Category Archives: local/regional

Goodbye, Old Friend!

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Tomorrow at 11:00 AM, friends will gather at the Meeting House in East Fairfield to celebrate the life of Perry Cooper, who passed away late last fall.

I’ll be there with my husband Mark, and so will many of our mutual friends from the Northwest Citizens for Responsible Growth.  It was at a meeting of the NWCRG that I first met Perry in 2004 when we gathered to strategize a response to Walmart’s proposal to site one of their big box blights on a field of prime agricultural soil on the outskirts of St. Albans.

In the years since, Perry had become a dear friend and frequent collaborator in the ongoing fight for a progressive and sustainable community.

Perry had also added a new dimension of scientific curiosity to my life as well as some valuable historic perspective on the role of non-civilian nuclear energy in the ’50’s and the 60’s.  He had a first hand knowledge of those formative years, from his work on nuclear submarines at Electric Boat.  His stories were true spell-binders.

He had a keen intellect combined with the spirit of a rebel.  For years he worked on his own wave theory, which he explained to me at some length.  Using language and illustrations, he made it surprisingly understandable even to a science amateur like me.  I hope his written memoir and the outline of his theory will find their way to people who will appreciate them.

Perry had a lot devoted friends, children and grandchildren, so I have every confidence that they will.

I know that music played a huge role in his life, but others are much better able to expound on that than I.  He was extremely kind to animals, demonstrating a whole lot more patience with them than he could ever spare for human fools. All of my house pets over the years have been fond of Perry.

He’d occasionally drop by my house unexpectedly when he was in St. Albans to visit a healthcare professional or just to do some shopping.  That was always a treat, and if it was a cold winter day, I was glad that I usually had some homemade soup on hand to warm him up as we passed a little time catching up.

We shared our politics, and could talk for hours on that subject. He was also an occasional contributor to Green Mountain Daily, where he used the handle “Witchcat” and occasionally locked horns with one writer or the other.  Even in white-hot argument, Perry managed to be pretty articulate. 

I am very grateful that, toward the end of Perry’s life, I was able to introduce him to nuclear safety experts, Arnie and Maggie Gundersen.  They came with me to visit him just days before he passed away and it was delightful to see how much Perry rallied to enjoy Arnie’s great appreciation of his first hand accounts of being a “cowboy” in the early days of nuclear energy wrangling.  They talked for a very long time; and when we left, Perry seemed as happy and animated as his old self.  I think this was the best parting gift I could have given him.

As we grow older and lose our dearest friends, one by one, it becomes  more and more difficult to fill the void that is left behind.

I doubt I will ever again have a friend quite like Perry.

Now showing: Burlington Free Press unfortunate juxtaposition

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Friday’s online Free Press has an unfortunate placement of headlines.stupid troopers too

That’s right, USA Today’s Burlington Free Press is not only pimping out Super Troopers 2 but as if it was part of a quirky Vermont double feature they also headline : new video Montpelier fatal police shooting That’s the all too real and tragic shooting by police of a robbery suspect outside Montpelier High School.

What do we call the movie, “the lighter side of policing?” And how many “police-involved” shootings have there been in the past year?

Uh-huh.

 

GOP State Rep. “Burma-Shave Bob” Frenier will not seek re-election to VT House

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Orange County GOP Rep Bob Frenier will not run for re-election. Frenier, an aggressive conservative newcomer from Massachusetts, entered Vermont politics with a splash and is now calling it quits with a bit of a thud. For his first race in Orange County he set his sights high. He challenged and lost to longtime incumbent Sen. Mark MacDonald (D). frenierburmashaved

He did manage to make a name for himself. Armed with a bucket load of money from the Koch-funded Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC) he blanketed the rural county roads with a series of Burma-Shave style campaign signs with a misleading fear-mongering message about Medicare.

Following up in 2016, after winning a GOP primary write-in campaign, he took aim at and won a seat in Vermont House. However, Frenier beat incumbent Progressive Susan Hatch Davis by a razor-thin margin of just over half a dozen votes-in the final count. And that came after a bitter recount and several vigorous legislative debates about it in early 2017.

Now, not much more than a year later he’s thrown in the towel. The Valley News reports part of the reason for quitting his hard-won seat is his frustration with the recent passage of three gun regulation bills-all of which he voted against. “I thought it was an insult to traditional Vermont culture … and so was the coyote bill,” said Frenier, referring to a bill that passed the Vermont House that bans coyote-killing tournaments.

