vt.Buzz ~ a political blog

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

6.24.2008

Chen won't run

Rep. Harry Chen, D-Mendon, has decided he won't run for lieutenant governor.

"I'm not going to do it," he said Tuesday. "I'm gratified I had a lot of people supporting me."

He admitted he had been tempted to run as a team with House Speaker Gaye Symington, who is the Democratic Party's candidate for governor. At the end of the day, or in this case the campaign trail, if he had been successful, he would have been back in Montpelier for another legislative session with all the same conflicts with his personal and professional life. That's why he had decided against running for re-election, he said, and also why he decided against seeking the lieutenant governor's job.

"I'm open to coming back and continuing in politics at some point," Chen said. "I think I made a difference."

So what Democrat is going to run for lieutenant governor? Anybody?

-- Nancy Remsen

posted by vt.Buzz | 1:52 PM |

Comments:

Why not start another rumor BFP blog masters? Beats the heck out of reporting real news.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 2:04 PM, June 24, 2008

Shumlin for Lt. Gov!!!

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 2:20 PM, June 24, 2008

JWCoop for LT Gov!

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 2:29 PM, June 24, 2008

Shumlin - no way!

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 2:50 PM, June 24, 2008

The 180 people losing their jobs should personally call Peter Shumlin and thank him his helpful remarks this past Spring.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 3:10 PM, June 24, 2008

Only if the 400 state workers call up Jim Douglas to thank him for his help on their job losses.

JIM = JOBS --- what a joke!!!

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 5:01 PM, June 24, 2008

Anonymous said...

"The 180 people losing their jobs should personally call Peter Shumlin and thank him his helpful remarks this past Spring."

Which had bupkis to do with why they lost their jobs today, little nameless-nitwit fella. If it did, Jeff Couture would have mentioned it. He didn't.

Shumlin's got nothing to apologize for, shmendrik.

Once again, you're dumb, you're scum and your ignorant anonymous ass has got bupkis.

Disappear.

# Posted by:

JWCoop10 | 5:05 PM, June 24, 2008

Chen would be a sorry excuse for Lite Guv. Good thing he recognized that.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 8:20 PM, June 24, 2008

Sen Shumlin's continued attack on Vt Yankee and the potential of increased utility rates scares any company, both those currently operating in Vermont but especially those thinking about relocating or expanding. Of course, those not concerned with private sector jobs need not worry.
Run Shumlin, run!

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 7:27 AM, June 25, 2008

Weren't energy costs part of Green Mountain Coffee's reason for expanding outside the state?

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 7:46 AM, June 25, 2008

YES!!!! Energy as in TRANSPORTATION not generation. The new plant is rationalized as way to cut down on traveling long distances and to expand their market. It had NOTHING to do with in state generation.

It's interesting to see that businesses now make decisions based on the fear of the maybe opposed to the facts on a spreadsheet. GET A CLUE!!!

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 10:55 AM, June 25, 2008

Hey, according to the Douglas administration, Vermont has the lowest electricity costs in New England - so that can't be it either.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 11:26 AM, June 25, 2008

According the BFP on June 6 in an article on the Green Mountain Coffee move to TN, ..."Electricity in Tennessee is also much cheaper than in Vermont, according to the Energy Information Administration. In 2006, average retail electricity in Vermont was 11.4 cents per kilowatt-hour compared to 7 cents in Tennessee; the U.S. average was 8.9 cents. "

I 'fear' you are wrong on generation costs. Don't make the wrong decision now.

VT seems to be 28% above the average and 62% above TN.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 11:29 AM, June 25, 2008

TN is not in NE

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 12:05 PM, June 25, 2008

No kidding. You are pretty good at geography but it doesn't change the fact that TN is cheaper per the BFP. Unless of course you are Coop and then you can dismiss it since it didn't come from the Daily Kos or HP.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 12:38 PM, June 25, 2008

NEK said...
"Sen Shumlin's continued attack on Vt Yankee and the potential of increased utility rates scares any company, both those currently operating in Vermont but especially those thinking about relocating or expanding. Of course, those not concerned with private sector jobs need not worry.
Run Shumlin, run!"

And your evidence in support of your allegation is the fact that IBM didn't cite Shumlin or Vermont's allegedly "anti-business attitude" along with the continuing absence of any and all evidence in support of your allegation?

In short, you're dumb, you're scum and ya got bupkis.

Thanks for clearin' that up.

Nice try, nekwit. I didn't buy that factually-challenged/fundamentally-dishonest, delusional dreck from auntie amerika and I ain't buyin' it from your ignorant ass, either.

Always a pleasure.
Dismissed.

# Posted by:

JWCoop10 | 12:56 PM, June 25, 2008

I think McDonald's wants Green Mountain Coffee to have another plant so they do not risk a shutdown due to some unforseen disaster.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 1:03 PM, June 25, 2008

TN is cheaper because of one thing - multiple and diverse generation.

Oil Fired Plants
Nat Gas Fired Plants
Coal Fired Plants
Nuclear Plants
and the biggie... the Tennessee Valley Authority Hydro Plants

It's not an apples to apples comparison to just sumply say TN is cheaper than VT.

If you go to the Northwest US, rates are even lower than TN.

The fact is VT has the lowest electric rates in New England!

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 1:05 PM, June 25, 2008

Anonymous said...

"No kidding. You are pretty good at geography but it doesn't change the fact that TN is cheaper per the BFP. Unless of course you are Coop and then you can dismiss it since it didn't come from the Daily Kos or HP."

Ah, so the fact that your ignorant, ill-informed anonymous ass is as completely clueless with respect to Geography as ya are with History, Law, Logic and anything and everything else under the Sun involving fact, evidence and rational thought and that you clearly pull your alleged evidence outta thin air is your offer of proof, eh, little factually-challenged nameless-nitwit fella.

Nice try. You're dumb, you're scum and ya got bupkis. Tell your story walkin'

Always a pleasure.
Dismissed.

# Posted by:

JWCoop10 | 1:06 PM, June 25, 2008

Do not scare the children with a threat of Shumlin running for statewide office!

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 9:19 PM, June 25, 2008

Pollina for Governor!!

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 9:37 AM, June 26, 2008

Yes, the Free Press told us that electricity is cheaper in TN but they did not cite it as a reason for the GMC move. At no point did GMC say "we are opening a plant in TN because of electricity rates" this was simply a bit of editorializing on the BFP's part in order to get you to draw the conclusion you did.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 9:40 AM, June 26, 2008

Yeah...the BFP is evil like that. The VT business environment is great and really drawing them in.

# Posted by:

Anonymous | 8:33 AM, June 27, 2008