MONTPELIER — Nearly 100 Northeast Kingdom community members gathered at the Vermont Statehouse on Thursday, January 22, for NEK Day, a day of collective advocacy focused on the unique needs and strengths of the region.
Participants from Caledonia, Essex and Orleans counties met with legislators, provided testimony and joined a press conference featuring Senator Peter Welch, State Treasurer Mike Pieciak, Representative Mike Marcotte, Representative Leanne Harple and Lieutenant Governor John Rodgers.
“There’s no place better than the Northeast Kingdom to showcase the strength and opportunities in rural life,” Welch said. “The role we have in government is not about handouts, it’s about creating a level playing field for rural communities. That means affordable and accessible health care. That means state-of-the-art broadband. That means opportunities for small businesses and farms to grow and thrive.”
Abby Long of the NEK Collaborative introduced speakers at the press conference. She noted the region’s beauty and strengths stem from its rural nature, but that rural character brings unique economic and social challenges. The region is geographically isolated, experiencing consistent population decline and deep poverty.
The NEK has been designated a federally recognized REAP Zone, Rural Economic Area Partnership Program, one of only five in the nation. This allows for additional and priority funding dedicated to the region. The NEK Collaborative houses this agreement with USDA Rural Development.
“It is the Collaborative’s role to consistently keep our pulse on the region’s needs,” Long said. “It was clear from the region’s annual NEK Together convening this past November 2025, that housing, healthcare, affordability, flood & climate resilience all layered with the concern over the shift in sustainable funding are our highest priorities.”
Representative Mike Marcotte emphasized workforce needs. “When we look at our workforce needs, we need high quality affordable housing, healthcare, childcare, and education in order to keep Vermonters here and to entice new, younger people to come to Vermont,” he said.
State Treasurer Mike Pieciak discussed his recent NEK Baby Bonds pilot program, designed to address wealth inequality in the region.
“The Northeast Kingdom has a number of advantages, its natural beauty, easy access to outdoor recreation, and its deep sense of community, but Vermonters also have to be able to afford to live there,” Pieciak said. “The lack of affordability impacts the entire state, but it is felt deeply in rural communities.”
Representative Leanne Harple, who serves on the House Education Committee and is an NEK educator, received strong applause for her remarks on rural education.
“We know what our small schools contribute. They anchor communities. They pass down skills, values, and responsibility,” Harple said. “In the Northeast Kingdom, our schools are smaller because our communities are smaller. That’s not a flaw—it’s a feature of a very special place defined by distance, independence, and strong local ties.”
Northeast Kingdom leaders testified in House committees on Commerce & Economic Development, Human Services, General & Housing, Government Operations, and Education, sharing accounts of their lived experiences tied to the region’s priorities.
Lieutenant Governor John Rodgers, a Northeast Kingdom resident, welcomed participants to a personal meet and greet.
“As someone with Kingdom roots five generations deep, I know firsthand the grit and heart that define our communities,” Rodgers said. “NEK Day is about showing up together and celebrating the power that comes from who we are.”
