…So… that was an interesting experience. I have to apologise to all the candidates because I probably did a pretty terrible job of transcribing your principle thoughts. Please feel free to leap into the breach and fill in the blanks. I am grateful that Nanuq was on-hand to serve as a second (and far superior) memory. I’ll have to remember that I drop ten IQ points when I live-blog!
Now, there is time to reflect on overarching themes and mannerisms in each candidate’s presentation. The limited time frame for comments and responses to questions, coupled with the inclination by some to simply turn it into a series of stump speeches, make it hard to distill a lot of new substance from the event.
It should be mentioned here that Matt Dunne was unable to attend because his brother had just suffered a stroke (to whom we send our best wishes for a quick recovery.) Michel Consejo read Matt’s opening remarks and said he promised to reply to any questions sent to him in writing.
I have to say that, although I am not supporting Susan Bartlett in this race, I was very impressed with her clarity and thoughtfulness. She has definitely risen in my estimation through the course of the campaign. I suspect the early educators received her remarks well. She has a practical nuts-and-bolts sound to her comments; like someone who knows how to stretch a pound of ground-round to feed a family of eight. She was the one who nailed the answer to why early educators, in fact care providers as a whole, are so underpaid. She observed that women in the home provided these invaluable services for so many generations that they were grotesquely undervalued when those services finally had to be sought outside the home.
Some will dismiss it as bias when I say that Doug Racine was the candidate who best balanced the economic realities of the situation his audience was facing, while still offering concrete hope for achievable goals. He emphasized that children must be a priority, that all of the efficiencies and strategies proposed by himself and the other candidates would take time to deliver real resources for education, and that in the meantime we owe it to the most vulnerable in Vermont to use the Rainy Day Fund for what it was intended.
Deb made bringing all educators to the planning table a key focus of her comments. She decried the current “Top-down” policy making of the Douglas administration and promised that her administration would bring the same “customer service” orientation that she created in the Sec. of State’s office. If she has one real weakness with this crowd it is probably her inclination to repeatedly mention jargon like her “Jumpstart Vermont plan.” I think these poor underpaid childcare providers have probably heard a lot of slogans signifying nothing, and the word “plan” usually means there isn’t any. But she was game, and sometimes it wasn’t easy to even understand what kind of answer was being sought. She made a good case for her experience in government, but I think she erred when she made the observation that she was the only candidate with administrative experience in government. Isn’t the Lt. Governor position an administrator? Someone correct me if I’ve got this wrong.
Peter Shumlin talks faster than any of them, so I probably did the worst job of transcribing his remarks. He also seems to have a tendency to overuse the word “plan.” He uses it as if saying the word should be enough to convince everyone that he has everything under control; but again, I suspect this is not the audience for that kind of political shorthand. His staccato appeals to “Vote for me!” are also a little over the top. But maybe that’s just me. After all, that is the goal…to get them to vote for him. He wound up the whole shootin’ match with an all out appeal for their vote, because he (according to him) could defeat Dubie; but it came off as kind of like none of the rest really mattered as much as defeating Dubie. I know that’s not what he meant, but it could strike someone that way. He does have a dynamic delivery style that effectively conveys a sense of urgency to his appeals and the impression that he can get the job done. Also, he was the only candidate I saw moving through the audience and shaking hands (but I may have missed this from some of the others.)
Finally, Mr. Steele…what can I say? I am sure he is sincere, but he was so wildly off-topic all of the time that one had to conclude that he didn’t really have any respect for that poor tired audience of childcare workers who had probably been up since 5:00AM and only wanted a decent wage and a little professional reinforcement.
__________________________________________________________________
I’ve got a weak signal, and this is the first time I am live-blogging, so please bear with me. We are (at least for now) live at St. Paul’s Methodist Church in St. Albans Vermont. Here goes:
Matt Dunne could not be here due to family emergency.
Doug Racine, Peter Shumlin, Deb Markowitz, Susan Bartlett and Daniel Steele are here.
(note: following introductions, two questions, prepared in advance will be posed to the candidates, followed by two taken from the audience. The cycle will repeat as long as time allows.)
Deb thanks early educators for what they do. Talks about her experience as a daycare worker and later as a mother with school-age kids. Comments on the gulf between kids who are on track to succeed and kids who fall behind and then simply drop out.
Peter begins with compliments to the local Democratic candidates.
Has a plan to create jobs.
1) Quality Health Care
2) Broadband
3) Re-educating workforce
4 Missed that
5) Block-grant to provide quality childcare for every child.
Locked-up offenders have reading issues etc.
Comments on the time-keepers role in educating kids (humorous remark on Peter Shumlin’s race against time.)
Delighted that early educators are forming a union. Will significantly enhance how educators can educate Vermonters.
