Monday, February 23, 2015
In a five-page report released Monday, Hoffer stopped short of accusing the economist, Jonathan Gruber, of fraud, citing a lack of documentation pertaining to his alleged "inconsistencies and questionable billing practices." But the state auditor was unsparing in his criticism of the administration's oversight of the contract, which called for an economic analysis of Shumlin's since-abandoned single-payer health care proposal.
"[I]t's clear that the Agency of Administration failed to exercise due diligence and enforce important provisions of the contract," Hoffer wrote. "The Agency of Administration should be a model of best practices in contract administration. Hopefully, it will work to improve its oversight and control functions to ensure greater accountability."
Hoffer referred the matter to Attorney General Bill Sorrell, who said Monday afternoon that his office will look into it.
"Obviously the auditor raises serious questions and we're going to take it seriously," Sorrell said. "We'll just take the case where the facts lead us."
Tags: Doug Hoffer , Jonathan Gruber , Image , Web Only
Friday, February 20, 2015
Recognizing that the land is iconic, Farrell and the city announced an agreement today to take part in a "collaborative planning process" that will include public input and could change the development plan.
As part of a memorandum of understanding signed Friday, Farrell will work with the city, the Vermont Land Trust and Champlain Housing Trust to arrive at a consensus about what should happen on the 28-acre property. The four entities will share the cost of a consultant who will run a design workshop. The agreement is nonbinding, meaning the city or Farrell can terminate the arrangement if they reach an impasse.
The agreement requires that any new proposal include eight components that mirror the goals Mayor Miro Weinberger laid out several months ago. It calls for a range of housing. It would preserve some open space, and ensure continued public access to the beach. (The full agreement is below.)
Tags: Burlington College , Mayor Miro Weinberger , Vermont Land Trust , Image , Web Only
Thursday, February 19, 2015
His former legislative colleagues were due to vote later in the morning on whether to reelect him to a two-year term. Brooks knew the score. He had seen the way some wouldn’t make eye contact with him.
Brooks, 72, of Montpelier, opened a letter that had found its way to his office. It was addressed to the "State of Vermont, State Street, Montpelier." Inside, a woman had included the title to a car, a death certificate and some instructions.
Why the letter reached Brooks was unclear, but the sergeant-at-arms, as the manager of the building at the heart of state government, deals with a lot of unusual requests. Brooks looked through the documents and worried about getting them to their proper destination, presumably the Department of Motor Vehicles.
An hour later, Brooks climbed the stairs to the second-floor House chamber to usher lawmakers in for the joint session. They were to either reelect him sergeant-at-arms or go with Janet Miller, who worked down the hall from him as Legislative Council deputy operations director. A third candidate, Chuck Satterfield, had withdrawn from the race.
Tags: vermont , sergeant at arms , state politics. legislature , security , Image , Web Only
Lisa Gosselin said she plans to join her husband, Angelo Lynn, who owns the company that publishes the Addison County Independent. She'll focus on “business strategy, diversification and creating some new products” for Addison Press, though she would not say exactly how the company plans to diversify.
“I’m thrilled,” Lynn said of Gosselin's new role focusing on new media, including digital and mobile platforms. Business aside, he added, "We've kind of been apart five days a week." Lynn works in Middlebury; Gosselin's current job is based in Montpelier.
Gosselin, who has been commissioner for nearly two years, will be replaced by Joan Goldstein, current executive director of the Green Mountain Economic Development Corp., Gov. Peter Shumlin announced Thursday.
Gosselin said she appreciated her time in state government, but, “At heart, I’m an entrepreneur. I have a strong background in publishing, and my husband’s company has an opportunity to grow. It’s something we’ve been discussing for a long time, and the time seems right to make this move.”
Gosselin spent seven years at EatingWell Media Group, serving as editorial director and editor in chief. Prior to that, she ran Islands magazine, Audubon magazine, Bicycling magazine and Ski magazine.
She and Lynn, who’ve been together as a couple for five years, have never worked with each other. “Having somebody who’s really worked with big national companies and learned a lot from them, I think this is a wonderful opportunity,” Lynn said.
Addison Press publishes the Addison County Independent, the Brandon Reporter, Vermont Ski and Ride magazine and Vermont Sports magazine. Lynn also co-owns the Essex Reporter and Colchester Sun with his brother, Emerson, publisher of the St. Albans Messenger.
Gosselin says she’s particularly proud of her work helping to create a new economic-development strategy for the state and launching its “Great Jobs in VT” campaign.
“I think it’s exciting to see the growth in the Vermont economy, and I think there are many good signs that it’s going to be continuing to grow,” she says. “We have a great team. We have some strong, young people who are future rock stars. I just hope I’m leaving it in a better place than when I came in.”
Political editor Paul Heintz contributed to this report.
