Author Archives: John S. Walters

Unknown's avatar

About John S. Walters

Writer, editor, sometime radio personality, author of "Roads Less Traveled: Visionary New England Lives."

Not With a Bang, But a Whimper

1 Reply

Vermont’s longest-running Cold War ended this week, with Seven Days waving the white flag and surrendering to Sen. Bernie Sanders.

It had been nine long years since Bernie had deigned to speak with Vermont’s leading weekly newspaper. The streak ended this week, with Seven Days accepting what was presumably a limited sit-down dedicated to one of the senator’s favorite issues, the plight of America’s senior citizens.

Ultimately it means little to nothing, but it made me a little sad. Way back in December 2017 when I helmed the gone-but-not-forgotten Fair Game column, I covered one of the great events of the Burlington social/political calendar: the late Tony Pomerleau’s annual Christmas shindig. It was a blatant exercise in noblesse oblige, with Pomerleau footing the bill for a big dinner and holiday gifts for selected members of the Queen City’s neediest. And every top-rank political type felt obliged to kiss Pomerleau’s ring, including America’s most notorious Democratic Socialist.

Bernie and Tony had a longstanding relationship, going back to the former’s first days as mayor of Burlington. Sanders had just won a shock victory in 1981, but he didn’t let it go to his head (at least not immediately). He realized he needed to find common ground with The Great and Good of Burlington, including its leading real estate mogul. The unlikely pair did indeed figure out how to work together, which helped get Sanders’ mayoralty off the ground and set the stage for his very successful political career.

Okay, I’m making a short story long. Point being, I wanted to get a quote or two from Sanders about this Odd Couple partnership. That was all. I approached him before the event, when he was glad-handing his way around the room. He seemed amenable at first, but that changed when I mentioned the magic words “Seven Days.” He said “Not right now” and turned away. He could have added “And not ever, either,” but it went without saying. At the time, Bernie held a grudge against Seven Days because it dared to cover some of his rare missteps. I was just caught in the crossfire.

As I walked up to him I started recording on my phone, and captured the entire 10-second exchange. I’ve saved it ever since for sentimental reasons, which is why I can quote it back to you now.

Continue reading →

Phil Scott Whips Out His Favorite Implement

2 Replies

Maybe it’s just me, but I see a veto as a failure of leadership. It’s a last resort, to be used only after all other options are exhausted. But Gov. Phil Scott seems to take pleasure in the exercise, to judge by the frequency of his vetoes. He long ago surpassed Howard Dean’s total (in far fewer years as governor), and Dean had been, by a country mile, the most enthusiastic vetoer in Vermont history.

To be fair, Scott faces the difficult task of trying to manage the state in concert with a Legislature dominated by the other party. But it’s the hand he has been dealt. It’s his responsibility to try to find ways to cooperate with the House and Senate. Hell, he talks constantly about the importance of cooperation and working across the aisle.

Except when he’s slamming the Dems or racking up another veto.

This time it’s S.18, which would have banned the sale of flavored tobacco products and e-cigarettes. And as is often the case, it kinda looks like Scott went fishing for an excuse to veto instead of doing his utmost to avoid using the bluntest instrument in the gubernatorial toolbox.

Continue reading →

The Phil Scott Shelter Clusterfuck Takes Another Bad Turn (Plus, Bonus Eclipse-Related Unsheltering)

Leave a reply

No foolin’ this time: April 1 brought yet another mass unsheltering for no good reason whatsoever, and the blame appears to fall on the Scott administration’s failure to communicate with clients of the motel voucher program.

It seems that somebody realized sometime last week that roughly 800 households — which, by the standard calculation of 1.6 persons per household, would be about 1,280 individuals — were eligible to stay in their state-paid motel rooms, but in order to do so they had to apply for reauthorization by April 1. And they hadn’t done so.

According to designated unsheltering pool reporter Carly Berlin, a mad scramble ensued. Well, she used “scramble.” The “mad” part is mine. Berlin:

The [Department of Children and Families]’ pleas were captured in an email sent to service providers on Friday afternoon, in which a DCF official said more than half of the 1,600 households “have an authorization that ends on 4/1/24 that has yet to be renewed.” In the message, Lily Sojourner, interim director of the Office of Economic Opportunity, asked for providers’ help in securing residents’ renewals.

