Amanda Janoo

Janoo received a bachelor's degree in political science and global political economy from Macalester College in 2010 and a master of philosophy in development economics from the University of Cambridge in 2013. As of August 2026, Janoo was the economics and policy lead for Wellbeing Economy Alliance.[1][2] According to her campaign website, other work experience included "working with the United Nations and international development organizations as an industrial policy and structural transformation specialist."[3]

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Campaign websiteJanoo's campaign website stated the following:Our Platform I love Vermont.I love that we don’t have any billboards but our VTtrans highway signs say things like: “camp in the woods, not the left lane”. I love that we’ve got the only state capital without a McDonald’s but more farmers markets, breweries and coops per capita than any other state.I love our town meeting tradition and the fact that there is never more than one degree of separation between you and anyone else in the state. These aren’t just charming facts about Vermont. They reflect something much deeper about who we are.We’ve always believed that communities matter more than corporations. That neighbors should know one another. That local businesses deserve to thrive. That our working lands should be protected. That democracy works best when ordinary people have a real voice in shaping the places they call home.I believe Vermont already has everything we need to thrive.We have incredibly skilled workers, innovative entrepreneurs, family farmers, extraordinary teachers, healthcare providers, artists, local businesses, and communities that know how to care for one another. Our greatest challenge isn’t that we lack talent, resources, or ideas. It’s that too much of the wealth we create leaves our communities instead of strengthening them.For too long, we’ve been using the wrong economic playbook. We’ve been told that prosperity comes from attracting more people, more corporations, or more investment from somewhere else. I see it differently.The future of Vermont won’t be built by waiting for prosperity to trickle down. It will be built by investing in the people, businesses, farms, and communities that are already here—creating an economy where more wealth is created here, stays here, and is shared more broadly. This is not about isolating ourselves but investing in ourselves, our strengths and our communities so that we can weather the storms ahead and lay the foundations for a more prosperous future. That’s what this platform is about.It’s one strategy to make Vermont more affordable, more resilient, and more democratic by putting more wealth, power, and decision-making back into the hands of Vermonters.Because I really believe that together, we have everything we need to lead.Local Businesses, Strong Communities Strengthening Vermont's economy from the bottom up by investing in local businesses, farmers, workers, and cooperatives, keeping more wealth circulating in our communities instead of flowing to distant corporations and shareholders.Together, we can strengthen Vermont’s economy from the bottom up by investing in local businesses, workers, farmers, entrepreneurs, and the industries of the future—creating good jobs, producing more of what we need here at home and keeping more wealth circulating in our communities instead of flowing to distant corporations and shareholders.For too long, we’ve been using the wrong economic playbook. We’ve been told that Vermont’s future depends on attracting outside corporations, outside investment, and outside wealth. But Vermont isn’t struggling because we lack talented people, innovative businesses, or hardworking communities.We’re rich in entrepreneurs, farmers, skilled workers, researchers, artists, creatives and communities that know how to solve problems together.In fact, 99% of Vermont businesses are small businesses and about three-quarters are sole proprietors, yet too often our economic policies are designed around the needs of large corporations rather than the businesses that actually make up Vermont’s economy. That’s backwards. We should build a system where small businesses succeed because of our policies—not in spite of them.The challenge is that too much of the wealth we create leaves Vermont. Every day, money flows out of our communities through profit oriented healthcare systems, corporate monopolies, national retail chains, online marketplaces, financial speculation, and distant shareholders. As wealth leaves, our small businesses struggle, wages stagnate, downtowns decline, and communities lose the power to shape their own future.We can choose a different path.Instead of competing to attract investment from somewhere else, we can invest in the people, businesses, industries, and communities that already make Vermont strong. By helping Vermont businesses grow, connecting local producers with local buyers, expanding local ownership, and producing more of the food, energy, housing, healthcare, building materials, and other essential goods we need here at home, we can create an economy that’s more prosperous, more affordable, and far more resilient.When Vermont businesses buy from other Vermont businesses, the benefits multiply. A local farm that purchases equipment from a Vermont manufacturer, banks with a Vermont credit union, and hires local workers keeps that same dollar circulating through our communities again and again before it ever leaves the state. Strengthening these local supply chains is one of the most effective ways to create jobs, support small businesses, and build long-term prosperity.This isn’t simply an economic development strategy. It’s a strategy for strengthening Vermont’s economic self-determination.Level the playing field for Vermont businesses by redesigning state procurement, financing, regulations, technical