Vermont Business Roundtable has said their highest priority is good childcare
Jokes about honk and wave. Thanks the early educators for what they do and commends them for unionizing in order to amplify their collective voice.
Been involved in children’s issues for twenty years as legislator and lt. gov. Focussing on children’s poverty and the impact it has on their ability to succeed.
Talks about “unfunded liabilities.”
Says the “American Empire” is the biggest issue. Goes wildly off-topic… and then I spill my water! Now I’m sitting in it.
Regrets not being able to be here. Matt is offering to provide written reply to questions.
Reads written remarks. Was looking forward to engaging in this important discussion. Talks about his family and moving Vermont into a new future. Providing quality education depends on investing in excellent teachers and make sure students are prepared for the emerging economies. By supporting early education we can ensure that vermont will be an even better place in the future.
What has been your experience with providers, and where you see that relationship going after you take office?
Deb: Looking forward to working with the educators, who, after all, are the experts in education. We have to do things differently as a state. Top down decisions from Montpelier don’t work. Will bring people to the table to talk about policy before it is implemented.
Peter: Was a product of early childhood education, also a parent of children. See it from Vermont’s perspective as legislator. We know that every $ we invest in education is at stake. I’m bound and determined to stop spending money at the corrections end of failed education; instead to invest it in early ed.
Susan: A foster Mom and helped begin a school for kids who are wards of the state. As senator, lots of conversations about education and how to stretch funds to cover the needs. We need to begin to see early educators as part of a system, not just an option. A truly successful society depends on this. We need to offer early ed, but not require it, and slowly get you up to the salaries you deserve.
Doug: I’ve spent a lot of time talking with early educators and know how important it is to understand the impact of poverty on childrens’s futures.
Talks about the parent-child center he was instrumental in bringing online.
We need a statewide parent-child center system to expand this to every child.
Steele: ….
How would you expand eligibility for childcare subsidies?
Shumlin: Corrections is second largest area of growth in the state. Mental health counciling. Invest in early childhood ed. Give the money to the parent, if they choose early childhood ed; let them spend it where they wish to. State sends payment to provider parent has selected.
Susan: It’s not going to happen overnight. I’m not in agreement with anyone who says it is. In Lamoille County, I have been supporting my early educators. Removed the cap on schools who were in trouble. We’re doing well with kids that are drop-outs enabling them to graduate; we need to have a similar arrangement to help kids at the early end of ed.
Doug: The problem is finding money in the system to do these things. We are going backwards. Referral services are being cut-back. I am the only candidate saying we need to use the Rainy Day Fund to save these important services. Getting back what we lost is job 1.
There has to be a partnership between the gov. and teachers to figure out how to make our resources serve us best.
Steele: We have to get real about the budget….
Deb: Will get rid of cap. Opportunity to change how we do corrections. Ulike Peter, it should be income sensitive. State needs to get involved . Need to have a single system. Pair it with standards…”best practices.”
Susan; We passed a bill this last session S-88. Educators helped. There will be real plans for how we get there, and how we modify what we have now. We’ll end up with information that is factual that will tell us what kind of changes we have to make. Then we will make a decision about what kind of healthcare we want.
Doug: This time last year I was meeting with… What could i do to move the discussion forward. Made a commitment to do that and delivered it in S-88. Hired consultant to give us three designs, one of which has to be a single payor, with details of how that will work. Commends Sarah Kittell for her help. We delivered on that promise. I am ready to move us toward that better system.
Steele: Talks about bringing Vermont to an Independent Republic …Candidates don’t deal with fact that the federal gov’t is a sinking ship. As gov. I will educate Vermonters about becoming and independent republic… military-industrial complex…
Deb: Most freqeunt cause of bankruptcy is healthcare costs. Change the way we reimburse doctors. I’m going to work to get a waiver from provision that says we can’t…? (missed)
Reimport prescription drugs.
Uniform paperwork system.
Shumlin: Will pass a simple plan. Health insurance, first in country. Use technology to contain costs. Vermont has lead in so many ways. Lets make Vermont the first state to do healthcare right…
(I guess all of the questions are coming from the audience. I’m not sure what the two by two was all about??)
Doug: Symptom of a society that has not learned to value its children. We need to involve the private sector in childcare costs. Need to start collecting $40 mil. a year of tax on internet sales so that we will have the resources to take care of our families and children.
Steele: Talks about Switzerland. Highest per capita income. Not attatched to a money wasting empire.
Deb: You do tough work and ought to be paid a living wage. I’ll stand up for you. It’s good that you are organizing so that you have a shared voice. I agree with Doug that we need to involve the private sector. The key is quality early education to avoid failure in the adult population.