To clarify: Sojourner “asked for providers’ help in doing the job DCF should have done.” Ugh.

The scramble brought the number of evictions down to about 360 households (570 individuals) as of early Monday afternoon. Great!

On top of this comes the cheery news from Seven Days that in Chittenden County, “more than 150 households” (at least 240 individuals) will lose their rooms on Saturday and Sunday nights so motel operators can rent ’em out to eclipse tourists at extortionate rates. It’s unknown how many will lose their shelter outside of Chittenden County. There are eight other counties in the totality zone, so the total unsheltered could be much higher.

Continue reading →

Phil Scott To Sleep Outside Tonight in Solidarity with Struggling Vermonters

11 Replies

April 1, 2024, Montpelier, Vermont — In a surprise announcement, Gov. Phil Scott told a hastily-assembled press corps (numbering in the mid-single digits) that he would sleep outside tonight.

“At a time when so many Vermonters are having trouble keeping a roof over their heads, they need to know their governor stands with them,” Scott said, standing outside the Statehouse clad in white shirt, tie, and tactical vest. “Therefore, I’m going to spend the night sleeping outside, here on the Statehouse lawn.”

As he spoke, a crew from the Department of Buildings and General Services was pitching a tent of the style depicted above. “At the same time, in order to perform my duties to the best of my ability as all Vermonters expect, I will require the fully-equipped, state-of-the-art ‘outdoor overnighting facility’ you see before you,” Scott added, as BGS staff hooked up a power supply and rolled in a 60-inch flat-screen TV, space heater, and mini-fridge.

Nearby, Vermont State Police troopers were setting up a mobile command post to maintain security for the nighttime hours. Floodlights were placed in a ring around the tent, pointed downwards and outwards to enhance security without disturbing the governor’s slumber.

The Vermont Office of Emergency Management was also there, erecting an eight-foot-high security fence in a wide circle about 100 feet away from the tent and topping it with razor wire.

When asked about the price tag for the one-night installation, a spokesperson said a cost estimate was not immediately available.

After the brief announcement, Scott returned to his office on the fifth floor of the Pavilion Building. When would he return to the tent for his overnight stay? His staff, citing security concerns, declined to give any further details.

“Why don’t Vermonters want to work for Phil Scott?”

4 Replies

This Just In: According to the Phil Scott administration, the Phil Scott administration is a terrible place to work. This is the implicit conclusion of the Department of Human Resources’ Workforce Report, whose most recent edition covers fiscal year 2023.

The report doesn’t offer that conclusion, but it’s the inescapable takeaway from its pages full of facts, figures, charts and tables. They show a state government that’s experiencing very high employee turnover and having trouble hiring new workers. it all adds up to unsustainably high vacancy rates in many areas of state government.

All those empty positions have a tangible benefit for the Scott administration, whose FY2025 budget is “balanced” only because it banks on the savings from having so many positions unfilled.

As for what this is doing to the quality of government services, well, it can’t be good.

Continue reading →

Somebody Made Phil Scott Really Mad, and It Might Have Been Me

8 Replies

Ruh-roh. Governor Nice Guy is putting his hard-won reputation at risk.

This morning his office put out a press release slamming critics of Zoie Saunders, his unqualified choice for education secretary. It’s a real piece of work, and I’d like to think I had a hand in inspiring this outpouring of wrath.

Not just me, of course. There are plenty of people who’ve questioned the Saunders nod. But you know, hope springs eternal.

Saunders’ nomination is subject to Senate ratification, and there are signs it might be in some trouble. A sizeable number of senators are raising questions about her selection. It’s unclear how many will sign on, but Saunders isn’t going to get a quick rubber-stamping. The governor’s people clearly see this, which is why he is striking back so aggressively.

Continue reading →

The VTGOP Is on the Verge of Blowing a Great Opportunity

2 Replies

Gov. Phil Scott and his party are going in opposite directions in just about every way, and that’s bad news for both sides. And great news for the Democrats.

This campaign season ought to be a good time for the VTGOP. Scott is pushing hard on “affordability” and there’s every reason to think it will resonate with the voters. Many people are finding it harder and harder to make ends meet. Few think of themselves as comfortable.