assistance, and tax policy around the needs of small businesses rather than large corporations—making it easier for local businesses to compete, collaborate, innovate, and grow while keeping ownership and wealth rooted in Vermont.Help Vermont businesses start, grow, and stay local by expanding patient capital, reducing unnecessary administrative burdens, creating one-stop business support services, providing shared legal, accounting, marketing, etc. services and supporting cooperative business networks, and helping businesses scale without selling out to distant corporations.Reward businesses that create public value by aligning grants, financing, tax incentives, and procurement preferences with outcomes that benefit Vermonters—including local ownership, living wages, apprenticeship programs, environmental stewardship, worker participation, Vermont sourcing, and long-term investment in our communities.Keep more Vermont dollars in Vermont by helping state agencies, municipalities, schools, hospitals, colleges, and other public institutions purchase more goods and services from Vermont businesses, farms, cooperatives, and manufacturers, breaking large contracts into sizes local businesses can compete for, and strengthening Vermont supply chains so local businesses buy from one another whenever possible.Produce more of what Vermont needs by investing in local food systems, community-owned renewable energy, housing construction, forest products, sustainable building materials, healthcare, childcare, manufacturing, repair industries, and other essential sectors that create good jobs while making Vermont more resilient, self-reliant, and less dependent on fragile national supply chains and corporate giants. Build the industries of the future by making Vermont a national leader in regenerative agriculture, circular manufacturing, repair and reuse industries, clean technologies and high-quality products built to last—supporting businesses that create long-term value while reducing waste and environmental impact.Strengthen Vermont’s workforce and innovation economy by expanding apprenticeships, career and technical education, workforce partnerships, and research collaborations between Vermont colleges, universities, technical centers, unions, employers, entrepreneurs, and manufacturers—aligning public research with Vermont’s greatest needs so innovations in areas like Lyme disease, climate resilience, sustainable agriculture, affordable housing, clean energy, and rural healthcare improve people’s lives while creating new Vermont businesses and good local jobs.Create a Vermont Public Bank to keep more of Vermont’s capital working in Vermont by partnering with local credit unions and community lenders to expand affordable, long-term financing for small businesses, farms, manufacturers, cooperatives, housing, renewable energy, community infrastructure, and other mission-driven investments that strengthen Vermont’s economy.Expand local ownership by helping retiring business owners transition to employees, cooperatives, family members, or local buyers instead of out-of-state corporations, while supporting worker-owned cooperatives, employee-owned businesses, community-owned enterprises, and Public Benefit Corporations through financing, technical assistance, and targeted tax incentives for businesses that create long-term public value.Support community-led economic development by helping towns, regions, and local organizations develop economic strategies rooted in their own strengths, assets, and priorities—whether that’s food, forestry, outdoor recreation, the arts, or holistic care—so every region of Vermont can build an economy that reflects its own people, skills, and resources.Coordinate economic development around one shared strategy by creating an Office of Community Wealth Building and Economic Resilience that aligns state investments, strengthens regional partnerships, expands local procurement, builds resilient Vermont supply chains, supports community-led economic development, and helps create stronger, more self-reliant local economies across the state.How will we pay for it? This strategy isn’t about creating an entirely new economic development system. It’s about investing the resources we already spend more strategically.We’ll redirect existing economic development subsidies away from expensive recruitment incentives for large corporations and toward investments that strengthen Vermont businesses, workers, farmers, and communities for the long term. Public financing, partnerships with Vermont credit unions, community lenders, and mission-driven investors, together with returns from community-owned investments, will help multiply these dollars while keeping capital rooted in Vermont.Because locally owned businesses recirculate significantly more of every dollar they earn than absentee-owned corporations, these investments will strengthen local tax bases, create better jobs, expand entrepreneurship, and generate lasting returns for Vermont communities.How will this improve Vermonters' quality of life?When more businesses are locally owned, more money stays in Vermont. That means better jobs, thriving downtowns, stronger family farms, lower energy costs, healthier local food systems, more opportunities for young people, and communities that are better prepared for economic disruptions, natural disasters, and political uncertainty.Instead of depending on distant corporations to determine Vermont’s future, we’ll build an economy that gives Vermonters greater control over the things that matter most.Together, we can create an economy where wealth is created here, stays here, and is shared more broadly building stronger communities, greater economic security, and a Vermont where every region has the opportunity to thrive.Homes for Vermonters, Not Investors Together, we can build a housing system where every Vermonter can afford