The Bridge, December 18, 2014

The

Brid

geP.O

. Box

114

3M

ontp

elie

r, V

T 0

5601

PRSR

T S

TD

CA

R-RT

SO

RTU

.S. P

osta

gePA

IDM

ontp

elie

r, V

TPe

rmit

NO

. 123

B a r r e H i s t o r y E x h i b i t G e t s N e w H o m e — P a g e 1 4

December 18, 2014 – January 7, 2015

It is one thing to interview a political candidate as part of a press conference — diving in front of TV cameras to get a clear photo and crouching down to take notes — but it is an-

other thing to have a nice long talk with a man who is on what he describes as “a narrow path” to victory. Gubernatorial candidate Scott Milne admits his chances of becoming the next governor of Vermont are slim, but he can see it as a possibility. That is what keeps him going even after former Republican Gov. Jim Douglas (a man for whom Milne says he has “tremendous respect”) sug-gested he bow out while he is still popular. He told The Bridge being popular isn’t his primary goal. Rather, Milne’s mission is stopping — or at least bringing attention to — what he describes as a pattern of imprudent spending on failed programs with too many cronies on an inflated payroll.

“Since Shumlin came into office, there are, as of Sept. 1, 800 fewer people in the private sector and 1,200 more people work-ing for the state of Vermont. If the private sector isn’t growing, the government shouldn’t be growing,” Milne said.

He acknowledged a similar problem with the education system. There are fewer students and more adult staff with higher spend-ing than ever throughout the state. Vermont pays about $17,500 per pupil while the national average of per pupil spending is around $12,000, according to Milne. This needs to stop, he said, suggesting a plan where the state is divided into 15 educa-tional regions (the same regions as the career technical centers are divided). Then, each region could try to bring down the cost per pupil by pooling resources, or however they can, and be rewarded by getting more money for college tuition. This would create greater incentive for taxpayers and education officials to bring down expenses.

Milne further characterizes Shumlin as a hotshot governor who is taking his lead from the national interests rather than tending to practical, down-home matters. Milne says the move to tie up legislator’s time with genetically modified seed labeling, death with dignity legislation, the whistleblower act and legalization of marijuana takes away from the time needed to straighten out more practical matters that affect all Vermonters every day like jobs, education and taxes.

Milne came in second to Peter Shumlin in the 2014 governor’s race, but by so few votes (about 2,400) that neither candidate got 50 percent of the vote. This means Shumlin won a plurality, but not the majority. Because of cases like this, those who wrote the Vermont Constitution decided in these cases the Legislature must decide who should be governor based on more or different factors than numbers alone. If it were only a matter of num-bers, then this constitutional formality would not be necessary because one candidate did get a higher number of votes. The amount of votes tipping Shumlin into the lead could arguably be attributed to the voters of Vermont’s most populated county: Chittenden, although Shumlin beat Milne in five counties while Milne beat Shumlin in nine counties.

The Bridge’s founding publisher Nat Frothingham sat down Dec. 12 to slowly dissect the man who just won’t quit.

Milne Won't Back Downstory and photos by Carla Occaso

I would rather be doing what I think is in the

best interests of the people and become politically

unpopular than just worry about winning an election.

I think the discussion is good for Vermont.

-Scott Milne

IN THIS ISSUE:

See Q&A with Scott Milne on Page 6

5: Barre School Budget

9: Monster Storm

24: "Eat More Kale" Guy Wins Trademark Suit

PAGE 2 • DECEMBER 18 , 2014 - JANUARY 7, 2015 THE BR IDGE THE BR IDGE DECEMBER 18 , 2014 - JANUARY 7, 2015 • PAGE 3

Keep it Real. Support The Bridge.By Regularly Involving Young People, The Bridge Makes Youth Care

by Lindsey Grutchfield

Contributions to The Bridge can be mailed to this address:

The Bridge, P.O. Box 1143

Montpelier, VT 05601.

Please feel free to visit us at our office. We are located on the lower level of Schulmaier Hall on the campus of the Vermont College of Fine Arts.

Thank you in advance for considering this request for needed financial help.

Tell them you saw it in The Bridge!

When my generation is mentioned in conversation, we tend to be described as tech-obsessed, culturally shallow, emotionally vacant and utterly disinterested in anything

outside of ourselves and our favorite celebrities. I can say firsthand that this diagnosis could not be more false. True, we are the most technologically savvy generation, being the first to really grow up in the age of the computer. We are constantly con-nected with each other and with the pop culture that we are so often criticized for embracing. With that said, however, we do care what happens in the world around us. After all, it is going to be our world one day. What’s more, the advent of technology does not necessarily mean the death of print media. When it comes to important things, things that affect our communities, click-bait and web-based news simply will not suffice. It is because of this that I fundamentally believe in the importance of The Bridge.As a high-schooler and a contributor to The Bridge myself, I can honestly say that the publication does an excellent job of catering to my generation. The paper regularly spotlights youth, allowing us to be heard in the broader community. By allowing us representation in local media, The Bridge also keeps us interested in that media. When young people feel a part of the community, they care what happens in that community. The Bridge comes into play here as well, by presenting us with the kind of news that we care about the most — news that closely affects us and the people that we care about.No matter the age of the reader, The Bridge is a unique institution. Comprehensive, local news is hard to find, particularly in an in-creasingly globalized era. With the influx of technology and digital information, looking outward is easy. It is looking inward, at our own communities, that is more difficult. The Bridge helps us to keep our focus local, reminding us of events nearby, events that do not necessarily pop up on our computer screens.The Bridge is not important because it provides bigger, more global, more sensational news coverage than any other source. Precisely the opposite. The Bridge is important because it is personal. It is personal to the people, particularly the young people, in the area. It provides us with news that matters, and news that affects us in a concrete way. For a generation that is coming of age in a time when pixels define so much of what we see, The Bridge gives us some-thing we can hold onto, in the literal and the metaphorical sense.The Bridge gives us something real.

Lindsey Grutchfield is a Montpelier High School senior and regular, highly-valued, contributor to The Bridge.

Lindsey Grutchfield

Editor & Publisher: Nat Frothingham

Managing Editor: Carla Occaso

Calendar Editor, Graphic Design and Layout: Marichel Vaught

Copy Editing Consultant: Larry Floersch

Proofreader: David W. Smith

Sales Representatives: Michael Jermyn, Rick McMahan

Distribution: Tim Johnson, Kevin Fair, Diana Koliander-Hart, Daniel Renfro, Anna Sarquiz

Editorial: 223-5112, ext. 14, or [email protected].

Location: The Bridge office is located at the Vermont College of Fine Arts, on the lower level of Schulmaier Hall.

Subscriptions: You can receive The Bridge by mail for $40 a year during our campaign period. Make out your check to The Bridge, and mail to The Bridge, PO Box 1143, Montpelier VT 05601.

