UPDATE: A range of people I trust are telling me not to slap a scarlet “V” on Miller from his time at VEPC. I may have had him unfairly pegged as a “West Wing” liberal. He’s well-liked and sounds like he may be open to different ideas. I’ll see if we can get him to address the GMD community soon. – JO
Today’s appointments from the Governor-Elect:
- Lawrence Miller: Secretary of Commerce & Community Development
- Patricia Moulton Powden: Deputy Secretary of Commerce & Community Development
- Chuck Ross: Secretary of Agriculture
- Annie Noonan: Commissioner of Labor
Annie Noonan, formerly of the Vermont State Employees Association, will help cool off tempers among organized labor after the appointment of Jeb Spaulding at Administration. Noonan is among the strongest advocates for labor interests Shumlin could have chosen. The Commerce appointments, however, continue the pronounced rightward bent of the economic team. While Shumlin may have indicated that all economic perspectives will be granted an audience, its looking like a far narrower range will actually be seated at the decision making table. Otter Creek Brewery Founder Miller was a Chair of the Vermont Economic Progress Council, and of course Powden was Jim Douglas’s Commissioner of Labor. VEPC is famously controversial among progressives due to questions around the appropriateness of giving large tax incentives to corporations, and the lack of transparency around these decisions. Miller does have more appealingly-lefty credentials as well, however, including a stint as Chair of the Vermont Clean Energy Development Fund.
Chuck Ross is notable, here. The long-time State Director for Senator Leahy has been a political presence for some time, both in his professional capacity as well as in the Democratic Party. Ross is a go-to contributor in party circles, as well as a bit of a kingmaker in Democratic politics. He’s also been the Democratic National Committeeman for some time – a position he holds rather dearly, as I discovered when I made noises on this site about possibly running for the position myself (he was none too pleased).
Ross’s move to Ag sends a signal that he intends to stay in the thick of political things after Senator Leahy retires (presumably after his coming term). This also puts him in a good position to be appointed to the Senate seat himself if Leahy unexpectedly retires before the end of his term.
We appear to have a lot of work to do come January…
Making that a driving priority in every corner of the administration will ensure that issues get raised and resolved before they fester. Progressives will expect a lot from Shumlin; but so long as the process is transparent and accessible they will most likely remain patient (if persistent) and maintain the long-view.
She’s woman who told the unemployed trying to get through to get their benefits straightened out to treat it like a damned game show.
The rightward slant of Shumlin’s appointments are concerning and disappointing. Most of us were looking forward to a sea change but by the looks of things, with the welcome exception of Annie Noonan, it looks like a continuation of the slash and burn, anti-labor, pro-corporate policies of the Douglas administration. It would appear that Shumlin has taken a page out of the Obama playbook and thrown his base under the bus.
Everything I have heard about Patricia Moulton Powden is that she is an excellent administrator with lots of experience and not very political like her father. She also has experience under the Dean administration at Commerce. From what I gather she’s a Vermonter first and foremost.
is a completely great guy, a neighbor and someone I trust enormously. also made great beer. thanks for providing the update backing off on the original guilt-by-association
and with all the promises about transparency fresh on the table; how about we start by learning more about how those tax incentives to corporations panned out in terms of actual returns? Dollars and cents and spin-free specifics, Gentlemen, please!
Question is – – who out of this bunch (and the rest) is willing to say that the emperor has no clothes?
That you can’t get the necessary job done without enough state workers and we can’t and shouldn’t try to get through these tough times without asking that those that are doing just fine should contribute a bit more.
Commissioner of Economic Development. Now returning to the same Agency. Or didn’t we know that?
There are capable people, Ds and Rs, who get appointed by different Governors because they are experienced and not ideological. Same story at AHS
Don’t tutn everything into oversimplified left and right.