As a resident of Orange County I couldn’t be happier than to see him head down the road. But it sounds like Burma shave Bob may not be done making waves in Vermont politics. From the Valley News: he [Frenier] may try to bring a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of some of the legislation that has passed, and said it would be easier to do once he is no longer a lawmaker. No word at this early stage where he might get funds for such expensive legal actions-maybe his Burma shave pals at Koch’s RSLC.

But for now: Bye – Bye – Bob

“Visitors are an ideal captive audience” VT. Commissioner of Tourism and Marketing

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Stay to Stay — the Vermont state tourism agency’s planned series of four weekends in different locations designed with the intent of turning tourists into full-time residents — got off to a “chilly start” this weekend according to Vtdigger.com: Like the recent weather, the first-blush level of commitment for the state’s campaign to entice nonresidents to move to Vermont has been cool.

Organizers note, however, that this is but the first of four scheduled weekends for people interested in becoming Vermonters to be formally welcomed as part of the Stay-to-Stay initiative.

Think! Vermont, Scott’s Department of Economic Development promotional webpage slogan, describes the events in terms not unlike a vacation timeshare real estate sales pitch weekend. Vermont commissioner of Tourism and Marketing Wendy Knight says her inspiration for the promotional campaign happened when: “I got to thinking; visitors are an ideal captive audience,”

Sure sounds like timeshare pitch, only (befitting the Vermont brand) a bit more refined — sweetened with real maple syrup: [Stay to Stay] gives tourists the opportunity to relax and also to network with business leaders and tour Vermont communities with real-estate experts to learn more about relocating to Vermont.

It is all part of Governor Scott’s unproven million-dollar effort to boost Vermont’s population and address the state’s worker shortage. But attendance at the Department of Tourism’s weekend premier in Brattleboro, Bennington, and Rutland is expected to be less than even the modest numbers hoped for. Half of the dozen potential visitors signed up for the Rutland and Brattleboro areas cancelled and no one who signed up will be visiting Bennington.

Undaunted by the dismal turnout Knight noted one positive — the free media she had gotten nationally for the first event. Bloomberg.com does indeed have nice blurby press release style bit about “Stay to Stay” headlined:This Weekend, Aging Vermont Will Try to Make Tourists Into Residents.

But the thing about free media is you give up a certain amount of control of the whole message.Vermont taps tourists

The U S News piece about Stay to Stay starts with what I hope is unintentionally a funny headline: Vermont Taps Tourists to Bolster Workforce. That headline sounds to me as if Governor Scott, desperate to boost our workforce, intends to force visitors to pick apples, milk cows, turn cheese curds, or tend sugar houses.Vermont taps tourists2

But the “great” thing about the US News bit is the targeted sidebars, as you can see from the two screen shots, which all tout other states — Massachusetts best for women and children, Connecticut high school record graduation rate,  and a list of the U S News top five states not including Vermont.

Maybe it was just the weather that ruined this Stay to Stay, so spin it however you want. But you can’t spin away from the out-of-proportion amount of taxpayer-funded effort it took to get a half dozen out-of state “captive” visitors to sit still for a Think!Vermont sales pitch in April.

Maybe some nice sticky sugar-on-snow painted on the seats would help.

Has Hell Frozen Over?

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When I began writing on GMD a number of years ago, as I learned the hard way, the topic of gun control was a third rail even among progressive thinkers.  

Further conversation on the subject was commonly dismissed with the slightly smug assertion that “we don’t have a gun problem here in Vermont.”

After a few tries, I learned that even pointing to the obvious: that Vermont isn’t an island, magically immune to the evils beyond its borders, was an exercise in futility.  Vermont didn’t have a gun problem and there would be no further discussion.

Well, times have definitely changed.

No one would argue that the legislative fixes to gun law that passed on Friday are perfect, but it behooves us to recognize what a significant and profoundly brave development this is in the maturing of our state.

S.55 is part of a package of gun legislation that is on the way to the governor. On Thursday, the House passed S.211, known as a “Red Flag bill,” which permits law enforcement to seize guns from a person deemed an “extreme risk” to themselves or others.  Also, Senate of Thursday approved H.422, known as “the domestic violence bill,” which sets in place a process for police to confiscate firearms from people cited or arrested on domestic violence charges.   S.221 received final approval in the House on Friday morning and H.422 passed a third and final reading later in the day in Senate.

