Sunday, June 21, 2015
By Sunday night, however, Donovan had made his decision: “I’ll be running for attorney general,” he told Seven Days.
Donovan's decision was the first of many expected of Vermont office-seekers in the coming months as they react to Gov. Peter Shumlin's June 8 announcement that he won't seek reelection. The third-term county prosecutor had flirted with the idea of running for governor or Congress. But after spending Father's Day weekend at home with his family, the 41-year-old father of two young children said it had become clear that attorney general was a better fit for him.
This won't be Donovan's first run for the post. In 2012, he lost to incumbent Attorney General Bill Sorrell by just 714 votes after a hard-fought primary. Donovan said that many at Friday night's dinner had urged him to make another run for AG.
The South Burlington resident makes his decision without knowing whether Sorrell intends to run for reelection in 2016. The 68-year-old Sorrell, who’s served as attorney general since 1997, said Saturday he won’t make a decision until the conclusion of an independent investigation into allegations of campaign finance violations.
“I look forward to the truth coming out,” Sorrell said.
Tags: T.J. Donovan , Curtis Awards , Bill Sorrell , Peter Shumlin , Peter Welch , Sue Minter , Shap Smith , Image , Web Only
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Mark Snelling, a Starksboro businessman and the son of the late governor Richard Snelling, recently came across a letter that shines new light on the situation.
The elder Snelling had announced in the fall of 1981 that he would not seek a third term as governor the next year, but his supporters urged him to reconsider. In the letter, dated Feb. 3, 1982, Jeffords told Snelling that he was making his own plans to run for governor, but would defer to the incumbent. Both were Republicans, but the two were not close.
“I intend to go forward and announce my plans on February 15,” Jeffords wrote. “I had intended to make my final decision this coming weekend, but in deference to you, I will wait until February 10.”
Tags: Peter Welch , Richard Snelling , Jim Jeffords , Vermont politics , election 2016 , Image , Web Only
Monday, June 15, 2015
What to make of the move? Not much, according to Bob Rogan, Welch’s chief of staff.
“As you know, there is a cottage industry of people who buy up political domain names to make money by selling them back to the politician,” Rogan said Monday. “Unequivocally, you should not read into this that a decision has been made or is even close to being made. This is just prudent scenario planning by campaign staff. Nothing more.”
Tags: Peter Welch , Phil Scott , Vermont governor , Image , Web Only
Thursday, June 11, 2015
“I love the job I have. That's a big factor,” Welch said in a phone interview from Washington, D.C. But, Welch said, “The governor stunned all of us with his announcement that he’s not running, so the circumstances have changed.”
Welch, in his fifth term in the U.S. House, declined to characterize how real the possibility is that he will give up his relatively safe seat as Vermont's lone representative. "That's what I have to consider," he said. "For me, the question is where can I best serve."
After Shumlin's announcement Monday, many considered Welch to potentially be a formidable contender.
Tags: Peter Welch , Peter Shumlin , Election 2016 , Vermont governor , Image , Web Only
Thursday, May 28, 2015
“I’m certainly considering it,” Scott said, adding, “I know I have to make a decision by the end of the year.”
The state’s highest-ranking Republican has been lieutenant governor for four and a half years. He was a state senator for 10 years before that. He’s widely seen as the Vermont Republican Party’s strongest hope for challenging whoever runs for governor next year as a Democrat.
Scott, 56, of Berlin, said his decision will not depend on whether three-term incumbent Democrat Peter Shumlin runs for reelection. “This is a decision I’ll have to make regardless of Gov. Shumlin’s decision,” he said.
Tags: Phil Scott , Peter Shumlin , Vermont politics , election 2016 , Image , Web Only
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
McAllister was paid the standard legislative weekly salary of $676.56 for the weeks of May 3-16, according to the state Human Resources Department. The legislative session ended May 16.
McAllister, reached by phone at his Highgate home Wednesday, said he hadn't thought about the pay because it's automatically deposited. "I certainly don't want it," he said. "I wasn't there."
Legislators are automatically paid $1,353.12 biweekly during the five-month legislative session, unless they alert the state to stop the pay. Legislators are under no obligation to do so if they are absent from the Statehouse, but some do.
Tags: Norm McAllister , Vermont legislature , sexual assault , Image , Web Only
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
“The lesson to be learned is that when people stand together, and are prepared to fight back, there is nothing that can’t be accomplished,” Sanders told several thousand supporters who waved newly printed “Bernie for president” placards.
“I am proud to announce my candidacy for president of the United States of America,” Sanders said, to loud applause.
With a wide array of national and local media on hand, Sanders spoke from a stage with Lake Champlain gleaming behind him. He had a stunningly perfect, if a tad warm, day for showing off the city he once ran.
The message he delivered to that national audience would not surprise anybody who’s heard Sanders speak for the last four decades. “Enough is enough,” he bellowed. “This great nation and its government belong to all of the people, and not to a handful of billionaires.”
He added, "This campaign is going to send a message to the billionaire class. And that is: You can’t have it all. You can’t get huge tax breaks while children in this country go hungry. That is why we need a tax system which is fair and progressive, which makes wealthy individuals and profitable corporations begin to pay their fair share of taxes."
Tags: Senator , Bernie Sanders , 2016 presidential campaign , Hillary Clinton , Presidential Campaign , government reform , Image , Recommended Reading , Web Only
Thursday, May 21, 2015
When Democrat Miro Weinberger was vying to become mayor of Burlington in 2012, Sanders’ endorsement helped the politically untested Weinberger follow Sanders to City Hall.
What thanks does Sanders get?
Both men are endorsing Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination for president.
Tags: Senator , Bernie Sanders , Peter Shumlin , Miro Weinberger , Image , Web Only
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) will host a campaign kickoff next Tuesday afternoon at Burlington's Waterfront Park, his campaign announced Wednesday.
Vermont's independent senator announced three weeks ago via email that he would seek the Democratic nomination for president and held a brief press conference outside the U.S. Capitol later that day. Next week's event promises to be a more celebratory affair, featuring free Ben & Jerry's ice cream — of course — and music by Mango Jam, the Vermont-based Zydeco/Cajun band.
Feel free to bring your hula hoops, glow sticks and goo balls.
Tags: Senator , Bernie Sanders , Presidential Campaign , kickoff , waterfront park , Peter Shumlin , Image , Recommended Reading , Web Only
Friday, May 15, 2015
Jeff Weaver, Sanders’ former chief of staff, will serve as his campaign manager. Phil Fiermonte, the senator's state director and top political aide, will act as field director.
Sanders' staffing announcement comes weeks after he announced his plan to seek the Democratic presidential nomination. He has scheduled a May 26 campaign kickoff in Burlington.
Tags: Senator , Bernie Sanders , Phil Fiermonte , Jeff Weaver , 2016 , Presidential Campaign , Image , Recommended Reading , Web Only