(It is our pleasure to bring Jim Condos to our front page! – promoted by Sue Prent)

By Jim Condos

Elections are the very core of our democratic process; citizens must be assured of the integrity of those elections. This winter, the Vermont legislature should work to ensure that our elections, and therefore our elected officials, are not for sale to the highest bidder!

Here in VT, during the 2012 general election, one individual spent more than $1 million on campaign advertising through a Super Political Action Committee (PAC). If one individual is allowed to bankroll a campaign, serious questions arise about whose interests the elected candidate will serve.

Unfortunately, the US Supreme Court has left little room to regulate campaign finance. The Court has significantly limited a state’s ability to regulate contribution limits for Super PACs and expenditure limits for candidates, parties or PACs.

As a result, Super PACs have no limits on contributions/expenditures; and in many cases, have limited disclosure requirements about the identity of their donors including how much or when they have contributed.  Undisclosed contributions and unlimited spending allow an individual or small group to overwhelm all others in our elections.

As Secretary of State, I urge the legislature to enact campaign finance reforms aimed at improved disclosure of where the money is coming from and how it is being spent. I also ask for stronger enforcement and harsher penalties for those who violate the law.

The Court has previously held that the danger of potential corruption provides a rationale to provide limits on direct contributions to candidates.  As a result, Vermont’s limits on contributions to candidates still apply and are being strictly enforced.  However, as witnessed this past year, individuals who wish to spend unlimited money to influence our elections can do so by contributing to Super PACs. This is why transparency is the key.  

At a minimum, we must ensure our laws are more meaningful by making contributions and expenditures more transparent.  To accomplish this, several important changes are needed:

1.   Increased Campaign Finance Reporting Frequency

Candidates, Parties, and PACs

• 1st year of the election cycle – quarterly

• 2nd year (January – Primary) – monthly

• Primary to General Election – every 2 weeks

Mass Media Reporting

• 45 days prior to the General Election Primary through the General Election

• Disclosure within 24 hours of expenditure and BEFORE Mass Media is public

2.   Increased Enforcement – Penalties must be meaningful for all violations of the campaign finance law – from illegal coordination between a PAC and candidate to the late filing of reports.

3.   Super PACs are allowed to raise and spend unlimited sums of money from corporations, unions, associations and individuals, to elect or defeat candidates, as long as they operate independently of candidate campaigns.  I will advocate for additional disclosure requirements:

o Disclosure of contributions to Super PACs within 24 hours of receipt during the 45 days preceding a primary or general election.

o Disclosure of top contributors to a Super PAC in mass media communications.    

o If one donor is responsible for ½ or more of the funds raised, that individual must appear in all electronic advertisements, claiming responsibility.

o Require donors to disclose their employer as required for federal elections.

4.   On-Line Reporting is more effective with an on-line filing system that is easier to use and more transparent. The Legislature must provide the resources to implement this new disclosure system. Once implemented, instantaneous electronic posting will be searchable, sortable, and more transparent for the public.

Vermont has always been a leader in reform – from abolishing slavery in our first state Constitution, banning billboards on our highways, to same-sex marriage.  We should lead on campaign finance reform as well. Vermont will be better for this.

Jim Condos is Vermont’s Secretary of State.

( – promoted by Sue Prent)

by Jim Condos

Vermont Secretary of State

Posted:

On the Huffington Post, 1/20/12 05:18 PM ET

I am mindful that it is an important election year — and as Vermont’s Secretary of State, there is one item of particular distress to me — the suppression of voter participation in the United States.

Yes, the very basis of our democracy is under siege — under the guise of preventing voter fraud!

In 2011, legislation was introduced in 40 states to limit voter participation in the following ways:

•mandating photo IDs in order to cast a ballot;

•reducing early voting days — in some cases from 45 days to 7;

•repealing election day registration;

•restricting student voting;

•repealing voter-verified ballot paper trail for all voting machines;

•restricting voter registration drives by placing obstructive burdens on filing.

Frankly, these changes threaten the very fabric of our democracy.

According to a report by Wendy R. Weiser and Lawrence Norden at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law,

“These new restrictions fall most heavily on young, minority, and low-income voters, as well as on voters with disabilities. This wave of changes may sharply tilt the political terrain for the 2012 election.”

These legislative changes also place disproportionate burdens upon other groups including the elderly, overseas, and military voters.

