Message from Montpelier - The Veto Over-ride Vote

As published in the Colchester Sun - June 21st, 2018

Colchester High School Graduation

As a Colchester School Board member, I attended the Colchester High School graduation last Saturday. A picture-perfect summer day in Vermont. Student speeches by Megan Lagerquist and Jacob Dell were impressive; well thought-out and well delivered. These students are neither naive nor cynical, showing instead a guarded optimism toward the future. Retiring Assistant Principal Tim Emery’s speech reminded me again of the dedication and sincere commitment to educating Colchester’s youth that so many of the district’s teachers and administrators evidence. Colchester is indeed a great place to live and raise children.

What has happened in Montpelier since that CHS graduation? You tell me. I hammered out this article last Sunday morning. On Tuesday the legislature met, but I have no idea what happened. It hasn’t happened yet. The governor vetoed the General Assembly’s compromise budget. Word is that there will be a veto over-ride vote on Tuesday? Was there? If so and it passed, several Republicans have voted against their governor; a hard thing to do. If an over-ride failed, we are still without a budget and closer yet to July 1st and a government shutdown. Concerned Vermonters are either relieved or biting their nails. If you’re curious about what happened, go to the Special Session page of my website: CT4VT.com. I’ll update that before you have a chance to read this.

After the graduation exercise I stopped in at a neighbor’s graduate reception. In the shade of a backyard tent, neighbors talked, laughed, and ate a fine dinner of salads and grilled meats. Several high school students tossed frisbees.  Our neighbor’s daughter is going on to college.  I did the same at that age. It was not until after college that I turned to being a farm hand and sawmill worker. Depending on her resources, she may have the freedom I had to sample many occupations. Or she may be faced with the burdens of student loans, health insurance, and the lack of affordable housing. When I left the reception the grad’s father called after me with a smile, “Just keep my taxes low.” I replied that I am trying.

Back to the future. I, no doubt, voted to over-ride the governor’s veto. Yes, the result will probably be a tax increase. For Colchester that’s true regardless of how I voted. No, I did not ignore my neighbor’s call. The best way to keep taxes low, or reduce them, is to make careful and responsible long-term financial decisions. A surprise gift, like a graduation card with a check enclosed, should be used to reduce future on-going expenses; one-time money to reduce the state’s pension obligations. I trust Colchester High School graduates will not learn that the hard way.

Message from Montpelier - Colchester Sun - May 10th 2018

The End of The Session

Agriculture is gone! The statue, named Agriculture or Ceres, no longer graces the top of the capitol’s golden dome. It wasn’t a pack of thrill crazed youths that swiped her. Blame it instead on the Department of Buildings and General Services (BGS). They parked a crane next to the building and plucked her from her perch as part of a two-year, $1.7 million, dome renovation, new gold leaf and all.

With the recent improvements in the weather, BGS is anxious to continue the project. Except those legislators are still hanging around debating, bargaining and voting on the few remaining bills. Renovations and negotiations may overlap, but this should be the final week of the latter. The session is ending. We’re under pressure.

As always there are two important pieces of legislation yet to pass: the budget and the education funding bill. The budget, referred to as the Big Bill, details how all the money is spent. The education funding bill sets what’s called the Dollar Yields for the various property taxes. Those numbers are the final piece of the formula that exactly determines the property tax rates for all Vermont towns. Last year the governor vetoed both bills. There’s speculation he will do the same this year.

A governor’s veto places a bill, that so proudly passed the House and Senate, into suspended animation. The only way to get it moving again is with a two-thirds over-ride vote in both the House and Senate. That may not be difficult in the Senate where the governor’s party is outnumbered 23 to 7. In the House an over-ride is more difficult. There the governor has 53 members of his party out of the total 150 representatives. There are also seven unpredictable Independents. The veto is a blunt instrument that forces compromise. But it can also push Vermont close to the brink of a dangerous cliff.

What happens if those two bills stay comatose? No Big Bill means there is no way to pay the state’s bills after July 1st when the fiscal year starts. The state can limp along for a while, but it would not be pretty. No education funding bill means those Dollar Yield values are not set. There is a default non-homestead property tax rate, but there is no such default for the homestead rate. In fact, there would be no homestead property tax. Some might cheer, but a $400 million hole in the Education Fund would remain open. Also, not pretty.

So, this week, without the calm guidance of the Goddess of Agriculture to maintain sanity, the powers-that-be in Montpelier begin the bluffs, threats, parries, thrusts, gasps and compromises that seldom bring the session to a graceful conclusion.

Message from Montpelier - Colchester Sun - April 19th 2018

Throw the bums out!! Every two years we get the opportunity to do just that. Every two years the governor, lieutenant governor, treasurer, auditor, all state representatives and all the senators answer to the will of the people. By inking in a series of ovals on a sheet of paper, Vermonters can completely change the makeup of the institutions that govern us and write our laws. That’s an incredible power people in many countries are denied and would die for.

Though the election is in November, those of you that have mused about placing your hands on the reins of power must soon step up. Assuming you’re running as a Democrat or Republican, you cannot get your name on the November ballot without first winning the primary election in August. To get your name on THAT ballot you must turn in the proper petition by May 31st. Ask the town clerk about it. That petition requires signatures. A State Representative, like myself, must chase down and strong arm 50 registered voters into signing my petition. They must all be from my Colchester district (CH-9-1 The Village Side).

Any number of candidates can run in August’s primary. That election winnows the State Representative candidates down to two from each political party. At most, the names of two Democrats and two Republicans will move from the August primary election to the November general election. There might also be candidates from other parties.  In November, voters choose any two.

Getting your name on the primary ballot costs nothing. The cost of running is in the campaign. A lowkey campaign with yard signs, a thousand flyers to hand out and a few newspaper ads could easily cost $2,000. If you’re elected as a Representative your pay is about $700 for each week that the Legislature is in session. You get reimbursed for the commute and there is a per diem meal allowance of $74 a day. There’s also $125 for the cost of lodging if you spend the night. A prudent person might make $1000 for each of the roughly 20 weeks of the session, but it depends a lot on how you choose to live while in Montpelier.

A hot button issue or a commitment to a good cause may motivate you to run and get elected, but then there’s the actual job. Media grabbing floor votes happen only a few times a session. For a good idea of the daily work of a Representative see my weekly blog post. There’s a link to it near the top of my website: CT4VT.com.

Keep in mind that “Throw the bums out” has a new meaning when you’re the bum that might be thrown out.

Town Manager Dawn Francis Reolution

Here's the final version of the resolution I arranged for Dawn Francis, our retiring town manager.