(In keeping with our policy of featuring first-person diaries by the candidates on the GMD front page, here is the latest from Deb Markowitz: – promoted by Sue Prent)

When a supporter told me about Brian Dubie's advertisement on the NY Times website telling readers Vermont was a bad place to do business, I didn't want to believe it.

Then I saw it for myself.

Playing politics with our economy is inappropriate especially when we have more than 20,000 Vermonters without jobs. It doesn't help make our state better and it is discouraging to businesses who already make their home in Vermont. This kind of talk may help Brian's campaign, but it won't help Vermont.

Look, in Vermont we've got challenges. We've got to make Vermont more affordable for Vermont business and families. That's one reason I'm running for governor. But, you don't jumpstart the economy by broadcasting to the readers of the New York Times, that Vermont is a bad place to do business. And if you want to be the leader of a state, that's the last thing you should be doing.

When I am governor I will send a positive message about doing business in Vermont. I will take actions to help new businesses start up and existing businesses succeed. Unfortunately, Brian Dubie is continuing a tradition of trashing Vermont and it has to end. He is literally advertising to an influential audience that businesses shouldn't think about Vermont.

See the full video from WPTZ on this here.

(In keeping with GMD’s policy of front-paging diaries posted for state-wide office, here is the latest from Deb Markowitz. – promoted by GMD)

Every May, when the weather turns warm, I get the urge to do a little spring cleaning. It starts with the mud room. Piles of winter clothing, miscellaneous hats and mittens and ski equipment have to be sorted and put away. Then I end up cleaning closets when I find that there is no room to store the coats, boots and snow pants that I have just rescued from the mud room. Pretty soon the whole house is in an uproar, and after a long day of chaos we find order again – with a pile of things heading to Goodwill and an overflowing garbage bin.

It is hard to believe how much junk we can accumulate in just a year!

Every May we also do spring cleaning as a state. For the past 40 years–during the first weekend in May–Vermonters in every community observe Green Up Day.

( – promoted by JulieWaters)

When the “Challenges for Change” budget plan was unveiled earlier this month it was celebrated by the legislature and administration as a different and better way to cut costs.

Instead of just slashing budgets, the goal was to improve outcomes and save money by rethinking the way services are delivered. It turns out the process was neither different, nor better, and has led to another contentious budget process.

Challenges for Change is another example of why we must change the way we do things in Montpelier if we are going to get Vermonters working again and move the state forward.

First, it should not be celebrated that the state of Vermont is only now, eight months before the end of the governor’s fourth term in office, approaching the management of state government by looking at what we want to accomplish and then finding the most efficient and effective way to get the job done. Outcome based budgeting is what every successful business does and what I have done as Secretary of State for the past twelve years.

The fact that the budget cutting proposals were developed in secret, without public input on significant changes in public policy is more disturbing. The public was left largely in the dark. It was only when the Dover school board pushed to attend one of these secret meetings that the public even knew these discussions were going on. While the team selected by the governor to address education cuts eventually opened its meetings the remaining five teams, examining everything from mental health to regulatory reform, remained outside of public scrutiny.

[More after the fold]

So the fate of children’s health care, services for our seniors, the protection of our natural environment and even our job creation services were decided behind closed doors. The legislature, having voted on the plan without the specifics, is now in an unenviable position to either accept the administration’s flawed process or come up with alternatives in a matter of weeks.

One of the things I learned from working with every town in Vermont and with small businesses across the state is that top down decisions from Montpelier rarely work. When I first took office I traveled across Vermont and listened to the ideas small businesses had to improve the process of starting or expanding a business. I listened to professionals like nurses and real estate agents, engaged our state employees and talked with local officials. The ideas they came up with were central to the turnaround in the Secretary of State’s office, now nationally recognized for our innovation and customer service.

As the only candidate running for governor with executive experience in Vermont I understand budgets. I’ve managed an $8.5 million budget. I’ve made cuts, found efficiencies, eliminated waste and reorganized to do more with less – and I have also found ways to cut fees for small businesses and professionals.

As your Governor, we will do more with less, but we will not skimp on the services that make us a great state to live in-that keep us whole and prepare us for the future. I will carry a big ruler into office as governor and resize our government to put Vermont back on the right track. But I will do this as part of an open process, rather than through secret meetings.

I know that when we engage the best thinking of Vermont citizens, state employees, businesses and partner organizations we will come up with solutions that not only save tax dollars, but also better serve Vermonters.

(Continuing the policy of promoting diaries from officeholders and officeseekers – promoted by GMD)

One way of demonstrating accountability is conducting public business in public for everyone to see. Entergy has put the safety of Vermonter's at risk as well as the jobs of more than 600 in our community. I have always taken the position that safety comes first and that is why I have strongly opposed the re-licensing of Vermont Yankee.

