Matte Dunne. VTD/Andrew Nemethy

RANDOLPH CENTER – From Brattleboro to Newport, Vermonters came to Randolph Center Saturday to talk about how — and why — they wired up their towns with broadband.

At a daylong conference called “Citizen Leadership in a Connected Age,” townspeople, tech experts, broadband providers, community builders, and business, nonprofit and news leaders, gathered to discuss how “digital tools” can be used to benefit the Green Mountain State.

Some participants pointed to the Internet as a tool for re-creating a lost sense of community. Others said statewide access to broadband is essential if Vermont’s economy is going to survive in the 21st century.

The conference was sponsored by eight nonprofits overseeing the e-Vermont Community Broadband Project and it brought about 75 people together at forums to talk about the impacts of broadband, the obstacles, the costs and future uses, and the necessity to make broadband coverage universal throughout the state.

Mark Snelling, president of the Snelling Center for Government, which was instrumental in organizing the conference, said ensuring that Vermonters make the most of broadband access “is the significant most important thing we can do to increase the quality of life for Vermonters.”

Snelling’s comments were echoed by Paul Costello, executive director of the Vermont Council on Rural Development, which is working with 24 rural towns across the state under the e-Vermont project to develop new uses for the Internet that build community engagement, commerce, jobs and school innovation.

“Young people aren’t going to live where there’s no digital culture,” Costello said. “If Vermont is not one of those places, we’re going to lose vitality.”

E-Vermont director Helen Labun Jordan said Vermont was one of only two states to receive funding for a community broadband project under federal stimulus money, a significant feat. But as Google executive and former legislator Matt Dunne noted in the keynote speech, the sense of community is Vermont’s “secret sauce” and long a main ingredient in the state’s focus.

Karen Marshall, who was appointed in January by Gov. Peter Shumlin to head Connect VT and oversee an effort to make broadband  universally available in Vermont by 2013, said towns that don’t have good Internet access have developed community hubs that offer the service.

“We’re starting to see libraries emerge as a town center,” she said, because they often are key Wi-Fi hotspots in local communities. Local schools also often have broadband and are also willing to share the resource, she said.

A week ago the state launched a new interactive website, www.BroadbandVt.org, a crowdsourcing tool that will help the state identify dead spots in service areas and better plan for broadband expansion, she said.

Users can also test their Internet speed on the site, which Dunne told the conference is another critical area in which Vermont is lagging far behind. New mobile Internet uses are consuming more and more “bandwidth” and ensuring high-speed connections is essential to Vermont’s economic future, he said.

Josh Garza of GAW High Speed Internet, which has deployed nearly 1,000 Wi-Fi nodes across the state, said demand for “bandwidth,” essentially the size of the pipes that data streams through, is doubling every year.

Broadband is a “big driver for economic development,” said Townsend Belisle, founder of Wireless Woodstock. He was born in Woodstock, moved back to Vermont after 15 years in New York and began a successful, if at times frustrating, effort to wire the tony resort village, where debate raged over where to locate the small bland gray Wi-Fi signal boxes.

The town used a non-commercial model for Wi-Fi centered around the library, and eventually got businesses and town officials on board. Belisle said six months later the traffic on the network is “fantastic.” Mobile Wi-Fi is critical today for resort tourists and broadband a key for real estate sales to people who might think of settling in Vermont, he said.

Wi-Fi providers said new technology coming on the market will greatly improve the range and speeds of over-the-air connections to those who don’t have cable or DSL now, providing so-called “last mile” solutions with UHF wavelengths that penetrate trees and foliage much better than current technology.

Al Levy, president of Summit Technologies, shows off a wireless repeater. VTD/Andrew Nemethy

Al Levy, a UVM grad who grew up in Williston, is president of Summit Technologies in Williston, which provides wireless services to the state, resorts, hospitals and local governments. He said Wi-Fi is “critical” to the state’s economic future and mobile uses on smart phones and other devices is surging.

“We’re seeing that across the board everywhere,” he said.

Fortunately, costs are declining: A Wi-Fi repeater the size of a big cereal box only costs $600-700. And the new wavelength may help the state finally get everyone connected.

“I’m pretty excited about what this could do for Vermont,” he said.

Beyond nuts and bolts issues, the forums on Saturday focused on how to renew community ties. For the 24 towns that won grants under the e-Vermont project, it’s a chance to become laboratories and models for how broadband can build community connections. Part of the project also centers around the 24 town elementary schools, where students in some grades get netbooks and teachers receive intensive digital technology training under a program called “Digital Wish.”

Susan Clark of Middlesex said Front Porch Forum has become an important vehicle for enabling townspeople to keep in touch with each other and up to date on local government affairs. FPF is not anonymous so people behave like neighbors. Because municipal information is available on the forum, controversies seem to be headed off because no one thinks “the wool is being pulled over their eyes,” she said.

“There’s this feeling of connectedness in the town now,” said Clark.

Michael Wood-Lewis, founder of Front Porch Forum, explained how an email list he launched in his Burlington neighborhood a decade ago evolved into the forum that connects townspeople in 60 Vermont towns with 26,000 subscribers.

Front Porch Forum  is focused on the “very small geography” of neighborhood news, Wood-Lewis said. Townspeople subscribe and users post information such as board reports, garage sales, lost cats, agendas, road complaints, etc.

“That’s the secret to our momentum: It’s intensively local,” he said.

Belisle, of Woodstock, said that’s what innovative uses of broadband can do, bring people together and create a sense of community, whether it’s a local effort for the food shelf, helping a sick senior, or connecting neighbors who may not know each other.

Broadband can help people share “this wonderful lore and beauty that comes from living in the country.”

VTDigger

Death is hard to think about, let alone talk about. But one day, it comes to all of us, whether we’re ready for it or not. Some go gently into that good night, as poet Dylan Thomas put it. Others experience the end in agony.

Aaron Loomis described how his father, age 67, died of esophageal cancer. When his father went to his last doctor’s appointment, he was told his only option was to stop eating. His family watched over him 24 hours a day for weeks as they waited for him to starve to death.

“The hardest thing I’ve ever done is care for my father,” Loomis said. His father’s one wish was to end his own life. “My father should not have had to ask the government, he should not have had to ask the church, nor should he have had to ask anyone to make that choice.”

Loomis, joined Thursday by doctors, politicians and House members, talked about his family’s experience as part of a Statehouse press conference announcing the introduction of the Death with Dignity bill. H-274 would enable Vermonters diagnosed with a terminal illness to put an end to their own lives if their suffering becomes too much to bear. Physicians could prescribe a drug to hasten death for mentally competent patients with no hope of survival.

Members of Patient Choices Vermont said mentally competent patients who have been given six months or less to live ought to have the option to end their lives.

“H.274 is about choice, not about mandates,” said Dr. David Babbot, a proponent of the bill.

Supporters with Patient Choices Vermont, the nonprofit group advocating for the bill, included Matt Dunne, a candidate in the gubernatorial primary, former Vermont Republican Congressman Dick Mallary and former Democratic Gov. Madeleine Kunin. Mallary said the issue surpasses politics, and he pointed out the latest bill would enable Vermonters to make better personal choices.

“No one (else) is required to exercise that choice,” Dr. David Babbot, a proponent of the bill, said.

The Death with Dignity bill would allow Vermonters to choose “patient-directed death,” according to Amy Shollenberger, a lobbyist for Patient Choices Vermont. Doctors, under the proposed law, would determine whether a patient is mentally competent, follow a protocol of written and oral permissions and then issue a prescription to the patient. Someone must be with the patient when he or she takes the medication.

Groups that oppose such legislation call this series of actions “euthanasia” or “physician-assisted suicide.”

