Scott Milne, the GOP front-runner in the race for Vermont governor, says he was arrested three times when he was a college student — twice for driving under the influence of alcohol and once for possession of what he says was a small amount of pot and cocaine.
Milne released a statement about the arrests Thursday, the day before the Fourth of July holiday weekend. Shortly after the arrests, Milne said he stopped using drugs and “committed to only using alcohol in moderation.”
“This demonstrates that I’m transparent and relying on intelligent people in the press to know what the facts are,” he said.
Milne says he was not under pressure to disclose the arrests because of political opposition research. He said he is transparent in business, and his approach to politics is built around “practical business principles.”
Ben Sarle, communications director for the Vermont Democratic Party, says his organization is conducting opposition research but the Milne revelation didn’t emerge from their probe.
It was the first news release of the campaign for Milne, a political neophyte. He won’t make a formal announcement for his gubernatorial bid until the week of July 14th, he said. He doesn’t have a proper website or a campaign manager (though he says there will be a staff announcement next week), and his fundraising totals are in the tens of thousands of dollars (he says he is not focused on the July 15 campaign finance filing deadline, which is often used to gauge the relative success of a campaign, and he will use “zero dollars of my own money). In contrast, Gov. Peter Shumlin, the incumbent Democrat, is a veteran of the campaign trail and has a warchest worth $1 million.
In addition, Milne, 55, also disclosed that he suffered a stroke in 2006. His then 16-year-old daughter called an ambulance when Milne passed out from the stroke, otherwise he may have been permanently incapacitated, he said.
He says he has fully recovered from the blood clot in his brain. The stroke has had “very little residual effect,” he said.
“I have my doctor’s medical clearance for the rigors of both a vigorous campaign and serving as governor,” he said.
Eric Davis, a retired Middlebury College political science professor, said Milne has been slow getting out of the blocks in his race for governor, and the arrest revelations will be a distraction. Milne is not well known, and he will struggle for name recognition, Davis said. Media attention on his arrest record in college and health matters could color his campaign.
“He wants to talk about substantial issues, rather than his own past,” Davis said.
Milne, a travel executive from Pomfret, says he is using the revelation to distinguish himself from Shumlin, the incumbent Democrat.
“The Shumlin administration spends more time hiding from the press than it does telling people what’s going on,” he said in an interview.
That sentiment was echoed in the two-page statement he released to the press.
“Whether it relates to my personal experience or the economic challenges and crisis of affordability we face as a state, I’m going to be upfront with Vermonters,” he wrote. “The economic stakes are too high, and the reforms we need are far too important to let the politics of half-truths and sound bite leadership prevail.”
Milne said he wants Vermonters to learn about him — and his mistakes — so they are better equipped to decide who should be governor in November.
Milne also said he is opposed to the legalization of marijuana, but supports the state’s decriminalization laws.