 

Phil Scott, who has promised stop sign all three bills into law, deserves some extra credit for rising above NRA pressures and standing behind some commonsense measures to curb the spread of mass shootings before Vermont “has a gun problem.”  

I can’t say I’m disappointed in Franklin County Republican legislators who did not support this historic moment.  I’m not disappointed because I expected little else.  While ultimately voting against the bill, Corey Parent (R) and Lynn Dickinson (R) pushed for an amendment to the House bill  that exempts Florida-based gun manufacturer, Century Arms from the ten-round limit on the manufacture and sale of magazines if larger capacity magazines are only sold out of state.  Century Arms employs about 100 Vermonters in its Franklin County location and I am sure Parent’s 2018 bid for the senate can count on generous NRA support. 

While it seems rather immoral to export a mass shooting hazard to communities outside of the state while unequivocally recognizing it as such with an in-state prohibition, I cannot quibble with the terms under which any movement has miraculously come to pass on gun control in Vermont.

For this we have to thank the voters of tomorrow who stepped into the void and made their voices heard.

“Life is much too short to worry about art critics”: Governor Phil Scott takes up painting

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Governor Phil Scott isn’t ready to completely give up stock car racing anytime soon, but since becoming Vermont Governor, according to news reports he has taken up a hobby that many who know him would consider unlikely: painting. I suppose he may find the demands of being Governor more taxing than his terms as Vermont’s part-time Lieutenant Governor. So it’s not so surprising that he desires some time to unwind from his full-time demands.

Scott’s new pastime isn’t unheard of in the political world. Notably Winston Churchill, Dwight Eisenhower, even George W. Bush are just a few well known political leaders who took to the brush and easel for relaxation and escape.

The interesting thing in Governor Scott’s case is that no one outside the immediate circle has seen his work. So as you can imagine since news of this activity has leaked out speculation among the Montpelier press corps is rife over what style and subject matter he has taken to portraying. Phil Scott artist2

Not much else is known but the emerging conventional wisdom among reporters is Scott works in acrylics and finds inspiration in the Vermont landscapes — our gentle rolling mountains dotted with farms, mills, and maples. Would Scott favor the style of Norman Rockwell, or, say, Grandma Moses?Phil Scott artist

Another area for speculation around his recently discovered hobby is how much relationship his art may have to his politics. What might be read in Scott’s imagery?  A Scott landscape might show a small town, farm, blacksmith shop, mill building of some kind and likely a town school. Would that be a private prison complex under construction in the distance?

Would his town school be closed and empty? The local students now relocated, bused to classes at a large regional-run educational district? Are there artistic hints that the farm is operating free from certain state regulations the artist painter might consider burdensome? Maybe the streams bordering the village and the distant lake are abloom with “gorgeous” toxic blue green algae caused by uncontrolled agricultural phosphorus runoff. The neat modern industrial mill building nestled in the valley might be closed-up despite thousands of dollars in state sponsored tax incentives and development grants  handed out for job creation and retention over years. Likely the owner, a multi-national corporation, bolted from the Vermont landscape unconcerned that the state might try to claw back the funds or demand an accounting for the grants and incentives.

Another theory taking hold concerning his subject matter is that the Governor is painting NASCAR art. Born out of nostalgia for simpler days, longing for his time as Lt. Governor racing his stock car at Thunder Road, perhaps he’s artistically emulating  Ed “Big Daddy” Roth, the legendary 1960’s artist of the hot-rodding world.  philscottartist

No fooling, it is all idle speculation at this point — and no public art shows are in the offing, speculation not withstanding. Governor Scott when reached by phone (at his studio?) on April 1st would only say: “Life is much too short to worry about art critics.”

Income-based traffic fines could be just the ticket

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I heard about income-based traffic fines in Europe a couple years ago, and now I see the New York Times has an op-ed piece in support of it here in the U.S. The concept of basing fines for traffic violations on income is that flat-rate fines , associated costs, and collection fees weigh more heavily on lower-income drivers than on higher-income speeders. A flat-rate fine also fails its role as a behavioral deterrent to speeding if it is only a slap on the wrist to wealthy violators.TrafficTicketvoid

In Finland, several other European countries, and Argentina, penalties on offenses ranging from shoplifting to securities law violations are imposed on a sliding scale based  on a person’s last declared income and the nature of the crime. In these nations it is believed the wealthy and the poor should suffer equally for infractions. In other words, as the title of nytimes.com opinion piece by Alec Schierenbeck suggests : A Billionaire and a Nurse Shouldn’t Pay the Same Fine for Speeding.