Copyright 2014 by The Bridge

montpelierbridge.com facebook.com/thebridgenewspapervt

P.O. Box 1143, Montpelier, VT 05601 Phone: 802-223-5112Fax: 802-223-7852 Published twice a month


BARRE — It’s budget time in most school districts, and for Barre, the process is fraught with roadblocks, resignations and remembrances of an electorate eager to turn against the slightest hint of higher taxes. Little wonder John Bacon, superintendent of the Barre City Supervisory Union, describes the budget process at “a very precarious stage.” Bacon retires at the end of the year.

There remains “lots of work to do” before presenting a budget ready for the board or vot-ers, Bacon said. Additionally, Gov. Peter Shumlin's decision to allow state schools to delay pre-K “causes us to rethink our plans.”

Norma Malone, vice chair of the Barre City Supervisory Union Board, gives a slightly more positive spin. The resignation of Business Manager Lynne Carpenter “made the budget development process a bit more challenging, but the administrators and business office staff have made an exceptional effort to fill the void and we should be on track to meet our deadlines.” Before leaving, Carpenter told the school board that the fiscal year 2016 budget would be $1,541,653, which is an increase of $54,224.84, according to a draft circulated in November.

One of the three accountants also resigned, leaving Bacon and Assistant Business Man-ager John Gray with the bulk of the budget work. Budgets for the Barre City and Barre Town elementary schools, along with Spaulding High School and Spaulding's Technical Center and supervisory union, all must be completed by the end of the year.

Budgets for the Barre schools are not ready for prime time, but draft figures show the impact the state’s new mandated (and then delayed) pre-K program may have on area schools. At Barre City Elementary, budget planners were considering a $400,000 increase

to handle the extra students. Included in that amount was the addition of an extra class-room to accommodate the rise in preschool students the district must handle: from 90 to 120. Total expenditures were expected to reach around $792,000.

Although the universal pre-K program was expected to begin in July 2015, the governor delayed the effort for a year, partly due to the impact on school budget writing. On Dec. 10, the state learned it will receive $33 million to help assist early education programs.

Vermont Education Secretary Rebecca Holcombe called the money “a real shot in the arm.”

A possible solution for Barre, which has seen two of its school budget attempts go down in f lames during previous town meetings, is a budget surplus discovered by school auditors. According to Bacon, school accountants say there was a surplus of $472,000 in last year's fiscal year from unexpected preschool revenue. The money could wipe out a $171,000 deficit from 2014 as well as provide a hefty $300,000 to decrease any spending increase for fiscal 2016.

But does the Barre board have access to the cash? The answer: it depends. On the side of using the cash to lessen the budget burden is Bacon. Supervisory Board Chairman Lucas Herring, though, isn't so sure. In the middle is Sonya Spaulding, the board's finance chief, who is holding out for a definite answer. Bacon said he would try to get a more firm an-swer from the school's accountant.

Voters will decide whether to approve a final school budget on Town Meeting Day, this year scheduled for Tuesday, March 3.

School Budget Hits Snags; Pre-K Delay Causes Confusion by Ed Sutherland

A New Arvads Opens in WaterburyWATERBURY — A local fixture since 1989, Arvads Grill re-opened Dec. 15, unveiling a new menu, chef, decor, logo, website, name and tagline—“It’s Fresh. It’s Local. It’s Arvads.” This major renovation comes right before the 25th anniversary, which staff and customers will celebrate Jan. 15.

With the addition of Chef J.D. Dorney, formerly of J.P. Morgans, Arvads Grill revealed a new menu. You’ll also recognize many tried and true favorites, including Arvads wings and the Arvads Outrageous salad. New to the menu is hand-cut steaks, bottomless hand-cut fries, build-a-burger and signature salads. Arvads now offers a range of entrees highlighting local ingredients. The new bar menu has lots of Vermont brews and spirits. Arvads Grill is open for lunch and dinner seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Check out the website at www.arvads.com.

The Hungry Heart Documentary Wins National AwardBARNET — The documentary film, “The Hungry Heart,” produced by Kingdom County Productions and directed by Bess O’Brien, was granted the 2015 Media Award by the American Society of Addiction Medicine last week. The American Society of Ad-diction Medicine is a medical society representing more than 3,200 physicians and associ-ated professionals dedicated to increasing access and improvement to addiction treatment nationwide. The honor will be awarded to O’Brien at the ASAM national conference in Austin, Texas, in April.

From the Montpelier Police Department — Overnight Winter Parking is ALWAYS Prohibited on:

• Cedar Street for its entire length

• Court Street between its intersection with Elm Street and the intersection with Governor Aiken Avenue

• Downing Street for its entire length

• East State Street on its northerly side from Main Street to Cedar Street and on its south-erly side from 89 East State St. to West Street

• Elm Street on both sides from State Street to Spring Street

• Langdon Street on both sides for its entire length

• Liberty Street from Main to Hubbard

• School Street on both sides between Elm Street and Main Street

• School Street from the intersection of School and Main streets easterly to the intersection with Loomis Street

• Spring Street on both sides from its intersection with Elm Street easterly to its intersec-tion with Keck Circle

• Taylor Street on both sides from State Street to Taylor Street Bridge

The sun has slowed its journey to-ward the south, about to pause and return. Skiing has been silky, but

something is missing. I miss the golden-crowned kinglets. When snow locks up the land, and hunters pack up for home, the woods always seemed to belong to these tiny birds. I looked forward to stopping in the quiet woods at one of several groves of spruce trees on my trail, and listen for the high zee zeee zee. But the last few years have not been good for the spruce at our latitude, and very few still stand. But I know a place to the west, another 800 feet or so higher, and a bit cooler, where there may still be a good spruce stand. I'll go there tomorrow to stop and soak in the song of the golden-crowned kinglet.

Nature Watch

Keep in touch with your community all year long!

Subscribe to The Bridge today.For a one-year subscription, send this form and a check to The Bridge, P.O. Box

1143, Montpelier, VT 05601.

Name______________________________________________________

Address_____________________________________________________

City____________________________________ State_____ Zip____________

I have enclosed a check, payable to The Bridge, for:

❑ $40 for a one-year subscription ❑ An extra $____ to support The Bridge.(Contributions are not tax-deductible.) during the subscription campaign

drive. Normally, $50.

CORRECTIONS:

In the story published Dec. 4, “Montpelier City and School: A Tale of Two Budgets,” there were a couple of errors we regret. First, the school board president should have been identified as Sue Aldrich. Secondly, the entire paragraph mentioning raising the school “tax rate from 1.75 percent to 3 percent” should have been deleted. We apologise for the errors.

From a story we ran in the Dec. 4 issue: The date of the Ellis Island oral history interview of a relative should have said 1996, not 1896.

by Nona Estrin

HEARD ON THESTREET

Calling All Landlords: Temporary Housing Needed for Soon-to-be-Relocated Renters by Carla Occaso

BARRE/MONTPELIER — Central Vermont Community Land Trust is seeking help find-ing temporary housing for about 30 people who must vacate their apartments to accommo-date construction. The property manager is looking for spots within the community where residents can get around on foot.

