Thursday, October 13, 2016
After sitting on the sidelines for much of Vermont’s gubernatorial primary, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Thursday endorsed Democrat Sue Minter for governor.
“Sue Minter understands that the key for Vermont’s economic future is opening up higher education to all Vermonters, regardless of income,” Sanders said in a brief written statement. “That’s why, if elected governor, she will work to make community colleges and Vermont Tech tuition free.”
Sanders also announced his support for Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Congressman Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Treasurer Beth Pearce, Secretary of State Jim Condos, Auditor Doug Hoffer and Chittenden County State’s Attorney T.J. Donovan, who is running to succeed retiring Attorney General Bill Sorrell.
The former presidential candidate “looks forward to campaigning with the statewide candidates in the near future,” spokesman Michael Briggs said in a statement. He provided no further details.
Tags: Senator , Bernie Sanders , Sue Minter , TJ Donovan , election 2016 , Image , Web Only
In February 2016, U.S. Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) became just the third member of Congress to endorse Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) for president. Until then, nearly every other high-profile politician in Sanders’ home state — from Gov. Peter Shumlin to Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) to former governor Howard Dean — had backed former secretary of state Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary.
While Welch had kept mum about his presidential preference until just prior to Vermont’s March 2016 primary, a hacked emailed obtained by WikiLeaks and posted online this week suggests that Clinton’s campaign thought it had secured Welch’s support 10 months earlier.
In the April 2015 email, Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook informed campaign chair John Podesta and other senior staffers that Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger was “on board” and planned to announce his endorsement of Clinton “on his terms.”
“Shumlin and Welch are going to hold their fire for now,” Mook continued. “They will come out together when we think it’s best.”
From:[email protected]
To: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
Date: 2015-04-29 14:08
Subject: Vermont Chain
—Miro Weinberger, Mayor of Burlington, is on board. He is going to announce it on his terms...Brynne and Jesse are following up on that.
—Shumlin and Welch are going to hold their fire for now. They will come out together when we think it's best.
—Brynne is doing a call w Shumlin's political guy re how to proceed w LOP and building the program.
Tags: Senator , Peter Welch , Patrick Leahy , Howard Dean , Bernie Sanders , Peter Shumlin , John Podesta , Robby Mook , presidential campaign , Image , Web Only
Monday, October 10, 2016
The students and the surrounding crowd of community members came together for a candlelight vigil on Monday evening in remembrance of five high school juniors — four whom attended Harwood — who were killed by a motorist driving the wrong way on Interstate 89 late Saturday.
The victims were Liam Hale and Janie Cozzi of Fayston; Mary Harris and Cyrus Zschau of Moretown; and Eli Brookens of Waterbury.
"I think it's with a collective broken heart that we're all here tonight," said Patrick McHugh of Waterbury, who began planning the vigil after his daughter, a Harwood sophomore, came to him asking what they could do.
Tags: Harwood Union High School , peter shumlin , candlelight vigil , Image , Web Only
Saturday, October 8, 2016
Reached late Saturday afternoon, the Pomfret travel agency executive called newly disclosed remarks made by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump "disgusting" and "offensive." In a 2005 video made public Friday, Trump speaks of women in lewd, sexually explicit terms and describes his propensity to grab women's genitalia.
Milne, who is challenging U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), said Trump was "not anybody you'd want to have as a role model for your children." But he said the video had not moved him from his neutral stance in the presidential race.
"It's not enough for me to change what I told you, which is, 'I'll tell you who I'm voting for when we get closer,'" Milne said. "I do not yet know who I'm going to vote for ... The last 48 hours makes it harder to support our party's nominee, but I'm still focused on my race."
Twenty minutes later, Milne called back and said he had considered the matter further and decided he could not support Trump after all. He explained that he had been in a "news blackout" for much of the day.
Tags: Scott Milne , Patrick Leahy , Donald Trump , Image , Web Only
Tuesday, October 4, 2016
In a settlement reached September 20 with Attorney General Bill Sorrell, the Vermont House Republicans PAC also agreed to return the improper donations — $1,000 to tobacco giant Altria Client Services and $2,000 to drug maker Pfizer.
