Charly Dickerson is a retired public administrator and a longtime resident of Montpelier, who is running as an independent candidate for governor.
He serves on the board of trustees for the Vermont Veterans' Home, which is a licensed state facility in Bennington that offers residential services and general healthcare for veterans, spouses and their families.
Though he is not a veteran himself, Dickerson is very concerned about veterans’ issues in Vermont.
Our guest is:
- Charly Dickerson, Independent candidate for governor
Broadcast live on Friday, Oct. 30, 2020 at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.
VPR’s Mitch Wertlieb spoke with Charly Dickerson, and their interview below has been fact-checked, condensed and edited for clarity.
Charly Dickerson: I really don't want the job.
I'm sorry, did you just say you did not want the job?
I do not want the job. To quote Monty Brewster and a movie of Richard Pryor's, 35 years ago –
I remember it well.
'You would have to be an idiot to vote for me.'
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It does raise the question then: Why are you running if you if you don't feel people should vote for you?
I'm running for purely selfish reasons: I'm running for mom.
My 92-year-old mother has been confined, locked up in a nursing home for eight months, unable to have any visits at all from her family or friends, her children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, etc. And she's kind of depressed and despondent. And she's been telling me for years that I ought to run for governor.
And that's why you're doing it – for your mom.
I put my name on the ballot, sent a ballot to mom, and lo and behold, she perked up. First time in eight months, she had a smile on her face. Now she's on the West Coast. And because of her condition, she's unable to manipulate a telephone, so I haven't talked to her on the phone in five months.
And, you know, it's one of the perils, if you will, from the current pandemic. But when the Legislature this year decided to, I want to say, make a mockery of the election process by not requiring any signatures to get on the ballot, I said, 'OK, I'll do it.'
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That was your window.
There was my window and I [thought it] would cheer mom up.
You mentioned COVID-19, and I realize that's why she can't have any visitors. She's obviously in a very high-risk group, given her age. Do you have thoughts on the way that should be handled? I mean, if you were elected governor, let's just say, in the unlikely event that you were elected, what would your approach to handling the COVID-19 crisis be?
Excuse me for laughing – the joke is: in the unlikely event that I'm elected, my first official act would be to demand a recount. I can't remember the guy who ran for mayor in New York who made that statement famous.
"...In the unlikely event that I'm elected, my first official act would be to demand a recount." - Charly Dickerson, candidate for governor
But I don't know the answer to your question. That's been a on-again-off-again dilemma between the politicians and the nursing homes, medical community and the health department about exactly how to deal with residents of a nursing home and how to deal with their family members and the public. It is hard and I know that at the vet's home down in Bennington, we've implemented some technology to allow at least residents to communicate with their family through either Skype or Zoom or some element of technology.
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Well, I'm glad you mentioned the veterans' home, because you do serve on the Vermont Veterans' Home Board of Trustees. And I'd at least like to know, and I'm sure you have thoughts on this, why is that important to you? And what could Vermont do that would make it a better state for veterans?
It's important to me because, partly, when I worked, part of my job was interacting and dealing with the vets' home, both when I worked in human resources and also when I was in human services. And so, after I quit working for the state, I already had been involved with the vets' home for at least 30 years. So I thought it would be valuable to sit on the board.
What did you learn during that time about how veterans are treated in the state?
I have learned that it's a dwindling population. The number of veterans in Vermont is much smaller than it used to be for obvious reasons. So it's also difficult to get people who are not tuned in to veterans excited about the issue here. When you go into the State House these days, a very, very small percentage of legislators are veterans.
Well, Charlie, let me ask you this, because you've made it clear that you're running for very specific reasons, and even if you did somehow win, you would not actually take the job. I do wonder, though, if you have any views, opinions on those candidates who are running and, you know, you don't have to reveal who you're voting for, but do you have a candidate that you feel would be the right person for governor, other than yourself? And if you'd like to reveal who that is?
No, I wouldn't. There's only two names I even recognize: Scott and Zuckerman. But beyond that, I don't think it would be appropriate for me to comment. Whoever wins, wins, as long as it's not me.
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VPR sought interviews with each of the independent candidates running for governor and lieutenant governor ahead of the Nov. 3 general election. We were able to schedule interviews with Michael Devost (Independent, Governor), Charly Dickerson (Independent, Governor), Kevin Hoyt (Independent, Governor), Emily Peyton (Truth Matters, Governor) and Ralph Corbo (Banish The F35s, Lieutenant Governor). VPR was unable to coordinate interviews with Wayne Billado III (Independent, Governor & Lieutenant Governor) and Erynn Hazlett Whitney (Independent, Governor). Find our full coverage here.