to rent, buy, or build a home in the community they love.By investing in permanently affordable housing, helping Vermonters build and own homes, and asking large corporate investors, private equity, luxury second homes, and commercial vacation rentals to contribute their fair share, we can lower housing costs, reduce property taxes, and put more homes back in the hands of the people and communities they were meant to serve.Vermont communities are being hollowed out because too many Vermonters can no longer afford housing in the communities they love. Housing costs have skyrocketed, property taxes continue to rise, young families are struggling to buy their first home, seniors can’t find affordable places to downsize, and too many homes are being used as investments rather than places to live.For decades, we’ve treated housing as an investment rather than a home. More homes are being purchased by investors, second-home owners, and corporations while working Vermonters are priced out of the communities they grew up in. At the same time, we haven’t invested enough in permanently affordable housing or made it easy enough for ordinary Vermonters to build, renovate, and own homes themselves.We can choose a different path.A resilient Vermont is one that has the capacity to house itself—investing in local materials, local workers, community ownership, and permanently affordable homes that remain affordable for generations to come. Across Vermont, organizations like the Champlain Housing Trust, one of the nation’s most successful community land trusts, have shown that limited-equity homeownership works. Communities are leading the way through housing cooperatives, cohousing developments and innovative local projects like Weathervane United in Lincoln, which has provided affordable senior housing through community leadership for decades, while in Brandon, VT local builders are transforming an abandoned high school into co-housing while training volunteers in basic carpentry and reclaiming building materials.Instead of treating these as isolated success stories, we can make them the foundation of Vermont’s housing strategy.Together, we can put homes back in the hands of Vermonters by investing in permanently affordable housing, rebuilding our capacity to build and renovate homes locally, reducing property taxes, and ensuring more homes are owned by the people and communities they were meant to serve.Modernize Vermont’s property tax and housing classification system by recognizing the different roles housing plays in our communities. Primary homes, workforce housing, permanently affordable housing, small Vermont landlords, and modest family camps would receive greater protections, while luxury second homes, commercial vacation rentals, vacant investment properties, and large corporate or private-equity ownership would contribute more. We’ll also close ownership loopholes that allow large investors to hide behind multiple LLCs, ensuring our tax system rewards homes that strengthen Vermont communities—not big investors and rich out of staters.Expand permanently affordable housing by investing in community land trusts, housing cooperatives, cohousing, public housing, and shared-equity homeownership so homes remain affordable for generations—not just a few years.Help working Vermonters build, buy and renovate homes by expanding affordable financing, technical assistance, shared-equity programs, and financial support for owner-builders, first-time homebuyers, multigenerational housing, small-scale builders, and accessory dwelling units.Rebuild Vermont’s housing workforce through expanded vocational education, apprenticeships, technical centers, and a Community Builder Program that trains the next generation of carpenters, electricians, plumbers, and builders while restoring homes and public buildings across the state.Build a circular housing economy by expanding adaptive reuse of vacant properties and old schools, churches, barns, mills, motels, and other underused buildings, supporting renovation and deconstruction instead of demolition, reclaiming building materials, and growing local businesses that repair, remanufacture, and recycle construction materials.Expand Vermont’s production of building materials by supporting local lumber, wood products, modular housing, insulation, windows, heat pumps, and other essential building components that strengthen local supply chains and create good-paying jobs.Invest in senior housing and universal accessibility by expanding accessible housing, aging-in-place programs, and incentives that allow older Vermonters to remain in their communities while freeing up homes for younger families. New publicly supported housing should be designed using universal design principles wherever practical so Vermonters can remain in their homes throughout every stage of life.End homelessness through a Housing First approach, ensuring every Vermonter has rapid access to safe, permanent housing alongside voluntary mental health care, substance use treatment, employment assistance, and other wraparound services that help people rebuild their lives.Support locally driven housing solutions by simplifying permitting for permanently affordable housing, adaptive reuse projects, accessory dwelling units, and small-scale infill while preserving strong environmental protections and giving towns greater flexibility to meet local housing needs.Measure success differently by judging our housing system by the percentage of Vermonters living in quality, affordable housing—not simply the number of housing units built.How will we pay for it? Revenue from taxes on private equity, large corporate housing, second homes, vacation rentals and luxury estates will be reinvested to reduce property taxes for Vermont residents and expand permanently affordable housing. We’ll also leverage state and federal housing programs, revolving loan funds, municipal