(Note: The balance of this diary is included beneath the fold)

The Brennan Center has analyzed the changes made in 14 states and showed how more than five million eligible voters attempting to cast ballots in 2012 will find it difficult or impossible. Proponents of this wave of voting “reforms” are citing voter fraud as the rationale, but every study that has been done, even ones conducted by the advocates of reform, show no evidence to support this. In 2007, after a five year effort to review whether “voter fraud” was a problem, the US Department of Justice found virtually no evidence and further stated that the few cases brought forward were found to be mistakes made in filling out forms or understanding vote eligibility rules — none of which would be deterred by voter ID legislation.

Although we, as a nation, have struggled with the issue of voting rights for a good part of our history, ensuring voter equality and increasing voter participation have always been a priority. In 1788, when the US Constitution was ratified, the electorate was limited to white male landowners. In 1870, the fifteenth amendment prohibited the use of a citizen’s race, color or previous status as a slave as a qualification for voting. In 1920, the nineteenth amendment prohibited preventing any citizen from voting based on their sex. In 1961, the twenty-third amendment granted the District of Columbia three Electoral College votes. In 1964, the twenty-fourth amendment abolished the poll tax. In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act to bar literacy tests, ban overt racial discrimination, and require the Department of Justice to review and pre-approve any election law changes in states with histories of racial disenfranchisement. Finally, in 1971, the twenty-sixth amendment set the minimum voting age at 18. We have worked too hard to pass and enforce the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, and the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to turn back the clock now.

These were important milestones for American democracy, propelling our country forward as a more inclusive, open society, where all eligible adult citizens could exercise their right to vote; culminating in the 2008 Presidential Election with more voters participating than ever before — a turnout more racially and ethnically diverse than ever with a greater number of young and low-income voters casting ballots.

As a nation, we should be proud of a greater participation of eligible voters in our electoral process. Instead, we are seeing states attempt, and sometimes succeed, to reverse this trend. Democracy and access to voting should not be a partisan issue, but it appears to be heading in that direction. I urge my colleagues around the country to ensure the placing of undue burdens on our rights as US citizens is halted and reversed before our democracy is further eroded.

Denying eligible voters the ability to use their constitutionally protected right to participate is the real voter fraud.

(I don’t always promote diaries that look too much like press releases, but it was good of Sec. Condos to share a copy of this letter with us, and it also broaches a big topic du jour we haven’t tackled yet. – promoted by odum)

August 9, 2011

The Honorable House Speaker John Boehner

H – 232, The Capitol

Washington, DC 20515

Dear Speaker Boehner,

The American people are upset with the political dysfunction in Congress, and rightly so, following the months of infighting over the debt ceiling.  They desperately want political leaders who can rise above partisan politics and special interests to work on their behalf to solve the serious issues we are facing.  The American people desperately need to have our trust in our elected representatives restored.

One of the ways we can begin restoring that trust is to have the bi-partisan Debt Reduction Super Committee work in an open and transparent manner. Closed meetings and records will only perpetuate popular perceptions that our national government represents special interests, not the interests of the country.  

The Debt Reduction Super Committee is supposed to work on a bi-partisan plan to address a fair and balanced approach to deficit reduction and changes to programs, while promoting job growth and economic stimulus. This Super Committee will be working for ALL Americans.

The Debt Reduction Super Committee will have tremendous flexibility and power to change the future direction of the United States; and as a result must be accountable to the American public – which can only be accomplished through open and transparent meetings and records regardless of physical form. It is imperative that this Super Committee work in a way that restores Americans’ faith in government.

Open government is good government. Distrust in government is not good for our democratic process – the public has a right to know what its government is doing.

I urge you to take the appropriate steps to mandate that this Debt Reduction Super Committee accomplish its work in the open, under the watchful eyes of all American citizens. Closing the doors to transparency will only foster further distrust of our leaders.

Vermont’s Constitution and State Statutes deal with open government in a very succinct way:

“That all power being originally inherent in and consequently derived from the people, therefore, all officers of government, whether legislative or executive, are their trustees and servants; and at all times, in a legal way, accountable to them.” (Vermont Constitution Article 6.)

Pg. 2

“Officers of government are trustees and servants of the people and it is in the public interest to enable any person to review and criticize their decisions even though such examination may cause inconvenience or embarrassment.” (1 V.S.A. § 315)

Open and transparent government is a burden on government that should be embraced. American citizens, and the world, are watching – it is important to restore faith and trust in America.

