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Political notes from Free Press staff writers Terri Hallenbeck, Sam Hemingway and Nancy Remsen


3.28.2007

 

Random items ...

... Former Sen. Jim Leddy of Burlington made a Statehouse visit today, his heartbeat set by the pacemaker doctors recently installed inside him. Leddy was on his way home on an airplane recently when he fell ill, landed and rushed to the hospital. He may have been walking a little slower, but once he got talking about the Catamount Health Plan, Leddy had the same old fire. Suffice to say he doesn't think very kindly of the Douglas administration's plans to use from Catamount for other health care programs. He did say, though, that he received excellent medical care himself.

... A few senators had a change on heart Wednesday on the campaign finance bill that passed unanimously on the first vote Tuesday. Wednesday's vote was 23-3, with Sens. Vince Illuzzi, Hull Maynard and George Coppenrath, all Republicans, voted no. Illuzzi said he thinks the state is headed for another expensive lawsuit if this bill becomes law because contribution limits such as $250 for House members are too low.

... The whole Senate went along with a bill that would allow those state workers at the Bennington State Office Building who've come down with sarcoidosis to receive wroerks' compensation. The bill does not include any guarantee of workers' comp for those with asthma, as the union had wanted. The bill also sets up a panel to look at establishing a new office building in downtown Bennington, in case the tainted building from which workers have been moved can never be used again. Testing on the building won't happen until April 30, after more furniture is cleaned and moved out of the building.

... The Vermont State Employees Association has been feuding with the Douglas administration for some time over what employees are allowed to say and what they're not. Some agencies have lengthy policies about what to do when a legislator or a reporter calls seeking information, about who can testify before a legislative committe, then clarifications about how employees are not really restricted from speaking their minds. The latest round came in response to health problems at the state office building on North Avenue in Burlington. One e-mail to employees reminds them that when a reporter calls, all calls should be referred to the commissioner. A follow-up e-mail clarifies that, indeed, employees are free to talk to the media about their own experience, they just can't talk about clients, policies, etc.

- Terri Hallenbeck

Comments:
Vince Illuzzi is right that the campaign finance bill as passed by the Senate has a constitutional problem - it's more likely the $20,000 cap on total contributions from political parties to candidates than the $250 limit for contributions to House candidates. Federal court decisions indicate that parties have First Amendment rights to raise and spend money on behalf of their candidates.

Will the new leadership of the Republican party be as willing as Jim Barnett was to be the plaintiff in a lawsuit testing this part of the act?

Federal law provides that plaintiffs in constitutional cases such as this can demand that the defendant (the state government) cover a fair amount of their attorneys' fees. The state will probably end up having to pay more than $1,000,000 to cover lawyers' fees for the case that went to the Supreme Court last year.
 
Nice. First, Douglas and his henchmen and women send out free speech chilling e-mails, then they follow it up with "have a nice day" lighthearted sweet little memos. Freakin' hypocrites. Ever feel like the left hand doesn't have a clue what the right hand is up to? This is what happens when you switch out commissioners and secretaries every six months. However, given the way Tasha Wallis has screwed up all of these moves, she really should be shuffling on now.
 
Some that just shuffled in should shuffle out.
 
It might indeed be time for Tasha Wallis to shuffle out, but if she does leave state government, the press should remember to note that it was Howard Dean, not Jim Douglas, who first appointed her to a high-level state position. Wallis worked as a policy analyst in Dean's office from 95-97, then served in Labor and Industry, as deputy commissioner and commissioner, from 97-03. She worked for Dean longer than she has worked for Douglas.
 
Maybe Douglas should launch an "accountability" tour and start addressing the widespread incompetence of his own staff. Heads SHOULD roll for the disgraceful way these sick building issues have been addressed. Even $800,000 worth of spin doctors can't cover up this mess.
 
The issue isn't who hires these folks, it's how they are performing in their jobs (to the tune of $90-$100,000 VT taxpayer dollars). If Dean hired Wallis then that should make it all the easier for Douglas to take her to task.
 
Wasn't Illuzzi the one who started the ball rolling to get the Bennington workers their compensation? He should be cheered for that. The State initially refused to give these people compensation. It figures the State wouldn't go the extra mile and give some help to the asthma people. Doesn't surprise me.
 
Clinton / Illuzzi 2008 !
 
Illuzzi for Governor!
 
Illuzzi for governor, Leddy for Lt Governor.
 
How about that ed bill dying an ignanimous death yesterday? And Symington blames the Governor!! The audacity of her claiming that her own caucus couldn't get the votes because it "went to far".

Ummm.. I think if you talk to any of the D's, you will find that they are scared of passing a bill that does NOTHING!!! $9M in savings on a budget of $1.3 BILLION? Come on... get real. Get the NEA out of committee and start fixing the problem.
 
The bill didn't die. There is a vote scheduled in it for next week.

You don't even have the basic facts right!
 
Good Luck with that vote. The democrats will never take resposibility for it.
 
Responsibility for what? Reforming property taxes?
 
Democrats "reform" a tax? They are like alcoholics, they just can't say no to any kind of taxes. So many special intrests, so few taxes!
 
Democrats would need courage they don't have. It would take vision for the future.
 
The only President in 60 years to balance the federal budget was a DEMOCRAT.

It's the Repubs that have the spending problem.
 
Of course the budget was "balanced" with the greatest tax hike in history. DUH!
 
Apathy elects these people.
 
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