Peter: I have a plan. If we move to single payor healthcare that will make a huge difference to your income. Will implement income tax credit for people who have taken on education debt. My plan will lift your income…
Susan: Was a history teacher, once upon a time. Home health providers also underpaid. Until after WWII we didn’t pay for those services. The services were just provided for free by the women in the home. It’s going to take years to break that cycle.
Steele: Will have to deal with the empire..These programs are going away until we deal with the empire. Second republic movement…
Deb: Complicated issue. We’re facing a 120 mil. budget deficit. Will appoint “mission focus managers” with the goal of working toward a universal provider system. Have to get rid of crazy cap system. Only one who has executive gov. experience. (?) We’re going to do things differently. No more top-down decisions. Will make gov. more efficient so we can deal with deficit and bring you to the table…
Peter: The block grant solves the problem. Gets rid of the cap. Story of non-violent offenders going to jail …it’s a waste of resources..
Susan; I would remove cap. I love idea of having your union working with a business roundtable and with educators in order to “count the kids” so that you can generate money to pay for the necessary programs. Within a couple of years of cooperation, we could have an efficiently working program.
Doug: I want to remove cap. It’s going to require money. We must have the programs to treat substance abusers in order to reclaim them into the community. Treat it as a medical condition. It is going to cost money. We are going to need to use those rainy day funds. We must be realistic. If we don’t we’ll see more cuts to a child-care system that is desperately underfunded.
Deb: Yes. We will treat drug offenses… with treatment. It does not make sense the way we deal with drug offenders. I will make the investment to do that. We will bring prisoners back to Vermont because it is hard on families.
Peter: Agrees with Deb. Different about my plan is we will have everything in place before anyone comes home. We will have folks coming back to communities that are ready to receive them. We won’t bring them back until we are ready to receive them.
Susan: We put a total of 5-mil $ into budget for housing to reintroduce corrections individuals to community. There is a much higher fixed cost to housing felons and it won’t be quick to find the funds to bring them home.
Doug: Those services do not exist today, and they aren’t cheap, and they aren’t going to appear overnight. In fact, we’ve been cutting mental health budgets and that is in part why our corrections burden is growing. We’ve got this backwards. Our children have to be the priority long before things go out of control.
We have to look at the revenue side. We have to recognize that these necessary services must be funded.
Steele: Talks about the national defense budget and that’s were all the money has gone. The empire is squishing us…
Deb: I will be appointing “mission-focus managers”.. I expect that we will have standards and you will be at the table to discuss “best practices.” I’ve created a customer service culture in my current office. We will let you know what resources are out there for you.
(I think this question is a little vague and difficult to answer)
Peter: Talking transparency. Current regs stifle creativity. What in regs are working and what aren’t? Funding…I don’t think this is a time for timid leadership…Rainy day funds are one-time funds. The second year it’s gone.
I need your vote…we’ll do it together…
Susan: Forming a union is a good big step. Get some help with paperwork handling from schools. I think there may be ways to generate more dollars.
How do we spend money in more effective ways?
Doug: Having you guys organized is the best way to get those issues addressed. I had an informal council of early educator experts advising me when I was Lt. Gov. Having a relationship between the gov.’s office and educators will serve as a conduit to deliver effective service to the community.
Peter: We all support your right to unionize. i don’t know that we need any change in the law to do this.
Want to thank you for the extraordinary work you do, even though you are underpaid.
I have the plan to get it done. Vote.
The four of us will work tirelessly to support the one that wins the primary, in order to defeat Brian Dubie.
Susan: Being chair of appropriation, there is no better place to become a realist. You have to say no to a lot of really good ideas. Next gov. will have to be able to walk into the office with very little learning curve. I’m practical, I’m pragmatic, I’m not flashy.
Doug: Thanks everyone for hanging in there! Reflects on the last candidate forum. The optimism is there; but also the care about our children. The economy is a reality we must face;but we must focus on our kids. Vermont has the resources to do it, if we stop devaluing our kids and the most vulnerable in our society.
Steele: I have a message. Recalling his trials and tribulations on the campaign trail. Consistently off-message to the bitter end. Afghanistan…how come you guys don’t get it? It’s the empire…..
Deb: Pleasure being here. I’ve visited almost every school in almost every district. We need a gov. who has a plan “Jumpstart Vermont”. It’s my vision for how we are going to keep Vermont a great place to live.
I have the experience. I know what it takes to create the right kind of culture.
I’m the one who can beat Brian Dubie. I’ve been elected 6X statewide.
Was Steele wearing
a) a tinfoil hat
b) a Confederate soldier’s cap
c) both
?
Just askin’. Good to see the secessionists picked their best and brightest. Rob Williams musta been busy.