What do Statehouse regulars, and visitors, want or expect to hear when the guv takes the stage in an hour? Feedback from the bus, the cafeteria and the hallways:
-- "Legislators don't like to hear about limits, but they need to." John O'Kane of IBM. State government grown bigger than we can afford,he said, and there isn't going to be enough revenue to go around.
-- "We'd like to hear about universal, affordable health care." -- Lindol Atkins, a retired Water Department worker from Burlington who lobbies for the State Labor Council.
-- "I think the message is going to be more upbeat and optimistic." -- Sue Allen, editor of the Barre-Montpelier Times-argus and a former press secretary in the Howard Dean administration. Democrats have gotten some ink with their complaints that Douglas sends a negative message about the difficulty of doing business in Vermont. He may respond in his speech, she thought.
-- "Highways and infrastructure." -- Rep. Bill Johnson, who represents a huge swathe of the far Northeast Kingdom in the House. His constituents are tired of their cars bottoming out on "crumbling" state highways, he said.
- - Candace Page