The legislation would be modeled after an Oregon law enacted in 1993. Over the last 12 years, about 460 patients have sought medication to end their lives. About 91.5 percent of the patients who ended their lives were enrolled in hospice care. Doctors granted about one in every six requests for the prescriptions, according to materials from Death with Dignity.
The advocates said they were confident of the bill’s passage, in spite of the fact that the last time the bill was proposed in Vermont, in 2007, it failed in the House of Representatives.

The bill has 43 sponsors in the House, and it is supported by Gov. Peter Shumlin.

Editor’s note: The headline for this story was changed at 7:30 a.m. on Feb. 18, 2011.

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

VTDigger

Leahy stands with the five Democratic primary candidates for governor. Photo donated by Alden Pellett

Nothing about this year’s Democratic gubernatorial primary has been predictable or conventional. It’s broken all records for fund-raising ($2 million) and for the number of candidates (the last time five candidates vied in a comparable primary was the 1980 GOP U.S. Senate primary). It also has been remarkable for a general lack of negativity (no personal attacks – in public debates or advertising campaigns).

So it’s perhaps no wonder that the primary election itself would be an anomaly, too. The specter of a recount has put the Dems in election purgatory for at least a few days and maybe a few weeks. In either case, the clock is ticking for the would-be candidate in the race against Republican Lt. Gov. Brian Dubie.

The 2010 primary may make history again if any one of the top three vote getters – Peter Shumlin, Doug Racine and Deb Markowitz – calls for a recount once the Secretary of State’s office certifiesTuesday’s vote. All three are well within their rights to do so. Under Vermont law, candidates for the statewide office or the state Senate can demand a recount if the vote differential is within 2 percent. (The threshold is 5 percent for candidates for state representative and local offices.)

The state has never held a recount for a statewide primary.

“It would be a historic first, to the best of my knowledge,” said Gregory Sanford, the state archivist.

The current tally, according to the Associated Press, is: Shumlin 18,192 votes (25 percent), Racine 18,000 votes (25 percent), Markowitz 17,503 votes (24 percent), Matt Dunne 15,242 (21 percent) and Susan Bartlett 3,774 (5 percent).

Secretary of State Markowitz says her office will likely certify the vote on Friday or Saturday. Kathy DeWolfe, director of the Elections Division, is presiding over the certification of count; the deadline is Tuesday.

Until then, none of the three will concede, and the Vermont Democratic Party’s entrance into the General Election gubernatorial campaign is in limbo land. The current state of uncertainty could last a few days — if candidates concede when the certified vote is released – or several weeks, if a recount ensues.

At the party’s unity rally in Burlington, all five Democrats running for governor stood on a stage, hand in hand, to rousing applause. Once out of the limelight, fissures soon formed about the certainty of the moment. Later that afternoon, the Burlington Democratic Party released a tweet asking Racine to concede the race to Shumlin.

Peter Shumlin, left, speaks with Jim Condos

Shumlin, however, studiously used “seems” and “appears” – as subtle caveats in his claims to victory.

“It appears that we’ve won,” Shumlin said.

As for the specter of a recount? “We don’t think you’re going to see any squabbling among Democrats,” Shumlin said. “Right from the beginning, it’s been a very positive message from all of us, and I feel pleased that we’ve won, and we’ll know that very soon.”

Shumlin told reporters he would respect the certified vote tally and would not call for a recount if the numbers shift in Racine’s favor. He also gently bounced the ball back into Racine’s court: “I agree with any decision Doug makes,” Shumlin said. “We’re not going to quarrel about the process. This has been an incredibly respectful debate. Doug ran a great campaign; he’s made an extraordinary contribution to this state, and I’ll go with whatever judgment he makes.”

Davis said the candidates are “acting perfectly appropriately” and Shumlin is legitimate in saying “It appears that I have won.”

“Shumlin isn’t forcing the matter,” Davis said. “He isn’t doing anything to act triumphantly.”

For his part, Racine said he wouldn’t concede until the certified vote was released. “This is about getting an accurate count,” Racine said. “Mistakes can be made at this stage in the tallies.” Racine said in Williston, for example, the unofficial Associated Press count originally gave Dunne one vote, when in fact his tally was 201 votes. The difference between Shumlin and Racine is 192 votes, well within the margin of error.

Racine’s campaign manager, Amy Shollenberger, was blunt with supporters in an e-mail: “This race is still a toss-up, and we are not conceding. Doug is still very much in contention for a victory, and the results must be officially certified before the true winner is declared.”

Racine also cited the 2006 General Election, in which a 250 vote swing in a recount of the auditor’s race changed the result. Tom Salmon, who originally lost to incumbent Randy Brock, asked for a recount and won. “This is a very close tally,” Racine said. “All candidates have a right to see what the accurate numbers are.”

There appears to be no hope for Deb Markowitz, in spite of her good showing. The 689-vote gap is insurmountable, according to Eric Davis, professor emeritus of political science at Middlebury College. Markowitz was tight-lipped about her own bid for a possible recount.

“We have to see the final numbers,” Markowitz said. “We have to be focused on how are we, as a party, are going to best be able to beat Brian Dubie.”

That focus, in the meantime, is hazy.

House Speaker Shap Smith, left, talks with Matt Dunne

The Vermont Democratic Party’s foray into the General Election gubernatorial race is on hold until a candidate emerges from the smoke, and Lt. Gov. Brian Dubie’s campaign is taking full advantage of the uncertainty. He is introducing his economic development plans on a whistlestop train tour from St. Albans to Brattleboro this Saturday and formally unveiling his 10-point proposal on Monday. He invited more than 100 supporters to a rally outside the Doubletree Hotel in South Burlington, where the first debate of the General Election was to be held last night. The debate was postponed until Sept. 26 because of the uncertain primary results.

“The polls would say he’s ahead,” said Chris Graff, longtime Vermont journalist and political observer, now a business executive in the private sector. “He’ll remain ahead until there is engagement (with the Democratic contender).”

There is a 2-1 split among pundits on the impact of a recount on the General Election. Davis and his counterpart, Garrison Nelson, a professor of political science at the University of Vermont, said a recount would hurt the Dems’ chances in November: “They’ve got to coalesce quickly.”

Davis said 70 percent to 80 percent of towns now use scanners instead of hand counting, which makes the tally much more accurate.

“If the margin in the official count ends up near the unofficial count somewhere near the 200-or-less mark,” Davis said, “at that point, candidates need to think very hard about whether or not they want to make the party go through the two weeks that a recount would take.”

Davis said ballots have to be brought from each town to county courthouses, and temps have to be hired to count the ballots by hand. Then those reports have to be sent to Washington County Superior Court, which has to handle any disputes about voters’ intent – a mark that’s not in a square, or something similar.

“You’re still talking about the 15th of September at the earliest,” Davis said. “If the official count shows a substantial narrowing of the margin from the unofficial count, if the official count shows a Shumlin margin of fewer than 100 votes, then I think in those circumstances, the recount might well be in order.”

Graff says a primary recount, in which roughly 72,000 voters cast ballots, isn’t a big deal. A General Election recount with 200,000 ballots cast like the Salmon-Brock recount in 2006 requires a great deal more time and effort, he said.

“I don’t think it would be damaging, because the primary was early,” Graff said.

But there is also the sour grapes factor: Will voters be turned off by a candidate who is a sore loser, who insists on a recount at the expense of the party’s success in November?

David Moats, in an editorial in The Rutland Herald on Aug. 26, wrote that all three top vote-getters are in an “excruciating” position, and “for either Racine or Markowitz to call for a recount could well put (the General Election) in jeopardy.”

“My sense is, if the margin stays where it is, that going forward to the General Election would be the appropriate thing to do,” Eric Davis said.

Was the five-way governor’s nomination race a mistake?