“I am moving people out now,” said Liz Gengue, director of property management at CVCLT recently, adding, “we need 18 (apartments) in Montpelier and nine in Barre.” For landlords who help, CVCLT would take care of any enforcement, such as smoking violations.

The Montpelier buildings to undergo construction are at 39 and 40 Barre St. Work to be done will be all interior, including appliances, insulation and drywall. “CVCLT is fulfilling its promise to keep their affordable housing in Montpelier safe and in good repair,” said Montpelier Mayor John Hollar. “I hope Montpelier landlords will do what they can to sup-port this project.”

The Barre City project will involve demolishing three aging buildings located downtown, and replacing them with a four-story building containing 27 affordable apartments at a total

cost of $4.5 million, said Alison Friedkin, associate director of real estate development for the Trust. The first floor of the new building will become new headquarters for the Trust while the remaining three would become apartments.

“This is a win-win situation,” said Barre Mayor Thom Lauzon. “It’s good for the city’s re-development, it guarantees rent for Barre landlords, and it helps CVCLT residents stay in housing they depend on.”

The rents sought for temporary housing would be in the $625 to $800 per month range and will automatically be paid, Gengue said. CVCLT is getting low-income tax credits for renting to people who fall within a certain income bracket. “Folks need to be at or below 80 percent or 60 or 50 percent of the area’s median income. It goes by county,” Gengue said. Median income for Washington County is $50,400 for a single person. So a person making $30,000 would be at the 60 percent level — the rate most units require.

Contact Genge at 477-1333 or [email protected].

Bo Muller-Moore Wins “Eat More Kale” Lawsuitby Nat Frothingham and The Bridge staff

MONTPELIER — Bo Muller-Moore, the “Eat More Kale” artist, won his trademark case against fast food chain Chick-fil-A, it was announced Friday, Dec. 12, at the State-house. Chik-fil-A had slapped Muller-Moore with a “cease and desist” order, claiming the kale guy was infringing on its trademarked “eat mor chikin” phrase. However, the U.S. Patent and Trademark office ruled in Muller-Moore’s favor, allowing him to keep on promoting kale.

Since his moment of triumph and stardom, Muller-Moore said the digital world has gone viral. “People are so ready for good news,” Muller-Moore told The Bridge after taking in a deluge of email messages over the Dec. 12-14 weekend.

Among his hundreds of emails were messages from Switzerland, Egypt and the McMurdo Research Station in Antarctica. Said Muller-Moore, “They’ve got an indoor greenhouse where they’ve had an EAT MORE KALE sticker on the greenhouse for years.”

It’s easy to explain, said Muller-Moore, “They’re glad that the little guy wins now and then and they’re glad that I’m the little guy this time around.”

To contact Bo Muller-Moore go online to EatMoreKale.com

Bo Muller-Moore. Photo by Michael Jermyn.

By The Numbers: Milne versus Shumlinby Ivan Shadis

• Overall Vermont population (this includes children): 626,146

• Statewide voter turnout, 2014 midterm election: 193,500 (43.7 percent of about 443,000 registered voters)

• Statewide voter turnout, 2010 midterms: 243,453 (54 percent of about 453,180 voters)

• Total votes for Democrat Peter Shumlin on Nov. 4 2014: 89,509

• Total votes for Republican Scott Milne on Nov. 4: 87,075

• Milne won against Shumlin in nine out of 14 counties.

• Margin of votes by which Scott Milne won Washington County: 41 votes

• Municipalities in Washington County that voted for Scott Milne: Barre City, Barre Town, Berlin, Cabot, Duxbury, Marshfield, Northfield and Roxbury.

• Municipalities in Washington County that voted for Peter Shumlin: Calais, East Montpelier, Fayston, Middlesex, Montpelier, Moretown, Plainfield, Waitsfield, War-ren, Waterbury and Worcester.

• (Milne) Total campaign expenditures $211,106

• (Shumlin) Total campaign expenditures $890,312

• Times the Legislature has voted for governor when none of the candidates get over 50 percent of the votes): 23 times

• Times the Legislature by joint assembly has selected as governor a candidate who did not receive the most votes: Three times

• Number of candidates the Legislature may choose from for governor: The top three vote-getters


Scott Milne: Up Close and Personal Q&Aby Nat Frothingham

Why Didn’t Milne Concede?

Nat Frothingham: You took some time between the election and your announcement at the Statehouse just a few days ago. How did that decision get made? Were people pressuring you or did you just come up with the decision on your own not to concede?

Scott Milne: I think at the end of the day it was my own decision, but, based on listening to a lot of people and thinking about it and sorting through the priorities. I believe I would be a better governor for Vermont than Peter Shumlin. … There is risk associated with going forward because, according to Jim (former governor Jim Douglas) I came out of the election with good will and I wouldn’t just want to whittle it away on this. What I decided is, not just for me, but I would rather be doing what I think is in the best interests of the people and become politically unpopular than just worry about winning an election. I think the discus-sion is good for Vermont.

Frothingham: Do you think this has reawakened the discussion? My own impression was that there was at least some skepticism if not some outright hostility from certain members of the press at the Cedar Creek Room. Did you pick up on that? (Cedar Creek Room refers to Milne’s press conference announcing he would not concede on Monday, Dec. 8, in the Statehouse.)

Milne: Yeah, the press has been dismissive originally, and maybe in some segments growing to be cynical about my campaign. That's fine. A free press is healthy. I will say, though, if you look at what has happened since Nov. 4, these are opinions, if you look at the behavior of Gov. Shumlin, we now suddenly have a governor who is going to tell us what the health care system is going to cost and what taxes are going to get raised to pay for it before the election.

Whereas before, I would argue, he was arrogant enough to think that he could pull it off for the third time of promising people he was going to tell us after the election. That is one of the reasons that I got into this. Come clean and tell us how much it is going to cost. Cynically on my part, and this is just a question of mine, but for my presence here, would we have just seen him bluff his way through it, as I would argue he has with a bunch of things that have been botched over the last four years, or was he concerned about folks like me raising some

real questions about it between now and January and making it look even worse. I pledged as part of my election there would be no tax increase next year.

His increase is 2 cents except for people who are on income sensitivity, and one of the things the press hasn’t picked up on, on Shumlin’s tax projection for what the school tax is going to be next year, for 65 percent of Vermonters that own their homestead that are on income sensitivity, their taxes are going up 8 percent next year.

For the past four years we have been sticking it big time to the second homeowners and busi-ness owners, and also, we are having three times the pace of the rate of inflation tax increases going on to the primary homeowner who are income sensitized.

Can Milne Win?

Frothingham: Can you imagine any scenario or line of events that would lead to your elec-tion?