Sincerely,

James C. Condos

Vermont Secretary of State

Cc: The Honorable House Majority Leader Eric Cantor

The Honorable House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi

The Honorable Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid

The Honorable Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell

The Honorable Senator Patrick Leahy

The Honorable Senator Bernie Sanders

The Honorable Representative Peter Welch

( – promoted by odum)

Open government is good government!  Shutting the public out of government deliberations because of matters of inconvenience or fear of embarrassment are not valid reasons. When in doubt, give it out – instead of the attitude of when in doubt, take me to court!

Access to government records is important to our democratic process and the overall function of government. By Vermont law, “any written or recorded information, regardless of physical form or characteristics, which is produced or acquired in the course of public agency business” is a public record.  Some public records are exempt, in whole or in part, but they are still public records and must be managed in accordance with law.  Proper public records management is key to access.

Currently, there are about 250 public record exemptions. Some are there to protect personal information in government records.  The goal of our right to know, after all, is to make government, not you, transparent.  Some are thought to protect our security.  All are there for us to review, reconsider, and revise; no exemption is exempt from our scrutiny.  My office has a Right to Know web page (button on the home page) on which you can learn more about Public Records and their exemptions.

There is legislation (H. 73) moving through the General Assembly that has as its primary goal improving access to public records. Following are a list of principles that the Secretary of State’s Office believes should guide the language of the bill:

• Change “may” to “shall” for mandatory attorneys’ fees without condition.

• Inspection of records should continue to be free.

• Maintain timely delivery of documents – two days (current) v. three days (house proposal).

• Ombudsman to educate, advise and maybe issue opinions on access to records.

• A small and manageable committee to review, clarify, and eliminate exemptions.

• Maintain 1st level of appeal of government employee denial to agency head.

• One set of rules for all government, both state and local.

• Information database documenting requests for public documents should be improved, maintained and used by the General Assembly to review exemptions to our public records law.

If these principles are incorporated, exercising your right to public records will become less intimidating.

My office is working with the Shumlin Administration to improve coordination of State agency management of records and responses to public records requests. This is being accomplished through the efforts  of our Vermont State Archives and Records Administration (VSARA) as it develops its capacity to offer training and advice on how to implement public records management; and how to collect and analyze data through the website clearinghouse.

However, we must continue to do better – state and local governments are at a records management crossroads as we all try to deal with the tremendous volume of paper records and an even greater volume of electronic records. We must be honest, if we are serious about improving access to government information, it will take additional resources.

Let the sun shine in and on government – let’s restore our faith in government.

# # #

Secretary of State Jim Condos took office on January 6 of this year and previously has served in the Vermont State Senate.

( – promoted by Jack McCullough)

Democratic Secretary of State candidate Jim Condos is denouncing what appears to be planned voter intimidation initiatives on Election Day.  He has called upon his Republican opponent, Jason Gibbs, a member of the Vermont Tea Party Patriots, to do the same.

The New York Times reported Tuesday  that Tea Party members are being instructed to approach and “question any individual voter at the polls whom they suspect of being ineligible” to vote.  The Voting Rights and Elections Project at New York University stated that these “private efforts to police the polls create a real risk of vote suppression,” and that “people need to know that any form of discrimination, intimidation, or challenge to voters without adequate basis is illegal or improper.”

The Burlington Free Press reported on Monday  that the Vermont Tea Party (also known as the Green Mountain Patriots) will hold a training session to instruct its members in “poll watching” on Election Day. This training session is part of a nationwide movement of Tea Party groups organizing similar efforts in other states. The Vermont Tea Party is affiliated with the Tea Party Patriots, a national organization.

Jason Gibbs is a member of Vermont Tea Party Patriots and supports the national Tea Party Patriots as well.  He has also attended at least two different Tea Party events here in Vermont during his 2010 campaign.    

“Vermonters have a fundamental right to go to the polls and cast their ballots without fear of intimidation or bullying,” Democratic candidate for Secretary of State Jim Condos said. “The Secretary of State’s chief responsibility is enforcing and ensuring citizen’s rights to a fair and open Democratic process. The fact that my opponent is associating himself with the Vermont Tea Party and other national groups that are planning to interfere with the voting process should raise serious concerns about his ability to fairly and impartially oversee Vermont’s elections. I call on Mr. Gibbs to immediately denounce these groups and their plan to question voters at the polls.