Tags: Lisa Gosselin , Angelo Lynn , Addison Independent , Gov. Peter Shumlin , Vermont state government , media , Image , Web Only
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
For more information, read our recent coverage of the race for Burlington mayor here:
- Targeting Miro: Attack Ad Draws Criticism (Feb. 13, 2015)
- The Queen City Mayor's Race Is a Referendum on Development (Feb. 11, 2015)
- Weinberger Raises $93,000 for Reelection Bid (Feb. 2, 2015)
- Mayoral Debate: Weinberger Hammers Goodkind's Record (Jan. 29, 2015)
- Candidates File for Burlington Mayor, Council and School Board (Jan. 27, 2015)
“We’re just not going to open up the bill to amendments,” said Sen. Claire Ayer (D-Addison), chair of the Senate Health and Welfare Committee, after the hearing. She seeks to limit the scope of any changes to a law that some would like to repeal.
Those with concerns about the law said it was clear that Ayer’s committee was interested in hearing only what members wanted to hear. “The purpose of today’s hearing was to reassure them that everything was going fine and to not ask the hard questions about what they don’t know,” said Lynne Cleveland Vitzthum, an opponent who represents the Vermont Center for Independent Living, a disabilities advocacy group.
The five committee members asked few questions of the dozen witnesses. Noticeably absent were questions about the law’s impact on doctors, hospice nurses, pharmacists and others who are involved.
Tags: Vermont legislature , assisted suicide , Patient Choice and Control at End of Life , Claire Ayer , Maggie Lake , Image , Web Only
The Burlington police and U.S. Marshal's Service officers were swarming the house. He went for it, flinging himself out of the window while stunned officers looked on.
Gravity carried him toward freedom, but he hit a snag. His pants caught on part of the building. He dangled in the winter air for several minutes, before, like a cat stuck in a tree, he was rescued by members of the Burlington fire department.
Tags: Burlington , police , crime , Image , Web Only
Alex Holzbach, who emailed the request from a datatargeting.com address, declined to comment on it when reached by phone. He also would not provide any information about his employer. On his LinkedIn profile, Holzbach is identified as Data Targeting's director of political research and operations.
Reached by phone on Wednesday, Ayres' opponent, Republican Michael Ly, said, "I don’t even know what you’re talking about ... What is [the group] called?" Ly added that he'd just returned yesterday from the hospital, where he'd been since last Friday for the birth of his third child.
Data Targeting Research’s website provides no information other than a phone number and a Gainesville, Fla. address. It played a role during the 2012 redistricting process in Florida, and a judge later declared that two districts had been gerrymandered in favor of Republicans. Last November, the Naples Daily News ran a profile of the firm's founder under the headline "Pat Bainter: The most influential man in Florida GOP politics you don't know."
Tags: Burlington city council , Tom Ayres , Michael Ly , Image , Web Only
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Michelle Anzovino, who had been arrested on misdemeanor charges, refused to be strip-searched when she was brought to Southern State Correctional Facility in Springfield to sober up in June 2013, according to court records.
Four prison guards, including three men, pinned her to the ground, stripped off her pants and underpants and cut her shirt and bra off her body, she alleges in a lawsuit. They gave her a thin plastic sheet that she struggled to keep on her body. Anzovino, a former Dover resident, claims she sat in a prison cell for 12 hours, in view of male detainees, while guards rejected her pleas for clothing. She also says she suffered minor physical injuries.
"There was no legitimate or necessary law-enforcement or safety objective to stripping [Anzovino] of her clothing and forcing her to remain unclothed during her time at the facility," her attorney, Theodore Kramer, wrote in a lawsuit filed last year. "At no time during [Anzovino's] detention did [she] become violent or pose any threat to herself, the defendant officers, or any other individuals."
Tags: DOC , prison , lawsuit , U.S. District Court , Andy Pallito , Michelle Anzovino , Image , Web Only
That’s what legalized recreational marijuana use could look like here, at least under matching bills legislators are introducing.
Sen. David Zuckerman (P/D-Chittenden) introduced S.95 today and
and Rep. Chris Pearson (P-Burlington) said he will introduce an identical bill in the House this week. They are hoping their detailed plan will bring new focus to the debate.
That it might do, though their bills are unlikely to get very far this year. Key state leaders have said they want to wait for more information about how fledgling legalization laws are working in Colorado and other states. Earlier this year, Senate Judiciary Committee chair Dick Sears (D-Bennington) indicated legalization wouldn’t make it onto their agenda: "I don't expect it to come up this session,” he said.
The sponsors want marijuana to be regulated much like alcohol is. “More than 75 years of criminalizing marijuana has failed to prevent marijuana use,” says an advance copy of the legislation, obtained by Seven Days. “Responsible use of marijuana should be treated the same as responsible use of alcohol.”
Tags: Cannabeat , Chris Pearson , David Zuckerman , Marijuana legalization , Vermont legislature , Image , Web Only