Desks in disarray after floods slosh through state offices. Photo by Josh Larkin.

Parts of the Waterbury State Office Complex could be uninhabitable for at least four months, and perhaps significantly longer, state officials say, and the Shumlin administration is figuring out how to put the 1,586 state employees assigned to Waterbury back to work.

Flooding from Tropical Storm Irene caused extensive damage to the 500,000-plus square foot facility complex, which is comprised of separate brick structures. Gas-and-sewage-laced mud is everywhere. The tunnel system was filled with water and muck.

Doug Racine, secretary of the Agency of Human Services, which occupies the majority of the office space on the sprawling campus, cataloged the scene of the flood-wasted carnage. Dozens of laptop and desktop computers were ruined. Water cut a hole in the floor of the commissioner of Department of Mental Health’s office. The building’s foundation is exposed in at least one place. The pump station for the sewage treatment system was destroyed. The new state benefits service call center was under 6 feet of water on Monday,  and everything in the space – scanners, computers, telephone operating equipment – was ruined. The electrical system – switches, transformers and generators – for the entire complex no longer functions. The interior walls are soaked. There are also worries about health hazards such as asbestos, and questions about structural damage, he said.

State employees assigned to Waterbury have been asked to stay home until officials can place workers in alternate locations or formalize opportunities for volunteer efforts. The Shumlin administration has been working with the Vermont State Employees Association on potential problems posed by legal interpretations of the collective bargaining contract. As of Friday morning, both sides expressed confidence that those challenges, which revolve around an emergency work location clause, could be resolved before the Labor Day weekend. The workers will continue to be paid.

“This is going to be a long time before that building is usable,” Racine said. “We’re saying four months, but that’s a guess. They have to clean it all out;  we have to move stuff out. Then we have to assess how much it’s going to cost.”

Officials expect federal public assistance funding will cover 75 percent of the cost of refurbishing the facility. The state holds an insurance policy for the facility with a $1 million deductible.

Meanwhile, Racine is scrambling to find empty office space in Montpelier and Burlington for key personnel in his agency. He is considering long-term leases in Winooski at the VSAC building; IBM has offered the state office space; some employees will likely be housed at the state’s location on Hurricane Lane in Williston; and the Redstone Building, which was once the home of the secretary of state’s office,  is also available.

A security perimeter has been put up around the building to prevent people from coming in contact with hazardous materials or from looting state or personal property. Racine said there had been rumors that people were just walking into the building, including some state employees who were trying to retrieve items.

“Everything touched by water is being thrown out,” Racine said – including a large pile of computer equipment, about 165 desktops and laptops.

All, however, is not lost at the state’s largest physical plant. The Department of Public Safety building will likely be reoccupied in a few weeks, according to Jeb Spaulding, the secretary of the Agency of Administration.

About 400 newly purchase computers and the server systems for human services, the Agency of Natural Resources and public safety were moved to higher floors of the facility before the storm hit, and as of Friday, 97 percent of the data for all three state entities had been recovered, according to Richard Boes, commissioner of the Department of Information and Innovation.

Workers in a holding pattern

Kate Duffy, commissioner of the Department of Human Resources, said state lawyers are trying to determine if volunteer work and transfers to offices outside Waterbury could violate provisions in the union contract. Alternative locations must be within 35 miles of Waterbury in order to satisfy the union contract. Workers are require to receive double-time pay if they are transferred in an emergency situation to a new location. Though this rule has applied to certain workers post-Irene, namely public safety and state hospital workers, Duffy said it’s not clear if that’s the case for non-emergency workers.

“We are working with the VSEA to makes sure this is done in a manner consistent with our collective bargaining agreement,” Duffy said on Thursday. “Hopefully, we’ll have a clear direction on how we’re proceeding within the next day or two.”

Nearly 200 of the 1,586 employees assigned to the Waterbury complex are temporary workers, many of whom have worked for the state for years, Duffy said. Those employees will be paid for their time, she said.

Conor Casey, government relations director for VSEA, said the union’s biggest problem since the flood has been the state’s communication (or lack thereof) with employees. Because the Agency of Human Services computer system was down and offices were decimated by water, state officials didn’t have home contact information for state workers.

“You had people sitting at home, waiting for their supervisors to call,” Casey said.

The union sent out a robocall to all its members, informing them that they shouldn’t come to work until further notice. The union has also asked members not to go to the complex right now.

Casey said many union members want to volunteer to help the state while they’re waiting for assignments to new locations. They want to answer 511 lines, he said, for example. Such a system could work under the contract if employees voluntarily offer to provide services.

