Dear Editor, When I spoke face to face with Bruce Lisman and suggested that Vermont needed to go on offense, so to speak, to expand our economy, instead of taking incremental defensive measures, I saw that he was really listening. In fact, growth of new businesses was never far from his thoughts in our lengthy…

By Rob Roper Before Peter Shumlin became governor, he famously said that there was no more tax capacity left in Vermont. We were “tapped out.” Since then, Shumlin and majorities in the legislature have passed hundreds of millions of dollars worth of new taxes and fees. Despite this, the state still deals with a consistent…

By Jon Margolis, VTDigger.org Vermont’s campaign for governor is getting a bad rap. “Boring, boring, boring” seems to be the general consensus of the political insiders and the professional chatterers alike. In fairness to the insiders and the chatterers, there is evidence to support their assessment. The campaign doesn’t have much political sex appeal. Neither…

By Emerson Lynn, St. Albans Messenger The safest target for any politician is the company that is profitable and the person[s] running it. In Vermont, that target has become the hospital and its administrators—the University of Vermont Medical Center in particular. In a Vermont Digger story last week it was noted that Vermont’s hospitals have…

By Lee H. Hamilton The next few weeks in politics are a little like the All-Star break in baseball. With the Republican and Democratic national conventions upon us, it’s a good time to step back and assess this year’s election. Which carries bad news for both parties. The Republicans face a steep electoral challenge. If…

By Elizabeth Hewitt, VTDigger.org Economists lowered estimates of how much revenue the state is expected to net in the current fiscal year by $28 million, Thursday, July 21. However, the Shumlin administration says the state can make up for the drop without cutting the budget, by using money unspent in the previous fiscal year and…

Dear Editor, The Vermont Inn and Bed & Breakfast Association brought to my attention on July 19 a consideration from the Vermont Department of Health that would compartmentalize lodging accommodations by size (the number of guest rooms) when it comes to the application of the department’s recently revised health and safety regulations. I do not…

Dear Editor, As a former legislator, I would like to help you get to know Kesha Ram, a candidate for lieutenant governor in the upcoming primary. Kesha Ram was my seat mate in the House of Representatives, and though far younger than I, 26 years old at the time, she was already an experienced legislator…

Dear Editor, I agree totally with the Jon Margolis op-ed, published in the Mountain Times July 13 -19, but I don’t think the millionaires who were described in the article are the ‘rich’ that a lot of people are talking about. Those whose annual income is in the $75,000 to $150,000 range are considered to…

Dear Editor, I am a Rutland City resident, registered voter and taxpayer. Kudos to Rutland First for standing up for everyday citizens like me, and to the Board of Aldermen for asserting their authority as our representatives by sending the letter. Rutland First is concerned that public discussion on the refugee matter and authority for…

Dear Editor, The primary responsibility of elected officials is to the citizens. When Rutland’s Mayor Chris Louras single-handedly devised a plan with respect to bringing Syrian refugees to the Rutland area, he failed to consider the citizens he represents. Vermonters are generous and welcoming. They deserve no less than equal consideration from elected officials in…

Dear Editor, Vermont Veterans of Foreign Wars tried in the past to get Vt. Route 103 named for Desert Storm veterans and their families, but it was discovered that half of Route 103 was named for Calvin Coolidge back in the 1930s. Therefore, we have re-petitioned the state asking that Vt. Route 22A from Fair…

Dear Editor, Bruce Lisman’s candidacy in this year’s Republican primary for governor seems, to me, to be a rare chance for us as Vermonters to help ourselves. I introduced myself to Lisman after hearing him speak at a candidate forum last October. I found his thoughtfulness and engagement to be head and shoulders above the…

By Steve Costello and Terry Jaye We’re writing today because we share a deep, abiding love for Rutland–and urge all who share that affection to embrace it in the coming days and weeks. Regardless of where anyone falls in the current debates, we know one thing to be true: the greater Rutland community is filled…

Dear Editor, Here at my Rutland home I have a wonderful golden retriever named McKie. He’s the most mellow, people-loving creature on the planet. We feed him an all-raw diet of healthy meat and local produce and he will soon celebrate his 10th birthday in apparent good health . . . a long time for…