Category Archives: Irene & Recovery

Vilaseca to head newly minted Agency of Education

Posted on January 3, 2013 by | Comments Off

Last year, Gov. Peter Shumlin won legislation to endow his office will increased power over public education. On Thursday, he announced the appointment of the man he says will help him exert it.

Armando Vilaseca has been named to serve as Vermont’s first-ever secretary of education, a cabinet-level post whose allegiance to the governor will lend the executive branch unprecedented influence over education policy in the state.

Until now, the commissioner of education has answered to the nine-member State Board of Education, a century-old arrangement conceived to help insulate public education from the ideological bent of politicians.

Shumlin though convinced lawmakers last year that the system had prevented the state’s top elected officeholder from enacting needed reforms in one of government’s central roles.

Vilaseca has served as commissioner of education for the last four years and was among the three candidates nominated for the secretary’s post by the State Board of Education.

Shumlin said otday that in Vilaseca, he’s found a steady hand to lead the transition.

“I was lucky to have three strong candidates for the secretary’s post, but with my expansive education agenda, making a change in leadership right now does not make sense and I have confidence Armando is the right person to be sure we don’t miss a beat in the coming months,” Shumlin said.

Asked during a press conference what exactly his “expansive” agenda contains, Shumlin said he wanted to save details for a big reveal in his State of the State address next week.

Vilaseca headlined a slew of executive-branch job announcements Thursday, including the appointment of former House Majority Leader Lucy Leriche to serve as deputy secretary of commerce and community development.

Leriche is currently working under contract for Green Mountain Power.

Shumlin said more changes are in store for an Agency of Commerce to which he has decided to enact structural changes.

Under former Gov. James Douglas, the Department of Economic Development was folded into commerce. Shumlin said economic development demands fulltime focus, and that he is reestablishing the department so that he can appoint a dedicated commissioner.

The search for that position is underway.

Among the other executive staff changes:

  • Irene Recovery Officer Sue Minter will return to her role as deputy secretary of transportation; her deputy, Dave Rapaport, will become the new Irene Czar
  • Susan Allen, who in her first-term role as “special assistant to the governor” served as spokeswoman and communications chief, will take on the deputy chief of staff post being vacated by outgoing Alex MacLean. Allen, formerly managing editor of the Times Argus, will continue to handle public and press relations
  • Former Lamoille County Sen. Susan Bartlett, who spent the first term as a special assistant to the governor, will take a new job in the Agency of Human resources, where she will coordinate a range of projects for the administration
  • A former representative from Johnson, Floyd Nease – he served as House Majority Leader prior to Leriche – will serve as director of systems integration at the Agency of Human Services. Shumlin said Nease has been asked to streamline the delivery of services to vulnerable families

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Posted in Education, Governor, Irene & Recovery, News

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Shumlin invites town clerks to Irene event, on primary day

Posted on August 27, 2012 by | Comments Off

When Gov. Peter Shumlin says everybody is invited to tomorrow’s Irene commemoration in Randolph, he means everyone.

Shumlin last Thursday issued a personal email invitation to every state employee, as well as every town clerk inVermont.

The “We Are Vermont Strong Commemorative Gathering,” at the Chandler Centerfor the Performing Arts in Randolph, will feature music, video, art and lots of food. The concert hall opens at 6:30 p.m.

Town clerks might have a bit of a scheduling conflict. Tuesday is primary day and, in their roles as top local elections officials, clerks will likely have their hands full until 7 p.m., the statutorily mandated closing time for polling stations. Then they’ll have to count all the ballots.

Shumlin spokeswoman Sue Allen said the governor understands not every clerk will be able to make it. But she said he wants them to know how much their hard work over the past year has been appreciated, and that he’d love for them to be a part of the commemoration.

As for state employees, she said no one is required to attend. If they want to leave work early to go, she said, it’ll have to be on their own time, not the state’s.

Here’s the invite:

 

Dear ,

 

As we approach the one-year anniversary of Tropical Storm Irene, I want to thank you for your hard work and dedication helping your community and neighbors recover from the devastation left in the storm’s wake. Although we still have a long way to go to ensure that all our fellow Vermonters get back on their feet, we won’t stop until the job is done.