For lack of a single winner on Wednesday, the Vermont Democratic Party gave out a Miss Congeniality award at the unity rally – to all five gubernatorial candidates. Not a harsh word was spoken (in public, anyway) over the course of the 10-month campaign slog. The candidates sometimes expressed frustration, but they refrained from front-on attacks in ads and in more than 60 forums.

Sen. Patrick Leahy and Rep. Peter Welch both defended the five-way gubernatorial race at the rally. They both said it attracted more voters, brought in more campaign cash and generated more excitement than ever for the Democratic Party.

“I think you’re going to see a lot of enthusiasm (in the General Election),” Leahy said.

This year, the open governor’s seat shuffled almost all of the primary cards – opening up four other statewide seats, lieutenant governor, secretary of state and the auditor’s office. The Democrats had 13 candidates competing for the four slots, while the GOP had four candidates running in statewide primary races – two each for lieutenant governor and secretary of state. The only offices that weren’t touched by Gov. Jim Douglas’ decision not to run for a fifth term were the attorney general and the state treasurer.

Steve Howard, Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor

Nelson said the five-way gubernatorial race shouldn’t have happened in the first place. “The Democrats are dim-witted,” Nelson said. “They should never ever have committed five people to run for the same office. The lieutenant governor’s office was open, the auditor’s office was open, and the secretary of state’s office was open. That’s the reality folks. They had four offices, and they became dim-witted. That’s why you need a king where you sit down and say this is the job you run for, but instead they threw away $2 million and gave four people losing records.”

Sanford, the state archivist, disagrees. “Some people say this is a breakdown of party discipline — how can you end up with five in one race?” Sanford said. “The contrarian in me says the primary is finally working the way it’s supposed to, giving voters an opportunity to select among credible candidates.”

Sanford compared the 2010 primary to the 1958 and 1980 GOP congressional races, and the 2000 GOP gubernatorial primary between Bill Meub and Ruth Dwyer. Sanford said he’s not sure there has been a primary that has involved so many hotly contested statewide party races since the state instituted the first primary in 1916.

“To see a race … attract a lot of attention up and down ticket is very rare,” Sanford said.

Will the losses do permanent damage? Nelson said Markowitz and Dunne ran credible races, and they’ll both be back. Nelson said Welch, Madeleine Kunin, Racine and Douglas all lost hard-fought statewide races over the course of their careers, only to try again and win.

“Because of the two-year term, your career is never over in Vermont,” Nelson said. “But the more defeats you pick up, the more difficult it is to raise money, and that’s the issue. That’s where the defeats have their adverse impact.”

Hindsight is 20/20

So why did Markowitz, Racine and Shumlin hit the winner’s tape at practically the same time?

Shumlin and Markowitz very likely spent more than half a million each over the course of their campaigns. Shumlin, who put at least $225,000 of his own money into the campaign, employed a carpet bombing approach to advertising, saturating broadcast outlets around the state, but especially in Chittenden County where he needed to buy name recognition. Markowitz invested her money into a textbook campaign with a large field staff.

Racine raised half as much money and went the distance against his richer counterparts. He relied on his name recognition in Chittenden County and his status as the beloved candidate of the left-of-center Dems and the Progressives, and his endorsements from Vermont-NEA, the AFL-CIO, the Vermont State Employees Association and the Vermont League of Conservation Voters translated into on-the-ground grassroots support.

“I think we’re seeing that those kinds of resources count just as much as money does,” Racine said. “If this is a referendum on tactics, there’s no clear winner here tonight (Tuesday).”

Howard Dean speaks with Sen. Patrick Leahy, left

The Dunne, Markowitz, Racine and Shumlin campaigns had identified about 15,000 likely voters, Graff said. None of them could have predicted that the turnout would be roughly 72,000 for the Democrats – not 45,000 as speculated. The GOP drew 26,000 voters for highly competitive races for lieutenant governor and secretary of state.

Graff said each gubernatorial candidate employed effective strategies; he blames the close race on turnout.

“The four major candidates did what they had to do,” Graff said. “It’s just that turnout was larger than planned.”

Shumlin came in first statewide because he got such a huge percentage in Windham County, according to Davis who has analyzed the results. Shumlin placed third in the other 13 counties, Davis said.

Davis aggregated the vote tallies for Racine and Markowitz county by county and determined that with the exception of Windham County, Racine came in first with a 1,000 vote lead over Markowitz.

See the Politico map of the results by county.

“My view is Shumlin won because he got such a huge turnout in Windham, and because they had a contested Senate primary,” Davis said. Shumlin’s open seat in the Senate was effectively filled on Tuesday, and so he benefited not only from a strong base in Windham County, which he has represented in the Senate for years, but also because voters turned out in large numbers.

Shumlin wasn’t the only candidate who benefitted from the “friends and neighbors phenomenon,” Davis said. Matt Dunne won Orange and Windsor counties – his home base in the Upper Valley – but was unable to carry that success over to the rest of state, with the exception of Lamoille County.

“Racine and Markowitz had a vote that was much more widely dispersed across the state geographically than Shumlin, Dunne or Bartlett,” Davis said. “But Shumlin came out of Windham with enough votes to come in first statewide.”

Racine would have liked to have done better in Chittenden County, where he grew up, and his fourth- place showing in Windham County hurt him, Davis said.

“I think (Racine) righted the ship after a disappointing financial report in July,” Davis said. “My sense was, the Racine campaign was in good shape and the primary election might have come a week too early for him. If the primaries had been a week later, I wonder whether Doug Racine might have gotten those 200 extra votes and might have come out on top.”

Markowitz was in a much stronger position at the beginning of the summer, but she may have peaked too early, or the other candidates surged past her, Davis said. Had the election been held in June, Davis contends she would have won the election with as much as 40 percent of the vote. Instead, she ended up with 25 percent. She lost Montpelier, her home, to Racine by one percentage point, and Barre and Barre Town by 6 percent and 7 percent, respectively, according to the totals from the Associated Press. She failed to carry the majority in most Washington County towns.

“My sense is that voters who may have told a pollster in June that they were supporting Markowitz, but as the other candidates started to campaign harder and became more visible, those voters might have taken a second look and decided that somebody else was whom they were going to be voting for in the end,” Davis said.

Another pattern that is starting to emerge is a split between towns that favored Racine and Markowitz or Shumlin and Dunne. Though Davis said he hasn’t fully finished this analysis, a trend is already evident.

“In quite a few of the towns I’ve looked at where Shumlin was first, Dunne was second and vice versa, and (towns) where Racine was first and Markowitz was often second,” Davis said. He pointed to Addison County as an example. When the total votes cast for Shumlin and Dunne are added together, they add up to more than 50 percent. Racine and Markowitz votes, in contrast, were above 30 percent. The reverse is true in Rutland County where Racine and Markowitz together were more than 50 percent.

If Shumlin is the Democratic primary nominee for the General Election, he’ll need to win the towns that Racine and Markowitz held, Davis said.

What would Davis, Nelson and Graff do? Part 1

The first order of business is raising more money, according to Davis. The Democratic contender needs to have $1 million in hand for the General Election. If the nominee is Shumlin, he may spend more of his own money on the race, Davis said.

“I think Peter Shumlin, assuming he’s certified as the winner, needs to do two things for the fall campaign: One is mobilize the base to drive up turnout, and the second is, keep ticket-splitting voters from defecting to Dubie,” Davis said. “Those ticket-splitting voters are going to vote for Leahy and Welch at the top of the ballot, so what Shumlin needs to do is get them to stay Democratic as they move down the offices on the ballot.”

Graff agrees. Shumlin, if he is the nominee, will need to galvanize the left and pivot to the middle in the same motion.

