Thursday, May 31, 2018
The latest subject of speculation to formally pull out: former Barre mayor Thom Lauzon, who'd been pondering a Republican candidacy for lieutenant governor. The deciding factor, he said, was his wife, Karen. "She said, 'Do you really have a passion for the job?' I said, 'No, because I don't really know what the job is!'"
Republicans did get a late challenger to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.): Manchester real estate agent Lawrence Zupan, who's virtually unknown in Vermont political circles. Zupan joins Burlington attorney Jasdeep Pannu and perpetual candidate H. Brooke Paige of Washington on the Republican primary ballot, contending for the chance to challenge Sanders, the most popular politician in the state. He happens to have more than $6 million in his reelection war chest. (A necessary caveat: Petitions must be checked by the Secretary of State's office, so the candidates listed in this column are not yet official.)
In the August primary, Sanders will face long-odds Democratic challengers Rocky de la Fuente, a Californian best known as a fringe candidate for president; and Folasade Adeluola, a resident of Indiana whose petitions list a Shelburne motel as her official residence.
Tags: Senator , Bernie Sanders , Lawrence Zupan , Jasdeep Pannu , H. Brooke Paige , Rocky de la Fuente , Folasade Adeluola , Dan Freilich , Anya Tynio , Peter Welch , T.J. Donovan , Beth Pearce , Jim Condos , Dave Zuckerman , Doug Hoffer , Don Turner , Benjamin Mitchell , Ethan Sonneborn , Christine Hallquist , James Ehlers , Brenda Siegel , Statewide 2018 , Image , Web Only
Keurig Green Mountain is laying off 53 manufacturing employees, including 35 in Vermont, the company said Thursday.
The coffee and beverage giant notified Vermont Labor Commissioner Lindsay Kurrle that the layoffs involve employees at its Essex, Williston and Waterbury locations, according to Kurrle.
The layoffs are part of an effort to consolidate and restructure the company's manufacturing operations, spokesperson Katie Gilroy wrote in an email to Seven Days.
Tags: Keurig Green Mountain , Lindsay Kurrle , layoffs , Image , Web Only
Milne told Seven Days last week that he was considering a run for office this year and had hinted that he might challenge Republican Gov. Phil Scott in the primary or Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in the general election.
The 59-year-old Pomfret resident and travel agency president ran against then-governor Peter Shumlin in 2014 and nearly unseated him. Two years later, he challenged Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) but lost by a much larger margin: 60 to 33 percent.
In an announcement to supporters and reporters Thursday morning, Milne said that more than 300 people had urged him to run for office in recent weeks. He directly criticized Sanders for an agenda he called "arthritic and driven by politics" but suggested that Sanders' reelection was a foregone conclusion.
"With his next term, I believe he has a final opportunity to prove that he is not just another flavor of the careerist politicians who’ve gotten us into this mess," Milne wrote.
Tags: Senator , Scott Milne , Patrick Leahy , Bernie Sanders , Phil Scott , gun control , Image , Web Only
Wednesday, May 30, 2018
The bill would essentially pass almost all of the budget Scott previously vetoed — except for the school funding provisions to which he objected. It passed the House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday; action on the House floor Wednesday would have required a rules suspension, to which House Republicans did not agree.
Scott continued to insist on his school funding plan, including the use of $44 million in onetime money to keep property tax rates level and a package of measures designed to rein in school spending. Those include higher student-to-staff ratios, statewide bargaining of teacher health care benefits, reforms in special education funding and further consolidation in the public school system.
If there's no budget in place by July 1, the start of the new fiscal year, state government would be forced to shut down. Citing the ongoing standoff, House Democratic leaders put together a budget that omits the areas of disagreement and would lift the pressure of a July 1 deadline. "Vermonters are not well served by a shutdown, or by the possibility of a shutdown," said Rep. Janet Ancel (D-Calais), chair of the House Ways and Means Committee.
Tags: Kitty Toll , Phil Scott , Anne Donahue , Mitzi Johnson , Jim Harrison , special session , budget , Image , Web Only
The Republican lawmaker, who has served as House minority leader since 2011, will challenge incumbent Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman, a Progressive and Democrat first elected in 2016. No other candidates have yet emerged.