partnerships, and mission-driven investment to help communities create housing that remains affordable for generations.By taxing digital advertisements, data monetization and large online marketplaces (see Ban AI Data Centers & Retake Control from Big Tech Policy) By investing in local builders, technical education, Vermont-made building materials, adaptive reuse, and community ownership, we’ll keep more construction dollars circulating in Vermont’s economy while reducing long-term housing costs.How will this improve Vermonters' quality of lifeWe can build a Vermont where homes are owned by people, neighborhoods still know their neighbors, and every community has the opportunity to thrive. By making it easier for Vermonters to rent, buy, build, and remain in their homes, we’ll lower housing costs and property taxes, help young families put down roots, enable older Vermonters to age with dignity in their communities, reduce homelessness, and create good-paying jobs in the skilled trades.Just as importantly, this plan will rebuild Vermont’s capacity to house itself—strengthening local builders, supporting Vermont-made building materials, expanding community ownership, and keeping more wealth circulating in our towns instead of flowing to distant investors. Housing should create community wealth, strengthen local economies, and give every Vermonter the freedom and security of a place to call home.Protect & Invest in Community SchoolsTogether, we can protect and strengthen Vermont's schools by investing in them as the heart of every community—bringing essential services closer to home, strengthening local economies, and giving communities more power to shape their own future.For generations, Vermont’s schools have been more than places where children go to class, they are the heart of our communities.Yet instead of building on this strength, Vermont’s current education strategy is focused on consolidating districts, closing rural schools, and sending children farther from their communities. Consolidation changes where children attend school, but it does little to address the core drivers of rising education costs, including rising healthcare costs, growing student mental-health needs, and the increasing expectation that schools respond to challenges created far beyond the classroom.We can choose a different path.A resilient Vermont is one where every community has the power and capacity to meet more of its own needs. Schools are one of the few public institutions that still exist in nearly every town. Instead of concentrating more services, resources, and decision-making farther away, we can strengthen the institutions that already bring people together.Building on the Vermont community school pilots in 2021, community schools integrate primary care, social workers, mental-health support, childcare, food access, continuing adult education and other nonprofit and state services into our schools as a way to improve educational outcomes while investing in the social, economic, and civic infrastructure that makes communities stronger.This isn’t just about bringing more services into schools. It’s about redistributing power back to communities.Community schools give towns more capacity to solve problems locally. They make it easier for parents to work by expanding childcare, improve workforce participation through continuing adult education and job training, reduce healthcare costs through prevention and create stable local jobs. Instead of dozens of community service organizations operating separately, schools become shared civic infrastructure where people, ideas, and resources come together.They also make Vermont more resilient. Strong communities are built on strong relationships and trusted public institutions. Community schools create year-round places where neighbors learn together, support one another, organize, and respond during floods, public health emergencies, and other crises. They become the foundation of stronger local economies, healthier communities, and more resilient democracy.Vermont is already showing what’s possible. Winooski has connected schools with health services, food access, and family support. Newport has expanded health, wellness, and early-childhood services through the state’s Community Schools initiative. Small rural schools like Peacham Elementary have integrated childcare directly into the school building, helping young families remain in their communities. Instead of treating these as isolated success stories, we can make them the foundation of Vermont’s education strategy.Research shows this approach works. Well-designed community schools improve attendance, academic achievement, graduation rates, family engagement, student health, and school climate because they address the barriers to learning before they become crises.Build on Vermont’s community school approach by supporting schools to become locally designed hubs for education, healthcare, mental-health support, childcare, food access, adult learning, recreation, and community services. Each school will determine its own priorities through collaboration among students, families, educators, municipalities, nonprofits, and local residents.Protect small and rural schools as essential community institutions by making community-school investment an alternative to forced consolidation and closure. Schools will be evaluated not only by enrollment or cost per pupil, but by the full value they provide to children, families, local economies, and community life.Place community-school coordinators in participating schools to build partnerships, identify unmet needs, coordinate services, pursue outside funding, and connect families with assistance. This will ensure teachers are not expected to act simultaneously as educators, social workers, case managers, mental-health providers, and healthcare navigators.Integrate primary and preventive healthcare into