by Taylor Dobbs vtdigger.org Rutland City Treasurer Wendy Wilton set her sights on statewide office Monday morning as she launched her campaign to become Vermontâ s treasurer.
Wilton has spent the last five years as the treasurer of Rutland where she says she turned the cityâ s disorganized finances into a well-structured, transparent system. She issues monthly reports to the Board of Aldermen and posts reports quarterly on the cityâ s website.
The longtime Rutland resident announced her campaign in the aldermenâ s chambers of City Hall, apparently hoping her success there will propel her to Montpelier.
Rutland City Treasurer Wendy Wilton addresses supporters at the launch of her campaign for state treasurer. VTD Photo/Taylor Dobbs
Wilton is challenging incumbent Democrat Beth Pearce who was appointed state treasurer by Gov. Peter Shumlin after he tapped Jeb Spaulding to be Secretary of the Agency of Administration after he was elected treasurer in 2010.
Former Gov. Jim Douglas, Rutland Mayor Chris Louras and Republican gubernatorial candidate Sen. Randy Brock all spoke highly of Wilton.
Brock, who came to Rutland in 2005 in his role as state auditor, said the bookkeeping at the time was extremely sloppy.
â We had financial statements that were replete with errors, that had material weaknesses that went on and on and on and on,’he said, â and then, thank God, we got a treasurer for the city of Rutland who straightened all of that out, who systematically and conscientiously and professionally turned a situation around in a remarkable way.â
Wilton, a former banker and business adviser, said the state needed a treasurer who could look critically at Vermontâ s financial situation and help to inform lawmakers and administration officials about the stateâ s affairs.
â An independently elected treasurer is the intention of our state constitution,’she said. â The key task of the state treasurer is to communicate to the governor and to the Legislature that we need to satisfy our prospective creditors, we are living within our means, and we are completely transparent about our finances. It is imperative that the treasurer be as independent as possible from influence to truly represent the electorate.â
When she was a state senator from 2005-07, she said lawmakers had trouble finding information about state finances.
â It wasnâ t easy for me to find this fiscal information,’she said. â I wasnâ t on the Appropriations Committee, I wasnâ t on the Finance Committee, so I think having that information out there will help both the public and the lawmakers understand: Whatâ s our current policy today? Whatâ s the impact of that going forward? And do we need to make adjustments so that we will always in the future have a sustainable state?â
Louras said Wilton had made great strides in Rutland and could easily do the same at the state level.
â Wendyâ s financial management acumen and business experience coupled with her unparalleled attention to detail provide the city with the essential building blocks necessary to enable decision-making that resulted in literally hundreds of thousands of dollars of savings to the taxpayers in the short term, and clearly we could put a spreadsheet together to reflect long-term savings most likely in the millions,’he said.
Wilton said her emphasis on public accountability with regard to city spending helped Rutland bolster officials’ability to make informed decisions as well as citizen involvement.
â The engagement that people now have ‘including the board and all the departments ‘on the budget process is fantastic,’Louras said.
Douglas, who served as state treasurer for eight years before he was elected governor, said Wilton is the right person for the job.
â Itâ s essential to the future of our state, not only fiscally but economically, that we have someone in that office who has experience, who has energy, who has integrity to do a great job for the people of our state,’he said. â And I canâ t think of anyone better, based on her experience not only in Montpelier a few years ago but here in the city of Rutland more recently.â
Wilton is an outspoken critic of the Shumlin administrationâ s single payer health care plans.
On Monday, Pearce issued a statement saying she is too busy finishing work related to the legislative session to launch her campaign right away but, she said, â I look forward to speaking with Vermonters about my record and my candidacy soon.â
â As Treasurer, I have built upon the accomplishments of our office under Jeb Spaulding, maintaining our prudent stewardship of the stateâ s finances, serving the citizens and taxpayers of Vermont,’Pearce said. â I look forward to continuing my work with Governor Shumlin, the Legislature, and the citizens of Vermont; keeping our state on a sound fiscal path during these challenging economic times. With over 30 years of dedicated professional experience in government finance and treasury management, this is my lifeâ s work. I love my job and it is the only elected office in Vermont state government that I will ever want to hold.â
Former Miss Vermont runs for Franklin County Senate state
In the fury of finishing up school, as many of her peers were considering summer internships and apartment hunting, Caroline Bright was considering a bigger question: A bid for state senate.
Bright, 21, announced her campaign within hours of her graduation from St. Michaelâ s College, where she earned a degree in political science.
She said she decided on the run four days ago, when longtime democratic Sen. Sara Kittell announced her retirement from the Senate.