We saw on Green Mountain Daily last week that Entergy really doesn't like inviting the public to its briefings. Now, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Entergy plan an out-of-state, closed-door meeting. This only reaffirms Vermonter's worries about Entergy's intentions. As Secretary of State, I have fought to keep Vermont government open and accountable.

I agree with our Congressional delegation and thank them for their letter today. (It's nice to have the best Congressional delegation in the country, isn't it?)

This move continues to erode the little faith Vermonters have in an aging nuclear plant and the company that operates it until 2012.

While the safety of the plant continues to be a top priority as long as it operates, we still haven't heard a plan for the job loss that really concerns me.

Almost two months ago, I led with a vision for green energy incubators in Windham county to create a “Green Zone” to jumpstart job growth, retrain workers and help the families affected by the plant's closing.

I still await emergency plans from the administration and the legislature to address the impact throughout the state. I have laid out steps I think should be taken but these steps cannot wait until I become governor in January 2011.

(FYI from candidate Deb Markowitz — no endorsement implied, just continuing the policy of promoting diaries from officeholders and officeseekers – promoted by NanuqFC)

Hey GMDers.

Just wanted to make sure you all saw this video Deb sent to our supporters earlier today. She will officially announce her candidacy on Monday at the Barre Auditorium in Alumni Hall. Then she will tour across the state to listen to Vermonters’ ideas to jump start the economy and lay out her ideas on education, energy and, of course, our economy.

We would love to see you there!

Paul Tencher

Campaign Manager

(Continuing the policy of promoting diaries from officeholders and officeseekers – promoted by odum)

A new Senate proposal would tax the paychecks of nearly 330,000 wage earners in Vermont. The tax increase would affect the average wage earner in Vermont by about $40-$80 per year. I know we need creative ideas to fix the challenges we face, but this is the wrong idea at the wrong time.

Montpelier underfunded our unemployment insurance program by increasing benefits without increasing contributions paid by employers to support the fund.  Now, when we need it the most because unemployment is at nearly seven percent, the fund is out of money.   President Obama has made a wise decision to boost the no-interest loans to states adversely affected by the downturn. We should use this opportunity to reset our economy, get people the help they need and start creating jobs by supporting existing businesses in Vermont that are ready to grow. The last thing we should do is take more money out of a family’s budget or spike unemployment taxes on small businesses.

Increasing taxes on working Vermonters will hurt families that are already struggling.  We should instead take advantage of emergency aid available through federal programs to help us ride out economic storm.

President Obama has made a wise decision to boost the no-interest loans to states adversely affected by the downturn. We should use this opportunity to reset our economy, get people the help they need and start creating jobs by supporting existing businesses in Vermont that are ready to grow. The last thing we should do is take more money out of a family’s budget or spike unemployment taxes on small businesses

(Continuing the policy of promoting diaries from officeholders and officeseekers, with some copy bumped below the fold. – promoted by odum)

Hey GMD: Today, I sent out an email to my supporters. Wanted to make sure you had a chance to be involved too.

Papers across Vermont and across the country are reporting on the troubling radiation leaks at Vermont Yankee. While Vermont’s water and land are being poisoned by high levels of tritium, our governor’s response is to call for a “timeout.”

A timeout?! We don't need a timeout; we need a “No” vote, and we need it now! It’s time to close Vermont Yankee.

Before you get frustrated, take a look at another thing: The map below. 231 Vermonters from across the state have signed onto this petition. Every day we gain more momentum. Now, it is time to deliver.

(Continuing the policy of promoting diaries from officeholders and officeseekers – promoted by odum)

GMD readers: I wanted to make sure my first of many posts during this campaign cycle, was an important one. Well this is about as important as it gets.

When it comes to Vermont's energy future, we need bold leadership. Today, I spoke out in newspapers throughout the state on Vermont Yankee. Montpelier needs an up-or-down vote now on the aging nuclear plant's future, so we can plan a responsible withdrawal in the two years left on its license. The two most important components of my decision were safety and jobs.

Every week it is a new safety issue. Today, it is the 40 NEW underground pipes containing radioactive material. What will it be tomorrow? Safety must be our first concern and that concern has grown tremendously for me.

But jobs and Vermont Yankee also go hand and hand. You can read in more detail about growing new, clean energy jobs in my opinion piece, but I am just as concerned about finding new jobs for the Vermonters and their communities that will be affected by the closure. Voting now lets us put the plans in motion to build jobs and an energy future without Vermont Yankee.
Speaking out in newspapers and on television is one thing. Making this vote happen is another.

That is why today I am asking all Vermonters to sign this online petition to make sure we get a quick vote on Vermont Yankee.

You can also send this petition and my article to your friends and family. This kind of grassroots organizing is how we will make sure safety and jobs are a priority. It is also how I plan to win this race for governor!