By Mickey Wiles My name is Mickey Wiles and I am the CFO of Burlington Labs, where I have been given a second chance after being convicted of a felony. As a person who has improved his own life through long-term recovery, I understand the power of second chances. Returning to a position such as…

By Scott Milne House Bill 249, a bill entitled “an act relating to intermunicipal services” passed the Vermont House of Representatives earlier this month, and is now being considered in the Senate. It is a direct assault on the independence of Vermont towns and an insult to voters. Regional planning commissions have lobbied successfully in…

By Steve Costello In the two weeks since the “ I Love Rutland ” campaign started via a quick email exchange between a couple of friends, it’s clear it struck a chord. Born from an idea by Mike Napolitano and quickly nurtured by more than a dozen businesses and nonprofits, city and community leaders and…

By Rep. Sarah Copeland Hanzas The Vermont House of Representatives has a proven track record of fighting for Vermont’s working and middle class families. These families are the backbone of the state and deserve a fair shot at success. Every March, the House passes a budget for the state that affirms our commitment to the…

By Gov. Peter Shumlin Last month, the Vermont Senate passed a bill to end the failed War on Drugs policy of marijuana prohibition in Vermont. This was a big step forward for our state. Bringing marijuana out of the shadows of prohibition is a smarter approach to regulating a substance that over 80,000 Vermonters admit…

By Wendy Reese Teaching yoga for 15 years, I’ve come to know that yoga improves balance, strength, flexibility and the ability to surrender. Unknowingly, I became a student of yoga from a most unlikely teacher when I volunteered for a nine-month appointment on our Select Board. Our board consisted of a newly elected selectman and…

By Don Turner The Fiscal Year 2016 Appropriations Act promised that the state legislature would embark on a “multiyear process to align state spending” in order to balance overall revenues and expenditures. By delineating comprehensive measures, the budget bill aimed to correct the ever-growing spending problem in Montpelier. These steps included reducing the reliance on…

By Rick Davis The recent Picus report on Vermont’s education spending suggests the state can save money by reducing spending on special education. While I agree generally with that statement, we need new thinking about how we get there. Artificial spending targets or extra tutors aren’t the answer. If we want to reduce spending and…

By Richard Mazza, Robert Starr, and Peg Flory In recent years, the political winds of promised change have blown in and out of Vermont like a nor’easter. But as the dust has settled, we seem to be falling short, in some important areas, of the open, pragmatic, well governing Vermont that we all know and…

By Deb Markowitz, Secretary, Vermont Agency of Natural Resources When I was first elected to public office at the age of 37, I was lucky enough to have a mentor, Tom Lehner, who had spent most of his career in public administration. I first met him when I was a young law clerk to Supreme…

The epidemic of drug addiction and overdoses gripping Vermont, and our country at large, cries out for reform. We must change the perception that jail is an effective treatment for the disease of drug addiction, and give mental health issues the attention and funding they deserve, an opinion I know many Vermonters share. But the…

How to tell if Congress is working again By Lee H. Hamilton There have been encouraging signs that the Republican leadership on Capitol Hill wants to make Congress function again. They’ve talked about a series of changes to make the process more open for rank-and-file members, and insist they want to restore a healthy legislative…

Shap Smith By House Speaker Shap Smith The first major hurdle of the 2016 legislative session was resolved this past Saturday when lawmakers approved a tweak to the cost containment threshold in Act 46, last year’s education governance reform bill. The debate echoed many familiar conversations about our school system. There were speeches about declining…

By Steve Costello I’ve long believed that one of Rutland’s greatest problems is a tendency toward overly negative self criticism, so when I heard about McNeil and Reedy’s contest celebrating its 60th anniversary, I was thrilled. The contest is simple: List 60 things you love about Rutland. Thanks to McNeil and Reedy for the idea,…

By Arn Pearson On Jan. 21, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) rolled out another edition of its “Rich States, Poor States” publication, an annual “study” funded by the Koch network. The publication annually slaps a fresh coat of paint on the flawed fiscal and economic austerity policies favored by the group and its corporate…