Tuesday, June 28, 2016
In the wake of the June 12 Orlando nightclub shooting that killed 49 people, Vermont's eight mayors called for a measure that they say would increase safety while respecting the rights of gun owners. Some of the mayors first pushed for background checks after the 2012 murders of 20 children and six adults at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn.
"In the three years since [Newtown], we have seen a terrible series of massacres across the country, [but] we have seen no action from Congress and very little action by state leaders," Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger said during a press conference at the city's police station. "It would be better for the federal government to act, but in the absence of that, state and local leaders must act."
Tags: Miro Weinberger , John Hollar , Seth Leonard , Thom Lauzon , Phil Scott , Peter Shumlin , guns , firearms , suicide , police , mental illness , Image , Web Only
Friday, June 24, 2016
Robby Mook, Clinton’s campaign manager and a native Vermonter, was asking Sanders’ delegates to get behind Clinton for a peaceful convention in Philadelphia in July, several delegates said afterward. It appeared no promises were made.
“We’re still processing,” said Rep. Mary Sullivan (D-Burlington), a pledged Sanders delegate, as she came out of the meeting at the Hilton Burlington.
Tags: Senator , Robby Mook , Bernie Sanders , Hillary Clinton , Vermont Democratic Party , presidential campaign , Image , Recommended Reading , Web Only
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
The ad, titled "Count On," focuses on Minter's role in helping rebuild homes and roads after the 2011 storm hit a large swath of the state.
She was deputy transportation secretary before she served as the state's Irene recovery officer and then as transportation secretary.
"Sue Minter helped lead the rebuilding," a voice-over says.
Tags: Sue Minter , Matt Dunne , Peter Galbraith , Bruce Lisman , Phil Scott , Peter Shumlin , Election 2016 , primary 2016 , Image , Video , Web Only
Thursday, June 16, 2016
Much has changed in a year. As state Democrats prepare to gather again Friday night, Wasserman Schultz has fallen out of favor and won’t be back. She and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) have spent months waging war over whether the Vermont senator’s presidential run has gotten a fair shake from the party. The disagreement has gotten so ugly that on Tuesday, Sanders said the Democrats need a new leader.
With that discord in mind, party officials invited a DNC vice chair, R.T. Rybak, a former Minneapolis mayor, to speak at this year’s dinner. Party officials hope Rybak can bring peace between factions of the party who back Sanders and those who support former secretary of state Hillary Clinton.
“We’re looking for people who, after the dust settles, can unify the party,” said Conor Casey, executive director of the Vermont Democratic Party.
Tags: Senator , R.T. Rybak , Vermont Democratic Party , Debbie Wasserman Schultz , Bernie Sanders , Hillary Clinton , Howard Dean , Barack Obama , Image , Recommended Reading , Web Only
Wednesday, June 8, 2016
Trump came to the Queen City on January 7 and delivered a speech at the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts. He drew massive crowds of supporters and protesters. The campaign invited 20,000 people to a venue that holds 1,400.
Corralling the droves of people was costly, and Weinberger sent the Trump campaign a bill for $8,500 for the additional police officers, firefighters and rescue personnel that it required. Trump, who has since become the presumptive Republican nominee, did not deign to respond. Nor did he return subsequent calls and emails from Weinberger's administration.
Tags: Donald Trump , Miro Weinberger , Burlington , Image , Web Only
Monday, May 30, 2016
Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Lisman, taken to task earlier this month for a campaign flier that targets rival Phil Scott, has ramped up his attack with a second flier just a week later.
Both of the mailings seek to link Scott, the three-term lieutenant governor, with departing Democratic Gov. Peter Shumlin. Scott and Lisman are competing in the August primary for the Republican nomination for governor.
The new flier includes a photo of Scott and Shumlin laughing together overlooking what appears to be Lake Champlain. “A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words. Phil Scott Won’t Change Vermont’s Direction,” it declares.
Tags: Bruce Lisman , Phil Scott , Peter Shumlin , H. Brooke Paige , Image , Web Only
Friday, May 27, 2016
They’re running as D’s.
The Vermont Progressive Party has made a conscious decision to encourage more of its candidates to seek office by running in the Democratic primary first. They will simultaneously seek write-in votes in the Progressive primary, aiming to have both party lines in the November general election.
“It tends to be the winning strategy,” said party chair Emma Mulvaney-Stanak. “You can limit the competition.”
Tags: Vermont Progressive Party , David Zuckerman , Emma Mulvaney-Stanak , Boots Wardinski , Image , Web Only
Thursday, May 26, 2016
The photo depicts Lisman’s rival candidate, Republican Lt. Gov. Phil Scott, applauding as he stands close to Gov. Peter Shumlin. It was taken in January 2015 by VPR news staffer Angela Evancie at Shumlin’s inaugural address, over which Scott, as lieutenant governor, presided.
Lisman’s campaign didn’t ask permission to use it, and if it had, VPR would have said no, said John Dillon, the station’s news director.
“It’s outrageous that they felt free to use the photo. This is copyrighted content, and it’s just plain wrong to use other people’s property without permission,” Dillon said. “We’ve never allowed our photos to be used by political campaigns.”
Tags: Bruce Lisman , Phil Scott , Vermont Public Radio , Peter Kunin , media note , Image , Web Only
Monday, May 23, 2016
On Monday he filed a petition with the Vermont Secretary of State's office to run for reelection.
"I'm assuming the case is going to come out the way I think it should," McAllister said. "If it doesn't come out the way I think it should, well ... I've got to have faith in the system."
McAllister was arrested just over a year ago at the Statehouse. Authorities charged him with three felony counts of sexual assault and three misdemeanor counts of a prohibited act involving a total of three women.
He is scheduled to go on trial June 15 in Franklin County on charges related to one of the alleged victims, a young woman who served as his unofficial legislative assistant. No trial date related to the other charges has been set.
Senate candidates have to collect signatures from at least 100 registered voters in their district to qualify as candidates. The filing deadline for state candidates is Thursday. McAllister, whose name appeared Monday afternoon on the Secretary of State's website, said he didn't have the luxury of knowing how the criminal case would turn out before deciding whether to file for reelection.
He said the reactions of people he approached to sign his petitions were almost all positive."I had a lot of people say, 'Go for it.'"
McAllister will face competition in the August 9 Republican primary for the two-seat Senate district. Rep. Carolyn Branagan (R-Georgia) and Sen. Dustin Degree (R-Franklin) are also running.
Tags: Norm McAllister , Vermont Senate , Image , Web Only
Sunday, May 22, 2016
The vote captured the tone of the day: It was all about Sanders.
“We love you, Bernie!” a state delegate shouted from the crowd as a videotaped message from Sanders — who was thousands of miles away campaigning in California — was wrapping up.
“As Vermonters, we will be the face of Bernie Sanders,” Vermont Democratic Party chair Dottie Deans told the crowd of 405 state delegates at the Barre Opera House.
Sanders supporters were elected to represent Vermont at the national convention in July. Continuing the Sanders revolution was the talk of the day.
“It’s really Bernie who got me involved in this,” said Maria Rinaldi, 37, of Jericho, who attended her first state convention and won one of 11 coveted delegate seats at the national convention.
This is a political party that the independent Sanders has never embraced, but at least for Sunday he seemed to own it.
Tags: Senator , Bernie Sanders , Patrick Leahy , Peter Shumlin , presidential campaign , Image , Web Only