Below is the full transcript of Gov. Peter Shumlin's remarks in City Hall Park in Burlington on the afternoon of Wednesday, Nov. 5.
Hey, thank you all so much for joining us here in Burlington and I’m grateful for your being here. And as you know, we’ve just had a spirited race for governor and I’m extraordinarily grateful to the six other candidates who put their name forward, who ran a thoughtful and very good campaign. And I want to thank them for running. Democracy doesn’t work without spirited candidates who carry forth and make a difference, so I’m grateful to all six of them for the race that they ran.
I’ve told you many times that serving as governor has been the greatest privilege of my life. I’m incredibly honored by the opportunity to continue to serve the state that I love. I’m extraordinarily fortunate to serve as Vermont’s governor and fortunate to serve for another two years.
Vermonters sent a message last night and I heard it. I heard it loud and clear. We have faced our share of setbacks in the past couple of years, and I know that people are disappointed in how I’ve handled some issues. I recognize that I have work to do to regain the confidence of many Vermonters.
In the coming weeks and months, I will work with my team as well as legislators from all political parties to assess our upcoming legislative agenda to ensure that it reflects the will of Vermont voters.
I’m personally humbled by last night’s results and I’m also proud that we won. I’m disappointed that I didn’t receive a wider margin, but I’m grateful that we received the most votes cast. I’m also proud of the fact that we ran a positive campaign that focused on the issues.
In the next few years, we’re going to face more difficult challenges. Above all, we need to continue to grow jobs and incomes for Vermonters. We all know that the two biggest obstacles to prosperity are rising property taxes and rising health care costs that rise faster than our incomes. We need to stem the growth of property taxes and continue to push for affordable, quality accessible health care for all Vermonters.
I will not shy away from the challenges that we face. I can’t promise Vermonters that I’ll be perfect or that we’ll agree on every decision that I make, but I can promise that I’ll work hard and never lose sight of why I am so fortunate to serve as governor. Today we move forward determined to redouble our efforts to do right by all Vermonters.
Thank you so much.