“It’s going to be a little hectic going forward,” Casey said. “We want to be a resource for the state and communities. We want to create opportunities for our members to help out.”

Casey said state employees are a crucial part of the emergency response to the tropical storm and the post-Irene recovery. Union workers for the Department of Public Safety, the Agency of Transportation and the Department of Information and Innovation have all worked long hours.

“In an emergency like this, you need government to step up,” Casey said.

VTDigger

Workers at the Eligibility Benefits Center in Waterbury sort through applications.

Racine to hire more investigators for elder abuse complaints

Doug Racine, secretary of the Agency of Human Services, said he will fill 10 full-time investigator positions in Adult Protective Services to eliminate the waiting list of more than 250 complaints of abuse, neglect or financial exploitation that have not yet been investigated. About 44 cases have been sitting in a growing queue of complaints for more than six months. Even though the state hired temporary investigators last winter to address the backlog, the program has not been able to keep up with the number of complaints, which, according to data from the program, could total close to 4,000 this year. Racine said the temp workers would continue to work on the backlog until the program is caught up on cases, most of which are financial exploitation.

Racine made the announcement in an interview on Vermont Public Radio last Thursday. The secretary also notified VTDigger.org. VPR picked up the original story from VTDigger.org, which ran Aug. 6.

Foodstamps backlog disappears

A year ago, hundreds of Vermonters were stuck in a backlog for foodstamps, Reach Up and Medicaid. Only 65 percent of benefit applications were processed within 30 days, as required under statute. That’s because the state had adopted a new digitized application system that hadn’t taken hold yet – and positions in the eligibility benefit center had been cut.

Vermont Legal Aid threatened to sue the state, and in December, Steve Dale, then-commissioner of the Department of Children and Families, worked with the Shumlin administration to hire 20 full-time workers to take care of Vermonters whose applications had been mistakenly rejected or stuck on the waiting list. That investment – of about $1 million – eliminated the queue and enabled Vermonters timely access to programs. Today, 90 percent of applications are processed within 30 days.

Shumlin's AT&T tweet.

Shumlin tweaks AT&T with Tweet

Last Thursday, Shumlin was temporarily incommunicado with his staff. Turns out that AT&T was down for about an hour that morning. The governor, who keeps tabs on his Cabinet via two cell phones, was perturbed by the blackout and somehow managed to squeak out a Tweet that warned his followers the cell phone outage could last 24 hours to 72 hours. The blackout may have felt that long for the governor, but it was actually about one hour in length.

Canteen reinstated

The Vermont State Hospital will reopen the “canteen” after the snack bar was closed nearly two years ago. Christine Oliver, commissioner of the Department of Mental Health, says the Canteen will offer a café menu again in September.

Oliver said the new snack bar will be run by the Division of the Blind and Visually Impaired. The cafe will serve healthier options, and, as in the past, it will be open to the public, and some of the workers will be Vermont State Hospital patients.

The Canteen was a contentious budget item in 2009. The Douglas administration shuttered the café, but an outcry from mental health advocates eventually led to an appropriation to keep it open and to renovate the space.

Vermont has second highest insurance rates

According to a new study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, Vermont had the second highest insurance premium rates in the country in 2010. Massachusetts took first prize; both states had rates above $400 per person last year. The national average is $215 per month per person.

Timely tax data?

Dick Heaps and Art Woolf, authors of the Vermont Economy Newsletter, complained last month that they weren’t receiving tax information as quickly as they used to. In an item titled “Suppressing Timely Information,” they alleged that the Tax Department is delaying release of the monthly tax receipts data in order to allow the Agency of Administration to review the information and offer an “accurate interpretation.” The latter struck Heaps and Woolf as an Orwellian breach of openness and transparency in state government.

Mary Peterson,  commissioner of the Tax Department, says for some reason, the raw numbers had been going out to a select group of 30 people, including Heaps, before the data were “scrubbed.” The public dispersal of the revenue numbers is issued around the 10th of the month; the raw data were sent about four or five days beforehand.

“It’s not a big deal,” Peterson said. “We’re waiting for solid numbers. It makes sense to send them out when they’re ready for everybody.”

The list of raw revenue recipients included state agencies and two outside entities – Vermont Economy Newsletter and the Rockefeller Center for State and Local Government.

Questions about the accuracy of numbers published in a recent article led to an examination of the reporting system, Peterson said.

The data from the Tax Department is reconciled with information from the Department of Finance and Management before it is reported by the Agency of Administration.

