Editor’s note: This commentary is by Stephen C. Terry, who is former managing editor of the Rutland Herald. He lives in Middlebury.
As Vermonters, we are used to seeing ourselves compared to other states or regions of the country. Some positive, other negative, assessments.
We are usually associated with California as one of the bluest states in the union when talking about politics. By contrast, national rankings also list Vermont as one of the most expensive states to live in based on our state and local tax policies and cost of living.
Nevertheless, Vermonters have tended to take pride in our history of being either the first in the nation or the last.
We were the first in the nation for any citizen to receive a Social Security check in 1940.
Yet, Vermont and New Hampshire share the distinction of being the last two states in the country to elect a governor to a two-year term, with no term limit.
Allow me to propose yet a new Vermont experience that may push Vermont, once again, into the limelight as a leading example for the nation as compared to the daily fare emanating from the current White House in our nation’s capital.
I am talking about how Vermont reporters are covering the Covid-19 crisis in Vermont and their interaction with Vermont Gov. Phil Scott, and how this compares to the White House and reporters covering the virus from a national perspective.
Scott is holding three-times-a-week press conferences for Vermont reporters. Most of them call in from around the state, reporters asking questions of the governor and his top administration officials.
I have watched online most of the Vermont conferences and have been very impressed by the fact that reporters from all corners of the state actively participate online in the questioning, including many of the small community papers. The conferences, held on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 11 a.m., provide up-to-date information on all aspects of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in Vermont.
Scott serves as the moderator and answers all the questions he can, but he is very quick to call to the podium key state experts to provide more detailed answers. Often these sessions last almost two hours, or a “marathon” as Scott described them. Recently, there were 26 reporters lined up for questions, often with a two-part question, or with a follow-up. Through Vermont reporters’ questions, we are given a valuable and broad perspective of the concerns of their readers or viewers. On other occasions, the reporters push the Scott administration to provide more transparency into the daily numbers coming from the Health Department.
That said, I have yet to see Scott or his team display any irritation or anger at being prodded and pushed by the press to give out more information. If there is no immediate answer, the appropriate administration official will promise to get back with the data.
Scott has been consistent on one essential theme. He and his team will base all decisions on current facts and data, and not emotion or politics. Scott, a moderate, centrist Republican in a solidly Democratic state, says he is ready to take the heat for whether he has been too fast or too slow in his decisions.
Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine has emerged as a leading figure during these pandemic press conferences. His role is to just give the facts. It is to Scott’s credit that he consistently defers to him. The governor says he makes every effort “to check his ego at the door” and is not to be viewed as the expert on all matters.
Vermont reporters are appreciative of the efforts by the administration to provide them with more detailed information, and they are not bashful in saying so.
Clearly, the Vermont picture described is in sharp contrast to the daily scene we observe coming from Washington. The Trump-led events are often more like campaign rallies then serious efforts to impart essential, and factual, information regarding the national pandemic. Unlike Republican Scott, the GOP president likes portraying the media as the “enemy of the people.”
By contrast, Scott has learned the value of and praises the media for its essential role in helping to inform Vermonters. As a result, he has stated that he intends to continue the practice of taking reporters’ questions from around Vermont at future press conferences, a good development.
In Vermont, the pandemic, so far, has not become an overly partisan issue, even though this is an election year. Recent surveys have shown that by large margins Vermonters approve the job being done by the Scott team.
Unlike Washington with its polarized politics, Vermont is a civil place. Respecting its citizenry, by putting the common good of the state and community cooperation ahead of personal advantage, is still valued and practiced.
This civility is exemplified three times a week as Vermont reporters and the state’s current political establishment soberly deal with this devastating crisis. It is worth taking note.
The pandemic is altering our lives in substantive and potentially enduring ways. Hopefully, to some extent in Vermont, some good will result.
