LSC faculty member to try for legislative position

Steve Cormier
Critic Staff

John Kascenska hopes to help LSC students from a higher position.

John Kascenska, a former full-time professor in the Recreation Department and now an Associate Academic Dean at Lyndon State College is seeking a seat in the state legislature in Montpelier during a time of great challenge in the region.
Kascenska, a graduate of Lyndon State College and originally from the area, is running for Vermont State Senate from Caledonia County.

“It’s a good opportunity to serve the greater community,” Kascenska said. “Public service has always been something I’ve been very interested in, having worked in higher education for so many years.” Kascenska looks forward to the possibility of working for and helping his region.
Part of the community Kascenska seeks to serve is LSC, which at this time is facing a deficit.

“Anything I can do to make it known that we need additional funding to help support higher education in Vermont is something I would be very much an advocate for,” Kascenska said.

Kascenska hopes to turn his time as a faculty member at LSC into an opportunity to help the undergraduate population as well.

“One of the things I can bring for Lyndon, as close to the students as I've been over the years, is understanding where they are with paying the bills,” Kascenska said.
“I think people are very concerned about paying their bills,” Kascenska said. His campaign’s focus is on what he sees as money concerns facing the citizens of the Caledonian county.

With the recent announcement of a layoff at LSC due to budgeting and the closing of Lydall Inc. in St. Johnsbury, the focus is on encouraging and retaining small businesses regionally.

“In the Northeast Kingdom, given the territory population and infrastructure, it’s the small businesses that drive the economics in this region,” Kascenska said.
Supporting the economy must be made with the natural surroundings in mind though.

“It must be done in a way that’s balanced with maintaining our world and landscape here which is very important,” said Kascenska. “That’s a reason why a lot of people come to Vermont.”

Kascenska is running as a Republican and believes it is important to elect a more diverse body to both the Senate and the House of Representatives to get the state’s business done.

"I think there needs to be a better balance there to support some of the governor's initiatives,” he said. “It is very difficult when it's lopsided one way or the other."