Friday, May 13, 2016
St. Johnsbury lawyer and former Vermont Republican Party vice chair Deborah Bucknam said Friday she plans to challenge the South Burlington Democrat in his quest to become Vermont's next attorney general. Incumbent Bill Sorrell, a Democrat, is retiring after nearly two decades on the job.
"In the last few years, I have become more and more concerned about what's been happening both in the courts and in the state agencies," she said. "I've represented people who I just think are not getting a fair shake."
Though she has not previously sought state office, Bucknam has been active in GOP politics for years. The former Caledonia County Republican Party chair said that her fellow Republicans had urged her to run in order to fill out the party's statewide ballot — but maintains she's no placeholder.
"I would not do this, believe me, if I didn't think I had a shot," she said. "I'm 69 years old. I've been married for 50 years this year. I could do a lot of other things. But, you know, I love this state, and I've seen so many good people dealing with tough problems over the years."
Tags: Bill Sorrell , Deborah Bucknam , T.J. Donovan , Vermont attorney general , Image , Web Only
A week after adjournment, the race appears to have begun.
Campbell's deputy, Majority Leader Phil Baruth (D-Chittenden), announced Friday that he had decided against running for the Senate's top leadership post. Instead, he said he would support Sen. Tim Ashe (D/P-Chittenden), his district-mate and one of four candidates for the pro tem job.
"Tim brings a unique, overarching view of the legislative process to the table, and I think he's precisely the right match in this particular moment," Baruth said. "You always hope your time is now, but I'm fully convinced this time belongs to Tim. Hopefully I can give the job another look another day."
Baruth said he had made up his mind in the closing weeks of the session but thought it "disrespectful to the voters" to shift the conversation to politics before adjournment. He said he had not yet decided whether he would attempt to remain majority leader or perhaps seek a committee chairmanship.
Tags: Phil Baruth , Tim Ashe , Claire Ayer , Chris Bray , Ann Cummings , Vermont Senate , president pro tem , Image , Web Only
Wednesday, May 11, 2016
Earlier that day, the Pomfret businessman had called on Leahy to “come clean” on his involvement with the federal EB-5 investor visa program, which is at the heart of a massive fraud scandal rocking the Northeast Kingdom. Among Milne’s requests was for an accounting of any flights the senator had taken with the accused — Jay Peak principals Ariel Quiros and Bill Stenger — and various government officials.
Leahy told reporters that he had appeared at EB-5 investor-recruitment events abroad, but that he had not gone out of his way to do so.
“On some of my official travel for other things, they’ve had some meetings I’ve dropped by, but I’ve not done an EB-5 trip,” Leahy said, according to VTDigger.org.
Then he went a little further: “I’ve done that with companies that have done business on military matters and others, but no, I [have not], nor have I ever had any business in my 40 years here pay for any of my travel.”
Public records contradict that last statement.
Tags: Patrick Leahy , Scott Milne , EB-5 , Image , Web Only
Tuesday, May 10, 2016
The senator was leading his Democratic presidential rival 50 to 39 percent Tuesday evening with 45 percent of precincts reporting.
Sanders' victory came a week after he notched a surprising win in Indiana. He has now won 19 states to Clinton's 23.
In a statement issued by his campaign, Sanders noted that West Virginia "is a working-class state and many of the people there are hurting."
"They know, like most Americans, that it is too late for establishment politics and establishment economics," he said. "They want real change."
Tags: Senator , Bernie Sanders , Hillary Clinton , West Virginia , presidential campaign , Image , Recommended Reading , Web Only
Monday, May 9, 2016
"Peter Shumlin and Patrick Leahy have both displayed a lack of competence and a lack of leadership in the way the EB-5 program has been structured and managed," Milne said, lumping Leahy in with the Democratic governor he nearly defeated in 2014. "On the federal level, I think it just wasn't structured with auditability and transparency built into it."
The once-popular EB-5 program, which provides permanent residency to foreign nationals who invest at least $500,000 in qualified development projects, has come under fire recently in Vermont. Last month, federal and state authorities accused Northeast Kingdom developers Ariel Quiros and Bill Stenger of orchestrating a "Ponzi-like" scheme that allegedly defrauded investors of more than $200 million raised through the program.
