Thursday, December 8, 2016
Puff, puff — poof.
Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin wants to make your pot conviction go up in smoke.
The outgoing Democrat will consider pardoning people convicted of possessing up to one ounce of marijuana, given applicants don’t have violent convictions in Vermont or a felony record.
Applications can be submitted online beginning Thursday and will be accepted through December 25 — Christmas. Shumlin leaves office shortly after that; Republican Phil Scott will succeed him.
There’s no guarantee of a pardon, the governor’s office said in a statement announcing the policy.
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Tuesday, December 6, 2016
Scott, the Republican lieutenant governor, named Deputy Attorney General Susanne Young to serve as his secretary of administration — essentially his chief cabinet officer. Young spent a dozen years working for the last GOP governor, Jim Douglas, first as his deputy state treasurer and then as his legal counsel. The 60-year-old Northfield resident has spent the past five years as Attorney General Bill Sorrell's No. 2. Sorrell, a Democrat, is retiring.
Tags: Phil Scott , Susanne Young , Al Gobeille , Rebecca Kelley , John Quinn , Tayt Brooks , Image , Web Only
Chen notified Department of Health staff by email that it was a difficult decision he made during the Thanksgiving holiday. “My six years as your commissioner have been without a doubt the best job of my career,” he wrote.
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Saturday, December 3, 2016
From there, Johnson grew as a legislator worthy of the House’s most powerful position, Botzow said as he seconded the nomination for Johnson to be the Democrats’ candidate for speaker.
Praising Johnson’s kindness, Botzow quoted former president Franklin Delano Roosevelt: “A nation does not have to be cruel in order to be tough.”
Tags: Mitzi Johnson , Sarah Copeland Hanzas , Jill Krowinski , statehouse , house speaker , tristan toleno , emily long , tommy walz , bill botzow , Image , Web Only
Thursday, December 1, 2016
“It appears I might’ve won,” Ainsworth said during a break from the briefing. “I’m just here to get up to speed.”
“Appears” and “might’ve” were the operative words, however.
Both Ainsworth and Frenier seem to have the edge, but their races are still in legal uncertainty three weeks after the election.
Tags: David Ainsworth , Sarah Buxton , Bob Frenier , Susan Hatch Davis , Image , Web Only
“It will be extremely difficult for me to win the speakership,” Myers said Thursday. “It’s an opportunity for people in the Hous
Myers said House Republicans gathered Wednesday morning at the Statehouse, and that Rep. Heidi Scheuermann (R-Stowe) suggested Myers’ name.
The group unanimously agreed to support her when the full House votes in January on the speaker’s post. House Minority Leader Don Turner (R-Milton) has been saying that he planned to field a speaker candidate regardless of the party’s chances of prevailing.
Tags: Linda Myers , Mitzi Johnson , Vermont House , Image , Web Only
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
The 90-year-old Montpelier resident said advisers persuaded him that a recount would not change the outcome of the election. He trailed Democrat Francis Brooks by 191 votes.
Brooks finished third in the race for three Senate seats, behind incumbents Ann Cummings (D-Washington) and Anthony Pollina (P/D-Washington).
“I have decided to stand aside and let the initial results be certified as the final ones,” Doyle said in a statement.
Doyle said that he wanted to give Brooks, who taught his children science at Montpelier High School, time to gear up for the legislative session that starts in January.
Doyle was matter-of-fact about the end of his political career. “It’s a remarkable opportunity to serve even one term in the legislature,” he said. “To serve that many is a real honor.”
Doyle continues to work as a political science professor at Johnson State College. He said he will still be back in the Statehouse in January, leading his students in his annual two-week course.
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Monday, November 28, 2016
Johnson, 46, clinched the role by the end of last week, securing enough pledged votes from House Democrats to nudge House Majority Leader Sarah Copeland Hanzas (D-Bradford) out of the race. Copeland Hanzas sent colleagues an email Saturday withdrawing her candidacy, which she confirmed Monday morning to Seven Days.
The two women were competing to replace House Speaker Shap Smith (D-Morristown), who has held the seat for eight years but did not seek reelection to his House seat for the legislative session that starts January 4.
Johnson has served the last two years as chair of the powerful House Appropriations Committee and has been a member of that panel since 2007.
Members said Johnson’s vision for the budget process and her ability to reach consensus with all parties won colleagues over. Johnson ran for the speaker’s job saying she wants all committees to use data to evaluate the effectiveness of state programs and prioritize those that work best.
“I really kept all my comments focused on my track record in Appropriations — of building a lot of unanimity and of being able to work across the aisle,” Johnson said Monday.
Tags: Mitzi Johnson , Sarah Copeland Hanzas , Shap Smith , Vermont legislature , Image , Web Only
Wednesday, November 23, 2016
Jason Gibbs, who volunteered as a senior adviser to Scott’s campaign, will be his chief of staff when Scott takes office in January. Gibbs, 40, of Waterbury, served as communications director for former Republican governor Jim Douglas before serving as commissioner of the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation. Gibbs ran unsuccessfully for secretary of state in 2010 and most recently has been a communications and project management consultant.
Brittney Wilson, who was Scott’s campaign coordinator, will serve as his secretary of civil and military affairs. Wilson, 30, of Groton, formerly worked in the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation, the state Auditor’s Office and the state Department of Libraries. Her new position is a constitutionally established post that traditionally serves as a policy adviser to the governor.
Tags: Jason Gibbs , Brittney Wilson , Rachel Feldman , Kendal Smith , Phil Scott , Image , Web Only
Monday, November 14, 2016
Vermont’s Senate Democratic caucus unanimously nominated Sen. Tim Ashe (D/P-Chittenden) to serve as president pro tempore Monday evening, all but ensuring his election in January as the next leader of the state Senate.
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