It wasn’t a lot of money, and it wasn’t cash. But it still showed up on a recent campaign finance report.
Al Gobeille, a member of the Green Mountain Care Board, a quasi-judicial body that is setting the ground rules for the Shumlin administration health care reform plan, gave about $600 in an in-kind donation to Republican Lt. Gov. Phil Scott during the last campaign reporting period.
Gobeille’s wife owns a company that operates Northern Lights, a Lake Champlain cruise boat, that is used for events, weddings, corporate meetings or parties, and the like.
One of those parties recently was a campaign event for Scott’s supporters. Gobeille and his wife donated the boat service.
Gobeille doesn’t think it’s a problem.
“I’ve supported Phil for a long time and he has been, I don’t want to use the word friend, but a friend for a long time,” Gobeille said. “It isn’t anything new, and I certainly didn’t see it as a conflict of interest, I’ll put it that way.”
There is no “outright prohibition” on political activity for board members under state statute (Act 48), according to Anya Rader Wallack, chair of the board.
“I think it’s up to Al to judge whether a specific political contribution creates a conflict,” Wallack said. “I don’t see a confl per se. Phil is not financially involved with any organization we regulate. I wouldn’t say political activity per se creates a legal or ethical problem.”