One way to do that is for the nominee to concentrate on mid-size, swing communities that aren’t solidly Democratic or Republican, towns like Colchester, Milton, Barre, Barre Town, Northfield, Randolph, Bethel and Bennington.

“These have often been the places where Vermont elections get determined,” Davis said.

Deb Markowitz, Peter Shumlin, Doug Racine, left to right. Photo donated by Alden Pellet

Voters split tickets in these towns and in the past have voted for Leahy and Jim Douglas over Scudder Parker, or John Kerry and Jim Douglas over Peter Clavelle. “Shumlin needs to get those sort of voters voting Democratic all the way down the ticket,” Davis said. He suggested that Leahy and Welch should campaign for the Democratic nominee in those towns.

Nelson said if Shumlin is the nominee, he will need to win over Racine’s loyal supporters.

“If I’m Peter, I would say to Doug, you name your job — whatever you want (in the administration) you can have it,” Nelson said. “I would work with Doug to make sure I campaign with him and tap into those people who are devoted to Doug. They’re going to be hard to transfer.”

The most crucial thing Shumlin needs to do, according to Graff, is to get his message out ahead of Dubie’s.

“What really matters is, who can get their opponent on the defensive and define them the fastest,” Graff said. “That’s what Jim Douglas did in each of his elections with Clavelle, Parker and Symington.”

What would Davis, Nelson and Graff do? Part 2

Their advice for Dubie? Learn from the master, i.e. Jim Douglas.

Douglas worked hand in glove with two savvy political operatives – Neale Lunderville and Jim Barnett – who were able to frame the campaigns before the incumbent governor’s opponents realized what was going on. “People don’t realize how skillful, how disciplined and on message they were,” Graff said.

Graff said at this point, “We don’t know if Dubie has the messaging discipline to pull it off.”

Douglas typically won 60 percent of the independent or moderate voters, Graff said, and Dubie will need to do the same. “In a General Election, that’s where the votes are,” he said. “The race will be won in the middle. You’ll see both nominees talk about jobs and the economy.”

The best way for Dubie to secure the middle is to campaign in the swing towns, according to Davis. Though there is some transference of Douglas’ popularity onto Dubie, “It’s not absolute by any means,” Davis said. “Jim Douglas ought to campaign for him where he has done well, but where Democrats aren’t necessarily strong. Jim Douglas shouldn’t be spending his time in the fall talking to the Republican committee in Caledonia County or someplace like that. He should be in Barre and Northfield and Colchester.”

It appears that there will be a battle of surrogates—Pat Leahy and Jim Douglas—for their respective party candidates. Douglas is out front for Dubie already, and Leahy made a commitment to campaign for whoever won the Democratic nomination.

Nelson said Dubie doesn’t appear to have the energy level Douglas has, and he hasn’t won a race on his own. The professor is critical of the lieutenant governor’s campaign strategy. “Dubie has made a mistake,” Nelson said. “You can’t switch campaigns on and off.”

All three political analysts see the debates as a defining factor in the General Election. The forums, they agree, will not be Dubie’s strong suit. “I think you’ll see Brian Dubie avoid one-on-one debates,” Graff said. Instead, he’ll likely insist that the five minor party candidates be included in all of the debates, according to Davis. “I think voters of the state would benefit from several broadcast debates between Brian Dubie and Peter Shumlin, rather than debates between seven people, only two of whom have a chance of being elected governor,” Davis said.

If Shumlin takes the nomination, he’ll have an edge as a debater, Nelson says, because he’s quick-witted and has a grasp of the issues.

Lt. Gov. Brian Dubie, Facebook photo

Graff thinks winning in the General Election will come down to intangibles that have nothing to do with the issues. Vermonters want to know the governor on a personal level, Graff said. They like Douglas because they trust him.

“There’s a great deal of personality and personal chemistry that matters,” Graff said.

A lot of voters like Dubie, Graff said, but he doesn’t know how superficial the attraction may be at this point. Running for lieutenant governor is like performing in an off-off Broadway production and campaigning for the top office is “the show,” Graff said. There is simply less scrutiny, he said, of down-ticket office holders.

“I think Brian Dubie has a significant lead right now, and it will narrow, unless somebody does something stupid,” Graff said.

He predicted by mid-October the race would be too close to call.

VTDigger

Deb Markowitz, Peter Shumlin, Doug Racine, left to right. Photo donated by Alden Pellet

The Vermont Democratic Party held a unity rally for the 13 party candidates for statewide races, including state auditor, secretary of state, lieutenant governor and governor. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., headlined the event. The party’s stars, including former governors Howard Dean and Madeleine Kunin, and the faithful, including many state reps and senators, attended the to-capacity event, which attracted about 300 people.
The winners and also-rans were in attendance. All five gubernatorial candidates were in tow, though the winner of that contest is still unknown as the top three vote-getters — Sen. Doug Racine, Sen. Peter Shumlin and Secretary of State Deb Markowitz — are only a few hundred votes apart. A winner won’t be announced until a certified vote count is released by the Secretary of State’s Election Division and the candidates decide whether to call a recount.

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VTDigger

Looking for work

All five Democratic candidates have issued economic development packages that come in slightly different wrappings, with different names. Matt Dunne gave us “The Innovation State,” Deb Markowitz is pitching “JumpstartVT,” Peter Shumlin has a “Vision for Vermont,” Susan Bartlett is offering “A Realistic Jobs Plan for Vermont,” and Doug Racine issued “Revitalizing our Economy.”
The plans range in length from three pages (Bartlett’s) to 27 pages (Shumlin’s). Bartlett’s proposal is the only one of the five that is focused solely on job creation initiatives. All of the rest read like soup-to-nuts campaign platforms. Just about every key area of policy — health care, education, broadband, energy and tax policy — is swept into the economic development basket.

And then there’s the other key question: How do you pay for all these initiatives? With the exception of Dunne’s plan to use revenue bonds to pay for broadband expansion and Bartlett’s proposal to borrow $15 million over two years for affordable housing investments (also banking on the state’s bonding capacity), the candidates propose paying for many of the new initiatives with money from old programs.

Because there is some crossover between candidates, we’ve grouped elements of the plans in same and different (“outlier ideas”) categories. We’ve tried to sum up each of the ideas in a paragraph. For readers who want to know more, we’ve included links to the campaign plans and reports from Vtdigger.org, the Burlington Free Press and the Vermont Press Bureau.

Outlier ideas

Bartlett wants to free up more capital for small businesses by encouraging the Vermont Economic Development Authority to work with local banks to create a lending program for new enterprises. Bartlett also proposes the creation of an Office of Innovation and Intellectual Property for entrepreneurs who need investors and technical and business support. She wants to invest $60 million a year in affordable housing projects to help lift the hard-hit construction trades out of the doldrums.

Dunne points to four types of economic engines that the state needs to encourage in order to develop its economy in the competitive global business environment: new enterprises that will mature and eventually be bought out by bigger companies; the creative economy; tourism based on outdoor recreation; and “slow money” businesses, such as agriculture and food. His plan includes micro-loan programs for new businesses, service scholarships for college students and job training programs in information technology and “next generation” agriculture.

Markowitz wants to “end relationships” with banks that profit from state investments, but refuse to lend money to Vermont businesses; create a tax credit program for businesses that don’t qualify for the Vermont Employment Growth Incentive program; and create tax incentives for Vermonters who want to save to start a business.

Racine is proposing a state property tax credit for new construction that is LEED certified (an internationally recognized green building certification system) or any existing building retrofitted to conform to LEED standards. He is also promoting a permit ombudsmen concept – a single point of contact in each region for businesses that are in the process of obtaining permits.

Shumlin wants to reform the tax system, ensuring that the 1 percent of Vermonters who pay 25 percent of the state’s taxes don’t leave the state. He says he plans to “tweak” the state’s reliance on “primary revenue generators,” i.e., the sales and income tax structure, to encourage economic growth.