According to Sorrell's office, the committee ran afoul of a 2015 law barring legislative leadership PACs from accepting donations from companies that lobby state government until the legislature adjourns for the biennium. Prior to the law's passage, individual lawmakers were prohibited from taking such contributions during the legislative session, but they often skirted the rules by raising the money through party PACs.
Seven Days first reported in March that VHRP appeared to have violated the new law by taking donations from Altria and Pfizer before the legislature's adjournment. Both companies employ Montpelier lobbyists.
Citing Seven Days' report, the Vermont Public Interest Research Group filed a complaint with the AG's office later that month calling for "an appropriate investigation" into the situation and a clarification of the law.
Tags: Suzanne Butterfield , Don Turner , Vermont House Republicans PAC , Bill Sorrell , Image , Web Only
Monday, October 3, 2016
Jane Williamson planted the first “Black Lives Matter” sign on Route 7 five months ago. She figured it was consistent with the mission of the family that settled on the spot 200-plus years before that: The Robinsons were white Quaker abolitionists who opened their home to freed and fugitive slaves.
Ten stolen signs later, the executive director of the Rokeby Museum in Ferrisburgh has decided enough is enough.
“It feels like we’re just feeding the landfill,” said Williamson. “The signs don’t stay up long enough for people to see them … I was not expecting this kind of really strong opposition.”
Tags: Black Lives Matter , Rokeby Museum , Jane Williamson , University of Vermont , racism , Image , Web Only
Sunday, October 2, 2016
Democratic gubernatorial nominee Sue Minter last month continued to outraise Republican Lt. Gov. Phil Scott, according to new disclosures filed with the Secretary of State’s Office, but a GOP super PAC more than made up the difference.
Minter, a former state transportation secretary, raised $374,000 in September — nearly $50,000 of which came in the form of in-kind contributions from the Vermont Democratic Party. Scott, a construction executive, collected $226,000 in that period. Throughout the race, Minter has raised $1.5 million, while Scott has raised $1.2 million.
But in the past two months, a super PAC financed by the Republican Governors Association has spent more than $1.2 million on Scott’s behalf, while a similar group bankrolled by the Democratic Governors Association spent just $381,000 for Minter.
Tags: campaign finance , cannabis related , Democratic Governors Association , election 2016 , gubernatorial race , Phil Scott , Republican Governors Association , Sue Minter , Image , Web Only
Thursday, September 29, 2016
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) joined 25 of his peers in opposing the stopgap spending bill, which nevertheless passed the Senate with 72 votes in favor. The veteran Democrat pledged last week to vote against the so-called continuing resolution if it did not include reforms to the EB-5 immigrant investor visa program. Instead, the legislation simply extended it, as written, until December.
According to Leahy spokesman David Carle, his "nay" vote was "a direct result" of his reservations on EB-5.
Tags: Senator , EB-5 , Patrick Leahy , Bernie Sanders , Peter Welch , Image , Web Only
The Republican candidate’s decision fulfilled one of the two options that would resolve any perceived conflict of interest over state contracts DuBois Construction bids on, said Christina Amestoy, the party’s spokeswoman.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Sue Minter seemed to agree. “I’m awfully glad he’s finally recognized there is a conflict of interest,” she said Monday at an unrelated press conference.
Since then, however, Minter has moved the goal posts, urging more stringent standards for what counts as conflict of interest.
Tags: Phil Scott , Sue Minter , election 2016 , governor , Image , Web Only
Wednesday, September 28, 2016
"If I learn from the independent assessment that the legislature funded that there is a way to move, I will move," Minter said, referring to a $250,000 study due to lawmakers in December. "If I learn that there's a way to complete and make the system functional, I will do that."
Tags: Sue Minter , Phil Scott , Rutland , debate , Vermont Health Connect , Syrian refugees , civil unions , Image , Web Only