Auditor named sailor of the year

Sailor Tom Salmon, courtesy photo

The message came via email, complete with a scan of the original certificate of award: The White River Junction Navy Operational Support Center has named State Auditor Tom Salmon, also known as Builder First Class for the U.S. Navy, Sailor of the Year. Two photos are featured with the announcement – one of Salmon in his “dress blues” and a second in which he’s wearing fatigues, leaning up against a truck.

Salmon, a Democrat turned Republican, is either running for governor or Senate, depending on whether Lt. Gov. Brian Dubie makes a bid for the Fifth Floor against Shumlin. Lately, the state auditor, who appears to be functioning in campaign mode, has taken to sending out several emails a week to the press.

Legislative Apportionment Board by the numbers (and the map)

Since the meeting of the Legislative Apportionment Board last week, the Vermont secretary of state’s office has issued a map of the new single-member and double-seat district lines. The overall maximum deviation is 20.3 percent; a deviation figure has been calculated for each district as well.

Download the proposal and the map.

The plan now goes to the Legislature in January.

Wallack touts payment reforms in New England Journal of Medicine

Anya Rader Wallack, special assistant to Gov. Peter Shumlin, outlined the governor’s single-payer health care plan in the New England Journal of Medicine last month. Wallack gives cost control mechanisms and the single-payer concept equal weight in her article. Payment reform is the key concept in her brief, which emphasizes the state’s Blueprint for Health, cost sharing, global hospital budgets, bonus payments tied to quality of care and bundled payments by all payers.

“It is worth watching Vermont’s development of its single-payer system as a model for guaranteeing coverage for all citizens, reducing administrative waste, and simplifying insurance for both patients and providers,” Wallack writes.

Report urges “prompt” solution to long-term nuclear waste problem

The Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future issued recommendations last month for long-term storage of highly radioactive fuel generated by the nation’s 104 operating nuclear power plants. The commission outlines a new strategy for the storage of spent fuel that includes “prompt” siting of nuclear waste management facilities.

The authors of the report acknowledge that the nuclear disaster in Japan “gave new urgency to our charge.”

“In the weeks of intense media coverage that followed, many Americans became newly aware of the presence of tens of thousands of tons of spent fuel at more than 70 nuclear power plants around the country,” they wrote.

The Obama administration put an end to the long “troubled” policy, the report states, “which tied the entire U.S. high-level waste management program to the fate of the Yucca Mountain site.”

No other permanent site for high-level radioactive waste is currently being contemplated by national officials. Meanwhile, spent fuel is accumulating at nuclear power plant sites. At nuclear power plants around the country, including Vermont Yankee, more fuel is being kept in “storage pools” than they were designed to contain, according to a report by the New England Center for Investigative Reporting. The Vermont Yankee spent fuel pool is loaded with five times more fuel than it was designed to hold, according to Shay Totten at Seven Days, who contributed to the series.

The commission acknowledges this fact. “The United States currently has no physical capacity to do anything with this spent fuel other than to continue to leave it at the sites where it was first generated,” the authors wrote.

The report urges the federal government to develop long-term geologic storage capacity and consolidated “interim” storage facilities. It also recommends a new “consent-based” approach to siting fuel repositories.

Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., praised the commission’s report.
“If appropriately implemented, their conclusions can become an action plan to renew confidence in the nation’s nuclear waste management program,” Leahy said. “Forging the structure of a sensible and workable program is not an option, it is an imperative. We have gone too long without a plan, leaving waste piling up across the country and leaving many communities vulnerable to nuclear disasters.”

No more trees to leave the Statehouse lawn

Officials confirmed in a meeting last week that no more trees would be removed from the Statehouse grounds this year. Buildings and General Services Commissioner Michael Obuchowski, Statehouse Curator David Schutz and other officials decided that the state would “engage in a comprehensive planning exercise that will include the Capitol Complex Commission and legislators.”

The state recently removed three sugar maples that had graced the lawn in front of the Golden Dome for 30 to 40 years, because of complications from soil compaction.

Schutz said that “the current design of the lawn is, however, in serious question.”

The sugar maple, which is the official state tree, is not well-suited to urban settings, he said. The species could also become a casualty of climate change. Sugar maples, scientists say, won’t thrive as Vermont’s climate warms.

“Should we mindlessly keep planting sugar maples, and only sugar maples, in a situation that is not conducive to their long-term survival?” Schutz wrote in an email. “That has long been the plan that BGS has followed. To vary the trees and their locations would be a highly-debatable proposition, and I’m happy to report that for the next year we intend to pursue this discussion with a mind toward expanding involvement in planning for the Statehouse lawn.”

~Taylor Dobbs

VTDigger

Sec. of Human Services Doug Racine. VTD/Josh Larkin

Sometimes laws passed with the best of intentions become political footballs in debates that have nothing to do with the problems lawmakers have set out to solve.