 

I hope you will be able to join me for the We Are Vermont Strong Commemorative Gathering on Aug. 28 at theChandlerCenterfor the Performing Arts inRandolph. There will be music, video and art displays, an ice cream social sponsored by Ben & Jerry’s, food vendors – American Flatbread, Ana’s Mexican Loncheria, VT Maple BBQ — and more. The art gallery and ice cream social begin at4 p.m., and the concert hall will open at6:30 p.m.for seating.

 

In addition, I hope you will encourage your community to participate in a statewide bell-ringing for thirty seconds at 7:00 p.m.on Aug. 28. As you know, many local communities and recovery groups are also planning Irene anniversary events. For a listing of many of those events, visit www.vtstrong.vermont.gov.

 

I am proud of this great state and the Vermont spirit that you demonstrate every day.

 

Sincerely,

 

Peter Shumlin

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Posted in Elections, Irene & Recovery, Politics

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Report on state offices to be unveiled in Friday meeting

Posted on March 7, 2012 by | 1 Comment

A long-awaited report by the architectural firm Freeman French Freeman will lay out three options for how the state could replace the Waterbury state office complex that was flooded during Tropical Storm Irene.

The Shumlin administration plans to unveil the Freeman French Freeman report this Friday during a meeting that will include Waterbury officials on the fourth floor of the Pavilion Building in Montpelier. The meeting starts at 10 a.m. Continue reading →

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Posted in Governor, Irene & Recovery, News, Politics, State Government

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Six lawmakers to settle long-running debate over mental health

Posted on March 2, 2012 by | 2 Comments

Three lawmakers from the House and three from the Senate will sit across the table from each other and attempt to resolve a mental health debate that has thus far split the two chambers.

Leaders in the House and Senate today named their conferees. Representing the House: Alice Emmons (Democratic chairwoman of the institutions), Anne Pugh (Democratic chairwoman of human services), and Sandy Haas (Prog/Dem vice-chairwoman of human services). Continue reading →

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Posted in Health Care, Irene & Recovery, News, Politics, State House, State Senate

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Controversy brews over mental health as Senate preps for vote

Posted on February 29, 2012 by | 9 Comments

Senate lawmakers this morning are frenetically preparing for a floor session this afternoon during which leaders aim to pass out, at long last, the mental-health bill that Gov. Peter Shumlin says will alleviate the “crisis” unfolding in hospitals across Vermont.

It’s been a long road for the legislation, which lays out a replacement plan for the 54-bed psychiatric hospital flooded out in Tropical Storm Irene. Seven weeks of legislative debate have done little to quell dissent over the administration’s plan. And a spate of amendments on the Senate calendar today spotlights the major areas of disagreement.

The size of the replacement hospital remains the biggest sticking point. Shumlin has demanded a bill that calls for a facility, to be located somewhere in central Vermont, with no greater than 16 beds. Exceeding that number, Shumlin says, will cost taxpayers nearly $10 million in foregone federal revenue annually. That’s because new rules in place at the Center for Medicaid and State Operations, he says, prohibit federal Medicaid matches for facilities with greater than 16 beds. Continue reading →

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Posted in Budget, Health Care, Irene & Recovery, News, Politics, State Government, State House, State Senate

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Buy a “Vermont Stong” license plate. And a car, while you’re at it.

Posted on February 9, 2012 by | 1 Comment

You’ve got to hand it to the marketing geniuses at Heritage Ford, who just managed to turn an Irene-related Statehouse press conference into a commercial for the South Burlington car dealership.

The Ford, Toyota and Scion dealer has launched a marketing campaign featuring comedian/actor Rusty DeWees. DeWees, members of the “H-Team” in tow, showed up at the Cedar Creek room for an 11:30 a.m. bill signing, where the Shumlin administration and lawmakers celebrated the passage of a law creating the “Vermont Strong” license plates.  Continue reading →

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Posted in Governor, Irene & Recovery, News, State Government

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Irene, jobs will headline State of State

Posted on January 5, 2012 by | Comments Off

The governor’s State of the State address, scheduled to get underway about 90 minutes from now, will focus largely on “Irene, jobs, and how those things are connected.”

That’s according to Chief of Staff Bill Lofy, who said the speech clocks in at 28 minutes, give or take.

Peter Shumlin’s inaugural State of the State will no doubt be a feel-good affair, with nods to the heroes of Tropical Storm Irene and odes to Vermont Exceptionalism. About midway through the speech, he’ll unveil the “Vermont Strong” license plate, a money-raising initiative to support survivors of the floods.

