Friday, May 5, 2017
But Mazza is also known for his flamboyant ties — fuchsia, ultramarine, lavender — matched with a pocket square and a satiny cloth rose pinned to his lapel.
While it's common knowledge that the Colchester grocer has the ear of both Republican Gov. Phil Scott and Senate President Pro Tempore Tim Ashe (D/P-Chittenden), few are aware that his influence extends into both men's wardrobes.
Mazza's main objective: Liven up the neckwear of the two most powerful men in the Statehouse. Scott and Ashe are currently embroiled in budget negotiations with one another, as well as with House Speaker Mitzi Johnson (D-South Hero).
The fashion fix-up started with Scott, for whom Mazza estimates he has purchased at least a dozen ties over the years. "He’s very difficult. He doesn’t like to dress [up]. He'll come over here in work boots," Mazza said Thursday, standing outside the governor's ceremonial office.
Tags: Phil Scott , Dick Mazza , Tim Ashe , fashion , Image , Web Only
Sears introduced an amendment on the Vermont Senate floor mirroring a House-passed measure, H.170, that would legalize marijuana possession. He added to it a study commission to look at how Vermont might go about taxing and regulating the drug.
The amendment passed the full Senate in a 20-9 vote. The House Judiciary Committee is expected to consider it late Friday afternoon, meaning the full House could still vote on the measure before the end of the session.
"This is an effort to put something that might have an opportunity to pass," Sears told fellow senators Friday afternoon.
Tags: Cannabeat , Dick Sears , marijuana legallization , Maxine Grad , Vermont legislature , Image , Web Only
The Senate Agriculture Committee introduced an amendment on the floor to the “miscellaneous agriculture bill” that would exempt farms’ nutrient management plans from the state Public Records Act. It passed easily, without debate.
Those state-mandated plans detail what each farm is doing to curb pollution of the state’s waterways. Vermont is spending millions to help agricultural operations comply with the law.
“What this provision does is it essentially blinds the public from how those dollars are going to be implemented on farm fields,” said Rebekah Weber, “lakekeeper” for the Conservation Law Foundation. “I don’t understand the need for secrecy around that, especially when we’re asking the public to help foot the bill.”
CLF previously sued the state for failing to enforce federal clean water requirements — and won. It’s not enough, Weber suggested, to trust the Agency of Agriculture to inspect farmers’ plans. “The state hasn’t done a great job on enforcement,” she said.
Sen. Bobby Starr (D-Essex/Orleans) is the chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee. He argued that the public would still be able to see plans — so long as a farm’s name was redacted. According to Weber, that would limit CLF’s efforts to hold farms accountable.
Tags: Vermont Senate , Conservation Law Foundation , Bobby Starr , Image , Web Only
Thursday, May 4, 2017
Along with eight other Democratic representatives, they broke ranks with their party leaders to support Republican Gov. Phil Scott’s proposal to negotiate a statewide teachers’ health insurance contract.
“The reason we were in the position we were in was because of the freshman Democrats,” said Rep. Heidi Scheuermann (R-Stowe).
“Most wayward freshmen class of all time,” said Rep. Sam Young (D-Glover), sounding somewhat exasperated.
The GOP coup was short-lived. As Republicans were about to triumph by a 74-73 margin, House Speaker Mitzi Johnson (D-South Hero) cast a rare vote, resulting in a tie that killed the proposal. Still, all anyone could talk about Thursday was the Democratic defections.
Tags: Phil Scott , Mitzi Johnson , Vermont legislature , teacher health insurance , Image , Web Only
Dieng earned 76 votes to win easily, defeating Chris Trombly and Lorraine Carter-Lovejoy. Trombly received 15 votes and Carter-Lovejoy got 12, according to Steve McIntyre, vice chair of the Burlington Democratic Party and a Ward 7 resident.
Dieng, a 35-year-old West Africa native, will face off against Republican Vince Dober in the special election, which will be held on June 27. Other candidates may yet throw their hats in the ring — the filing deadline to run is May 22.
Tags: Ali Dieng , Lorraine Carter-Lovejoy , Chris Trombly , Vince Dober , Tom Ayres , Ward 7 , Image , Web Only
At issue was a plan to have public school teachers’ health care benefits negotiated on a statewide basis. Republican Gov. Phil Scott says the measure would save up to $26 million a year. He has insisted that it be part of a final budget deal.