A case in point in the 2010 legislative session was Act 127, the so-called “autism mandate,” which was used in arguments by politicians and lobbyists who opposed the single-payer health care legislation as an example of how the state has failed to contain medical costs.

Trouble with these arguments is that the numbers cited are projections — not actual costs. The Legislature delayed implementation of the legislation so that it could hear a report on the financial impact of the mandate that insurers and the state cover specialized autism services.

Act 127 was designed to ensure that children under the age of 6 diagnosed with autism receive the therapies they need to improve their physical skills and their ability to interact in social groups.

As of July 1, 2011, private insurance companies and state Medicaid programs were supposed to begin picking up the tab for these therapies.

During this legislative session, however, the new Secretary of the Agency of Human Services Doug Racine testified to lawmakers about how much it would cost the state to implement the law: $10 million for children who range in age from birth to first grade. In addition, advocates had pressed for coverage of children between the ages of 7 and 17, and that would add another $9 million in costs to the Medicaid program, which already spends $64 million a year to support children with autism with personal care attendants and special education programs.

Read the Act 127 FINAL Report 2-10-11

The long-term projected savings for early intervention services (for ages 0-6) is about $20 million.

Susan Besio, commissioner of the Department of Vermont Health Access, said: “The thing that’s gotten lost in all of this is we pay $64 million in autism services, unlike the commercial carriers.”

Private insurance companies cover about 24 percent of children with autism, according to Suzanne Santarcangelo, a special projects manager for the Agency of Human Services. Often, however, services for children with autism are denied coverage, she said. Parents then turn to Medicaid reimbursements. “We’re picking up where private carriers don’t pay,” Santarcangelo said.

There are 1,100 children with an autism diagnosis in the Medicaid program – a higher proportion than any of the other New England states, Santarcangelo said. Of that total, more than 800 are between the ages of 7 and 17.

The state and the federal government, through the Medicaid matching program, pay for 97 percent of autism treatment costs, according to a report to the Legislature. Private insurance companies, meanwhile, pay for only 3 percent of the cost of autism-related medical services.

In testimony, Racine urged legislators to repeal the law because he said the state couldn’t afford the increased costs for new autism services. He later asked lawmakers to move the effective date for insurance and Medicaid coverage, which they agreed to do.

“The governor set a budget and revenue target,” Racine said in an interview. “People can agree or disagree, but those were the numbers.”

Racine said he worries that increases in spending on autism will come at the expense of other needs his agency is trying to address, including staffing gaps at the state hospital, adequate investigations of reports of child abuse and neglect, and efforts keeping older Vermonters out of nursing homes through the choices for care program.

He is also concerned about next year’s budget, in light of federal cuts that appear imminent. “We have to wait and see what they’re doing,” Racine said. “If they cut the Low Income Heating Assistance Program and childcare subsidies, this one problem that might pale in comparison with other problems in the state.”

Private insurers won’t be required to pay for autism-related therapies until Oct. 1, and Medicaid programs are off the hook until July 1, 2012.

In the meantime, young children in Vermont with autism who have behavioral problems related to an inherent difficulty with communication through speech and facial expressions will go without the intensive speech and behavior therapy that could help them develop communication skills.

Politicians and lobbyists seized on Act 127 as one of three examples of state initiatives that had failed to control costs (the other two were Catamount Health and the state Medicaid program), though Act 127 hasn’t yet been implemented.

Jeanne Keller of Business Resource Specialists, an insurance brokerage firm, called out the Shumlin administration for advancing H.202, the health care reform bill, when it couldn’t find a way to pay for costs associated with Act 127. (The autism law required that the state conduct a study to determine what the costs might be.)

Sen. Vince Illuzzi, R/D-Essex-Orleans, used the same information on the floor of the Senate in an attempt to prove that the state hasn’t successfully contained health care expenditures.

The Legislature and Shumlin administration, however, didn’t implement the “autism mandate” right away for the reasons Keller and Illuzzi cited – lawmakers and state officials are worried about the costs of providing intensive services. That’s why last year the Legislature asked for the study Keller and Illuzzi used in their arguments against health care reform.

Suzanne Santarcangelo, a special projects manager for the Agency of Human Services, said the research shows that applied behavior analysis, one of the key tools used to assess and help change the behavior of children with autism is proven to be effective, but it is very expensive. The cost per child can run as high as $200,000 per year. That’s because children from babyhood to age 6 would need intensive services, 20 to 40 hours a week of therapies, plus attendant care and “wraparound” services.