Milne: Very clearly I see a narrow path to victory here. I would argue it has gotten a lot wider within the past month with the further revelations about the health care system, recent revela-tions about making companies pay taxes to the health care plan, arguably even though they are not going to benefit from it. The Gruber stuff is not healthy for the governor who came in promising the most transparent administration in history.

Frothingham: I am not certain I know what the Gruber stuff is.

Milne: He is the national health care expert who made that closed door contract. They waited until five days after this fiscal year to award it.

What I believe is that you have this administration who has been running around sticking their fingers in every new hole in the dike and holding their breath hoping they can get by without the whole dam bursting. And how many holes are going to appear between now and Jan. 9?

On Reckless Mismanagement:

Frothingham: Did you use the expression “reckless mismanagement of our finances?”

Milne: Well, I think Peter Shumlin says, “we want to be bold,” but my description of what he calls bold is reckless. I think we have seen four years of reckless mismanagement of the people’s money.

Frothingham: Can you be specific about that?

Milne: Sure. A hundred million dollars flushed down the toilet on this health care system with no tangible benefits. We’ve got this Optum exchange that appears to be working, although, is it working? Or is this the Shumlin administration putting another finger in another hole in the dike telling us it is working until the next election before they realize the whole thing is a disaster. In Colchester the other day, this lady with a little kid comes up to me and says, “Scott Milne, my husband is over there and spent six hours over the last two days talking to Vermont Health Connect trying to get something set up.” And he calls back a half hour later and the person he talked to is at lunch and the other lady can’t do anything. I have people walking up to me all the time saying that. I would say we spent 100 million on reckless mismanagement.

Spending half a biennium on Death with Dignity while we’ve got big problems with the underlying economy, while we’ve got a train wreck coming with school reform, education, property taxes ... Then we spend another half of a biennium talking about GMO labeling and whistleblower protection, again, not doing any of the hard work.

We spent 400 million of taxpayer money on guaranteed cell phone broadband coverage by Dec. 31 of this year, but you can’t drive from here to Waterbury on 89 without having your

cell phone call drop out. It (Telecommunications Plan) is (run by) a crony appointment that wasn’t well vetted and wasn’t well thought out.

What Is Milne’s Plan?

Frothingham: It is easy to sit with a shotgun and take aim at the failures of a governor or an administration. Running a government is different than sitting on the sidelines taking aim at the mistakes. I’ve not gotten a clear idea of what you would do on some of these central issues. What would you do to kick this economy back into motion? What would you do on the vexing problem of health care? What would you do on property tax? Over two years the school tax increase went to 24 percent in Montpelier. It has an impact downtown. A lot of the money is claimed by the taxing authorities. It is not disposable any more. These are big, big problems that the state is facing. An older population, a population that isn’t growing, a stagnant economy, enrollment is down, school personnel is up ... these are heavy institutional problems that we face as a state? What is your blueprint here?

On Health Care:

Milne: Sure. On health care I’ve been pretty clear. Marching toward single payer is dead if I am fortunate enough to be running for re-election in 2020. Other states should be on the leading edge and I would argue that a state the size of Vermont, we have some of the best health care of any state in the country before we got into this reckless experiment, we need to use 2015 to see if the Optum exchange is the best exchange for us to be complying with under the Affordable Care Act or if we should go to the Federal Exchange or something else. We would do a cost analysis. Is it worth changing? What is the cost of changing? The health care discussion is pretty simple for me. Single payer is over. Green Mountain Care board seems like it's doing a good job. Let’s see how that does.

On Education:

Frothingham: It escapes my understanding the kinds of increases we are seeing locally and the impact on property taxes. It has shaken me to attention on the issue. We’ve got fewer kids in schools, more personnel, higher taxes. What adds up here?

Milne: I have a seven-page plan, which is the best plan I’ve seen in Vermont government spe-cifically for schools and the economy in Vermont I’ve seen in 20 years. We would break the state down into 15 educational districts centered around the technical centers. One around Barre, one around Lamoille, one around Springfield, etc. Each one would have their own re-gional tax rate, so there would no longer be a statewide tax rate. We have pretty good data to support that Vermont spends over $17,500 a student. The national average is $12,000 a stu-dent. The number one predictor nationally, and in Vermont, of educational outcomes is not how much we spend per student, but the socioeconomic health of the family. So, you could make an argument that the best thing we could do for education is improve the economy.

There are poor towns and rich towns in each one of these districts, so it gets beyond that fundamental inequity that is addressed by Act 60. Each one of these administrative districts spends about $17,500 a student right now. If you spend the national average of $12,000 a student, you get the same educational outcome than as if you spend $17,500, as long as they come from a socioeconomically healthy family. You are taking it from the state, which is too big, to the regional. And the genius, I believe, in the plan … is, you incentivize each one of these districts so that as spending comes down from the $17,500, that money can be applied toward free college education. The way we put together the plan is you are eligible for one free year of college education for every two years you have in the Vermont public schools. What we are saying is, you can keep spending $17,500 a year in the district if you want to, but if you reduce that, it can go toward free college education.

Frothingham: I think one of the most highly organized pressure groups in the state is the educational establishment. These people are extremely well organized and they vote. They are a block. The notion of driving from 17 to 12 is romantic. But who am I to make a state-ment like that?

Milne: If we could do it and it is predictable, I believe Vermont could become known as the Education State. I think if you could get two of these 15 districts to do it, you are going to see businesses move to those two districts. I would.

On Getting Elected:

Frothingham: Do you see a credible journey between now and Jan. 8 that causes the Joint Assembly to elect you as governor, or do you think it doesn’t really matter? That it is a matter of principle?

Like The Bridge on Facebook!facebook.com/thebridgenewspapervt

From left, Scott Milne, daughter Elise Milne and son Keith Milne.

Continued on Page 8

Scott Milne’s key proposals • Property tax cap: No tax increase next year• Divide education into 15 regions that aligns with the technical

center regions: Take the money these regions save on cost per pupil spending and put it toward college.

• Free college for students in regions where education costs are brought down.

• Health care — Put a stop to single payer. See if current plan is working in 2015, if not, do a cost analysis of switching to the federal exchange or another plan.


Milne Q&A continuedMilne: I believe I have a chance of getting elected. I think I am a long shot, but my chances are getting better every week. I also think, complementary to that, is the conversation and the dialogue showing further shortcomings of the Shumlin administration and growing public awareness of the dire situation that Vermont is in.

Part of the road that has led us here is we are a trusting people who just believe what people tell ya. Up until Nov. 4, Peter Shumlin was telling us, “we’re going in the right direction, let’s keep going.” Early on he was saying we’ve got the lowest unemployment rate in the country. We’ve got the highest jobs per capita. Then the unemployment rate changes at the end of his campaign in October. He said we’ve got the best bond rating ... then a week after the election the bond rating gets downgraded. All of a sudden Scott Milne sounds a little more credible. Another month of income taxes failing to make projections. Scott Milne becomes a little more credible. The pre-K program being promised us by 2010. He promised more union jobs for teachers. He promised single-payer health care. Single payer’s not done. We found out Pre-K is totally botched and mismanaged for the last four years. So, he hasn’t even delivered on his 2010 promises.

