Gov. Peter Shumlin held his weekly press conference at the Cabot Creamery warehouse in Montpelier on Feb. 10. He highlighted the successes of a new pilot career readiness program.
Reporters asked him about a recent column by Shay Totten in Seven Days regarding Steve Kimbell’s firing of regulatory lawyers who pursued action against Blue Cross Blue Shield. The medical insurer was fined several times. Until last summer, Kimbell worked for the lobbying firm KSE. He is now commissioner of the Department of Banking, Insurance, Securities and Health Care Administration.
One of Kimbell’s longtime clients was BCBS.
The governor also defended his compensation for members of his Cabinet, some of whom are making $10,000 more a year than their Douglas administration counterparts. Shumlin disputed Totten’s assertion that he is spending $400,000 more across the board on top execs than Douglas did. Shumlin pointed to a story in the Burlington Free Press by Nancy Remsen that drew the conclusion that the governor’s staff made about what Douglas administration officials did last year.
Shumlin also spoke at length about rumors that the relicensure of Vermont Yankee might wind up in federal court.
The purpose of the press conference was to highlight the Career Readiness Certificate Program, which is designed to help about 600 Vermonters a year learn basic job skills.
Here are video clips from the presser:
