Editor’s note: Taylor Dobbs contributed to this story.
Gov. Peter Shumlin knows how to stand out in a parade. Last year he stunned onlookers when as a Democratic primary candidate for governor, he jumped aboard an anti-Vermont Yankee float organized by VPIRG.
On Sunday, Shumlin pulled a similar stunt – this time in Montpelier’s Independence Day parade. As his entourage, including local politicos Sens. Ann Cummings and Anthony Pollina, turned the corner from Main Street onto State Street, the governor signaled to his stern-faced bodyguard that he was stopping.
The whole parade ground to a halt as Shumlin made a beeline for a black stroller two or three rows into the crowd in front of the Coffee Corner. He bent down and kissed the baby in the stroller then jogged back to the center of State Street among cheers from the crowd. As he turned toward the Golden Dome, smiling and waving, the baby bawled.
The Montpelier parade was one of eight July Fourth events the governor attended over the weekend before he left on Tuesday for a week-long jaunt to Nova Scotia where he’ll divide his time between official duties at the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers in Halifax from July 10-12 where state and province leaders are expected to discuss trade and tourism among other issues.
The remainder of the governor’s time in Nova Scotia is set aside for a little rest and relaxation at his second home. Shumlin’s office would not disclose the location of his vacation destination, citing “security reasons.” Documents released by his campaign in 2010, however, show that the land, with a house and a cabin, is located on Cape Breton Island and valued at $223,200.
Bianca Slota, the governor’s spokeswoman, said the office would not release information about if and when Shumlin would be traveling with a security detail throughout the week, again citing security concerns. When the governor took a vacation in the West Indies last February, questions were raised about his reasons for leaving his body guards behind in Vermont. Shumlin tried to brush off the issue during a presser shortly afterward, but reporters turned the trip into the big political story of the week.
Perhaps when Shumlin returns from Canada, he’ll get back to house hunting in the Montpelier area. The governor was seen bidding on a farmhouse fixer upper on 88 acres in East Calais on the Marshfield road last month.
WNCS radio producer Zeb Norris happened to be bidding on the “spectacular property” at the estate sale held by Thomas Hirchak auctioneers on June 24. Norris said he was outbid – as was Shumlin. Three local investors purchased the picturesque homestead for just over $400,000.
Gannett spares Free Press
Last month, Gannett Corporation announced 700 layoffs at its metropolitan dailies around the country. The Burlington Free Press (and USA Today), however, will be unscathed by this latest round of cuts.
Mike Townsend, executive editor of the Free Press, said his paper sidestepped layoffs this time because the Chittenden County economy has been stable compared with other places around the country.
“We’re not healthy,” Townsend said in an interview. “We just happen to be healthiest among unhealthy. We’re lucky to be where we are right now.”
The Free Press is expanding its web presence and “gravitating toward quality,” according to Townsend. That combination has led to record-shattering reader numbers for the online editions. Townsend said the Free Press has 700,000 unique readers a month, more than double the number that came to the site a year ago.
The Burlington paper’s parent company hasn’t been so lucky.
Gannett’s advertising revenues have been soft in the slow economy. Bloomberg reported that the company’s income stream has declined from $7.44 billion in 2007 to $5.44 billion in 2010.
Meanwhile, Gannett’s CEO Craig Dubow and COO Gracia Martore were rewarded with bonuses of $1.75 million and $1.25 million, each, in 2010. The cash outlays were part of their compensation packages for 2010. Dubow made $9.4 million in 2010, or double his 2009 salary; Martore was paid $8.2 million in 2010, $4.2 million more than her 2009 pay package.