On the same page

Permitting

Bartlett, Shumlin, Dunne and Racine say they want to simplify and consolidate what they say is a cumbersome local and state permit process for businesses.

Early education

Markowitz, Shumlin and Racine have cited pre-kindergarten education in their economic development plans as long-term investments.

Same general concept, with a twist

Small business support

Racine would create a revolving loan fund for businesses and encourage community-supported and employee-owned businesses.

Dunne proposes a tax incentive for investors who help to capitalize Vermont companies.

Markowitz supports existing programs such as SCORE, Vermont Small Business Development Centers, micro-lending and the value-added and seal of quality product promotion.

Shumlin and Dunne both propose expanding the Seed Capital Fund.

Reorganization of the Agency of Commerce and Community Development

Bartlett wants to reallocate funding from ACCD to regional economic development corporations, regional planning commissions and other programs. “These dollars need to be at work in the field, not Montpelier.”

Dunne doesn’t address the agency role directly; he focuses on a comprehensive business plan for the state.

Markowitz is proposing an integrated marketing plan coordinated with trade associations.

Racine wants to build an economic development team that cuts across state government, reinstate the ACCD advisory committee and the Jobs Cabinet.

Shumlin is promoting a new marketing plan for Vermont that would include an online help-wanted list for college graduates and a statewide ad messaging campaign that could be adapted for regional businesses.

Health care as an economic development driver

Matt Dunne sees health care costs as a burden for businesses. He wants the state to adopt a self-insurance plan for all Vermonters that would be modeled after programs set up for large corporations that use a single health insurance company. He would redesign the reimbursement system so that doctors are rewarded for care instead of fees for service. He says this new system will cut health care costs for businesses and individuals and stimulate entrepreneurship in the state.

Deb Markowitz says unless the state comes to grips with health care costs, they will stand in the way of “our economic prosperity.” She is a proponent of some of the state’s existing initiatives, including the Blueprint for Health and Catamount Health. Markowitz wants to create a self-insurance program for Vermont, introduce standardized billing and build on state health care reform programs. Markowitz supports the health care exchanges created under the federal Affordable Care Act, which will operate like a public option, giving patients a choice of plans and payment options.

Peter Shumlin says health care costs are crippling the state’s economy. He wants to adopt a Medicare-style, single-payer health care system that would be administered by the state. He cites a study that estimates the administrative savings would be about 5 percent, or between $250 million and $500 million. He wants to create a swipe card with medical records and electronic payment information for every Vermonter.

Susan Bartlett, A Realistic Jobs Plan for Vermont
Matt Dunne, The Innovation State

Deb Markowitz JumpStartVT

Doug Racine, Revitalizing Our Economy

Peter Shumlin A Vision for Vermont

VTDigger

When in doubt, vote.

As many reporters and pundits have noted, there are few essential differences between the five Democratic candidates in their views on the budget, health care, education, economic development, agriculture, human services, and energy and the environment.

But there are subtle and not-so-subtle policy nuances that might make the difference for voters who haven’t yet decided which name to check off on Tuesday: Susan Bartlett, Matt Dunne, Deb Markowitz, Doug Racine or Peter Shumlin.

We examined statements made by the candidates on specific issues and boiled them down to a paragraph. For readers who want to know more, we’ve included links to stories by reporters from the Associated Press and the Burlington Free Press. The information is derived from candidates’ campaign Web sites, news reports and forums.

Cheat sheet # 1 focuses on the budget, health care and education.

BUDGET

Whoever becomes governor faces a budget cliff: State tax revenues are expected to grow about $15 million next year. That growth won’t be enough to make up for a large gap between revenues and the cost of state government. For fiscal year 2012, the state is coming up $184 million short of the projected cost of government services: That figure includes the $112 million shortfall, plus $72 million in Phase 2 Challenges for Change savings that have yet to be fully identified in human services, education, state contracts and other areas. So far, phase 1 of the Challenges has yielded about $28 million in budget reductions, about $10 million less than the $38 million projected so far for fiscal year 2011.

The Douglas administration and the Legislature have already eliminated about 660 positions in state government and have asked the state workforce to take a pay cut of 3 percent; struck a deal in which teachers will wait longer to retire and contribute more than $15 million a year to the state retirement fund; and made significant cuts in mental health programs and Medicaid benefits.

Income tax revenue growth has dropped precipitously in the down economy as Vermonters have lost jobs, taken pay cuts and worked fewer hours. All five candidates have issued economic development plans that they say will shore up the state’s economy – and state revenues.

House Speaker Shap Smith told Vtdigger.org recently: “I don’t expect the gap can be made up through revenue growth. I think, quite frankly, this may be the most difficult budget year we face.”

So how will the five candidates solve the state’s budget woes? Here’s what we found:

Sen. Susan Bartlett, D-Lamoille, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee and chief budget writer for the Vermont Senate

Bartlett believes the state’s budget needs to be further reduced; she does not advocate for more taxes or using budget stabilization funds. She would apply Challenges for Change to all aspects of state government. Bartlett wants to reintegrate nonviolent prisoners into communities, which she says will save the state millions of dollars.

Matt Dunne, former state senator from Windsor County, now a community affairs executive for Google

Dunne would reevaluate the effectiveness of programs and transform state government through initiatives developed through better information sharing. He is an advocate for cloud computing

(Internet-based computing), which he believes would produce significant savings. He would cut public relations staff now working at agencies and departments across state government.

Secretary of State Deb Markowitz

Markowitz is critical of Challenges for Change. She often cites her office’s elimination of a division that microfilmed records as an example of how she would target reductions in state government. She says she will eliminate the $61 per diem meal allowance for the governor’s office, which would save $16,000.

Sen. Doug Racine, D-Chittenden, chair of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee

Racine believes the state needs to find more efficiencies through technology, rather than cuts to services, tap into about half of the state’s $60 million budget stabilization fund (a.k.a. rainy day funds) and tax junk food or Internet sales to help make up for the budget gap. He would eliminate public relations staff.

Senate President Pro Tem Peter Shumlin, D-Windham

Shumlin believes the state can reap significant savings in health care costs by moving to a single payer health care system. He wants to reintegrate nonviolent prisoners into society and cut the Corrections budget by $40 million (the current budget is roughly $140 million).

Associated Press, “Candidates share ideas on balancing the state’s budget”

Burlington Free Press, “Democratic gubernatorial candidates outline views on five key topics”

Burlington Free Press, “Q and A, Round 11”

Burlington Free Press, “Comment and Debate: Vermont gubernatorial candidates talk about dealing with waste and inefficiency”

HEALTH CARE

Vermonters are expected to spend $4.9 billion on health care next year. That expenditure is expected to grow by $1 billion in 2012. Though Congress enacted reforms this year that will be fully in effect in 2017, the five Democratic candidates say something has to be done right away to curb costs in Vermont. Their plans for getting there, however, vary.

Bartlett would focus on global budgeting, which would provide a set amount of funding each year for hospitals, according to her Web site, because “about 40 percent of Vermont insurance money goes to hospitals.” She says insurance companies would send the money for hospitals to the state, which would pay hospitals directly. She calls it “a major step toward” containing the costs of health care. “The measure is a sort of quasi-single-payer health-care system, where the state acts as a conduit between insurance companies and hospitals,” she wrote on her Web site.

Dunne is a proponent of a “self-insurance” plan for all Vermonters, similar to plans used by large corporations. A single insurance company would administer the plan. He would call for a redesign in “how we implement reimbursements so that businesses and individuals pay less and doctors are rewarded based on making people better.”