Carla Occaso: Can I ask how Pre-K has been botched?

Milne: They (the Agency of Education) are required by law on July 15 to come out and project what the changes are going to be on the statewide property tax rate for towns so they can get ready for town meetings, so they came out and said 2 cents. The pre-K bill, Rebecca Holcombe (secretary of the Agency of Education) came out and said, "we haven’t got the rules

ready, we are not going to be ready to mandate this so it is optional in 2015." It is bureaucratic mismanagement.

Has Vermont Been Too Radical?

Frothingham: You made that statement that we don’t have to be the most radical state in the union every day. What is that about?

Milne: Well, we’ve got an underlying economy that clearly needs to be fixed. Marching forward with this single-payer health care plan I think has been radical. Spending half a ses-sion talking about Death with Dignity a few years ago. Nobody has been affected by that in Vermont yet, but it was worth spending half a session talking about what some national special interest told Peter Shumlin was important. That’s radical. The GMO labeling bill. It is paradoxical that Peter Shumlin expects more transparency from Montsanto or Unilever than he does from his own administration. The bill itself was ok, but the way we implemented that … Connecticut and Maine had the same bill but with a trigger in it that said it is not going to go into effect until 10 states adopt it so we’re not going to be sued on our own. I believe Sorrell’s got $8 million set aside to defend that lawsuit. Not properly looking at how we’re going to structure education to be sustainable. Not smart. I would call state spending growing by three times the rate of the economy four years in a row radical. It is a ticking time bomb until you’re out of business, right?

Frothingham: I wouldn’t even want to comment on going out of business, but I can assure you, it is very difficult doing business at the moment.

Milne: I’ve got what is perceived to be one of the more successful businesses in the state, I think, and I have talked to a lot of people and the definition of success in business in Vermont is you are still in business.

Frothingham: How did you come down on civil unions? Do you think Howard Dean made a mistake signing that bill? It was kind of radical at the time.

Milne: I think there’s two times in Vermont’s history that I can think of where radical pro-gressive was very good. Act 250 and civil unions. I think they were both radical, progressive and appropriate.

Why Shouldn’t the Guy With the Most Votes Win?

Frothingham: The press and the governor and the Democratic majority, the cognoscenti, if you will, have managed to get it out there in spades that it’s the guy with the most votes who wins. They have worked hard to get that notion across to the press and the public. You get the most votes. You win. And that is what we do in Vermont. We don’t fight each other. We just stick the guy in who got the most votes in. That is what we do in the Green Mountain State. … That’s not the case historically.

Milne: It is a once-in-150-year event. If you go back into the 19th century, Fairbanks (Erastus Fairbanks, Vermont’s 21st governor) was the last guy to lose. He was the incumbent, he was the top vote getter but he was voted out by the Legislature. He brought in Prohibition. It was pretty unpopular. There is precedent and the precedent is the Legislature has voted people out. The constitution doesn’t say anything at all about “the Legislature should give deference to the top vote-getter.”

I won nine out of 14 counties. I won 60 percent of the precincts in Vermont. Elections matter. If I got 50 percent or Peter Shumlin got 50 percent the election would be over. Neither one of us did. That matters. Now it goes to the Legislature and their direction from the constitution is what is best for Vermont. That is how this election matters.

Is He Really Ready?

Frothingham: Are you really ready to take over on the eighth?

Milne: Yes. Absolutely.

Dark and Stormy Nights: Diary of a Monster Stormby Richard Sheir

MONTPELIER — The tale begins early October when the plow drivers go over their winter routes in a dry run and all winter equipment is checked. Montpelier Public Works is ready. Then, a few months later, the first big storm hits. It is bad enough to keep workers plowing, shoveling and checking the power lines around the clock, but not bad enough to close state offices or schools. And in the end, the bill is immense. Below is an account through the eyes of municipal officials, the power company and the director of the Kellogg Hubbard Library on how the storm unfolded.

Thursday, Dec. 4: The daily email alert from Roger Hill — the Worcester meteorologist who runs Weathering Heights Consulting and Radio Vermont — goes to Green Mountain Power and the city of Montpelier warning of a possible significant Nor’easter that might blow up the Atlantic Coast from the south picking up significant precipitation. Hill warns of the possibil-ity of it mixing with a very warm lower atmosphere carrying significant amounts of heavy wet snow. It also warns of two possible waves forming an extraordinary event. Green Mountain Power begins emergency planning — calling for backups from Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Canada to arrive before Tuesday, according to spokeswoman Dorothy Schnure. The forecast is accurate.

Tuesday, Dec. 9: Ten a.m. the new winter parking ban goes into effect. At noon, wet snow begins to fall. The city dispatches trucks. Montpelier City Schools Superintendent Brian Ricca and staff are in touch with Public Works Supervisor Tom McArdle, and the decision is made not to dismiss early but to cancel after school events for Dec. 9 and Dec. 10. Par-ents are notified by the school’s notification system. Later in the day, power outages begin in the region. School officials contact neighboring districts as well as Public Works. Other neighboring school districts close due to power outages. There were only 67 power outages in Montpelier proper that were brought back online the same day. Public Works officials predicted the streets would be clear in the morning, so the decision was made to hold school on Wednesday without afternoon events. At 5:30 p.m., with few people in the Kellogg Hub-bard Library, staff are released to go home before the snow thickens and makes night roads hazardous, according to Tom McKone, library director. McKone decides to open the next morning. Green Mountain Power linesmen work around the state fixing downed lines and trimming trees throughout the night.

Tuesday, Dec. 9, evening: Twelve city road crew members are on the streets until 7 p.m. After 7 p.m., a crew of five were in trucks working downtown. After midnight, two trucks are out until 4 a.m. salting roads.

Wednesday, Dec. 10, 4 a.m.: Public Works employees plow throughout the morning, deal-

ing with puddles in the streets that at certain points in the city were ponds, according to McArdle, who describes how the slush clumped up and plugged drains at several intersec-tions. Some of the dirt roads in the city become slick and hard as icy snow builds up and driving becomes increasingly difficult. Kellogg Hubbard Library Director McKone says the library becomes a haven for residents from outlying communities who lose power. People use the WiFi and keep warm as the library stays open throughout the day. Later, in the afternoon, the second wave of snow arrived making already slushy streets slushier. Sidewalk plows go out again. Snow banks downtown on State and Main have the consistency of wet cement and become nearly impossible to shovel. Green Mountain Power dispatches 1,000 linesmen in the field working on the lines across the state, dealing with over 129,000 outages statewide, according to Schnure.

Thursday Dec. 10: GMP workers continued the work of bringing power back. McArdle ad-dresses the unsafe mountains of snow that force people parking cars on State and Main to walk a half a city block in the street to reach a crosswalk. They carve pathways every 10 feet. City trucks continue to deal with the slush, preventing localized flooding.