Aides to the governor are setting up a pair of sleek teleprompters right now. Last year, the devices failed to work in the early going, but finally activated about three minutes in. Hell was paid. It won’t happen again.

We’re unlikely to hear anything too controversial today. Next week though, when the governor drops his budget proposal on lawmakers, the partisan sparks will fly.

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Posted in Governor, Irene & Recovery, Taxes

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Dollar bills falling like snowflakes; $15M headed to Vt. for road repairs

Posted on November 23, 2011 by | Comments Off

Vermont's congressional delegation announced $15 million in emergency aid for the Green Mountain State…. 

From the announcement:

BURLINGTON, Vt., Nov. 22 – The U.S. Department of Transportation will release $15 million in emergency funds to help Vermont rebuild and repair roads and bridges destroyed or damaged by floods, Vermont’s congressional delegation announced today.

The Federal Highway Administration emergency grant includes $14 million for repairing damage caused last August by Tropical Storm Irene, according to Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.).

Another $1 million will help cover repair costs for highways and bridges washed out during heavy spring flooding.

The funding was released less than a week after Congress approved and President Barack Obama signed legislation funding emergency relief for Vermont and other states recovering from natural disasters like Tropical Storm Irene.

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Posted in Irene & Recovery, News, U.S. Congress

State to aid cash-strapped towns

Posted on November 22, 2011 by | Comments Off

MONTPELIER – The town of Halifax has 300 to 400 year-round residents. Its annual budget is $800,000. And the small southern Vermont hamlet is facing an estimated $7 million in infrastructure repairs as a result of Tropical Storm Irene.

For Halifax – and numerous other towns in a similar situation – the massive effort to rebuild roads has strained municipal coffers as federal aid is slow to come from Washington, D.C.

But top officials in state government on Tuesday outlined steps they are taking to ease the cash-flow problems that have arisen for some hard-hit towns as a result of the rebuilding effort.

The state plans to disburse $6.4 million in road funds and $125 million in education money earlier than it normally would. Flood-damaged towns that are required to send education money to the state by a Dec. 1 deadline also will not penalized.

The new deadline for education fund payments to the state is Feb. 28 for towns that suffered extensive damage.

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Posted in Irene & Recovery, News

U.S. Senate okays Irene help for Vermont

Posted on November 1, 2011 by | Comments Off

The U.S. Senate just passed a transportation bill that, if enacted into law, would solve some of the state’s chief post-Irene fiscal dilemmas. The bill to repair damage to the state system alone could hit $250 million. That’s down drastically from the $620 million officials initially projected, but still a significant chunk of money in a state where yearly transportation spending totals just more than $500 million.

If approved, the Senate transportation bill would see the feds cover 80 percent of all Irene-related repairs above $100 million (the federal government, by statute, is already responsible for the first $100 million).

The bill additionally waives the 180-day time limit usually imposed on federally funded emergency repairs. In Vermont, where things like ice and snow tend to complicate the road work season, the six-month time limit could prove problematic.

Sens. Patrick Leahy and Bernard Sanders are leading the charge on Vermont’s behalf, though it’s still unclear whether the proposed legislation will make it through the U.S. House. The emergency funding provisions, which would also help other Northeast states pummeled by Irene, would require an additional $1.9 billion in transportation funding.

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Posted in Irene & Recovery, U.S. Congress

Vt. Disaster Relief Fund hits $1.7M; new ad campaign planned

Posted on November 1, 2011 by | Comments Off

MONTPELIER – Money keeps coming into the Vermont Disaster Relief Fund – some of it on roller skates, according to Chris Graff, a board member at the new nonprofit that manages the fund.

The Vermont Disaster Relief Fund, one of the largest pots of money devoted to flood recovery, continues to compile cash; it had $1.3 million about five weeks ago and now has $1.7 million, said Graff.

The most recent large donation, which was for $120,000, came from the Argosy Foundation, said Graff.

But smaller donations from fundraisers at City Market in Burlington, a community theater, and even a roller derby “bout” have also helped add to the fund, said Graff.

“It is remarkable the extent and breadth of the donations that are coming in,” said Graff.

But the Vermont Long Term Disaster Recovery Group, which manages the disaster relief fund, also plans to unroll an advertising campaign in the coming weeks to keep the need for donations in the spotlight, said Graff.

“We've been talking to some large donors, but we plan to expand that and actually do a much more visible campaign to reach all Vermonters and make them understand that for many people Tropical Storm Irene may be in the rearview mirror, but it's not for all flood victims, and the unmet needs are going to be huge,” said Graff.

