PRESS RELEASE October 29, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Jim Condos jcondos@aol.com
Rutland Herald, Times Argus, and Addison County Independent Endorse
Jim Condos, Democratic Candidate for Secretary of State
Yesterday, the Rutland Herald, the Times Argus, and the Addison County Independent all endorsed Jim Condos for Vermont Secretary of State. They based their endorsements on his experience and his views on openness in government, and inclusiveness in voting.
“All 3 newspapers have a long history of honest and fair reporting,” says Condos, “and I am honored to have their endorsements.”
Condos, a state senator from Chittenden County from 2001 to 2007 and a South Burlington city councilor for 18 years, has also been a senior employee for Vermont Gas Company for much of his professional career. He has business, legislative and town government experience on a first-hand basis — all of which are important assets for the position.
Condos was recognized for his longtime service on the South Burlington City Council and as a State Senator for Chittenden County , as well as his long career in the private sector. “This combination of experience is ideally suited to the office of secretary of state whose duties focus on making government work for the people,” stated the Times Argus and Rutland Herald editorials.
The Addison County Independent, in supporting Condos, also discounted Gibbs’ support from the Vermont Municipal Clerks’ & Treasurers’ Association of Gibbs, as that decision was, among other things, based on a handful of subjective issues. They also did not find convincing Gibbs’ argument that Condos was responsible for the mismanagement of pension funds in South Burlington . They stated, “As Gibbs should well know, pension funds across the country took a huge hit in the stock crash and recession of 2007-2009, and the South Burlington fund was among them.“.
Their decision to support Condos was based on to what degree the candidates would work to improve access to public records and assure compliance with open meetings laws; and who would be the better leader for efficiency and effectiveness. Their answer: Jim Condos.
They had less confidence that Gibbs would pursue these issues with equal vigor, as he was a member of the Douglas administration, which was no friend of openness in government.
Condos, too, has doubts about Gibbs ability to lead in these areas. He believes Gibbs’ views on election reform reflect efforts at the national level by Republicans to suppress the vote. Condos has expressed concern about Tea Party efforts to intimidate voters, and he has called on Gibbs to repudiate a Tea Party group.
