Thursday, August 31, 2017
Peter Diamondstone, a fiery socialist politician who founded the Liberty Union Party and was a mainstay on Election Day ballots in Vermont for four decades, died on Wednesday at his home in Dummerston, his wife confirmed to Seven Days. He was 82.
Diamondstone was suffering from a variety of ailments, Doris Lake said, including heart failure. He left the hospital several weeks ago to receive hospice care at home, Lake said. They had recently celebrated their 60th anniversary.
In recent years, Diamondstone was perhaps best known as a colorful character at debates and on the campaign trail for the various offices he sought. His name appeared on ballots in every statewide election since 1970, though he never came close to winning.
Tags: Senator , Peter Diamondstone , politics , Bernie Sanders , Doris Lake , elections , Patrick Leahy , Image , Web Only
Thursday, July 27, 2017
In addition to paying the fines, Danial Emmons and Marcy Brigham agreed in a July 17 settlement with the Vermont Attorney General's Office to refile their campaign finance reports.
The AG office's investigation found that the two had violated several state statutes during their write-in campaigns for the March 7 election. Both decided to run after the school board voted in February to drop the Rebels nickname over concerns that it has racist associations with the Confederacy.
Tags: Danial Emmons , Marcy Brigham , South Burlington School Board , Rebels , election , campaign finance violation , Image , Web Only
Sunday, July 16, 2017
The campaign finance documents provide the first glimpse into state politicians' campaign accounts since December 2016. Candidates for federal office file on a quarterly basis. (See fundraising totals from Vermont's congressional delegation here.)
Though the next state election is more than 15 months away, Donovan's campaign account appears unusually active. The first-term Democrat easily won the post last November, leaving him with $128,479 to spare. Since then, he picked up a $4,000 contribution from the Democratic Attorneys General Association.
Donovan also spent more than any other candidate over the last seven months, racking up $12,062 in expenses. Those included $6,450 for campaign software, $782 for a June event at Burlington's St. John's Club and $40 for a Mexican meal in Portland, Ore., in May. That left Donovan with $121,132 in his campaign account at the end of the reporting period.
Tags: Phil Scott , TJ Donovan , David Zuckerman , Beth Pearce , Jim Condos , Doug Hoffer , campaign finance , fundraising , Image , Web Only
Monday, July 3, 2017
Last week, the commission sent letters to all 50 states requesting reams of voter data, including names, birth dates, addresses, partial Social Security numbers, party affiliation, military service status and criminal records. Condos responded on Friday, saying he would only turn over the limited information he is required to disclose upon request.
And then his inbox filled to overflowing.
"We received a lot of emails," said Deputy Secretary of State Chris Winters. "The vast majority were saying, 'Don't comply at all.' Many said, 'Thank you, you're doing the right thing.' A few said we should provide all the requested data, along with some impolite comments."
There were enough messages that misconstrued Condos' position that he decided to clarify.
Tags: Jim Condos , Kris Kobach , Mike Pence , Donald Trump , Chris Winters , Image , Web Only
Tuesday, June 27, 2017
The first-time candidate won 610 votes, more than double the tally of his nearest competitor, Republican Vince Dober, who finished with 302 votes. Independents Ellie Blais and Chris Trombly earned 47 and 29 votes, respectively. Dieng will be the only nonwhite member of the council and the second New American to ever serve on the city's legislative body.
Dieng will replace Democrat Tom Ayres, who stepped down to take a new job in Randolph.
Tags: Tom Ayres , Ali Dieng , Vince Dober , Ellie Blais , Chris Trombly , Ward 7 , Burlington City Council , Image , Web Only
Friday, June 9, 2017
After four years at the helm of the Vermont Progressive Party, Emma Mulvaney-Stanak is leaving her post. State Sen. Anthony Pollina (P/D-Washington) will take over as interim chair until the next state committee meeting, which will be held in August or September.
In an email to party members Friday, Mulvaney-Stanak announced that she was stepping down to focus on her day job as a labor and political strategist for the Vermont-National Education Association. She said she had informed the party’s senior leadership of her decision at a meeting Thursday night; the coordinating committee then named Pollina interim chair.
Don’t expect Mulvaney-Stanak to disappear from the state political scene. The outgoing chair, who previously served on the Burlington City Council, told Seven Days, “I very much intend to run for office again soon.” For what seat, she wouldn’t say.
Tags: Vermont Progressive Party , Emma Mulvaney-Stanak , Anthony Pollina , Image , Web Only
Thursday, May 4, 2017
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
Wednesday, April 26, 2017
Trombly and Carter-Lovejoy join Ali Dieng and Republican Vince Dober as candidates in the special election scheduled for June 27.
A Democratic caucus is scheduled for May 4. Dieng, an independent, has said he'll try to win the Dem's endorsement.
Trombly declared his candidacy Wednesday in a press release. The 37-year-old serves on the steering committee of the Wards 4 and 7 Neighborhood Planning Assembly and works as vice president of loan operations at People's United Bank.
Tags: Tom Ayres , Ali Dieng , Lorraine Carter-Lovejoy , Chris Trombly , Burlington City Council , Ward 7 , Image , Web Only
Wednesday, April 19, 2017
Ali Dieng, 35, will run as an independent. He's seeking to replace Democrat Tom Ayres, who plans to resign from his Ward 7 seat in June. Dieng, who said he'll seek endorsements from the Progressive and Democratic parties, will face Vince Dober, a Republican who announced earlier this month.
City officials said Tuesday that a special election to fill the vacancy will be held on June 27, the day after Ayres steps down.
If elected, Dieng would be the only New American — and the only nonwhite member — of the city council. He said he wants to engage more diverse voices in city politics. "We need representation from the communities the city serves," he said.
Tags: Ali Dieng , Tom Ayres , New North End , Vince Dober , Max Tracy , Image , Web Only
Sunday, April 16, 2017
Nearly all of the $215,694 Sanders brought in came from individual donors, many of whom hail from outside of Vermont. Sanders, who eschews contributions from most political action committees, received $6,093 from two PACs: The League of Conservation Voters PAC, which supports environmental causes, gave $1,093, and the America Works PAC, which is affiliated with Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), contributed $5,000.
More than 18 months before he faces reelection, Sanders has already accumulated $3,877,831 in his political war chest. That money could also be transferred to a presidential campaign fund, should he decide to run for the White House again in 2020.
The junior senator's expenses this quarter, which total $127,931, also underscore the fact that he's still in national campaign mode, nine months after losing to former secretary of state Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary. He paid $32,500 for website and fundraising services from Revolution Messaging, which ran his lucrative digital fundraising operation during that race.
Tags: Senator , Bernie Sanders , Patrick Leahy , Peter Welch , campaign finance , Image , Web Only