The governor came whisper-close to a win in the House on Wednesday. The initial tally was 74 for the proposal and 73 against. Then, House Speaker Mitzi Johnson (D-South Hero) cast her vote — a rarity for a speaker. That created a tie, thus defeating the measure.
The day after the vote, Johnson was sounding pretty confident for a leader who almost suffered an embarrassing defeat.
“We knew it was going to be close,” she said. “I think it’s a symptom of people being really frustrated about property taxes. When I spoke to [lawmakers], it was really about wanting to do anything, even things that were not fleshed out but sounded juicy.”
Tags: Phil Scott , Mitzi Johnson , Don Turner , Becca Balint , state budget , Image , Web Only
Calling it a “dark day in the history of the United States Congress,” U.S. Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) on Thursday voted against a repeal of the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare. But by a narrow vote of 217 to 213, Republicans prevailed in their months-long quest to pass the American Health Care Act, a top priority for President Donald Trump.
Speaking on the floor of the House earlier Thursday, Welch said, “President Trump was elected by rural America. This bill betrays rural America.” He said the legislation would cause more than 23 million Americans to lose their health insurance coverage, discriminate against those with preexisting conditions and serve as a tax cut for the wealthy.
On social media, Welch said he planned to vote “hell no” on the repeal. Following the vote, he said in a statement, “I am hopeful the Senate will scrap this trash and start from scratch.”
Tags: Senator , Peter Welch , Obamacare , Trump Care , Patrick Leahy , Bernie Sanders , Image , Video , Web Only
But real estate developer and pasta sauce company co-owner Rick Bove says a fix is on the menu. He's asked all tenants of the red brick building at the corner of Pearl and George streets to move by June 1 so he can renovate the property.
Bove said he delayed making repairs at 3-11 George Street because of a $500,000 top-to-bottom renovation set to start shortly on the one-time domicile of General George J. Stannard, a Civil War hero.
More recently, the two-story building has been the subject of numerous skirmishes with the city over upkeep.
Tags: Burlington , Boves , Rick Bove , Diversity Hair Salon , Image , Web Only
On March 29, we brought you the story of Vermont Watchdog's new bureau chief, Lou Varricchio, a veteran newsman who had been running the Middlebury-based weekly Vermont Eagle. He joined the Watchdog in January with plans to make the website a serious player in Vermont journalism.
Must be a Seven Days curse. Less than four weeks after the story was published, Varricchio had left Vermont Watchdog and returned to the Eagle. What's more, the online outlet hasn't posted an original story since April 13.
"Watchdog is being reorganized, and I left," said Varricchio when reached by phone at the Eagle offices. He referred me to Watchdog's national headquarters and said, "Beyond that, I can't tell you anything."
Tags: Lou Varricchio , Vermont Watchdog , Laurel Patrick , Chris Krug , Franklin Center , Image , Web Only
The family that founded Vermont’s first television station, WCAX-TV, has agreed to sell it to Atlanta-based Gray Television for $29 million, the buyer announced Thursday.
Established in September 1954 by former newspaperman Charles Hasbrook and his stepson, Stuart “Red” Martin, the South Burlington-based station has remained in the family for the 63 years since. Martin’s son, Peter, currently serves as president of parent company Mt. Mansfield Television, and his grandson, Alex, is executive vice president.
“You know, I think it’s been a pretty good run,” Peter Martin told Seven Days Thursday afternoon. “I think we’ve done pretty good work over the years. I think we’ve played a pretty significant role in the life of the state — and we can take pride in that.”
The 76-year-old president, who co-owns the station with three siblings, first worked there after school when he was a 15-year-old mimeograph operator in 1955. After stints in the U.S. Army, as a Montpelier reporter and as executive assistant to Republican governor Deane Davis, Martin returned to the company in 1973 and has been there ever since, succeeding his father as president in 2005. He plans to retire at the end of May.
“The station will go on without us,” Martin said, adding that he was “still processing” the change.
Tags: WCAX , Gray Television , Peter Martin , Alex Martin , Image , Web Only