“This is just one more example of how my opponent and I differ in our basic approach to government and citizens rights. I fully support efforts to encourage and involve more people in the voting process, such as early voting and Election Day registration.  I will also fight hard to protect Vermont’s election process and to ensure that special interests do not dominate our political system, by working with Vermont’s citizens and legislature to enforce reasonable and realistic campaign contribution limits. My opponent, Mr. Gibbs does not support these positive election reforms.”

Jim Condos has received endorsements for Secretary of State by the following organizations:

Vermont AFL-CIO

Vermont State Employees’ Association

Vermont State Building Trades Council

Northeast Kingdom Central Labor Council

UA Local 693 Plumbers and Pipefitters

Vermont Troopers’ Association

Sheet Metal Workers Local Union 63

Professional Fire Fighters of Vermont

VT-NEA

VT League of Conservation Voters

United Profession AFT Vermont

VT Teamsters Local 597

“I am honored to have been endorsed by these organizations,” stated Condos. “I admire the work they do and the public service they provide to Vermonters.”

In endorsing Condos, the organization representatives made the following comments about Condos:

“Jim Condos knows how Government works at the Local and State Levels, he has

the experience we need in the Secretary of State Office” – – Matt Vinci, President, Professional Firefighters of Vermont

“Senator Condos has always been a great advocate for state troopers and other law enforcement officers. He was a key sponsor and leader on issues  important to us, including working to fund law enforcement and other critical public services. Jim Condos is who we want to be Vermont’s next Secretary of State.” Mike O’Neil, President of Vt Troopers Association

“Senator Condos’ superior work regarding open and transparent government led to our decision to back his bid to be Vermont’s next Secretary of State.” – Todd Bailey, Vermont League of Conservation Voters

“Jim Condos’ desire to make sure all Vermonters have the tools to succeed whether in education, jobs, or business puts him on the right track to be the next Secretary of State.  Jim brings a level of excellence with him where ever he goes. Jim has work endlessly to improve the quality of life in Vermont by supporting minimum wage increases, vocational rehabilitation payments ordering insurance companies to start making wage and medical payments to an injured employee  pending a hearing, and increasing COLA adjustments to workers compensation benefits.  This a short list highlighting a career long commitment to working Vermonters, families and communities.” – Dennis LaBounty, Vermont AFL-CIO

For a complete list of individual and organization endorsements, please visit http://www.jimcondos.com/endor…

# # #

(Two diaries by Jim Condos. GMD policy says Democratic candidates for statewide office get front paged. Here’s the other one:

“Jim Condos Applauds Vermont Supreme Court Ruling on Public Records”

– promoted by kestrel9000)

Jim Condos has received endorsements for Secretary of State by over 135 individuals to date. Endorsements came from across all party lines and include:

• Over 20 Vermont State Senators

• Over 45 Vermont State Representatives.

• Many supportive individuals concerned about our democracy

“The people who have endorsed me,” stated Jim Condos. “share many of the same visions, objectives, and goals that I have – all leading to achieving excellence in the Office of Secretary of State.”

Condos has also been endorsed by prominent statewide officials, including:

U.S. Senators Patrick Leahy and Bernie Sanders, U.S. Representative Peter Welch, Governor Howard Dean, Secretary of State Deb Markowitz, and Treasurer Jeb Spaulding.

Here is what some endorsers have had to say about Condos:

“I worked with Jim when he was in the Senate. He is the only candidate running for Secretary of State who has ever worked in local government, and that is critical in this Office.” – Governor Howard Dean

“I have known Jim for many years. His background and experience make him an ideal candidate for Secretary of State.” – U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy

“Jim has years of experience in municipal government, which is key to being Secretary of State. He was instrumental in developing affordable housing in South Burlington and has a local government perspective that is necessary to get the job done right.” – U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders

“I worked with and got to know Jim when we served together in the Vermont Senate. He always has the best interests of Vermonters at heart. With his experience and dedication, Jim will make an excellent Secretary of State.”  –  Congressman Peter Welch

“We need non-partisan, competent leadership in the Secretary of State’s office. That person is Jim Condos! As a State Senator he worked with my office to make it easier to do business in Vermont so small businesses can create jobs. We developed legislation to protect Vermont consumers from incompetent and unethical professionals.  And we invested in the future of Vermont and our children by creating and supporting civics education.” – Secretary of State Deb Markowitz

For a complete list of individual and organization endorsements, please visit http://www.jimcondos.com/endor…

# # #

This past week, the Vermont Supreme Court ruled that Burlington acted improperly in denying a request for documents related to the adjudication of a speeding ticket. In making its ruling, the court stated that government actions must be open to scrutiny by citizens.