It would cost a total of $10.7 million to provide those services to 183 children in Vermont in fiscal year 2013 when the law goes into effect on July 1, 2012.

State officials couldn’t say what the mandate will cost private insurance companies.

Racine said the bill wasn’t a high priority for the big three insurers – Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna and MVP.

“When I arrived in this job, the mandate was there,” Racine said. “I didn’t hear from an insurance company until very near the end of the process. I reached out to them, but they didn’t see it as a big deal. Why not, I don’t know. The mandate was there; if we had not proposed extending the mandate, it would have stayed in place.”

A legislative report that is examines the feasibility of expanding services to include specialized supports for children with autism shows that if private insurers are required to provide coverage for children with autism, the state could save $5 million.

Editor’s note: This story was updated with additional information at 8:25 a.m. May 11, 2011.

VTDigger

File: Secretary of Human Services Doug Racine speaking with Rep. Patsy French, D-Orange, Addison-1. Photo by Josh Larkin.

UPDATE: Rep. Ann Pugh, chair of the House Human Services Committee, reported that after discussions between the designated agencies and the Shumlin administration, the proposal to require the designated agencies to compete for funding has been taken off the table.

Doug Racine, the secretary of the Agency of Human Services, read the riot act to the state’s designated agencies – the nonprofits that provide mental health programs and services for the developmentally disabled.

Racine proposed a rule change that would require the agencies to compete for funding through performance-based contracts. He told the House Human Services Committee on Wednesday that the 17 agencies, which he called “regional monopolies,” need to become more flexible and more accountable to the state.

Racine said the state needs to be able to measure the results of the designated agencies and determine “what we’re getting for the money.”

“We have a reality to deal with,” Racine said. “The designated agencies receive $280 million a year — out of $2 billion from the budget for the Agency of Human Services. Next year could be even more difficult (budgetwise) than this last year in which we’ve already lost federal funding.”

Gov. Peter Shumlin, a Democrat, has already asked the designated agencies to take an $11 million cut in fiscal year 2012.

Floyd Nease, executive director of the Vermont Association for Mental Health, said in an interview that the new proposal from AHS to allow private companies to compete with designated agencies for state funds would “deconstruct” the system of care.

Racine predicted that because President Barack Obama has proposed federal budget cuts to the Community Services Block Grants and the Low-Income Heating Assistance Program, that the state would be in much more dire straits next year.

“There will be intense pressure to make up the money,” Racine said. “This could get really ugly. If that is the case, this would be easier to deal with now.”

Racine pointed to a study from 2007 from the Pacifica Health Groups that stated the annual funding for the designated agencies would increase 8 percent a year just to maintain the status quo — absent reform. If the state wanted to address unmet demand the cost would be 12 percent, he said.

“We have a problem,” Racine said. “How do we get through these difficult times, without hurting Vermonters. There’s nothing left we can do except cut services.”

Julie Tessler, executive director of the Vermont Council of Developmental and Mental Health Services, told the committee that under the proposal, services would be privatized and potentially diminished as groups compete for funding.

Racine said his intent was not to privatize the system.

When he arrived at the agency, Racine said he found that the performance-based contracts that were supposed to be developed under the last administration hadn’t been put in place. “We have the authority to do it, but it hasn’t been done,” Racine said.

Rep. Topper McFaun, D-Barre Town, asked why the agency didn’t move ahead with the contracts and use them as a tool to measure the effectiveness of the designated agencies.

“Until now, I thought the agencies were doing a good job,” McFaun said. “Why not use the tools you have before you start adding (new requirements in statute)?”

Racine said his comments were not a “condemnation or criticism of the services they are providing.”

“When we closed down Brandon (training school) we asked the designated agency system to take on serious cases and there are still gaps in the system.”

Racine said he is aware of people with developmental disabilities and mental illness who become assaultive when they are in crisis and end up in the corrections system, which is incapable of dealing with inmates with mental illness.

“The police show up and they don’t know what to do, so they send them to jail,” Racine said. “That’s a gap in the system. We need to do a whole lot better than we have.”

Tessler said the designated agencies respond to crises all over the state, but that the system is too under-resourced to handle the scope of the problem.

Editor’s note: A write-through of this story was posted at 9:18 a.m.

VTDigger

Contact:
Paul Costello, VCRD Executive Director
802-223-6091
info@vtrural.org
www.vtrural.org

MONTPELIER, VT – The Vermont Council on Rural Development (VCRD) announced today that four of Vermont’s new agency secretaries will join its board of directors. Chuck Ross, secretary of the VT Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets; Lawrence Miller, secretary of the VT Agency of Commerce and Community Development; Deb Markowitz, secretary of the VT Agency of Natural Resources; and Doug Racine, secretary of the VT Agency of Human Services were elected to state sector board positions. VCRD is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization with a 23 member board representing federal, state, local, private, and nonprofit partners working together to support the locally-defined progress of Vermont’s rural communities.