And while Scott has a simple, compelling narrative, the Democrats are trying to address tough issues through the messy process of legislating. And yes, the Dems are looking for revenue to pay for the things they see as necessary. It’s not an easy case to make. If you want a depressing example of the Dems’ messaging problems, take a listen to the February 28 edition of Mark Johnson’s “802 News” podcast. He interviews several Democrats about the school funding situation, and they all say it’s complicated and will take time, probably years, to sort everything out. It was a bleak outlook on the verge of a Town Meeting Day where many Vermonters rejected school budgets with big tax hikes.

And all the while Scott is hammering on a single point. I’m not saying he’s right; I’m saying it’s politically effective. And it should pay dividends. The Dem/Prog supermajorities ought to be in mortal peril. Scott should be able to emerge from 2024 with a stronger hand.

But he probably won’t because the Republicans are completely unready for the moment. The party is underfunded, under-organized, and dominated by extremists. Case in point: recent events in Windsor County.

Continue reading →

The Great Broward County Public Schools Land Grab, Starring Your New Education Secretary

3 Replies

More information has emerged regarding Zoie Saunders’ brief stint as Chief School Executioner (Ed. Note: Actual title may vary) for the Broward County Public Schools. It’s not exactly flattering, and it raises questions about the timing of Gov. Phil Scott’s hiring process.

Reminder that in December, a mere three months ago, Saunders was hired specifically to manage a consolidation effort in Broward County’s schools, many of which are underenrolled. The plan has been awash in controversy as school officials have dropped unsubtle hints that it’s a done deal even before a series of public forums was held, and many fear the closures will disproportionately hit students of color. There are also massive questions about the scale of the effort; as few as five schools or as many as several dozen could be targeted.

And a March 9 article in the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports that the plan “could turn into a major land grab for local cities and developers,” including operators of charter schools. “The district owns about 38 million square feet worth of property in a county where open land is scarce,” according to the Sun Sentinel, so you can see how this unschooling plan could touch off a feeding frenzy.

This casts the plan in a different light, as a way for system administrators to ease budgetary pressure by cashing in some prime real estate. Might work in the short run, but it’s not a strategy for sustainability.

And managing this process, which she is abandoning well before her job is done, is the sum total of Zoie Saunders’ experience in public school management.

Continue reading →

A Decent Interval Might Have Been Appropriate

Leave a reply

On Monday, to the surprise of absolutely no one, Charity Clark launched her bid for re-election as Vermont’s Attorney General. In the process, she touted her role in protecting Vermonters from the excesses of big corporations and presented herself as a shield against “any immoral, illegal or unjust action taken by Donald Trump” should he become president again.

I have no problem with any of that. But while Clark does good work defending our interests against threats from outside Vermont, she is constitutionally constrained from doing the same when it comes to the actions of our own state government. When the state is challenged in court, the AGO acts as the state’s lawyer. Like, for instance, on the previous business day when the AGO was in court defending Gov. Phil Scott’s crappy shelter program against a challenge by Vermont Legal Aid.

And yay, they won the case. Yippee. Congrats on helping keep hundreds of Vermonters unsheltered. Drinks all around.

The contrast between Friday’s defender of an indefensible state policy and Monday’s champion of justice couldn’t have been more stark. Good thing for Clark that nobody seemed to notice. Well, I did, and I kinda wish she’d postponed her campaign announcement by a few days at least. Put a little distance between the two separate and often contradictory roles that our AG must perform.

Continue reading →

The New Education Secretary Is Literally Unqualified for the Job, and That’s Not the Bad Part

10 Replies

Well, well. After taking almost an entire year to find a new education secretary, Gov. Phil Scott sprang his choice on us with very little notice on a Friday, when news organizations are ramping down for the weekend and have no time for a deep dive on the new hire’s background.

That wasn’t a coincidence, not at all, because Zoie Saunders not only hails from Florida, the state on the forefront of smothering public education, not only comes from a position where her primary responsibility was to close public schools, but also fails to meet the legal standard for her new job. The relevant passage:

At the time of appointment, the Secretary shall have expertise in education management and policy and demonstrated leadership and management abilities.

I suppose the governor would argue that Saunders has “expertise in education management and policy” dating primarily from her five years as an executive for Charter Schools USA, a for-profit underminer of public education. But c’mon, she has never taught, she has never managed a school building let alone a district, and she has racked up a mere three months actually working in a public school system. That shouldn’t strike anyone who cares as “expertise in education management.”

Continue reading →