“We do not overstate the case in saying that open access to governmental records is a fundamental precept of our society” and is “in the public interest,” the court determined. “That policy goal would suffer were we to allow agencies resisting disclosure to avoid it merely by invoking the magic word ‘relevant’ under the litigation exception. To do so would threaten to cut off valuable information not only to the parties to the litigation but to all Vermonters.”

“As a City Councilor and State Senator, I have fought for open access to public records,” said Jim Condos, Democratic Candidate for Secretary of State. “As Secretary of State, I will continue to do so. When government hides information from the public and operates in secrecy, it erodes our democracy.”

Condos’ plan is to ensure that the current Douglas Administration’s practices of secret meetings and denial of access to public records (which his Republican opponent defended as a senior aide to the Governor) does not continue to be a barrier to open government.

Condos believes that Vermonters should not be treated as adversaries of government; we are all a part of government.

“Certainly, the tenure of Katherine Harris as Secretary of State of Florida demonstrated what could happen when a political operative with long-term ambitions occupies the office,” states Condos.  “I believe that openness will strengthen our democracy and promote efficiency, accountability, and effectiveness in government. An effective government fosters a vibrant economy. Closing the door on government to prevent the public eye from looking in is just plain wrong!”

Jim has a unique and relevant background for the Secretary of State position. He has over 20 years of elected public service including 18 years on South Burlington City Council, 8 years as a Vermont State Senator, and over 30 years of private sector business experience. He has focused on open and transparent government throughout his elected service.

# # #

by Jim Condos, Democratic Candidate for Secretary of State

I want to share my vision for the Secretary of State’s role in the future of Vermont.

The Secretary of State must follow the Constitution, and the laws of Vermont while protecting the public interest.

Open Government is Good Government.

A commitment to open government must go much further than open campaign races.

It must be a commitment to transparency at all levels of government, which includes open access to public records throughout our state agencies and departments.

My plan, as Secretary of State, is to ensure that the current Douglas administration practice, of which my opponent was a member, does not continue to be a barrier to the public’s access to public records.

Vermonters need to stop being treated as adversaries of government; we are all a part of government.

If government operates in secrecy, then we erode our democracy.

I believe that it is of paramount importance that we do everything possible to ensure that the citizens of Vermont trust our government.

I believe that openness will strengthen our democracy and promote efficiency, accountability, and effectiveness in government.

My vision for the Secretary of State’s office includes:

1. Advocating for the creation of a Public Records Advisory Office within the office of the Secretary of State.

a. Several states have similar offices intended to resolve public records disputes and eliminate the need for litigation.

b. This would include a new position of “ombudsman” to be the first line of appeal.

2. Supporting the establishment of a Public Records Act Review Committee to review the more than 200 exemptions to the Public Records Act which contain ambiguities, technical flaws, or are simply out of date.

3. Working with the Legislature to determine if any of the barriers to public access to government meetings and records are a result of current laws and, if so, working to promote legislative changes to increase public access.

My research indicates that Florida, Washington, Texas, and California have the strongest open records laws and they

include a provision whereby payment of attorneys fees are

required, which acts as a deterrent to government holding back

records.

4. Working with the new administration to issue a Memorandum on Transparency and Open Government (perhaps as an Executive Order), instructing heads of departments and agencies to take specific actions to establish an open government based on the principles of transparency, participation, and collaboration.

5. Working with state government overall to develop information technology that will enable people to access information online in a user-friendly way.

6. Meeting with town clerks and city/town boards to discuss the importance of open meetings and open records and encourage the same local polices.

7. Updating and making readily available the Secretary of State handout, Matter of Public Record: A Guide to Vermont’s Public Records Law.

8. Strongly advocate for a searchable on-line format of all contracts and grants in all areas of state government to further transparency.

In 2008, I was the lead sponsor on a bipartisan Resolution (JRS 57) as a Senator to urge the Agency of Administration, in an effort to achieve the greatest possible transparency in the state’s fiscal transactions, by posting the full text of its contracts and grants, in all fields of endeavor, in a searchable format on the Internet.