VCRD helps Vermonters and Vermont communities develop their capacity to create a prosperous and sustainable future through coordination, collaboration, and the effective use of public and private resources. It is a member of the National Rural Development Partnership.

VTDigger

Governor-elect Shumlin Announced Christine Oliver to be Commissioner of Mental Health

Montpelier, Vt., – Governor-elect Peter Shumlin today announced that Christine M. Oliver will serve as Commissioner of Mental Health.

“Christine has broad experience with mental health issues and services, and with health care issues broadly,” said Shumlin. “Her professional background makes her a strong addition to our human services team.”

Oliver has served as Deputy Commissioner of the Division of Health Care Administration, through the Vermont Department of Banking, Insurance, Securities and Health Care Administration, since her appointment in 2006. In that post, she was the managerial head of the state division responsible for regulating health insurance (including rates and forms), quality of health care services, and related consumer education and protection. The division also has statutory responsibility for reviewing hospital budgets and issuing “certificates of need” for hospital expenditures.
　
“We are very fortunate to have Christine join the Human Services team,” said Human Services Secretary Designee Doug Racine. “She understands the connections between mental and physical health. Those skills will help us as we proceed with health care reform and closing the Vermont State Hospital as soon as possible.”

Prior to her Vermont tenure, Oliver was Executive Assistant for Health and Human Services to Ohio Governor Bob Taft, focusing on Mental Health, Health, Job and Family Services (including Medicaid), Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, Aging, Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services issues.

She also served as General Counsel for the Ohio Department of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, an agency that serves 60,000 individuals through 12 state-operated developmental centers, 88 county boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, and 1,300 private providers regulated by the State. In addition, she previously was an associate with the Ohio law firm of Delligatti, Hollenbaugh & Briscoe Co., L.P.A., with a focus on business and health care litigation.

Oliver obtained her law degree from the Ohio State University, College of Law and Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, magna cum laude, from Youngstown State University.

Her salary will be $99,000.

VTDigger

CONTACT:
ALEXANDRA MACLEAN

GOVERNOR-ELECT SHUMLIN ANNOUNCES THE AGENCY OF HUMAN SERVICES’ SECRETARY, DEPUTY SECRETARY AND THE COMMISSIONER OF THE DEPARTMENT FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES

Montpelier, Vt., – Governor-elect Shumlin announced the appointments of Vermont’s next Secretary of Human Services, Deputy Secretary and Commissioner of the Department for Children and Families. Doug Racine will be the Agency of Human Service’s next Secretary, Patrick Flood will continue in his role as Deputy Secretary and David Yacavone will serve as the Commissioner of the Department of Children and Families.

“In these tough economic times, it is critical that Vermont’s Human Services Secretary be experienced, compassionate, and knowledgeable about the issues facing our most vulnerable,” Shumlin said. “Doug Racine brings all of these qualities to the job. I am immensely grateful that he has agreed to serve in this critical position.”

Doug Racine most recently chaired the Senate Health and Welfare Committee and co-chaired the Vermont Child Poverty Council. He served for seven terms in the Senate, including eight years on the appropriations committee. Doug co-owns a small family business in Burlington with his two brothers. Doug attended Princeton University and received an A.B. in Politics. As Secretary, Doug’s salary will be approximately $115,000.

“Patrick Flood has done an incredible job in the role of Deputy Secretary,” said Shumlin. “He brings a wealth of on the ground experience in this agency that will be critical in these tough times. I am delighted that Patrick has agreed to continue in this role.”

Patrick has been the Deputy Secretary of Human Services for the past three years. Prior to this he was the Commissioner of the Department of Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living. Patrick attended Harvard University and lives in Woodbury. As Deputy Secretary, Patrick’s salary will be approximately $93,000.

“David Yacavone has worked for years on the front lines of human services,” said Shumlin. “He brings experience and compassion for Vermont’s vulnerable to this position. I thank him for his willingness to continue working for Vermont’s children and our families.”

David Yacavone has 35 years of health and human service experience in Vermont. He served in the legislature and as a Commissioner of Aging and Disabilities under Howard Dean. He has worked for five of the last six Secretary’s of Human Services. David graduated from Johnson State College with a degree in Political Science and lives in Morrisville. As Commissioner of the Department of Children and Families, David’s salary will be approximately $100,000.