Markowitz would also implement a “self insurance” plan for all Vermonters and launch a pilot program to introduce standardized billing procedures for the largest hospitals and doctors’ groups. She supports the new federal health care reform “exchanges,” which will be available next year. She says the exchanges will “look just like Expedia or Orbitz, where consumers can choose the type of plan they want and see different options.”

Racine sponsored S.88, the health care bill that calls for a redesign of the state’s system. A consultant is currently developing three models for health care in Vermont: single-payer, public option and a third, yet-to-be determined, alternative system. The Legislature will decide which of the three design proposals the state might pursue.

Shumlin is a proponent of a government-administered, single-payer system. He believes such a system will control costs and save individuals, businesses and the state significant amounts of money. He says a single-payer system will be good for business because it will remove the burden of health care costs from their payrolls.

Burlington Free Press, “Health care and the governor’s race”

Education

Vermont spends about $1.3 billion a year on K-12 education, according to the Vermont Transparency Web site. Our student to teacher ratio is 10 to 1 – the lowest in the nation. School boards across the state have been cutting budgets as student enrollment has declined, but enrollments are expected to drop even further, from 92,000 to 85,000 statewide, in the coming years. The Legislature passed a voluntary school district consolidation plan in the last session, in order to cut supervisory district administrative costs. Under Challenges for Change, school districts have been asked to find $23 million in savings, and the Department of Education has developed targets for each district in the state. Last year, schools cut their budgets by the same amount – by roughly 2 percent. The Douglas administration and Republican candidate for governor, Lt. Gov. Brian Dubie, have called for significant cuts in school personnel to reduce education spending and relieve the property tax burden on Vermonters.

All five of the Democratic candidates for governor support some form of supervisory district consolidation that would cut administrative costs. Here are the details:

Bartlett is calling for a reduction in the number of supervisory union districts from 62 to 16. “The path to getting to larger districts needs to be paved by finding all the best practices in administration and requiring all districts to implement these practices over a two-year time period,” she writes on her Web site. She also wants to see “a critical evaluation of special education” and thresholds set for minimum and maximum class sizes. She wants to “scrap the CLA (common level of appraisal system for property tax setting) in favor of a system with a statewide, three-year rotating professional appraisal.”

Dunne opposes mandatory school consolidation, though he says he would reduce the number of superintendents in the state by two-thirds. Dunne says he would encourage bulk buying across districts and distance learning via the Internet. He would eliminate the two-vote provision, which penalizes schools for spending more than 1 percent above inflation. He would also eliminate the Common Level of Appraisal and “move to a regularly scheduled appraisal system.”

Markowitz supports a reduction in the number of supervisory union districts, and she says she would provide incentives for local communities to decide whether to consolidate schools. “We must find innovative ways to lower education costs and find more effective and efficient ways of managing our schools, by consolidating purchasing and administration,” Markowitz says on her Web site.

Racine supports voluntary supervisory union consolidation to reduce administrative costs, and he said he is willing to explore any ideas for removing inefficiencies from the education funding system, as long the changes don’t undermine quality education. “I recognize that the cost of our education system is rising and that the burden on our property taxes is too much for some Vermonters to bear,” he wrote on his Web site.

Shumlin would make grants available to local communities to help them decide whether to consolidate. He would also provide grants to municipalities that want to use school buildings for community services. He would expand distance learning and “steer us away from the obsession with testing.”

Burlington Free Press, “Democratic gubernatorial candidates outline views on five key topics”

Burlington Free Press, “Gubernatorial candidates talk about public education”

VTDigger

Vermont is fortunate to have six qualified major party candidates running for governor. Earlier this month, I still could not decide. So, I ended up doing what I did on a Sunday evening way back in October 2002.

At that point, I did not know much about Jim Douglas, Doug Racine and Con Hogan. I looked forward to attending the debate at the Paramount Theatre. About 5 minutes before I was ready to leave home, a customer paged me. It was my weekend for on-call duty. After 90 minutes of remotely working on the customer’s computer system, it was too late to head to the debate.

So I sat down and wrote an email to Mr. Douglas, Mr. Racine and Mr. Hogan. I asked several questions. One was about broadband infrastructure (I still had dial-up in 2002). I also asked about roads as I was (and still am) commuting 80 miles roundtrip to my job. I also asked about IT jobs for younger workers, since my prior employer had been hiring foreign H1-B workers and not young Vermonters.

I thought I would eventually get at least a short reply from campaign volunteers. Of the three candidates, only Con Hogan responded directly to my e-mail (within 48 hours). I never heard back from the other two candidates. Here is some of what Con Hogan wrote back to me in 2002:

“… the need to have a high speed Internet access throughout the state. It is truly the pathway for future economic development. I don’t know if you know it, but we are ranked 48th in the nation on the capacity. That is disgraceful and unacceptable. And, this is something that if we apply ourselves to, we can make rapid progress on and could have an excellent impact on our overall economy and the jobs that we both feel are so important.”

Obviously, I voted for Con Hogan in 2002.

For all the talk from Douglas and Lt. Gov. Brian Dubie about their E-State initiative, now in 2010, Vermont is ranked 50th in broadband access.

In early August, I wrote an e-mail to the Democratic candidates and also Brian Dubie about the “buy local” concept and state support for Vermont businesses. I mentioned how my employer sells its educational and research online subscription products in most of the 50 states, but that ironically we sell very little here in Vermont, even though most of our non-sales employees work in Vermont.

Over the course of three weeks, I received responses from three of the six candidates for governor. Within 24 hours, Susan Bartlett replied back. Her first response was partly a question back to me. I realized she was asking for some clarification, so that she could address the question better. Ms. Bartlett is timely in her responses and a good listener (even via e-mail). She also proved to be more fiscally conservative than even Brian Dubie, since without the same campaign funding and staff, she actually was more responsive while using less money.

Within 3 days, I got a direct email reply from Deb Markowitz. She acknowledged the situation I described, and also put her reply in general terms for supporting other types of businesses in Vermont, as well as bending the cost curve of education via consolidation of administration. She also gave a web link to her JumpStartVT economic plan. Ms. Markowitz has said on that campaign trail that she will be responsive, and her reply demonstrated that.

As Matt Dunne touts broadband and Internet jobs, I was not surprised that his Web site sent me an immediate automated e-mail reply. Almost three weeks passed, and on Saturday night when I was out grocery shopping, I got an 8:30 p.m. voice mail at home from Mr. Dunne. He mentioned his economic plan, in case I was not able to call him back (I read his plan the next day). I did call him just after 9 p.m.. Google Phone answered my phone call, and I left a message. About 5 minutes later, a campaign volunteer called and said that she would try to connect me to Mr. Dunne who was driving on some Vermont road. After a few seconds, I was connected. I acknowledged that I knew he was on the road. After about 2 minutes, the phone connection was lost, I assume due to poor or non-existent cell phone coverage, like I experience daily on my commute.

Imagine the next Governor of Vermont, whoever he or she may be, not being able to contact a businessperson, state worker or legislator about an important issue or crisis. While Vermont Yankee is leaking again, “Can you hear me now?”

While I have appreciated the work of Sen. Racine and Sen. Shumlin on healthcare reform, I was disappointed that I did not hear back from their campaigns. I also did not get a reply from Lt. Gov Brian Dubie or his campaign.

The five Democratic candidates agree on many issues. But Matt Dunne really gets what Con Hogan understood back in 2002 about broadband infrastructure. As an old-fogey in the Info Tech field since 1977, I think Matt Dunne is the candidate who can really significantly improve broadband access in Vermont. For many years, I have been concerned about the lack of IT jobs for young Vermonters, especially outside of Chittenden County. As an IT worker, I think that Mr. Dunne is one candidate best suited to help bring back the Vermont diaspora of young people to work and help rebuild Vermont’s future.

