Winooski School Board race sees contest between newcomer and established name

Winooski School Board candidates Robert Millar (left) and Jordan Matte (right). Photos courtesy of Robert Millar and Jordan Matte.

Two seats on Winooski’s school board are up for grabs on Town Meeting Day, but only one of them is contested.

Board president Allison Burlock is running unopposed for a three-year seat. Two Winooskians are vying for a two-year seat, though: Housing Commission chair and former board member Robert Millar and Jordan Matte, who ran unsuccessfully for a Vermont House seat in 2022. 

The two-year seat is currently held by Alexander Yin, whose term expires in March.

A resident of Winooski for 13 years, Millar, who is married to city council member Aurora Hurd, has been an active figure in local politics and government. Less than a year after moving to Winooski, he ran for and won a two-year seat on the school board. He was a member of the Winooski Development Review Board before, in 2015, winning a seat on the city council, a role he held for two years. 

Millar has also held senior staff roles in U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders’ congressional and presidential campaigns and was executive director of the Vermont Progressive Party from 2013 to 2014. He has run for statewide offices several times.

Millar said he initially tried to “reach out to encourage people to run,” but there wasn’t much interest — possibly, he thinks, because people worry the “vitriol” in national politics will trickle down to the board. So in the end he decided to run again.

Millar said he has no specific policy plans if elected. He instead plans on listening and engaging with Winooski community members about issues important to them and going from there. 

In contrast to Millar, Matte said his family has been in Winooski for at least four generations. He is a relative outsider in politics, too. He ran unsuccessfully to represent Winooski in the Vermont House in 2020 and 2022. 

Matte’s background is primarily in industrial work, according to his LinkedIn profile, and he works now as a manager for Colonial Life insurance. 

Why is he running for the board? “I think you have a lot of influence over policy as opposed to higher offices,” he said.

Matte said he would like to see more transparency with the school district’s budget process. “Not a lot of people know what goes on in the school board,” he said. “It would help to break [the budget] down for residents.”

Matte, the husband of Winooski Mayor Kristine Lotte, drew media scrutiny during the 2020 campaign after he was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. Asked about the arrest in a recent interview, Matte said simply, “It’s settled.”

Matte was eventually charged with felony DUI, according to the Chittenden County Superior Court. But he took a plea agreement in August 2021 for a misdemeanor of careless operation, according to the courts, and was handed a $500 fine. Matte’s license was also suspended in relation to the incident in August 2021, court officials said. His license was reinstated that October, according to the state Department of Motor Vehicles.

The school board seats will be decided on March 7 at Town Meeting Day. All Winooski residents, regardless of citizenship status, may vote in the election.

Community News Service editor Justin Trombly contributed reporting to this piece.

Disclosure: Steven Berbeco, who is deputy publisher of the Winooski News, is also a member of the Winooski School Board.

Editors Note: This article has been updated to include that Robert Millar is married to city council member Aurora Hurd.