Monthly Archives: May 2026

The Legislature’s Definition of “Conflict of Interest” Is Remarkably Indulgent

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Another day, another cheeseball graphic from the Internet. But in the case of the Vermont Legislature, there’s something a little bit off with this picture. It’d be more accurate if the red “X” was removed, because its conflict of interest rules are more designed to enable conflict than prevent it. And the standard, as flaccid as it is, seems to be applied with stunning inconsistency.

Exhibit A: The very good story co-authored by Carly Berlin and Liam Elder-Connors and published by VTDigger and Vermont Public, about the clear and obvious conflict of interest involving Republican Rep. Debbie Dolgin.

Dolgin’s husband Steve is a hard-nosed landlord from St. Johnsbury who has actively lobbied the Legislature to make it easier for landlords to evict tenants. Dolgin herself now sits on the House Committee on General and Housing, whose remit includes landlord/tenant law. In committee deliberations, she has openly advocated for her husband’s interests.

This isn’t a problem, I guess, because the House’s conflict standards are as loose as a pair of panties in the mind of Fifties illustrator Art Frahm.

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“This Is, Frankly, Embarrassing”

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This cheeseball graphic uncomfortably represents Vermont’s commitment to ethics in our political process. It’s sad, it’s perfunctory, it’s just plain awful.

The title quotation neatly, depressingly, encapsulates our recent history with ethics enforcement. If Our Political Betters were capable of embarrassment, and if they are they hide it very well, the Statehouse would be full of beet-red faces.

The quotation came from Deputy Secretary of State Lauren Hibbert, speaking last month to a House committee that had just acknowledged, in a bill on the cusp of becoming law, that Vermont can’t afford ethical standards in our politics.

But hey, at least the Legislature is consistent. They’ve never had the stomach for any real ethics regime. They just want to make it seem like they care. The result: an ethics commission that’s woefully under-resourced, has no investigative or enforcement powers, and does all its business in secret.

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And Now, a Few Words on Behalf of Castor Canadensis

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Loyal Spouse and I headed up U.S.2 to the Jaquith Public Library in Marshfield last night to hear a talk by Vermont wildlife rescuer John Aberth, author of “Bringing Up Beaver: Two Orphaned Beaver Kits, Two Humans, and Our Journey Back to the Wild.” It was fascinating, and it raised some Vermont Political Points worth sharing.

The book tells the story of rescuing and raising two beaver kits, which is an incredibly demanding process and a two-year commitment because that’s how long it takes a beaver to reach maturity. (The image above is taken from the front cover of the book.)

Aberth shared his experiences, and spent a few minutes at the end talking about wildlife policy. He had a lot to say, much of which I had never heard before. He was sharply critical of trapping wild animals in general and beavers in particular. In the case of beavers, trapping is mostly employed to get rid of perceived nuisances — by property owners, town officials, and the Agency of Transportation. Long gone are the days when beaver pelts fueled the exploration of a continent; today, a pelt sells for only about $20.

The problem is not only the cruelty. It’s also the fact that beavers are actually beneficial to the environment. And in the vast majority of cases, trapping doesn’t work. All it does is open up prime beaver habitat for others to occupy; lather, rinse, repeat. Plus, there are proven ways to accommodate beavers and minimize conflict at a fraction of the cost of trapping, and trapping, and trapping again.

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