Ron Pulcer
Rutland Town, VT
August 22, 2010

VTDigger

vote

The five Democratic primary candidates for governor and the eight Republican and Democratic candidates for lieutenant governor and secretary of state have spent the last three months intensely campaigning.

At live forums, house parties, local fairs, and in newsprint, online and broadcast outlets, they’ve worked hard to persuade voters that they have the skills, experience and beliefs to stand out as leaders.

We know that if you’re reading Vtdigger.org, you’ve probably already followed the machinations of the preponderance of candidates vying for office this year. But even some political junkies are on the fence about whom to vote for in the Democratic gubernatorial race and the Republican primaries for lieutenant governor and secretary of state. That’s because this year is the first time in decades the state has seen so many qualified candidates come forward for so few open slots.

You have tough decisions to make on Tuesday, and we’re doing what we can to help you out. We have aggregated links to candidates’ Web sites and profiles of statewide candidates produced by media outlets around the state. We hope this gives you access to as much information as possible about would-be governors, lieutenant governors, secretaries of state and auditors.

In separate posts, we will be aggregating media reports about where candidates stand on the issues; video, podcasts and stories from the debates; and stories about how much financial backing they’ve each received (and from whom) and how they’ve spent their moolah.

By the way, Vtdigger.org is a nonprofit news organization and may not endorse any candidates.

Happy reading, viewing and listening!

GOVERNOR’S PRIMARY RACE

What follows are the profiles and Web sites of Democratic candidates for the gubernatorial primary listed in alphabetical order. Sources: vtdigger.org, Burlington Free Press, Seven Days, Times Argus, WCAX, WDEV-The Mark Johnson Show.

Sen. Susan Bartlett, D-Lamoille, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Campaign Web site: http://www.bartlettforgovernor.com/

Sen. Susan Bartlett

Vtdigger.org, “Sen. Susan Bartlett, the underdog once again, this time in the race for governor”

Burlington Free Press, “Susan Bartlett is proud of her no-nonsense style”

Seven Days, “Finally Susan: The senator from Lamoille County is telling it straight, but is anybody listening?”

Times Argus, “Lamoille County’s Sen. Bartlett looks to moderates to deliver primary victory”

WCAX, “Candidate profile: Susan Bartlett”

WDEV, Mark Johnson Show with Susan Bartlett, podcast link

Matt Dunne, Google executive, former state senator. Campaign Web site: http://www.mattdunne.com/

Matt Dunne, photo by Terry J. Allen

Vtdigger.org, “A precocious candidate with no shortage of confidence”

Burlington Free Press, “Matt Dunne: A lifetime of early starts”

Seven Days, “Dunne’s Deal: Will youth and experience be a winning combination for Google exec Matt Dunne?”

Times Argus, “Ambition, love of state drive Dunne’s quest for governorship”

WCAX, “Candidate Profile: Matt Dunne”

WDEV, The Mark Johnson Show with Matt Dunne, podcast link

Secretary of State Deb Markowitz

Campaign Web site http://www.debforvermont.com/

Vtdigger.org, “Markowitz banks on local network, women’s vote”

Burlington Free Press, “Her motto is see it, solve it”

Deb Markowitz, July 15, 2010

Seven Days, “On Your Markowitz: Deb Markowitz has made a career of assisting Vermonters. Will they return the favor and make her governor?”

Times Argus, “Markowitz uses executive experience to build her case in heated Democratic primary”

WCAX Candidate profile: Deb Markowitz

WDEV The Mark Johnson Show with Deb Markowitz, podcast link

Sen. Doug Racine, D-Chittenden. Campaign Web site http://dougracine.com/

Vtdigger.org, “With head-on approach to state’s fiscal problems, Racine is betting he can finish first”

Burlington Free Press: “College text inspired Racine to make a difference”

Racine at the Addison County Field Days WCAX debate

Seven Days, “No More Mr. Nice Guy? Doug ‘Quiet Man’ Racine says he’s tough enough to be governor”

Times Argus, “With new fire in the belly, Racine says he’ll pitch truth over promises”

WCAX, “Candidate profile: Doug Racine”

WDEV, The Mark Johnson Show with Doug Racine, podcast link

Senate President Pro Tem Peter Shumlin. Campaign Web site: http://www.shumlinforgovernor.com/

Vtdigger.org, “Shumlin, a gubernatorial candidate marked by determination and smarts”

Burlington Free Press, “Shumlin is at home in the middle of the action”

Times Argus, “Sharp political mind touts his legislative successes in the Legislature”

Peter Shumlin on the trail, photo from Peter Shumlin for Governor Web site

Seven Days, “Peter Principled: Shumlin’s got the political mojo, but can he win Vermonters’ trust?

WCAX, “Candidate Profile: Peter Shumlin”

WDEV The Mark Johnson Show with Peter Shumlin, podcast link

LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR PRIMARY

What follows are the profiles and Web sites of Republican and Democratic candidates for the race for lieutenant governor, listed in alphabetical order. Sources: vtdigger.org, Burlington Free Press, Seven Days, Times Argus, WCAX, WDEV-The Mark Johnson Show.

The Republicans

Mark Snelling, businessman. Campaign Web site: http://www.snellingvermont.com/

Vtdigger.org, “In Snelling’s Vermont, the economy and environment are No. 1”

Mark Snelling

Burlington Free Press, “Vermont lieutenant governor race in the shadows”

Times Argus, “Snelling: A scion of state leaders follows in their footsteps”

WDEV, The Mark Johnson Show with Mark Snelling

Sen. Phil Scott, file photo

Sen. Phil Scott, R-Washington. Campaign Web site: http://www.philscott.org/

Vtdigger.org, “Freedom and Unity could be Phil Scott’s slogan in the lite gov race”

Burlington Free Press, “Vermont lieutenant governor race in the shadows”

Times Argus, “Phil Scott pitches common sense and finding common ground”

WDEV, The Mark Johnson Show with Phil Scott

The Democrats

Chris Bray, D-New Haven. Campaign Web site: http://www.brayforvermont.com/

Chris Bray

Vtdigger.org, “Bray, an academic and entrepreneur, pushes for big ideas in lite gov race”

Burlington Free Press, “Vermont lieutenant governor race in the shadows”

Times Argus, “Bray: Consensus not conflict, key to success”

WDEV, The Mark Johnson Show with Chris Bray, podcast link

Rep. Steve Howard, D-Rutland. Campaign Web site: http://www.stevehoward2010.com/

Steve Howard speaks in the well of the House during the 2009 gay marriage debate. Photo by Karen Pike.

Vtdigger.org, “Howard wants to turn lite gove office into a bully pulpit”

Burlington Free Press, “Vermont lieutenant governor race in the shadows”

Times Argus, “Democrat Howard touts a broad appeal”

WDEV, The Mark Johnson Show with Steve Howard, podcast link

SECRETARY OF STATE PRIMARY

What follows are the profiles and Web sites of Republican and Democratic candidates for the race for Vermont Secretary of State, listed in alphabetical order. Sources: Burlington Free Press, Seven Days, Times Argus, WDEV-The Mark Johnson Show.