Milne also accused Leahy of "travel[ing] the world to help recruit investors into this alleged Ponzi scheme." The senator's office has said that he promoted Vermont's EB-5 regional center during unrelated trips to China and Vietnam in 2014 and Ireland in 2008 but that he did not advocate specific projects.
Leahy's hardly the only one who's taken part in EB-5 promotional activities abroad. In October 2009, Milne traveled to China and South Korea with then-governor Jim Douglas, Stenger and other Vermont business leaders to meet with potential EB-5 investors. At the time, Milne was considering raising money through the program for his proposed Quechee Highlands development project, which has been stalled for years by land-use regulators.
Tags: Scott Milne , Patrick Leahy , Peter Shumlin , EB-5 , Image , Web Only
Saturday, May 7, 2016
Thus ended a night of farewells from the many lawmakers who have chosen not to seek reelection — including, most significantly, the four men who have run the Statehouse together since January 2011: Gov. Peter Shumlin, Senate President Pro Tempore John Campbell (D-Windsor), Scott and Smith.
“We’ve done a lot — an awful lot — and we’ve done it together, as a family,” Shumlin told a joint assembly of the House and Senate shortly before adjournment of the 2016 legislative session. “I’m acutely aware of this tonight as myself and many of you are moving on from our current roles in public service. Like all families, we’ve had our spats, but we’ve always come together, in the end, to do what’s best for Vermont.”
There were, in fact, fewer end-of-session spats than usual Friday as legislators raced for the exits. Though disagreement over a renewable energy siting bill briefly threatened to extend the session, legislative leaders agreed during a 5 p.m. meeting in the speaker’s office that they could adjourn a day earlier than many anticipated.
For some, the end couldn’t come soon enough.
Tags: Vermont legislature , Peter Shumlin , Phil Scott , John Campbell , Shap Smith , Image , Web Only
Friday, May 6, 2016
But to create voting records they can take on the campaign trail, House Republicans demanded roll call votes on each of the money bills. Some Republicans shouted their “no” votes on tax bill, which prompted Democrats and Progressives to raise the volume on their “yes” votes.
The largely party line tallies on the three bills: taxes passed 86-55; fees passed 93-47 and the budget was approved 91-48.
Senators passed all three bills with voice votes. On the budget vote in the Senate, someone offered a barely audible “no.”
Tags: Sen. Jane Kitchel , Rep. Mitzi Johnson , weatherization , University of Vermont , Vermont State Colleges , Rep. Don Turner , Rep. Dustin Degree , Image , Web Only
TransCanada, owner of the dams, has put them on sale, along with a wind farm in Maine and three gas-powered plants in the Northeast, to raise money to help the Canadian energy giant buy a gas pipeline.
Tags: Sen. Ginny Lyons , Rep. Don Turner , House Speaker Shap Smith , TransCanada , hydroelectric power , Image , Web Only
House negotiators won concessions from their Senate counterparts for new guidelines governing how motorists and bicyclists interact on roads. The House had proposed new rules for sharing the road following four cyclist fatalities last year, but the Senate preferred to rely on education to improve safety.
Tags: bicycle safety , cannabis related , driver interlock , Lamoille Valley Rail Trail , transportation , Vermont legislature , Image , Web Only
Thursday, May 5, 2016
In morning talks on the transportation project bill, negotiators went back and forth over the new restrictions that the House wanted to add to improve safety for bicycle riders. “That is a huge issue for the House side,” Rep. Tim Corcoran (D-Bennington) told the senators across the table.
Senators countered that bikers and motorists need to share the road. “I’m reluctant to put all the responsibility on the motorists,” said Sen. Peg Flory (R-Rutland).
Neither side was ready to budge at this stage in their talks.
Tags: Rep. Tim Corcoran , Sen. Dick Sears , Sen. Peg Flory , Rep. Chip Conquest , Sen. Alice Nitka , license suspension , Vermont legislature , Image , Web Only