In its most recent foray into the race for state treasurer, Vermonters First is placing robo-calls with voters in support of Wendy Wilton.
During the call, an audio recording of Tayt Brooks, Treasurer for Vermonters First, says the following:
“Hello, I’m calling on behalf of Vermonters First. We are a brand new organization dedicated to restoring balance to Vermont government. You may have received an absentee ballot mailer recently encouraging you to vote for Wendy Wilton, a candidate for state treasurer. I encourage you to fill out the application as soon as you can and mail it back to your town clerk. Wendy Wilton will be a results-oriented treasurer who will bring fiscal sanity back to Montpelier.”
Brooks explained Vermonters First’s campaign activities, saying, “at the end of the day, what this is about is restoring balance to officeholders in Montpelier,” but he declined to say why the super PAC has focused so heavily on the race for treasurer.
The calls come after a mailing last week, in which a letter promoting Wilton was accompanied by an application for an absentee ballot. Earlier in the month, Vermonters First spent $100,000 on two television ads in support of Wilton and Sen. Vince Illuzzi for auditor.
Jake Perkinson, chair of the Vermont Democratic Party, responded to the calls yesterday by issuing the following statement: “To claim that Treasurer Pearce’s tenure has been anything but positive for our state is misleading and irresponsible. Because of Beth, Vermont has the best bond rating in New England despite our nation’s worst recession and Tropical Storm Irene. I doubt the towns, communities and businesses that positively benefited from Beth’s tough work would appreciate Tayt Brooks’ insincere comments.”
Brooks declined to comment on the statement.
