Voter voices from Milton’s Bombardier Park

MILTON — Troves of adults clutching soccer balls and sporting T-shirts came and went from Bombardier Park on a warm Sunday afternoon. Ahead of the Nov. 3 election, those out for a stroll or showing up for a game shared how they plan to vote. 

Shosawna Mastin, 43, of Milton, said she plans to vote in person next week because she doesn’t believe in mail-in voting. Mastin, who works doing highway construction, said that affordability and the quality of education is top of mind when deciding how to vote. 

“Education in Milton is a huge thing I’m concerned about,” she said. 

The mother of four only has one kid left in school, and she said she thinks the quality of education in town has declined over the years. Mastin declined to say who she supported for governor, but she said she plans to vote Republican across the ticket. 

Jim Lambert, of Milton, who walked along a gravel path with his four dogs, said he already cast his vote for incumbent Republican Gov. Phil Scott with his mail-in ballot. He plans on voting for Republicans in every race, he said. 

Scott, Lambert said, has done a “fair job” at keeping spending and taxes down over the years.

The 67-year-old said he’s worried that military veterans aren’t getting as much support from the government as immigrants, namely for resources like housing. He’s also concerned about the rising cost of living in Vermont, he said, especially for young people looking to buy a house in Milton. 

Calvin Mabie, 32, was heading to a soccer game. He said he voted by mail for Democrat Amanda Janoo for governor. 

Affordable housing is the most important issue to Mabie, he said, and he supports Janoo’s platform on housing. Janoo has said she supports raising property taxes on second homes and vacation rentals with the intent of lowering housing costs and rising property taxes for primary homeowners. 

“I think it’s time for a change,” Mabie said.

Read the story on VTDigger here: Voter voices from Milton’s Bombardier Park.