Sue Allen, a well-known figure in Vermont politics and journalism, is headed to the Bennington Banner.
The longtime aide to former Democratic Govs. Howard Dean and Peter Shumlin starts her new gig as editor of the daily newspaper in early October, according to Vermont News & Media publisher Jordan Brechenser.
Allen, who has also worked in the press before — and after — stints in government, was once the editor at the Barre-Montpelier Times Argus and a Statehouse reporter for the Associated Press and Burlington Free Press. As a spokesperson for Dean and Shumlin, Allen also has experience jousting with journalists. She will oversee six reporters and editors in Bennington, according to Brechenser.
“She has a deep-rooted history in journalism and news in the southern Vermont region. That seems to be an excellent fit for what we’re looking to fill,” Brechenser said.
After decades in the capital, including two years as Montpelier’s assistant city manager, Allen departed in 2019 when her husband got a job at Grace Cottage Hospital in Townshend, the Times Argus reported at the time.
There has been quite a bit of change at the top at the Banner and its sister publications, the Brattleboro Reformer and Manchester Journal. The three southern Vermont papers and UpCountry Magazine were bought from New England Newspapers Inc. in May by Paul Belogour, a Guilford resident and tech and finance magnate. The Belarus native has also snatched up thousands of acres and at least 10 properties and businesses in the past two years.
Vermont News & Media, the LLC formed to buy the publications, announced earlier this month that former Berkshire Eagle editor Noah Hoffenberg would serve as executive editor of the southern Vermont newspapers. Former Banner editor David LaChance, whom Allen replaces, departed in July.
The new ownership has not resulted in a reduction in newsroom personnel, Brechenser said. Quite the opposite: It’s allowed some longtime employees to get raises for the first time in years, he said, even as additional freelancers have been hired to produce local features and columns.
“So far, it’s going good,” he said. “We’re trying to breathe life back into a print product that’s taken its lumps over the years and get it back to an adequate and respectable level and something that will be sustainable for years to come.”
