campaign is applied to my work as a State Representative. I take very seriously my responsibility, as well as the trust which the voters have placed in me.