When it was done: The Montpelier Public Works removed 2,300 cubic yards of snow from sidewalks and near sidewalks — four miles of snow. From Tuesday through Sunday, $48,000 was spent on snow removal. For Green Mountain Power, the duration of the storm has made repair nearly as costly as Irene and more costly than any other storm in history. In many cases, they returned to the same line seven or eight times to repair new damage that has occurred. Lineworkers report areas where there are trees down on every section of line.

During snow events, according to Michael Clasen, deputy secretary of the Agency of Ad-ministration, the state of Vermont holds a conference call between Administrative Services, Human Resources, Transportation and the Emergency Management & Homeland Security Division of Public Safety to determine a course of action. This email went out to workers both Tuesday and Wednesday: “After consultation with representatives of the National Weather Service, Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security and VTrans, it has been determined that weather conditions do not warrant the early closing of state offices or a reduced workforce situation. However, it is anticipated that travel conditions will remain poor throughout the remainder of the day. Therefore, you are encouraged to exercise caution and allow additional time as you travel to or from work. All state offices are open for business during their regularly scheduled hours. Agencies and departments, subject to their operating needs, may wish to authorize employees to leave early and/or report late for work to better accommodate travel, using their own leave time. This message will be updated as weather conditions change.”

Holiday Services

Common Core: Is it the Silver Bullet for Educationby Ed Sutherland

Education reform is in the air. Along with discussions over affordability and taxes, Ver-mont is preparing to introduce Common Core Standards in all classrooms for 2015. Some schools have already started implementing the new standards. Limited testing in

March gave school officials some insight into how Common Core will be received statewide.

Michael Hock, director of Educational Assessment for the Vermont Agency of Education, said field trials of the new standards had few glitches and he doesn't anticipate the reaction New Yorkers had to the system. In that case, after parent and teacher uproar, the new evalu-ation system was rolled back.

Common Core will measure language arts and math in Vermont grades 3-8 and 11. In March, some 27 Vermont schools with 5,000 participating students took part in field trials of the testing delivered by computer. According to Hock, the initial testing went off without a hitch, except for one school which had trouble connecting students using Chromebook computers.

The Common Core standards were created in 2008 by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers. In 2010, Vermont adopted the standard and joined the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium. The 14 SBAC member states include Maine, New Hampshire and Connecticut. Come March 2015, tests developed by SBAC will be issued to students statewide, according to Hock. The tests will replace the current New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP) evaluations.

Unlike previous testing, those based on Common Core will be totally computer-based. Along with choosing the SBAC, rather than Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, or PARC, Vermont is using a different company for its data warehousing, the tech-nology required to give teachers and officials statewide access to testing results. Both factors were part of the Common Core revolt in nearby New York, according to Hock.

State officials are already preparing Vermont residents for seeing lower scores in their chil-dren's SBAC testing, suggesting the majority of the state's students will not bring home results worthy of sticking to the refrigerator.

Pat Fitzsimmons, the Vermont Education Agency's chief of implementing Common Core, is also trying to reduce expectations.

There are some examples of how Common Core Standards differ from those taught now in Vermont schools. In language arts, for instance, students will concentrate on understanding nonfiction, analyzing and comprehending what is read, as well as increasing their vocabulary. For math, Common Core may teach fourth and fifth graders concepts previously not taught until sixth grade. In the majority of Common Core instruction, understanding, analysis and problem-solving trump quantity of lessons.

Still, adoption of Common Core faces much skepticism, particularly when it comes to con-spiracy buffs. Questions posed range from whether the standards are some federal attempt to indoctrinate classrooms to Bill Gates and others trying to “buy” Common Core acceptance.

The only true test of Common Core will likely come in 2015, when students and teachers start to assess the new standards.

Editor’s Note: The Bridge requested an interview with Gov. Peter Shumlin after Scott Milne announced he was not conceding. A Shumlin spokesman advised The Bridge to first contact his scheduler to request an interview. Then his spokesman got back to The Bridge and asked us what we wanted to “chat” about. We said we wanted to do a follow up on Scott Milne’s announcement that he was not going to concede. We were informed Shumlin had issued a response and this is it:

“I am honored to have received the most votes in this election and would not want to serve as governor if I did not. I continue to believe that the Legislature will honor the long democratic tradition of electing the candidate who received the most votes. Since the election over a month ago, I have continued to work hard to put together a legislative agenda and budget to address the challenges facing our state. With the legislative session only weeks away, that is where my focus will remain.”

Got a news tip? We want to know! Send it to us at:

[email protected]


A Message From City HallThis page was paid for by the City of Montpelier.

MiddleGround Florist Has Flowers in Winter by Lindsey Grutchfield

What comes to mind when most people think of bouquets of flowers are the plastic-wrapped tu-lips or carnations that wilt in the average super-

market. The intricate arrangements of MiddleGround Flo-rist could not be more different from these offerings. Here, Yana Poulson creates hand-tied bouquets with skill wrought from her extensive training at Flower Design of Britain, one of the oldest schools of its kind, where she learned flower design and wedding floristry.

MiddleGround Florist, on Route 2 in Middlesex, is the retail location of Poulson’s business, Regal Flower Design. Here, Poulson specializes in hand-tied bouquets, which are a tradition in Europe. Fresh flowers are arranged in a spiral, then tied with a single ribbon. This creates a light, sturdy design that balances in one hand. Designed like this, flow-ers can be carried in a gift bag, cradled in the crook of an elbow, or simply held in hand without fear of water spillage or damage to the arrangement. Elaborate arrangements are be made using hand-tied technique, say, 30 roses that can be presented as is, sans vase or tightly wrapped plastic. In fact, Poulson uses no plastic whatsoever in her bouquets, opting for artistic finishes like craft paper or natural textiles, which become part of the arrangement, adding sophistication and style to an already artistic bouquet.

Most people, Poulson believes, focus on the endurance of the flowers, whether or not they will fade before they can be given as gifts or make an appearance on the dining room table. She believes the real importance of flowers lies else-where. “I think what’s important is, how long will we keep the memory of that moment of receiving?” she says. “So

you bring flowers to someone’s house house at a party or a family dinner, so it has to be impressive and honest. That’s why I emphasize the presentation of flowers. That moment of receiving a bouquet is going to last a very long time.”

Bouquets can be custom made, and the inspiration for the design of the bouquet stems from the purposes of the person ordering it. Sometimes a customer wants a favorite color to be highlighted, or falls in love with a specific flower. This is Poulson’s favorite part of the process. She recounts how, “when a person comes in, and they have a certain situation, they need a gift, or they need just-because flowers. It’s listening to the person — what they’re looking for — and finding just the right flower.” In the end, she says, the artistry of the bouquet always falls perfectly into place.