schools (See universal primary care policy) and expand school-based mental-health and social-work support by placing more counselors, social workers, behavioral-health specialists, substance-use prevention providers, and family-support workers in schools. These services will help address challenges early rather than waiting until children and families reach a crisis.Create childcare and early-learning hubs in underused school space by helping schools partner with local childcare providers. Building on models like Peacham, schools could host infant care, preschool, afterschool programs, summer programs, and childcare so parents can work and know their children are in good hands. Expand food access and community nutrition programs by partnering with the Vermont Foodbank, local farms, food shelves, community-action agencies, and mutual-aid organizations. Schools could provide community meals, food distribution, school gardens, cooking programs, clothing, diapers, hygiene products, and emergency necessities without stigma.Open schools for continuing adult education and lifelong learning by offering evening, weekend, and summer programs such as GED preparation, English-language classes, digital skills, financial literacy, parenting support, arts, recreation, civic education, continuing education.Connect schools with workforce development and technical education through partnerships with technical centers, Vermont State University, community colleges, labor unions, local employers, and tradespeople. Schools could host apprenticeships, vocational programs, repair workshops, maker spaces, agricultural education, and training in the skills our communities urgently need.Strengthen intergenerational connection by offering senior meals, exercise programs, technology assistance, volunteer opportunities, mentoring, oral-history projects, and shared activities between students and elders. This will reduce isolation while allowing children to learn from the knowledge and experience of their communities.Bring government services closer to people by coordinating state agencies, nonprofit providers, and local organizations through community schools. Instead of building larger bureaucracies, we’ll make existing services easier to access while giving communities more power to coordinate solutions locally.Invest upstream rather than paying for crises downstream. By providing children and families with healthcare, counseling, childcare, food assistance, housing support, and other services before problems become emergencies, we can improve educational outcomes while reducing long-term costs in healthcare, corrections, child welfare, homelessness, and special education. Research consistently shows that community schools improve attendance, behavior, graduation rates, and academic achievement because they remove barriers to learning before they become crises.Rebuild Vermont’s school infrastructure for the 21st century by renovating aging buildings, improving energy efficiency, modernizing classrooms, and creating space for childcare, healthcare, workforce development, arts, recreation, and community services. We’re already going to have to rebuild many of our schools. Let’s rebuild them once—and rebuild them to solve multiple challenges at the same time.How will we pay for it? Community schools aren’t about asking education property taxpayers to fund more services. They’re about making better use of the public investments we’re already making.Today, healthcare, childcare, workforce development, mental health, nutrition, family services, and education are often funded separately, delivered separately, and located separately—even when they serve the same children and families. Community schools bring these investments together, allowing every public dollar to accomplish more.The Agency of Education, Department of Health, Department for Children and Families, Department of Mental Health, Department of Labor, Agency of Commerce and Community Development, community health centers, designated agencies, nonprofits, and philanthropic partners will each continue funding the services connected to their missions. The difference is that those services will increasingly be delivered together through trusted community institutions rather than fragmented across multiple buildings and bureaucracies.How will this improve Vermonters' quality of lifeA child cannot learn when they are hungry, sick, frightened, unhoused, or unable to access the support they need. A parent cannot fully participate in the workforce when there is no childcare or don’t have access to the social services they need. An elder cannot remain connected to the community when every gathering place disappears. And a rural town cannot attract young families or build a thriving local economy after losing its school.Community Schools allow us to address these challenges together.By bringing services to the places families already know and trust, we can improve educational outcomes, reduce pressure on teachers, make health care and childcare easier to access, support local jobs and businesses, reduce isolation, and diversify the funding that sustains our public schools.The answer to rising costs and struggling communities is not to withdraw more public institutions from rural Vermont. It is to make those institutions work better for all of us.Instead of consolidating our public schools out of existence, we will protect and invest in them as the foundations every child, family, and community needs to thrive.Ban AI Data Centers & Retake Control from Big TechThe concentration of power in the hands of a few AI companies and tech giants is a threat to our democracy, economy and planet. Vermont can be a national leader in advancing the regulations and protections needed to ensure everyone has control of their data, their privacy and their lives.Artificial intelligence is one of the greatest threats of our time, left unc