Legislative Work

Transportation

Mollie has been a member of the House Transportation Committee since first being elected to the legislature. The Committee addresses a wide range of issues and projects, with oversight over federal and state funding for roads, bridges, rail, public transit, and bicycle/pedestrian infrastructure. The committee also crafts policies to get Vermonters moving around the state safely and efficiently, whatever their mode of travel.

Mollie is the sole House appointee on the state Public Transit Advisory Committee, where she has advocated for better connectivity and scheduling for public transit systems operating in the state.

Mollie is a strong advocate for highway safety. She has been successful in getting legislation passed to protect pedestrians, bicyclists, and persons with disabilities on Vermont roads, and to tighten DUI laws.

Women

Mollie is the co-chair of the Legislative Women’s Caucus, which focuses on improving economic circumstances for Vermont women and on advocating alternatives to incarceration for nonviolent female offenders.

Environment

Mollie is an active member of the Legislative Climate Caucus. She supports the Climate Change Economy Initiative, a competitive strategy for promoting innovative economic development while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. 

General Legislative Service

In the legislature, Mollie has helped Brattleboro to secure money for various infrastructure projects. She has also been working with local groups to enhance education and infrastructure to make Brattleboro a safer, healthier, and more livable town. She provides assistance to many Brattleboro residents with state government issues.

As a member of the Legislative Arts Caucus, Mollie has been an advocate for full state funding to the Vermont Arts Council.

Along with other members of the Working Vermonters Caucus, Mollie supported a raise in the minimum wage, up to $10 per hour in 2017.

Read more about Mollie's legislative accomplishments and priorities > 

Work in Brattleboro

Mollie has been a Brattleboro Town Meeting member since 1990, which has given her valuable experience in town policies, budgeting, and consensus-building. As a town representative, she has worked collaboratively with constituents, local organizations, and with other town representatives to support Brattleboro’s needs during a time of growth and change in Southern Vermont.

In 2008, Mollie founded Art in the Neighborhood, a non-profit organization that provides year-round tuition-free arts classes to youth in Brattleboro’s low-income neighborhoods. The program also employs local artists as instructors, which provides job opportunities for area arts professionals.

Prior to founding Art in the Neighborhood, Mollie worked for more than two decades as an elementary school art instructor in area schools. She continues to do arts residencies and workshops when her legislative schedule allows. Mollie also worked for nearly thirty years as a figure skating teacher for the Brattleboro Recreation Department and the Brattleboro Figure Skating Club.

Mollie’s teaching work in Brattleboro has allowed her to get to know children and parents in the community. She has become familiar with concerns and issues regarding families, education, and town services.

Beyond the Legislature

Mollie holds an MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts from Goddard College and a Bachelor's degree in Political Science from Marymount College. She also completed graduate coursework in Political Science at the London School of Economics. She is an accomplished visual artist and has shown her work in local galleries and at the Vermont State House.  

Mollie is married to Peter Gould, a performer, writer, and teacher specializing in youth theater, Spanish, and conflict transformation. They have three grown children—all of whom attended Brattleboro public schools—and five grandchildren.

Mollie and Peter enjoy spending their free time outdoors in all of Vermont’s seasons – especially cross-country skiing, gardening, canoeing, and pressing apple cider.

Mollie believes that Brattleboro is a generous and community-minded town, and a wonderful place to raise a family. She is honored to represent District 8 and the wider Brattleboro community.