Dunne 1040
Racine 1040
Markowitz 2009 Form 1040
Vermont’s six gubernatorial hopefuls released their tax forms this week, and Senate Pro Tem Peter Shumlin, a Democrat who hails from Windham County, broke out of the pack with the highest income for 2009.
Shumlin filed jointly with his wife, Deborah, and reported an adjusted gross income of $947,732. His total personal income places him a half million dollars north of his closest rival.
The bulk of the couple’s income, $617,217, was derived from supplemental income from real estate, royalties or other sources; they earned about $286,000 in wages and salaries. Shumlin runs his family’s business, Putney Student Travel; Alex MacLean, the candidate’s campaign manager, said he did not inherit his wealth.
Of the remaining five gubernatorial contenders, Democrat Matt Dunne and Republican Brian Dubie had the next highest incomes.
Dunne, a manager at Internet search giant Google and a former state senator from Windsor County, and his wife, Sarah, filed a joint return with an adjusted gross income of $198,435 in 2009.
Dubie, Vermont’s lieutenant governor and a pilot for American Airlines, and his wife, Penny, reported $165,395 in income.
The Dunnes’ return showed $8,050 in business income and $190,686 in wages and salaries. The Dubies brought in $161,296 along with nearly $4,000 in “farm income.”
Democrats Doug Racine, a state senator from Chittenden County, Secretary of State Deb Markowitz of Montpelier and Susan Bartlett, a state senator from Lamoille County, all had adjusted gross incomes of less than $150,000.
Racine, a manager at his family’s jeep dealership in South Burlington, declared an adjusted gross income of $136,192 for 2009. Of that, $73,741 came from wages and salary while nearly $57,500 came from Schedule E reported income from real estate, royalties and other businesses.
Markowitz and her husband Paul’s joint return showed an adjusted gross income of $122,614 for 2009, of which $76,210 came from wages and salary.
According to the return Paul brought in $62,579 as an “Environmental Consultant” and an additional $1,219 as a “Performing Artist” for the family, the Markowitz household claimed $63,798 in business income in 2009.
Filing jointly Bartlett and her husband William – a consultant – had an adjusted gross income of $95,969 in 2009.
Of that $41,306 came from business income with a little over $23,560 from wages and salary and $2,224 from Schedule E.
The Bartletts also reported $30,200 in pensions and annuities.
Politicians running for state public office often use the occasion of revealing their finances to the public as an opportunity to prod their opponents to do the same.
In a press release issued in conjunction with the release of her tax information Markowitz called on her contenders to release their information as well.
“The long tradition of candidates for Vermont’s highest office making their income tax returns available keeps top government officials transparent and accountable,” Markowitz said. “I would encourage all of the candidates running for governor to join me in the spirit of transparency.”
While running for third and fourth terms for lieutenant governor in 2006 and 2008, Dubie did not release his tax information.