And the author makes a good case for change: For people living on the economic margins, even minor offenses can impose crushing financial obligations, trapping them in a cycle of debt and incarceration for nonpayment. In Ferguson, Mo., for example, a single $151 parking violation sent a black woman struggling with homelessness into a seven-year odyssey of court appearances, arrest warrants and jail time connected to her inability to pay.

Across America, one-size-fits-all fines are the norm, which I demonstrate in an article for the University of Chicago Law Review. Where judges do have wiggle room to choose the size of a fine, mandatory minimums and maximums often tie their hands. Some states even prohibit consideration of a person’s income. And when courts are allowed to take finances into account, they frequently fail to do so.

Here in Vermont a judge is allowed “wiggle” room to consider income when handing out a fine. However someone charged with a violation that wishes a judge to consider their income must take the time to appear in court to contest rather than mailing in the traffic fine. Vermont fines range from 0-$1,000.00 with a non-waivable surcharge of $47.00. Conceivably someone could leave with only a $47.00 fee to pay as a “fine” if the judge accepts a public plea of poverty. Although more reasonable, than, say, the Ferguson Mo. practice, getting a day off work to plead your case carries a built in hardship — likely loss of pay for many low-income people.

In 2016 Vermont changed laws to help low-income drivers whose driver’s licenses had been suspended for non-criminal offenses regain the right to drive. Now the legislature is exploring changes to the new, rigid, computer-driven vehicle-inspection regulations. The change sought would allow some repairs to be listed as “recommended,” rather than “required,” where the faulty part is not safety-related. There is growing awareness that the stricter rules can be an unfair burden, particularly on low-income drivers who rely on high-mileage used vehicles.

So now might be the time for income-sensitive traffic fines to be considered for the same reasons.

Income based fines — charging wealthy drivers enough for traffic and speeding violations so it really is a deterrent — might be just the ticket for economic fairness and safety.

Hmmm, imagine that Jaguar driver on the side of the road in front of blue flashing lights having to pay 10 times what the 10-year-old Chevy driver pays. In the privacy of your vehicle, you’re allowed to smile.

ICE out time in Vermont

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The non-profit investigative journalism organization ProPublica is asking for help through crowd-sourcing: enlisting members of the public in keeping an eye out for ICE — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection.

VTICEout

 

Specifically, ProPublica is looking for people to report where ICE and the CBP are seen to be  operating, especially those places that might be considered sensitive: Officially, both U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection say they “generally” avoid arrests, interviews or surveillance related to immigration enforcement at “sensitive locations,” which include places of worship, hospitals, schools, weddings, funerals and public demonstrations.

But there are some pretty large exceptions to the policy: Courthouses and workplaces do not have any special protection from immigration enforcement activities. Ambulances pass through immigration checkpoints in border cities. And while certain buildings are considered off limits, nothing keeps agents from intercepting people as they leave. Immigration agents are also allowed to conduct enforcement actions at sensitive locations with approval from a supervisor, or in “exigent circumstances.”

We have seen that immigration sweeps have grown more frequent nationally since Trump has been in office. An ICE raid in Vermont and the arrest of 14 construction workers in Colchester this January brought home to us in Vermont the immigration enforcement crack-down.

ICE says arrests at sensitive locations are “exceedingly rare,” yet Trump’s enforcement agencies don’t keep track of how, or how often, “exigent circumstances” occur.

To document if these enforcement location exceptions are actually rare or not ProPublica has teamed up with Univison News (the American Spanish language news organization) to offer a mechanism for people to confidentially report where, when and how these operations are taking place, and how the sweeps or raids are affecting them.

Has an immigration enforcement action impacted you or someone you know? Have you changed a habit or stopped going somewhere because of ICE or CBP activities? Tell us  [the ProPublica website asks in an online reporting form].  A note about our commitment to your privacy: ProPublica and Univision News are gathering these stories for the purposes of our reporting, and will not voluntarily share your information with third parties without your express permission.

Vermonters might want to help: after all it is mud season in Vermont, and tradition dictates we watch for when ICE is out.