Jason Gibbs, Republican. Campaign Web site: http://gowithgibbs.com/

Jason Gibbs, left, with Gov. Jim Douglas

Burlington Free Press, “Lively races in both parties for Vermont Secretary of State”

Times Argus, “Gibbs seeks Secretary of State office”

WDEV, The Mark Johnson Show with Jason Gibbs

Part 1, http://blog.markjohnsonshow.net/2010/07/24/72210-jason-gibbs-sos-pt-1.aspx

Part 2, http://blog.markjohnsonshow.net/2010/07/24/72210-roy-pt-2.aspx

Chris Roy, Republican. Campaign Web site: http://www.roy4sos.com/

Chris Roy

Burlington Free Press, “Lively races in both parties for Vermont Secretary of State”

Times Argus, “Roy touts skills desire for public service”

WDEV, The Mark Johnson Show with Chris Roy

Part 1, http://blog.markjohnsonshow.net/2010/07/24/72210-chris-roy-sos-pt-1.aspx

Part 2, http://blog.markjohnsonshow.net/2010/07/24/72210-roy-pt-2.aspx

Jim Condos, Democrat. Campaign Web site: http://www.jimcondos.com/

Jim Condos

Burlington Free Press, “Lively races in both parties for Vermont Secretary of State” http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20100809/NEWS03/100808012/Lively-races-in-both-parties-for-Vermont-secretary-of-state

Times Argus, “Condos touts his background in Secretary of State’s race”

WDEV, The Mark Johnson Show with Jim Condos

Part 1, http://blog.markjohnsonshow.net/2010/07/23/72110-jim-condos-sos-pt-1.aspx

Part 2, http://blog.markjohnsonshow.net/2010/07/23/72110-condos-pt-2.aspx

Charles Merriman

Charles Merriman, Democrat. Campaign Web site: http://merrimanforvt.com/

Burlington Free Press, “Lively races in both parties for Vermont Secretary of State”

WDEV The Mark Johnson Show interview with Charles Merriman

Part 1, http://blog.markjohnsonshow.net/2010/07/20/71910-charles-merriman-pt-1.aspx

Part 2, http://blog.markjohnsonshow.net/2010/07/20/72010-merriman-pt-2.aspx

STATE AUDITOR’S RACE

Sen. Ed Flanagan, D-Chittenden, and Doug Hoffer, a policy analyst, are vying for the Democratic nomination.

Ed Flanagan’s campaign Web site: http://www.edflanagan.org/

Doug Hoffer’s campaign Web site: http://hofferforauditor.com/

Doug Hoffer

Seven Days, “Which watchdog? The Vermont auditor’s race may be the weirdest one yet”

Times Argus, “Ed Flanagan ready to return to auditor’s office”

Times Argus, “Doug Hoffer is running on his record”

WDEV, The Mark Johnson Show with Doug Hoffer, podcast link

Part 1, http://blog.markjohnsonshow.net/2010/07/16/71510-doug-hoffer-pt-1.aspx

Part 2, http://blog.markjohnsonshow.net/2010/07/16/71510-hoffer-pt-2.aspx

VTDigger

WHITE RIVER JUNCTION – Today the Matt Dunne Campaign released a new web video ad, titled “Experience,” explaining why Dunne is best suited to win in November.

In a 30-second long personal message to voters, Dunne challenges Brian Dubie over the loss of jobs and decline in business startups that have occurred under his watch. Dunne also discusses his background, experience and vision for the future of Vermont.

As the title of the video suggests, Matt’s experience makes him the only candidate that is able to deliver on the promise of an economy that works for all of Vermont.

The ad will appear online via video ads on social media sites such as YouTube and will run through Election Day.

Wed, August 18, 2010 11:07:36 AM
RELEASE: Matt Dunne Continues to Attract Broad Base of Support Needed to Win in November

Matt Dunne Continues to Attract Broad Base of Support Needed to Win in November

Releases Second Round of Business Leader Endorsements

WHITE RIVER JUNCTION – Today, the Matt Dunne campaign announced their second round of endorsements from Vermont business leaders, demonstrating again Dunne’s wide range of support heading into the Fall campaign.

Included in the endorsements is Tom Peters – an internationally and well regarded business author, speaker and consultant – who recorded a video of support for Dunne, available here:

“I think he is the right leader for the right time for this state,” Peters, a Tinmouth resident, said. “I think this is a critical moment for Vermont and I think he’s got what it takes in terms of experience and ambition.”

The growing support from business leaders around the state highlights Dunne’s ability to continue to win support from a diverse range of Vermonters and gives him the edge in the November General Election against Brian Dubie. Earlier this week Dunne also announced support from Vermont Veterans (http://www.mattdunne.com/Dunne_Vets/MattDunne_Vets.html), challenged Brian Dubie over his poor record supporting Vermont’s economy (http://www.mattdunne.com/news/matt-dunne-challenges-brian-dubie-on-the-economy) and released a video from the head of their “Fighter Pilots from Essex for Dunne,” Rob Young

“The key issue in the General Election this November will be who can create jobs and revitalize Vermont’s economy,” said Kevin O’Holleran, Dunne Campaign Manger. “Matt Dunne’s business and management experience, coupled with the support he has earned from moderate business leaders and Vermonters across the political spectrum, makes him uniquely suited to take on Brian Dubie and win on the ability to actually deliver on the promise of an economy that works for all Vermonters.”

Endorsements announced today include:

* Tom Peters, Management Consultant and Author – Tinmouth
* Jon Goodrich, President, Mace Personal Defense – Bennington
* Gary Hirshberg, President and CEO, Stonyfield Farm, Inc. – Concord, NH
* Betsy J. Walkerman, CEO, Headwaters Strategy, LLC – Underhill
* Dave Gibson – Founder and Strategist, Propeller Media Works – Burlington
* Trevor Crist, President and CEO, Inntopia – Stowe

Over the past months Dunne has continued to engage with business leaders and has published his economic development plan outlining specific approaches for revitalizing Vermont’s economy and transforming Vermont into an innovation state. Over the past weeks Matt has been traveling around the state, hosting meetings with local business leaders, chambers of commerce and economic development corporations to present his plan and gain feedback and insights from the local leaders.

As a result of these conversations and his bold vision for making Vermont a national leader in innovation and entrepreneurship, businesspeople have continued stepping forward to endorse the campaign and put their energy and enthusiasm behind Dunne.

“I am thoroughly convinced that Matt has the ability, energy and drive to accomplish what Vermont needs over the near future,” said Jon Goodrich, founder and the previous President, CEO, and Chairman of the Board of Mace Security International and the current President of Mace Personal Defense. “Vermont has needed for sometime a new and young approach to this changing economy and Matt gives me hope for our future.”

Gary Hirshberg, a progressive business icon and President and CEO of Stonyfield Farm, Inc. a New Hampshire based company that is the largest buyer of Vermont organic milk also endorsed Dunne today. Hirshberg said, “Job creation in the 21st century requires the ability to think systemically about sustainable social, economic and environmental factors but also to act pragmatically and prudently with a strong foundation in economic reality. Matt Dunne represents a beautiful and thorough balance of these essential characteristics. He will be a powerful leader for Vermont and our region.”

“Matt Dunne is my candidate for governor. He’s sharp and dynamic, and has the blend of public and private experience to lead our state with vision, grace, and attention to our pocketbooks,” said Betsy J. Walkerman, CEO of Headwaters Strategy, LLC. “His position papers on economics, energy, and health care show that he has the sophisticated knowledge and serious vision that Vermont needs.”

“Looking to the future of Vermont’s economy, environment, and opportunities for its people, I think Matt is by far the most qualified to lead Vermont into the Digital Age,” said Dave Gibson, Founder and Strategist of Propeller Media Works. “The bottom line is that Matt is very smart and is a natural leader capable of lifting Vermont into the new economy without sacrifice to the character of Vermont and Vermonters.”

“Matt Dunne understands that Vermont has the assets to be a leader in creating high tech, high paying jobs across a range of industries,” said Trevor Crist, President and CEO of Inntopia. “He is also uniquely qualified to understand the motivations and needs of the entrepreneurs who will be critical to Vermont’s future success. No other candidate shares Matt’s impressive experiences and talents, which make him supremely qualified to lead our state in the 21st century. That is why I am enthusiastically supporting Matt Dunne for Governor of Vermont.”

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