Seven Days reported Tuesday that Turner supporters were collecting the 500 signatures required to get his name on the ballot. He declined to comment on his intentions at the time. In a story published Wednesday by his hometown newspaper, the Milton Independent, Turner confirmed that he'd be seeking the state's second-highest office.
Tags: Don Turner , lieutenant governor , David Zuckerman , Image , Web Only
Tuesday, May 29, 2018
Rep. Don Turner (R-Milton), the minority leader of the Vermont House, is circulating petitions to run for lieutenant governor, according to several friends and associates.
If he gathers and submits 500 signatures by Thursday's filing deadline, the Milton Republican would face off against first-term Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman, a Progressive and Democrat from Hinesburg.
Turner has not formally announced a run and could still back out. He declined an interview request, writing in a text message, "I prefer not to comment until which time I make my final decision."
Ron Hubert, Turner's former district-mate in the House, has been collecting signatures for his friend at Milton's Middle Road Market, which Hubert owns. He said Tuesday that he had gathered 50 signatures.
Milton Selectboard member Brenda Steady, Turner's cousin, said she has also been on the hunt for signatures. "I've got a page here," she said. "I haven't got them all filled out yet."
Tags: Don Turner , David Zuckerman , Vermont , lieutenant governor , Image , Web Only
Monday, May 28, 2018
Holcombe resigned suddenly on March 27 after more than four years at the helm of the state Agency of Education. She gave less than a week's notice and has since refused to publicly discuss the reasons for her departure.
Quoting state Board of Education chair Krista Huling and sources close to Holcombe, Seven Days reported last month that the secretary broke with Gov. Phil Scott over his insistence on further school budget cuts — even after local voters approved modest budget increases on Town Meeting Day.
Scott, a first-term Republican, is still in the process of hiring Holcombe's replacement.
Speculation about a gubernatorial bid grew in Democratic circles after Holcombe began posting thinly veiled criticism of administration policies on social media, and when she spoke at a recent teachers' union rally at the Statehouse.
Tags: Rebecca Holcombe , Phil Scott , Krista Huling , Christine Hallquist , Ethan Sonneborn , Brenda Siegel , James Ehlers , Image , Web Only
Saturday, May 26, 2018
“My primary objection to the bills … is that together they result in an unnecessary and avoidable $33 million increase in statewide property tax rates,” Scott wrote in a letter to lawmakers explaining his vetoes.
In anticipation of his veto of the budget, Scott summoned lawmakers to Montpelier Wednesday for a special session. Now the administration must come to an agreement with lawmakers by July 1 in order to avoid a shutdown of the state government.
Tags: Phil Scott , budget , education , veto , Jane Kitchel , Image , Web Only
Friday, May 25, 2018
The Chittenden Solid Waste District increased the tipping fee — the charge for haulers who bring recycling to its Williston facility — on May 1. Another increase is likely soon, possibly in the next few months. Some haulers have already decided to pass the increase on to consumers.
The hikes come in response to the plummeting value of paper recyclables as China, which had been the world's largest consumer of recycling, ushers in strict new environmental regulations and stops accepting most mixed paper. The shift has put recycling programs around Europe and the U.S. into disarray. Vermont is also feeling the pinch.
Tags: Recycling , Burlington , environment , Chittenden Solid Waste District , mixed paper , Chapin Spencer , Sarah Reeves , China , Image , Web Only
Thursday, May 24, 2018
The city will close the public jetty into Lake Champlain as early as next week when construction begins on the 160-slip Burlington Harbor Marina.
The long-planned project will snug in just south of the pier and around the point from the U.S. Coast Guard station on the northern section of the Burlington waterfront. Bulldozers are already in place near the site off Penny Lane, next to the Burlington Water Resources Department and just south of the Moran Plant.
The pier will likely be closed for the entire summer.
Tags: Burlington , pier , marina , Burlington Fishing Pier , U.S. Coast Guard , Lake Champlain , Image , Web Only