Of course, MiddleGround Florist is located near the Red Hen Baking Company, Montpelier Mud Pottery and other artisanal shops. It is not the only place in the area producing products that are as much art as they are simply products. Well aware of this, and in honor of the impending holidays, MiddleGround Florist has been trot-ting out seasonal gift baskets stuffed not only with flowers, but with products from other stores at the MiddleGround Complex, where MiddleGround Florist makes its home. The focus with these baskets is to highlight the local arti-sans around the flower shop, and to remind people, when it comes time for holiday shopping, of the wonderful products close to home.

Flower arrangements like those created by Poulson, built

to be given and received (in the most literal sense), are well suited to the aforementioned impending holiday season, when the giving and receiving of gifts is of utmost im-portance to many people. That is the ultimate purpose of MiddleGround Florist’s bouquets. At the end of the day, Poulson says, flowers are messengers, representative of the giver’s feelings. In her arrangements, those floral messengers speak in a uniquely artistic language, one that is as appealing to the eye as it is a reminder of the emotions behind the acts of giving and receiving.

Gossens Bachman Architects Win Design AwardsMONTPELIER — Two buildings received design excellence awards from the Vermont chapter of American Institute of Architects. The projects, designed by Gossens Bachman Architects, were awarded at AIAVT's annual meeting at the Statehouse on Dec. 4. The first was award for the Capstone Community Action office. The new facility, located in Barre, had many sustainable features. The second award was presented for the Montpelier District Heat Plant. This partnership created a central biomass fueled power plant, providing a heat source for all state buildings and all of Montpelier’s downtown district.

Gossens Bachman Architects designed this building, Capstone Community Action. Photo by Gary Hall Photography.

Yana Poulson of MiddleGround Florist. Photo by Lindsey Grutchfield.

City Budget Proposal Outlined by William Fraser, City Manager

Best wishes to all for a fantastic holiday season. Amidst all the hustle, bustle and celebration of December, city staff and of-ficials are busily preparing and reviewing the annual budget. I will be presenting my proposed budget to the City Council on Dec. 17. This is a summary of the key items in that proposal. The Council will discuss the budget on Jan. 7, Jan. 14 and Jan. 22 (a Thursday).

Guidelines:

The Council provided following guidelines for preparing this budget proposal:

• Budget must reflect the City Council’s adopted goals and priorities and enable those goals to be advanced.

• Property tax rate increase target is be-tween 2% and 3%

• Must continue increased funding for in-frastructure and capital needs based on the “Steady State” plan adopted by the City Council.

• Must deliver responsible levels of service to the residents of Montpelier.

Assumptions:

For tax rate planning purposes, the bud-get assumes an independent ballot item for the Kellogg-Hubbard Library at the same level of funding as FY15. Additionally, the budget assumes that tax funding for the Recreation Department will remain at the FY15 level and that the Sewer/CSO Benefit charges will remain at the present level. No assumptions have been made about the School Budget or Education Tax Rate. A slight (0.2%) increase in grand list was as-sumed.

Property Tax Impact:

• The net result of revenues and expenses is that $7,573,087 in property tax r e v -enues are required for the city’s portion (non-school, non-rec, non-library) of the budget. This is an increase of $166,300 or 2.2% over FY15. As with both FY14 and FY15, all of the increase is for the capital plan.

• Requires a 1.8 cent increase in the prop-erty tax rate. The capital/equipment plan is increased by 1.8 cents while the re-mainder of the budget again requires no tax increase. A 1.8 cent increase repre-sents a 1.8% property tax rate increase after a 0.5 cent (0.25%) increase in FY14 and a 1.5 cent (1.6%) increase in FY15. For the average residential property, this tax rate represents an additional $39.31 on the tax bill. The three-year combined increase of 3.65% compares to a three-year combined inflation rate of 4.7% (1.7%, 1.5% and 1.5% respectively).

Budget Numbers:

• FY16 General Fund Budget totals $12,526.306 which is an increase of $354,850 (2.9%) from the comparable FY15 spending plan. This number in-cludes the Recreation and Library budget assumptions. Without those two items, the increase is 3.1%.

• FY16 General Fund non-tax revenues total $4,069,316 which is an increase of $188,550 (4.9%) from FY14 non-tax rev-enues.

• Consistent with the council’s fund bal-ance policy, no general fund balance is

used to offset the budget and reduce taxes.

• Revenues from the State of Vermont such as Highway Aid, Grand List Main-tenance funding and the Justice Center basic grant have been assumed to remain at their present funding levels. Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) was adjusted downward to reflect actual collection in FY15.

• Grand list value is calculated at 0.2% increase from the FY15 level. With the projected grand list, $85,146 represents one cent on the tax rate.

Infrastructure:

• The Capital Projects, Equipment and Debt Service Program is fully funded at $2,071,304. Of this, $875,978 is in annual funding, $680,326 is in existing debt service and $515,000 is for equip-ment. This represents an overall increase for these combined items of $166,300. This results in an additional $198,408 (29.3%) in annual funding for FY16 in-frastructure improvements such as roads. Over a three year period (including this proposed budget) infrastructure funding has increased $498,900.

• The budget includes $43,200 for the an-nual payment for the purchase of One Taylor Street. This expense is offset by lease revenue.

• No bonds are proposed for FY16. Future infrastructure bonds are planned with subsequent bonds of $710,000 in FY17 and $705,000 in FY20. Future bonds may be needed for bike path matching funds, a potential flood mitigation proj-ect and matching funds for the One Tay-lor Street project.

• The Capital/Equipment Plan anticipates additional increases of $166,300 in each of the next three budget years — FY17 through FY19 — in order to bring fund-ing levels to the projected steady state of maintenance and improvements.

Personnel:

• Total number of Full Time Equivalent Employees (FTE) is 107.58 which is 0.67 FTE less than FY15. Reductions were 1.0 FTE in DPW and 0.12 FTE in the Senior Center. Additions were 0.4 In Dispatch and 0.05 in Parks.

• Cost of living allowances and step in-creases are built into all employee wage and salary accounts consistent with col-lective bargaining agreements and per-sonnel policies. For this budget that represents a 1.5% to 2.5% contracted adjustment for Public Works union em-ployees. A 1.5% or lower adjustment for all other employees is budgeted. Neither Fire nor Police union contracts are in place for FY15 yet. Overall wage costs are up by 1.8% in this budget.

• The budget continues the high deduct-ible health insurance plan which was implemented three years ago. Overall benefit costs are up by 8.1% in this bud-get.

Other Funds:

• The Water and Wastewater budgets have both been balanced. The Wastewater fund is now in a small surplus position and the Water fund is steadily reducing

its deficit. The budget assumes no Water rate change, a slight Sewer rate increase and no Sewer or CSO benefit charge changes. The rate structure for these funds is under review now. Funding from the CSO benefit charge is being used to address new stormwater requirements.

• Tax funding for the Senior Center is re-duced below the FY14 and FY15 levels. The center continues to adjust to its new activity level. Center expenses are off-set by program revenues including larger contributions from neighboring towns. This will result in slight service adjust-ments.

