Monday, October 31, 2016
According to Scott spokesman Ethan Latour, the incumbent lieutenant governor raised $18,000 last Wednesday during his one-day trip to the nation's capital. While there, he was feted at an evening fundraiser at the headquarters of the BGR Group, a Republican-leaning lobbying firm.
"He went because campaigns — particularly this one, with so much outside spending to compete with — cost a lot of money," Latour explained.
According to an invitation Latour provided Seven Days, the event was hosted by BGR managing director and chief financial officer Todd Eardensohn, BGR lobbyist Loren Monroe and 50 State lobbyist Phil Cox. The invitation suggested a minimum contribution of $1,000 per attendee.
Tags: Phil Scott , Sue Minter , BGR Group , fundraising , Image , Web Only
Unsworth Properties owns one of the most bustling blocks in the thriving arts and business district known as the Enterprise Zone. The conglomeration of brick, metal and wood buildings along Pine Street — which once served as factories producing soda, blinds and brushes — have been repurposed as artist studios, restaurants and business spaces.
The Unsworths are proposing to tear down two industrial structures and a duplex located behind the Howard Space building, at Pine and Howard streets, and replace them with a three-story building and underground parking. They plan to put about 15 artist studios on the first floor, while the second and third floors would host offices and possibly more studios. The building would have a footprint of roughly 8,500 square feet.
Tags: Burlington , South End , Pine Street , Unsworth Properties , Enterprise Zone , Image , Web Only
The pending purchase of the historic red brick building puts the “Y” one step closer to a long-held dream: The non-profit is raising funds to build a new facility a block up College Street at the former Ethan Allen Club. It purchased the club for $2.5 million in August 2015.
The sale of the Y’s current home might not happen immediately, and it's unclear what von Turkovich wants to do with the building. He did not return a call seeking comment.
The transaction builds momentum for the Y’s goal to start construction on a new home in 2018, said Kyle Dodson, president and CEO of the Greater Burlington YMCA.
“From our standpoint, it’s great news,” Dodson said.
The building went on the market 15 months ago with an asking price of $3.75 million. Dodson would not disclose how much von Turkovich is paying. The amount won't be public record until the transaction is final.
The goal will be to keep the Y’s full slate of recreation, preschool, after-school and family programming going with as little interruption as possible amid a move and building project. Fundraising is underway for the new Y, but there’s still a lot of money to be raised.
Dodson could not say exactly when the closing and move might happen. “There’s lots of variables,” he explained.
Prospective buyers have looked at the building as a potential location for housing, a boutique hotel or office space. Yves Bradley, the Y’s real estate broker in the transaction, would not speculate on the buyer’s plans.
“It’s fantastic that someone is in the process of hatching a vision for this property,” Bradley said.
The timing of the sale to von Turkovich will be tricky.
“What’s important is to keep the Y in place providing their programs in kind of a seamless manner,” Bradley said. “The two entities are working together to figure out when the best time is for the properties to close.”
Tags: Burlington , development , YMCA , Image , Web Only
King spoke with Seven Days ahead of a talk he is scheduled to give at Middlebury College on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the Mead Chapel. The conversation was edited for clarity and brevity.
Seven Days: Has this election season made the national conversation about race and police better or worse?
Shaun King: I would probably say worse. It hasn’t helped it. The few times the presidential candidates have talked about it, it’s been a pretty one-dimensional conversation. For most mainstream Democrats and virtually all Republicans, law enforcement and their families and supporters are still a part of their voting base and they refuse to talk tough about it. We’ve struggled to get these presidential candidates to talk about it in any serious way, but that’s no different than any mainstream issue right now. It’s just been an ugly race altogether. I hear a lot of activists say we’re all looking forward to the presidential race being over because we feel like it dominates the news cycle in so many ways that the country will be able to talk about more substance.
Tags: Shaun King , Middlebury College , race , police , Image , Web Only
Saturday, October 29, 2016
On Friday afternoon, Weinberger and four other members of the Vermont Mayors Coalition convened in Barre to unveil their support for Donovan, who currently serves as Chittenden County state's attorney. The event was organized and promoted, using a City Hall email account, by the mayor's communications and projects coordinator, Katie Vane.
Tags: Miro Weinberger , T.J. Donovan , Vermont Mayors Coalition , Image , Web Only
Friday, October 28, 2016
The Morgan resident and retired Statehouse lobbyist spent years volunteering for Planned Parenthood and served a stint on its board of directors in the 1980s. She says she has known Scott, the Republican nominee for governor, for just as long — and she's always known him to be pro-choice.
So when Moot saw the first of two recent Planned Parenthood Action Fund ads questioning Scott's commitment to abortion rights, she jotted off a rant on Facebook. Scott's campaign contacted her and asked whether she would appear in a video responding to the attacks. She complied.
"I will tell you something: It broke my heart to do that," Moot says. "I'm sorry to be emotional. It broke my heart to do that ad."
Tags: Planned Parenthood , Phil Scott , Sue Minter , Image , Video , Web Only
"Well, we do have term limits. It's called elections," said Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), who has served seven terms and is seeking an eighth.
"I know my predecessor was elected the year I was born and served 'til I got there," the incumbent said, referring to the late senator George Aiken, who served from 1941 to 1975. "I think Vermont gained a great deal because of his tenure and his seniority."
Leahy, a Middlesex resident, argued that such a constitutional amendment "won't pass" and said that if voters felt he had "been there too long," they could "vote for somebody else."
Tags: cannabis related , Cris Ericson , debate , Jerry Trudell , Patrick Leahy , Peter Diamondstone , Scott Milne , U.S. Senate , Vermont PBS , Image , Web Only
Thursday, October 27, 2016
According to a Thursday update of the federal United States Drought Monitor, most of Vermont is experiencing a “moderate” or “severe” drought. The Northeast Kingdom has received a little more rain and is considered only “abnormally dry.” (The Drought Monitor labels the worst droughts “extreme” and “exceptional” — conditions that parts of Massachusetts, the deep South and Southern California are experiencing.)
Tags: drought , national weather service , rain , snow , Lake Champlain , Image , Web Only
The RGA outfit, called A Stronger Vermont, has spent more than $580,000 in the past two weeks backing Lt. Gov. Phil Scott's campaign, bringing its total this election cycle to nearly $2.4 million. The DGA super PAC, called Our Vermont, has spent just $145,000 in that period, bringing its campaign total to $814,000.
But those top-line numbers only tell half the story. While the DGA has been spending less on its own super PAC, it has been steering large sums of money to one associated with Planned Parenthood.
Tags: Planned Parenthood , Democratic Governors Association , Republican Governors Association , Sue Minter , Phil Scott , Image , Video , Web Only
Sanders will join Minter and Zuckerman at a rally at Johnson State College’s SHAPE Varsity Gym at 9:30 a.m. Friday, Sanders’ campaign said Thursday.
Minter is vying for the open governor’s seat with Republican Lt. Gov. Phil Scott. Two recent polls indicate the two are either in a virtual tie or that Scott has a slight lead. Zuckerman is competing for the open lieutenant governor’s seat with Republican Randy Brock.
Tags: Senator , Bernie Sanders , David Zuckerman , Sue Minter , Image , Web Only