In every crisis there is a point when the leader says to those being managed, “Don’t tell me why it can’t be done, tell me how it will be done, and it would be best if it happened yesterday.”
It was terrific to see so many young people engaged in the workings of government this week. The 2019 class of Eagle Scouts were honored for their accomplishments with a House resolution. Congratulations to all the Eagle Scouts for their accomplishments and to their families, Scoutmasters, m…
The life of S.23 – an act relating to increasing the minimum wage continued last week. The Governor vetoed the bill on Monday. He cited in his veto message his concerns with a mandated increase to be projected job losses, decreased employee hours and increased costs of good and services. The…
It’s no secret that like many northeastern states Vermont faces difficult demographic challenges. In a state with an aging population, we’ll need more younger workers in the coming years to have a healthy tax base and to provide the services many older Vermonters rely upon.
Vermonters value our strong communities. We celebrate the good times with cheers and hugs, and we lend a helping hand when times are tough. Taking care of our neighbors – that’s what we do. During a power outage, we check in on our neighbors. After a heavy snow, we help shovel stoops and pus…
If you visit the Statehouse this time of year you won’t see many long debates in the House chamber. Instead, House committees are deep in the work of developing and refining proposals, some of which will make it to stage where those bills are voted on by the full body. About 1250 ideas in th…
The hot topic of this past week was Paid Family Leave. The Governor had vetoed the bill and it was again take up in the House with hopes of overriding his veto. After much discussion and debate it was voted on again. The two thirds majority needed was not attained and the bill did not become…
Cleaning Up Vermont’s Lakes, Rivers, Streams, and Drinking Water
On Tuesday, voters in Iowa will traipse to their individual caucuses to give the nation its first report on who is leading among the Democrats running for the presidential nomination. Depending on the poll, the lead has bounced from Pete Buttigieg, to Elizabeth Warren to Bernie Sanders and n…
At VTrans, we know how much you count on us to keep Vermont’s roadways safe for travel during winter weather and storms. This time of year, you’ll see our fleet of 268 plow trucks out in full force, plowing millions of miles of roads and highways and doing our part to keep you moving.
I am a civil engineer, a matter of considerable personal pride. And when I think about some of the significant challenges that Vermonters have met and overcome, many of the most impressive that come to mind (or at least the mind of a civil engineer) are feats in which engineering had a centr…
Last week, Vermonters from all corners of the state returned to the State House for the 2020 legislative session. The Speaker kicked off the first day with her vision to create an economy that works for everyone, not just a select few. Vermont faces its share of challenges and opportunities.…
We stare at our children and envy their lightness of being, like snowflakes swept along the hard edge of winter’s first breath. They are spared the cares that shadow their parent’s lives. Their Christmas orbits are drawn with the truest of lines; you are their center, and they yours.
We’ve had a busy and productive year to cap off the decade. I couldn’t be more grateful to our town staff, who work tirelessly to deliver the services and amenities we expect of Milton. Team morale is strong and we’re all ready for another exciting year of working with friends.
One of the public policy issues of our time is looking ahead to see how we can rejigger our educational system to adjust to the expected impact automation will have on the workforce. The warning is that if we don’t adjust we will run headlong into a future of greater income inequality, less …
Our education funding system is broken. We all know it.
Ever since the passage of Act 60 in 1997 and Act 68 in 2003, Vermonters have been perpetually frustrated with our education financing system. And for good reasons. Vermont has the second highest property tax burden in the nation. Marry that with a declining student population and wild inequa…
The topic of health care consolidation – or, the coming together of hospitals, doctors and other types of providers – has been in the news quite a bit recently. In fact, early last month, the Health Reform Oversight Committee of the Vermont Legislature heard from a Stanford University econom…
Commentary: We need a governor who will tackle the cost of health care, so workers can work and earn
NORWICH, VERMONT – Double-digit increases in health care premiums are bringing extra pain and stress to open enrollment season for health insurance. Higher prices for less care are causing all the harm you’d expect. A business owner told me how frustrated he is, because the high cost means h…
Winter is coming. But we’re not letting these last fall days go unappreciated.
