Hollar Enters Race For Montpelier Mayor

(Host) A Montpelier lawyer who served eight years as chairman of the capital city's school board is running for mayor.
John Hollar says he's a fiscal conservative, but liberal on social issues. The Democrat identifies two big challenges facing Montpelier.

(Hollar) "And they're competing challenges which make both of them more difficult to solve. One of them is our tax rate. By some measures we have the highest tax burden per capita of any community in Vermont. And the other issue is our declining infrastructure that is in significant need of repair; anybody who's driven through Montpelier recently can attest to that. Our roads are really in need of attention, as well as our sidewalks and water system."

(Host) Hollar says he doesn't have any ready answers to solve the city's fiscal problems. But he says he wants to engage voters during the campaign to get a sense of the public's priorities for the Montpelier budget.

Mary Hooper, the current Montpelier mayor, is stepping down. No other challengers have stepped forward yet.