â When I found out that Sen. Kittell wasnâ t running for re-election and there were no other women running from Franklin County, I decided to step up to the plate,’Bright said.
The year Kittell was first elected, Bright turned five. She says she realizes her age might raise questions, but she hopes voters will recognize an overriding need for diverse and fresh voices in the Statehouse.
Another question Bright is sure to face in the coming months is how and why she is making the move from beauty pageants to politics.
â Itâ s actually not that far a move,’she said in an interview. â A lot of the skills you need for Miss Vermont, you need for a run for Senate.â
Championing causes, campaigning around the state and public service are all functions of both Miss Vermont and a state senator, Bright said.
â Itâ s definitely a more serious position, but a lot of the skills that involve public speaking and interviewing’translate well, she said.
Brightâ s candidacy brings the number of Franklin County senate contenders to four ‘two Democrats and two Republicans. Kittell served alongside Sen. Randy Brock, a Republican from Franklin County, who is vacating his seat to make a run for governor.
Bright joins former Sen. Don Collins, a Democrat, and Republicans Norm McAllister and Joe Sinagra.
Sinagra issued a statement about Brightâ s announcement on Monday. â I welcome Ms. Bright to the race, however itâ s unfortunate that she decided to announce in Chittenden County, instead of the county she hopes to represent in the State Senate.â
In recent years, the two Franklin County Senate seats have been split between the parties, but Bright said it hasnâ t always been that way, and voters wonâ t necessarily continue that practice.
â I think [voters are] really going to make the determination based on who they feel will best represent them in Montpelier,’Bright said.
During her tenure as Miss Vermont, Bright served as an intern for Speaker of the House Shap Smith. She also interned at Senator Patrick Leahyâ s Burlington office. Bright said she hopes to get endorsements from national delegates.
Bright is most interested in education issues. She said Franklin County would benefit from having a senator in the Statehouse who understands Vermontâ s system from the inside out. Bright attended Missisquoi Valley Union High School before continuing to St. Michaelâ s college.
â I think Franklin County would really benefit from having advocates who know a lot about education,’she said.
She said while the other candidates in the race have experience in state politics, she doesnâ t think her neophyte status is a detriment. Her focus, she said, will be on constituents.
â I have an understanding,’Bright said. â It can be better, and that is true of every single candidate in this race, if we stop talking and listen to what the people have to say.â
Money, endorsements and the VDP
The Vermont Democratic Party netted $63,000 at its annual Curtis Awards Dinner earlier this month. After settling expenses with the Burlington Hilton, where the event took place, party Finance Director Fauna Shaw said they have $53,000 in the bank from the event and another $10,000 pledged.
The fundraising results were announced at the Democrats’state committee meeting Saturday. This yearâ s Curtis Awards Dinner took place May 4, the penultimate day of the legislative session, and featured Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick as a guest speaker. Though legislators were tied up at the Statehouse, Democratic party officials who attended said they were happy with the turnout. The Democrats are also trying to bolster their funding through the summer months with the 1963 Club which has 62 members contributing a total of $1,100 monthly.
The state committee also heard from several candidates.
T.J. Donovan, the current Chittenden County Stateâ s Attorney who officially launched his campaign for Attorney General last week, asked for the Democratic partyâ s blessing on Saturday. The Vermont Democratic Partyâ s state committee endorsed him in a 32-1-1 vote. Donovan is campaigning against incumbent Democrat Bill Sorrell, who will seek the committeeâ s endorsement at their next meeting.
Sorrell spoke to the committee about his record in office and his long political career. Both candidates for Attorney General refrained from finger-pointing as they addressed the committee. Sorrell mentioned his long-standing connections to Donovanâ s family.
â Although I donâ t particularly want to see it in Seven Days, the truth is I went to my junior prom at Rice High School in Burlington with T.J.â s aunt Molly,’Sorrell said, stirring laughter from members of the audience, including Donovan himself.
Doug Hoffer, who is challenging Republican incumbent Tom Salmon for the State Auditorâ s office, got the committeeâ s endorsement in a 33-1 vote. Hoffer unsuccessfully challenged Salmon in the 2010 elections, but said he feels better about his chances this time around.
â I like my chances this time for a couple of reasons, one of them being that itâ s a presidential year, and the other is that Bernie is running,’he said.
Hoffer said Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., had informally told him he would campaign alongside him. Such a boost paired with a presumably higher voter turnout due to the presidential elections would give him a good chance of victory, he said.
May 14, 2012 vtdigger.org