###

VTDigger

Peter Shumlin gives victory speech, Sept. 10, 2010

Sen. Peter Shumlin has won the Democratic nomination for governor.

Unofficial recount results from the Washington County Superior Court show that Sen. Peter Shumlin beat out Sen. Doug Racine in the Democratic primary for governor by 203 votes, according to the Associated Press.

Shumlin was as gracious in victory as Racine was in defeat. The two campaigns held press conferences on Friday afternoon: Racine’s to concede; Shumlin to mark victory. The two men campaigned together over the last few weeks, and in his concession speech, Racine said he would continue to help Shumlin campaign if asked.

“I am humbled and honored to accept the Democratic nomination for the state of Vermont,” Shumlin said. He thanked his family, voters and his opponents in the primary.

“Only in Vermont could we see five extraordinary candidates run for governor of this state, all of whom would be great governors, launch a long campaign, have over 60 debates and never say a negative word about each other, and spell out a positive vision for Vermont,” Shumlin said. “We should be extraordinarily proud of the five candidates. I’m incredibly grateful to Deb, Matt, Doug and Susan for launching such a productive and thoughtful discussion about how we can get Vermont back to work.”

Shumlin said 75,000 voters “got excited about democracy” because the candidates didn’t attack one another.

“It wasn’t about trying to make the other one look bad,” Shumlin said. “It was about collectively spelling out a vision for this state. Let’s hear it for Vermont’s democracy.”

Shumlin, 54, who hails from Putney, celebrated his win with a small crowd of supporters and family at a press conference behind Burlington City Hall. As he walked toward a gaggle of reporters in front of a podium, he hugged members of his immediate family – his mother, daughter, brother and sister – and greeted a dozen or so core supporters. A few of the party notables in the crowd included Paul Tencher, who is leading the Dems’ coordinated campaign; Amy Shollenberger, Racine’s campaign manager; Ian
Carleton, former chair of the Vermont Democratic Party; and Rep. Floyd Nease, majority leader of the Vermont House.

Just three hours prior, Doug Racine, of Richmond, conceded the race to Shumlin at a press conference in front of the Chittenden County Superior Court, where the last votes for the recount were counted. “He is the winner, and there’s no question about it,” Racine said. The senator said he would campaign on Shumlin’s behalf if asked to do so. “I’ve offered, it’s up to him,” Racine said. “He has to figure out how best to run against Mr. Dubie. If he feels that I can help him out, I’ll do what I can.”

Racine said calling for the recount was a good decision. “There’s no question now about what the outcome is, and now we can move on.”

The recount started on Wednesday morning and was complete around noon on Friday. Originally, election officials thought it could take more than a week to finish.

Doug Racine concedes in Burlington

The primary bid for the Democratic nomination for governor was the most expensive gubernatorial primary in the state’s history. The five candidates — Racine, Secretary of State Deb Markowitz, former Sen. Matt Dunne and Sen. Susan Bartlett – raised more than $1.88 million for their campaigns, based on the Aug. 17 campaign finance reports filed with the Vermont Secretary of State.

Shumlin, in his victory speech, said he would do “everything in his power to conduct a positive, issue-oriented campaign.” “The same kind of campaign that won us the nomination will win us the governorship,” Shumlin said. “Vermonters don’t want politics as usual. We’re sick of the bickering, sick of the fighting.”

Shumlin said he and Dubie have very different visions for the future of the state as it faces a $112 million deficit in fiscal year 2012.

“Brian Dubie is too conservative for Vermont socially, and he doesn’t have the experience and vision to put Vermont back to work and make the bold changes that are necessary to get that done,” Shumlin said. “I think the party is unified going into this election.”

As for the tone of the race, Shumlin said he and Dubie worked together in the Senate, and their collegial relationship will continue into the campaign. “We respect each other, and I think we’ll have a respectful conversation about the future of Vermont,” Shumlin said.

His Republican opponent in the General Election, Lt. Gov. Brian Dubie sent out a press release “welcoming” Shumlin to the race.

“I look forward to a spirited debate,” Dubie said in the release. “The differences between my opponent and me on the most important issues in this election – jobs and the economy – could not be greater. I look forward to letting Vermonters decide who they think best represents the interests of Vermont families, workers and job creators.”

Shumlin with his family in Burlington

The General Election campaign started before the recount was over.

Advertisements from outside organizations, for example, had already been released for each candidate. On Aug. 20, the Republican Governors Association launched a television ad that introduces Dubie’s priorities to voters. On Wednesday, Green Mountain Future, a 527 tax-exempt group that backs
progressive causes, produced an ad slamming Dubie for his support of Vermont Yankee, the state’s nuclear power plant in Vernon.

