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Vermont Business Magazine Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) Wednesday named two seasoned staff experts who will serve as top aides as he assumes the post of the Democratic leader on the Senate Appropriations Committee. Leahy has named Charles Kieffer as the committee’s minority Staff Director and Chanda Betourney as the committee minority’s Chief Counsel and Deputy Staff Director.

Kieffer has more than 38 years of experience in the appropriations process, including 16 years of service with the Senate Appropriations Committee, 16 years with the Office of Management and Budget, and six years with the Department of Health and Human Services. His previous experience on the Appropriations Committee includes serving as Staff Director from 2007 to 2009 and 2013 to 2016, as Deputy Staff Director from 2001 to 2007, and as majority and minority Staff Director of the Homeland Security Subcommittee from its inception in 2003 through 2013.

Vermont Business Magazine The consolidation of regional telecoms has completed another transaction. FirstLight Fiber, a leading fiber-optic bandwidth infrastructure services provider based in Albany, New York, and operating in Vermont and across Northern New England, announced today that Oak Hill Capital Partners has completed its acquisition of Oxford Networks, and has combined the operations of Oxford with FirstLight. Oak Hill acquired Sovernet, based in Bellows Falls, last August, and then in September bought FirstLight and combined it with Sovernet. FirstLight now operates a network consisting of 415,000 fiber miles.

Vermont Business MagazineVermont’sCold Hollow to Canada (CHC), a regional conservation partnership program (RCPP) operating in seven towns along the western spine of the Green Mountains, will expand an existing cross boundary management initiative. TheCold Hollow Woodlots Programinitially engaged 12 landowners spanning over 2,000 acres in the town of Enosburg. RCPP will help expand this work to 50 landowners and 8,000 acres by adding woodlots in Richford and Montgomery, as well as serving the existing woodlot group in Enosburg.This effort will be supported with RCPP project funds totaling $640,000.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Peter Shumlin has appointed Dennis Wygmans as Addison County’s State’s Attorney. Wygmans fills an opening created when former Addison County State’s Attorney David Fenster was appointed to the Vermont Superior Court. The governor will swear in Wygmans Wednesday at 12:15 pm in the Governor’s Ceremonial Office. Wygmans has served as a Deputy State’s Attorney in both Chittenden and Addison counties since 2013. Before that he had his own practice with offices in Brattleboro and Winooski. Wygmans is a graduate of the University of Vermont and Seton Hall University School of Law.

Dennis Wygmans, courtesy photo.

Vermont Business MagazineThe University of Vermont Medical Center filed a certificate of need (CON) application with the state of Vermont today to create a unified electronic health record (EHR) across four hospitals in the University of Vermont Health Network. According to UVMHN, aunified EHR will significantly improve patient care by having all of a patient’s information available to a health care provider regardless of location whenever it is needed.

Vermont Business Magazine Governor Peter Shumlin has pardoned 192 individuals convicted of possessing small amounts of marijuana. In December, the Governor announced that he would consider pardons for those with minor marijuana possession charges who did not have violent criminal histories. With pardons, Shumlin has set the record for most pardons issued by a Vermont governor.

“A minor marijuana possession charge should not be an anchor that holds back an individual from getting a good job or going about their life,” Shumlin said. “While attitudes and laws about marijuana use are rapidly changing, there is still a harmful stigma associated with it. My hope was to help as many individuals as I could overcome that stigma and the very real struggles that too often go along with it. Vermont should follow the many states that are legalizing and regulating the use of marijuana and put to an end the incredible failure that is the War on Drugs.”

Vermont Business Magazine South Dakota (68 percent inbound) is first and Vermont (67 percent) edged out Oregon(67 percent) for the second position in a national study that looked at moving patterns in 2016. The United Van Lines' 40th Annual National Movers Study tracked customers' state-to-state migration patterns over the past year. Oregon held the top spot for the previous three years, as the nation's "Top Moving Destination." This is the first time South Dakota has held the Number 1 spot. Vermont did well for younger people (under 55) and those moving for life style, and poorer for age (retirees) and job-related moves. The state ranked third for 2015.

by John McClaughryWith a new President and Governor inaugurated this month, it’s a good time to rethink the limits of executive power to act without the authorization of the Constitution or the legislature – especially in view of the growing abuse of executive power.

The USConstitution bestows upon the President the power to make appointments, fill vacancies and commission officers, make and submit treaties to the Senate for approval, grant reprieves and pardons, serve as commander in chief of the armed forces (“the war power”), and the duty to “see that the laws are faithfully executed.”

The war power has become exceedingly broad. The faithful execution clause recognizes that the President may, by executive order, organize and direct the work of his subordinates. The borderline between such necessary direction and acting without authority to promote the President’s own ends has never been clearly defined.

by Jeb Spaulding, Chancellor, Vermont State Colleges and Martha O’Connor, Chair, Vermont State Colleges System Board of Trustees Governor-elect Scott and the new Legislature have a lot on their plate in the new year. There is one big decision to make that can’t be put off. Will they choose to provide the funding necessary to place the Vermont State Colleges System (VSCS) on a sustainable path or not?

If the VSCS Board of Trustees or Chancellor could decide, we would say yes and here is why:

Vermont Business Magazine Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) has announced the appointments of Wayne Granquist; Connie A Jastremski, CNRN, CNAA, CHPN, NP, BSN, RN; and Angeline Marano, FACHE, to its Board of Trustees. “These individuals have unique skills and experiences and will make tremendous contributions to our Board of Trustees,” said Tommy Harmon, the board chair. “I am delighted to welcome them and eager to see what we can accomplish together.”

by Mike Smith In a few days Vermont will have a new governor. For incoming governor Phil Scott, here’s some unsolicited advice: Don’t act like the outgoing governor. Most Vermonters want their governors to be successful. Scott will benefit from a reservoir of good will and trust that awaits an incoming governor. GovernorPeter Shumlin was the recipient of this same good will and trust when he took office. He even enhanced his standing with Vermonters by leading recovery efforts after Tropical Storm Irene.

However, good will and trust can be fleeting, especially when Vermonters feel a governor isn’t being straightforward with them. For Shumlin, his popularity began to wane when his words didn’t live up to his actions.

Vermont Business MagazineWeekly unemployment claims spiked last week as the usual holiday layoffs hit. While they were up over 700 for the week, they were substantially lower than last year at this time. Most industrial sectors saw at least some increase for the week, except for Construction which already had gone through its seasonal downsizing. Services recorded nearly half of all layoffs, typical of the season. Manufacturing also increased to an unusually high300 claims.

The holidays typically produce wild swings in unemployment claims, because of an increase in hiring in the Service sector, from retail to delivery-related businesses, and then an abrupt round of layoffs.

For the week of December 24, 2016, there were 1,533 claims, up 752 from the previous week's total but 617 fewer than than they were a year ago (2,150).