Much like the snow flurries that fell on Saturday morning, Brian Dubie stayed fleetingly in Barre City for a 10-minute stump speech on his way to scheduled events in St. Johnsbury, Bradford, Bethel and Rutland. He made the campaign sweep just three days before the General Election on Nov. 2.
Echoing many of the familiar refrains heard in recent weeks, Dubie told an audience of roughly 75 supporters in City Hall Park that jobs and honesty were the two key points of his campaign.
“At the end of the day, this campaign is defined by really two issues,” Dubie said. “It’s jobs, and it’s trust, and Vermonters want to elect a governor that they can trust.”
Dubie followed this statement by calling into question the trustworthiness of his opponent, Democratic candidate and Senate Pro Tem Peter Shumlin. Referring to reports of a recent “closed-door, secret meeting” in which Shumlin allegedly told attendees he would relicense Vermont Yankee if Entergy did not own the plant, Dubie stated that his opponent’s actions have left Vermonters wondering who they can trust.
The meeting, which took place in Sen. Dick Mazza’s garage shortly after the primaries, was reported on the blog Vermont Tiger. An attendee informed Geoff Norman, the author of the article, about Shumlin’s alleged back pedaling on the shut down of Vermont Yankee. The source of the allegations against Shumlin was anonymous. The story, which was picked up by WPTZ and WCAX, appears to be unsubstantiated, according to an Oct. 29 report from Burlington Free Press reporter Terri Hallenbeck.
On the job front, Dubie touted his NFIB endorsement stating that he was proud to have the backing of Vermont’s small businesses.
“The small businesses of Vermont are the lifeblood of our economy, they’re the jobs creators,” he said. “And more importantly, more specifically, women-owned businesses are the jobs creator of our economy. Once again, that’s why I’m so encouraged by them supporting our positive, 10-point plan to create more jobs and more opportunities for our state.”
That message resonated with the supporters who came out in the cold October drizzle to hear Dubie speak. Norma Malone, a Barre Town resident and owner of a residential construction business, said the economy was her primary concern this election year and that she felt Dubie projected a very positive message in that regard.
“He’s been supportive of small business owners,” Malone said. “He understands the demands that are being placed on small businesses.”