In addition, Dubie’s campaign has begun releasing daily press releases attacking Shumlin’s record.
On Tuesday, Dubie demanded that Shumlin return $8,000 from David Blittersdorf, founder of NRG systems, a wind generation company based in Hinesburg. Shumlin appointed Blittersdorf to the Clean Energy Development Fund Board last year.

Blittersdorf resigned shortly before the board gave his company $4.3 million in tax credits last month.

Alex MacLean, Shumlin’s campaign manager, said in an e-mail that the campaign would not return the campaign donations. “Blittersdorf is one of Vermont’s most innovative business leaders, and Peter is proud to have his support,” MacLean wrote.

At the press conference, Shumlin said: “On top of telling the world Vermont is a terrible place to do business, he then attacks the people who are creating jobs,” Shumlin said. “Why would I return the money from someone who has created jobs? Who has created just the kind of jobs Vermont so badly needs? Frankly, I’ll be encouraging (David) and Jan to make more.”

Dubie’s campaign also asked Shumlin to release his personal assets and liabilities to public purview. Dubie made information about his wealth available to reporters earlier this week. MacLean said Shumlin will release information about his net worth early next week.

Shumlin said he had never written down his assets and liabilities before, and he is working on information he’ll release next week.

ReadDubie’s 1040, plus assets and liabilities
Dubie has also challenged Shumlin to 12 debates. The first is scheduled for 8 a.m., Monday, Sept. 13 on the “Charlie, Ernie and Lisa Show,” WVMT-AM 620. Shumlin said he will be present at the debate. He said he wants to hold more debates.

At 12:30 on Monday, Shumlin will hold a press conference at Main Street Landing to lay out his plan for the election. He is also holding a victory party at Nectar’s at 8 p.m. Monday.

Download a podcast of Racine’s concession speech from Mark Johnson, WDEV

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Brian Dubie, lieutenant governor of Vermont

VTDigger

SEPTEMBER 7, 2010

Democratic Gubernatorial Candidates Launch a United Vision for Vermont Tour

Burlington, Vt – The presumptive Democratic gubernatorial nominee, Peter Shumlin and the four other Democratic Candidates for Governor today launched their United Vision for Vermont Tour. The candidates will make seven stops throughout the state on the two-day tour where they will highlight their unified vision to put Vermonters back to work and get our economy moving again.

“As Democratic candidates for governor we have a united vision of how best to get Vermonters back to work,” said Shumlin. “This vision includes a healthy middle class, an economic environment where every Vermonter, no matter how rich or how poor, will have an equal opportunity to succeed. This is in stark contrast to Brian Dubie, whose George W. Bush’s style plan will sacrifice our environment and our children’s education to give tax cuts to the wealthy.”

“Vermonters will have a clear choice in November,” said Racine. “We all share values of a clean environment, real opportunities for all Vermonters, and a good education for every child in Vermont. We will build a strong economy that provides good jobs for Vermonters.”

The candidates highlighted their own vision and also spoke about why they felt Peter and not Brian Dubie is the candidate with the skills, experience and vision to create good paying jobs and protect our quality of life.

“In these difficult economic times, it is more important than ever that we have a Governor with experience handling the state budget,” said Bartlett. “When Brian Dubie released his economic development plan it became crystal clear that he has never written a budget, voted on a budget or had to manage a budget. His numbers simply don’t add up. Madeline Kunin said that she learned what she needed to learn about being governor by being on the appropriations committee. Peter has been there and understands the task confronting the state.”

“As a mother of teenagers enrolled in Vermont’s public school system I understand how important our high quality education system is for our families, our economy and our future,” said Markowitz. “I trust Peter Shumlin to uphold the quality of this system. On the other hand, Brian Dubie intends to destroy it so he can give tax breaks to Vermont’s wealthiest.”

“We need a governor with experience making a business work in Vermont to understand how to make it possible for new businesses to start and existing businesses to thrive,” said Dunne. “This is not a time for someone like Brian Dubie who has no experience creating jobs and, from his economic development plan, does not understand what our businesses need. We need a Governor who can start on day one creating an economy that works for all of Vermont.”

The candidates are traveling the state together in an RV and will be making three additional stops tomorrow, Wednesday, September 8.

Details of the tour are below:

Wednesday, September 8:

8:30 – 9:30 AM: Brattleboro

**Note: Change in Location** Pliny Park (on the corner of Rte 5 and Rte 9 in downtown Brattleboro)

10:30 – 11:00: White River Junction

GroSolar, 601 Old River Road, WRJ

12:30 – 1:30: Montpelier

Location: State House Lawn

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