Lauren Hierl Becomes VCV Political Director

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I am so pleased to report that Lauren Hierl, Political Director of Vermont Conservation Voters since 2014, has now become its Executive Director. I had the pleasure of serving on VCV’s Board of Directors at the time Lauren first joined the organization and can say she brought new dynamism and communication skills to the group that has for so many years ably carried the banner for progressive policy in Vermont.

Here follows VCV’s press announcement:

Montpelier – The Vermont Conservation Voters (VCV) Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Lauren Hierl has been named Executive Director. Hierl has served as the VCV Political Director since 2014. Prior to that, Hierl worked as Environmental Health Advocate at Vermont Public Interest Research Group, as an environmental advocate in Washington, D.C. at National Audubon Society and Alaska Wilderness League, and as a researcher in Kruger National Park, South Africa and San Diego.

“Lauren has demonstrated strong leadership while Political Director, helping build Vermont Conservation Voters into a thriving and respected organization,” said VCV Board Chair Kinny Perot. “The Board decided to restructure the organization and name Lauren as Executive Director to reflect her demonstrated success as a highly effective advocate and influential player in recent elections.”

Founded in 1982, VCV works to elect environmentally-friendly candidates to public office, advocates for strong environmental laws, and holds elected officials accountable for the decisions they make affecting our air, water, communities, land, and wildlife.

“In my role as political director, I’ve had the opportunity to work on campaigns critical to protecting Vermonters’ health and our communities, including stronger policies to promote clean water, action on climate change, safeguarding our forests, and protecting people from toxic chemicals,” said Lauren Hierl. “I’m proud to be a part of VCV and am excited to continue to work with our board and supporters to build a bright future for VCV and Vermont’s environment.”

In addition to campaign and election work, VCV publishes an annual Environmental Common Agenda, which highlights the top legislative priorities of Vermont’s environmental community each year. VCV also produces an Environmental Scorecard, and works to inform voters about their elected officials’ leadership or opposition to environmental goals. VCV endorses candidates, and actively works to help elect environmental champions.

While VCV maintains a strategic partnership with the Vermont Natural Resources Council (VNRC), it is a separate organization with its own board of directors, and is governed by separate bylaws. “We’re excited to see Lauren named Executive Director of VCV,” said Brian Shupe, VNRC executive director. “She is a strong and strategic advocate who ensures that Vermonters’ environmental concerns are top-of-mind for our elected leaders.” Shupe will continue to oversee the strategic partnership between the two organizations.

Net neutrality race: Phil Scott follows Montana, New York and New Jersey’s lead

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In a press release on Thursday Republican Governor Scott announced he issued an executive order requiring that state contractors comply with net neutrality standards — thus following the lead of Democratic governors in Montana and New York and New Jersey who first signed similar orders back in January.scottmoves1

Vtdigger.com: The governor’s order directs the Agency of Administration to amend its procedures to ensure that internet providers who contract with the state comply with net neutrality standards, according to a news release from the Scott administration

The governor’s executive order would prevent internet companies who contract with the state from blocking content, engaging in paid prioritization of internet services or acting to “throttle, impair or degrade lawful Internet traffic on the basis of Internet content, application, or service.”

Scott’s order came after a state senate committee passed legislation (S.289) aimed at the same goal: to stop FCC chairman Ajit Pai’s repeal of Obama-era rules that had prohibited broadband providers from blocking or slowing websites or charging for higher-quality content and service. Similar legislation is under consideration in the Vermont House.

Other challenges to the Trump-era FCC rule change out ahead of Scott’s Thursday order include one by Vermont AG T.J. Donovan. He earlier joined attorneys general in twenty-one states in a lawsuit against the FCC to keep net neutrality. And nationally our entire congressional delegation has opposed Chairman Pai’s rule change from the start.

Governor Scott did include an exclusion — perhaps a regulatory loophole: “Waivers to these Procedures may be granted by the Secretary only upon receipt of a written justification from a State Agency and a finding by the Secretary [that] a waiver would serve a legitimate and significant interest of the State,” the order says.

In fairness, it must be noted that the Senate version of the bill as of our reading has a similar passage: The Secretary of Administration may waive the prohibition on paid prioritization and preferential treatment under subdivision (b)(1)(C) of this section if the Internet service provider demonstrates and the Secretary finds that the practice would serve a legitimate and significant public interest and would not harm the open nature of the Internet in Vermont.

But, it’s good that Governor Scott has finally decided to enter the already-underway race to save net neutrality, however late his start. Because, you know, the internet just won’t run right when blocked, slowed, and throttled.