9. Working with the Legislature and the Administration to ensure that all state contracts include a provision whereby all contractors must abide by Vermont public records laws.

On the issue of open government, here are some examples where I believe my Republican opponent, who was a senior aide with the Douglas administration, falls short.

The Douglas team:

• Supported and expanded the principle of deliberative process, especially for the executive branch, keeping meetings and documents secret and behind closed doors.

o Denied media access to documents relating to violations of state and federal law that resulted in serious pollution of the Missisquoi River by a private developer.

o Denied a citizen group access to agency documents that could help explain why the Department of Environmental Conservation has failed to implement an important pollution prevention program.

o Denied state employees access to workplace policy documents involving a situation where state employees became seriously ill because of adverse working conditions

• Supported serious restrictions on the ability of state workers to testify at legislative hearings; deliberately restricting the legislature’s ability to deal with issues throughout government.

• Supported privatizing government jobs, resulting in those  private companies ability to hide records from the public – contracting out the public’s right to know about the quality of services that are being contracted out

o An example of this is the recent Prison Legal News case, where access to public records was denied in an investigation of the death of an inmate.

• In 2006, the Administration held back an affordable housing audit which they asked for, until I, as Chair of Government Operations, requested a public hearing and brought the author in for the hearing to testify.

He told the legislature that the administration did not like the report and wanted significant changes which the author refused to do.

I pledge to ensure the democratic rights and privileges that we cherish as citizens.

I have a unique and relevant background for the Secretary of State position with over 20 years of elected public service including 18 years on South Burlington City Council, 8 years as a Vermont State Senator, and over 30 years of private sector business experience.

(Promoted as our policy to front page major statewide office seekers. – promoted by JulieWaters)

On August 24th, Vermont voters will cast their ballots to determine each party’s nominees for the fall campaign. Most of the attention for the primary election is focused on the Governor’s race; however, voters deserve information about the race for every elected office.

The Office of Secretary of State is tasked with key responsibilities including overseeing elections and campaign finance regulation, lobbyist disclosure, maintaining the state archives, professional regulation, and corporate registration.

I am running to be Vermont’s next Secretary of State because I have the experience and knowledge to keep the office running smoothly and to make important improvements. My combined business and elected experience includes managing, policymaking, business operations, and service to Vermonters.  

I know how to get things done. I have worked for over 30 years in the business sector, along with over 20 years of elected local and state government experience. I have a strong working relationship with many Vermonters across the state.  

I served for 18 years on the South Burlington City Council, and 8 years as a Chittenden County Senator. This experience has given me first-hand knowledge of the needs and challenges facing our local communities. In the Senate, I chaired the Government Operations Committee, tasked with overseeing the Secretary of State’s office. This experience has given me the knowledge and ability to start working hard on my first day in office.

During my many years of elected service, I was an effective advocate on issues that are important to Vermonters, including ensuring open and transparent government, promoting accountability from public officials, improving our election process, and strengthening campaign finance laws. These are the key issues that I will prioritize as the next Secretary of State.

Another important priority will be overhauling the Secretary of State’s website. Deb Markowitz did a great job creating an online presence for the office, but we need to take it to the next level. I propose creating a “one stop shop”, web-oriented business registration to help our business community and entrepreneurs do what they do best – create jobs! Creating an easy, step-by -step online business registration process will be more efficient, and save time for Vermont’s business community.  

I will also work to create a searchable online database for campaign finance and lobbyist disclosure, including an online filing system for these reports. This will ensure Vermonters know who is contributing to their elected officials, and what these officials are spending their campaign funds on. This is a very important issue, and my office will treat it as such.

I will also work to implement the Public Records Commission’s recommendations fully. Since 2006, I have supported the position of a Public Records ombudsman to review denials of Vermonters’ public records requests, and I would strengthen the penalties for those who wrongly deny these requests.

Open government is good government.

I have a proven record of results and the experience necessary to make a difference. I hope I will earn your support for the Democratic nomination for Secretary of State on August 24th.

I am ready to be Vermont’s next Secretary of State.  

Jim Condos served on the South Burlington City Council and as a Vermont State Senator and is running for Secretary of State. He can be reached at jim@jimcondos.com or visit his website at www.jimcondos.com.