Susan and Mark Boutwell of Hartland sit in a booth at Snap’s Restaurant in Bristol on Sunday Oct. 25. Photo by Theo Wells-Spackman/VTDigger Theo Wells-Spackman is a Report for America corps member who reports for VTDigger. VTDigger reporters visited a variety of sites across Vermont in rec ent weeks, asking voters directly about the issues they care most about this election season. This week we’ll bring you those voices as we approach Election Day on Nov. 3. BRISTOL — Beaming sun illuminated the remaining red leaves on Sunday, bringing a steady stream of Vermonters to two Addison County dining institutions.  For a fraction of those brunchgoers, that peace was briefly shattered by a VTDigger reporter’s inquiries about their perspectives on next week’s general election. But like other attempts to capture the atmosphere surrounding Vermont’s most closely watched race — Democrat/Progressive Amanda Janoo’s challenge to Republican Gov. Phil Scott — the resulting snapshot showed more worry about the challenges facing Vermont than clarity about who voters will select to solve them. Among those savoring a meal in a window-side booth at Snap’s Restaurant in Bristol were two voters, Susan and Mark Boutwell of Hartland, who had yet to be fully won over by either gubernatorial candidate. Mark, 67, who recently retired from leading Senior Solutions in southeastern Vermont, said affordability issues for older residents were at the top of his mind. “Many older Vermonters aren’t going to be able to afford higher heating oil prices,” for example, he said. READ MORE Mark said he was also concerned about homelessness among older adults, and added that he was “not convinced” by Scott’s efforts to address the state’s housing crisis. In general, he tends to vote for Democrats, he said, but hasn’t made up his mind about the governor’s contest this year. Susan, a 68-year-old former communications professional and news editor, likewise expressed uncertainty, despite being “really interested in that race.” Education reform is a particularly important issue for her, she said, with property taxes a pressing problem as electeds in Montpelier work toward economic sustainability for the state’s education finance apparatus. But Susan said she was unsure about school district consolidation as an approach to that goal. “I’m not convinced it will save money,” she said, adding “what are you getting in return?” Essex Junction’s Ben Bivins, 40, who emerged from Snap’s in a hurry bearing an order for takeout, said he thinks the state is due for a change in leadership strategy. For one thing, “property taxes are crazy,” Bivins said, which he argued contributes to Vermont’s sinking birth rates and outflow of young people. He said he generally supports Janoo’s progressive agenda, and added that legislative experimentation might be called for in this moment. “I’m down to try anything at this point, because what’s been going on the last couple years ain’t cuttin’ it,” Bivins said. Rosie’s Restaurant in Middlebury on Sunday Oct. 25. Photo by Theo Wells-Spackman/VTDigger Fifteen miles down the road, Tim Seniff paused on the way out of Rosie’s Restaurant in Middlebury to explain that a desire for political balance in the Statehouse and a distaste for the two-party system usually leads him to vote for independent or third-party candidates where possible. The Warren-based estate gardener and chef said he intends to do so again next week, having grown increasingly worried about the state’s financial management in recent years. Vermont often greenlights spending its residents can’t really afford, Seniff argued, including on the much-debated motel program designed to provide emergency housing to certain vulnerable people experiencing homelessness. Seniff said he was seriously considering moving out of Vermont entirely. Partly due to a revaluation of his home, he said, his property taxes have doubled in recent years. “It’s just too expensive,” Seniff said.  Read the story on VTDigger here: Voter voices from east to west. ...read more read less