– Thatcher Moats

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Posted in Irene & Recovery

Vermont Disaster Relief Fund has $1M, but is waiting to dole it out

Posted on September 22, 2011 by | Comments Off

MONTPELIER – The Vermont Disaster Relief Fund, which will be run by a board of gubernatorial appointees and aid agencies, has raked in over $1 million in donations to help Vermonters affected by Tropical Storm Irene.
But the fund is still getting off the ground, so money is not yet being sent to struggling residents.
“It’s hard to say to people this isn’t ready yet,” said MaryEllen Mendl, the director of Vermont 211, one of the agencies that will administer the fund.
The fund’s bank account was set up just days before Irene struck the state on Aug. 28. The May flooding was the impetus for the fund, which was originally created by the United Ways of Vermont, the executive board of the Vermont Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster, and Vermont Emergency Management, said Mendl. Because it was months after the flooding in May that the fund was even loosely established, Mendl said, it became clear it was going to be most effective for future disasters.
“We were really building it for the future,” she said. “We just never realized how quickly the future was going to come.”
The money is one of several pots of donations compiled from across the country to help Vermonters recover from the historic damage the Aug. 28 flooding left behind.
It is also one of the largest funds and is closely affiliated with state government.
The donations have come from individuals and corporations. Vermont Public Radio raised more than $600,000 for the fund, said Mendl, the largest single chunk of money.
A surprising number of donations – and accompanying messages – have come from Louisiana, a state that received a flood of donations after Hurricane Katrina, said Mendl.
“It’s heartwarming to read these notes,” she said.
Though about $1 million has been pledged to the fund, not all the money has hit the bank account yet, said Mendl. Funds likely won’t be available until after Oct. 31, which is the deadline to register for FEMA, she said.
This money is designed to meet needs left unfulfilled by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, insurance companies and other groups, she said, and it is focused on individual Vermonters rather than businesses, nonprofits or people with damaged second homes.

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Posted in Budget, Irene & Recovery, News, Politics

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Waterbury tells Shumlin: Keep the state offices here

Posted on September 16, 2011 by | Comments Off

WATERBURY – Gov. Peter Shumlin visited Waterbury to tour flood damage Thursday afternoon.

While Shumlin's message to the people whose businesses and homes were damaged was to keep smiling, Waterbury officials had a different message to try and hammer home.

State Representatives Rebecca Ellis and Tom Stevens made sure to stress how important the state complex is to the economic health of the community in response to rumors the state may relocate the hundreds of employees that work there.

-Jenna Pizzi

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Posted in Irene & Recovery, Politics, State Government

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Vermont highway damage $300-$500 million, Searles says

Posted on September 13, 2011 by | Comments Off

MONTPELIER – Damage to the state highway system from tropical-storm flooding could hit $500 million, state officials told lawmakers this morning. And the cost to repair damage on municipal transportation infrastructure "is going to be huge, " according to Secretary of Transportation Brian Searles.

Preliminary damage estimates for state highways alone will likely fall somewhere between $300 million and $500 million, Searles said during a briefing to a panel of legislators.

That doesn't include the cost to fix municipal roads, where Irene inflicted similarly widespread devastation. As of yesterday, there were 1,128 road segments with some damage on the municipal system, and 207 of them remain closed, Searles said. There are another 132 damaged bridges, 77 of which are closed.

"There's a growing magnitutude of this storm damage that we can’t fully explain yet," Searles said.

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Posted in Budget, Governor, Irene & Recovery

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State workers kept idle – temporarily – over double-time pay fears

Posted on September 8, 2011 by | Comments Off

MONTPELIER — Concerns over labor contracts may have prolonged the idling of state workers whose Waterbury offices were rendered uninhabitable by flooding nearly two weeks ago.
Unionized employees have in some cases been barred from working from home — even if they want to. Human Resources Commissioner Kate Duffy said Thursday that the administration was reluctant to approve work-at-home arrangements until it had legal clarification around a provision in the union contract that guarantees workers double pay for working in “emergency” situations.
State workers displaced from their offices are still being paid.
“There were a number of questions that we had to assess before we were comfortable making certain decisions,” Duffy said. “I’ve now become more comfortable about how we’re defining an emergency, and whether or not double-pay would apply.”

Continue reading →

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Posted in Irene & Recovery, Politics, State Government