• The Parking fund is balanced while in-cluding a 5% set aside for alternate trans-portation funding.

• The District Heat Fund budget will cover the second full year of complete opera-tion. The General Fund is realizing ap-proximately $65,000 in benefit from Dis-trict Heat, $20,000 to pay the 2009 bond and $45,000 for DPW costs to maintain and operate the system.

Key Items:

• Reductions to operating costs are pro-posed. As with prior years, many lines have been cut to stay within fiscal guide-lines. Some proposed initiatives and ser-vice expansion proposals have not been included.

• Includes funding to continue city page in The Bridge.

• The budget continues contracting am-bulance billing with the City of Barre rather than performing this function with city staff.

• Funding for the Housing Trust Fund has been eliminated. This was $41,000 in FY15.

• The Montpelier Community & Arts Fund is funded at $110,175 which is re-duced by $8,000 from FY15 funding.

• $1,000 has been reduced from the Tree Board

• $2,250 has been reduced from the Con-servation Commission

• Funding for downtown activities such as Montpelier Alive and various festivals, lighting, events and trash collection to-taling $30,800 have been moved from the General Fund to the Downtown Im-provement District (DID) funds.

• The Parks and Public Works budgets contain a new $4,563 for operation of dog waste stations. The budget assumes a $12 increase per dog license to fund these waste stations.

• The budget includes $40,000 funding for the GMTA circulator bus route.

• An initiative for provision of downtown wireless Internet services was not funded.

• Police: The Police budget includes a new contractual relationship with Capital Fire Mutual Aid System for dispatching services. This provides additional rev-enue and improved services for Mont-pelier. The police canine program has been eliminated. School Resource Officer shared 50% with school is included.

• Planning, Zoning & Community/Economic Development: The Planning & Develop-ment department and public still struggle with the change to a half-time zoning administrator two years ago. A proposal to restore this position to full time was not included in the budget. Funding for one VISTA volunteer is included.

• Public Works: The Street Supervisor and Water/Sewer Supervisor have been merged into one supervisory position. This has allowed for more blended work among the two divisions. One full time position has been reduced from this de-partment.

• Other: Both city staff and Matrix had identified previously existing capacity shortcomings in the areas of human re-sources management, facilities manage-ment and communications. We have made some progress in the communica-tions area but nothing in this budget specifically addresses the other concerns.

Conclusion:

It is my professional opinion that this bud-get directly reflects the guidelines articu-lated by the City Council. It is a product of some difficult choices.

I appreciate the hard work of our man-agement team and all city employees. We are pleased to present a fiscally responsible budget which does not drastically reduce services.

This budget is a team effort from start to finish. The department heads worked dili-gently to meet our budget goals. I would like to particularly recognize the efforts of Finance Director Sandy Gallup. I look for-ward to the Council’s discussions on all of these budget issues and hope that the public will participate fully as well.

Thank you for reading this article and for your interest in Montpelier city govern-ment. Please feel free to contact me at [email protected] or 802-223-9502 with any questions or comments.

l

Parking Ban:

We appreciate people’s patience as we experiment with the new winter parking ban sys-tem. Information about the ban — including which streets always have a winter ban in place — can be found on the city’s website www.montpelier-vt.org. For phone or text notices, please sign up with VT Alerts. The winter parking ban phone line 802-262-6200 has a recorded message which is changed whenever the ban is instituted or rescinded.


You Are Invited to Downtown Montpe-lier to Celebrate New Year's Eve!

Here are just a few of the fun things to do on Dec. 31:

2 p.m. Central Vermont Runner’s Club’s Annual New Year's Eve Road Race:

A 5-Kilometer road running race start-ing at the Pavilion; registration begins at 12:30 p.m.

To register or for more information visit: http://www.cvrunners.org/newyearseve/index.html

Enjoy Two Shows with the Amazing Marko the Magician:

4:30-5:15 p.m. Marko's Magic Show

5:45-7 p.m. Marko's Hypnosis for Enter-tainment

Shows will take place at Montpelier High School Auditorium. Tickets are available now on Eventbrite and the links are on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.

com/MontpelierAlive/events

Tickets will also be on sale at the door, $5 per person per show and children 5 and under are FREE!

*Please bring a nonperishable food dona-tion for the Montpelier Food Pantry to this event!

7:30 p.m. FIREWORKS SHOW! Best viewing from the State House Lawn

Dave Keller's 2nd Annual New Year's Eve Extravaganza at Montpelier City Hall! Last year they rang in the New Year with over 500 friends! This year they are taking it to another level, with perfor-mances by not only the Dave Keller Band, but also the Starline Rhythm Boys. A per-fect fit for a perfect evening. Here's what else they have in store for you:

• Drinks By Three Penny Taproom

• Food By Mad Taco

• Photos By Jay Ericson Of Middle Gray

Group

• Surprise Musical Guests

• Classic Soul And R+B Spinning Be-tween Sets

• Free Champagne Toast (Over 21 Years Old)

• Countdown And Disco Ball Drop At Midnight

• Dance Contests

• Door Prizes

• Charity Wall Of Wishes

• All Ages Invited

Tickets are $10 in advance, available with cash at Capitol Stationers, or with credit card at www.lostnationtheater.org. $15 at the door. FREE for ages 17 and under.

7:30 p.m. Doors open

8-9:30 p.m. The Starline Rhythm Boys

10 p.m.-1 a.m. The Dave Keller Band

A community celebration sponsored by Dave Keller, Montpelier Alive, Three Penny Taproom, Mad Taco, Middle Gray Group, and Berlin Optical Expressions

9 p.m.-1 a.m. Charlie O's "Speak Easy" Theme Party: Costumes encouraged; live jazz band!

Thanks to the support of Heney Real-tors, National Life Group, and the City of Montpelier for their generous sup-port of New Year's Eve!

Visit the Montpelier Alive Facebook page to stay up-to-date on all event details: www.facebook.com/MontpelierAlive

See you in Montpelier!

Eye on Montpelier by Ashley Witzenberger, executive director at Montpelier Alive

SHOP LOCAL,SHOP MONTPELIER!

SHOP LOCAL,

SHOP MONTPELIER!


Barre History Collection Finds New Home at Vermont History Center by Emily Kaminsky

BARRE — A rich collection of archival material and artifacts representing Barre’s earliest history through the turn of the 19th century and beyond will soon be settled into its new home at the Vermont Historical Society’s Vermont History Center, which is home to the Vermont Heritage Galleries and the Howard and Alba Leahy Library located on Washington Street in downtown Barre. “It’s a collection of collections,” says Paul Carnahan, director of the Howard and Alba Leahy Library. “It’s the largest amount of items we have processed at one time.”

The collection had been unavailable to the public ever since it was confined to storage at the Ward 5 School. It’s more recent home had been the Aldrich Library, where, for at least two decades, some of it was on display and most of it was boxed up and stacked wherever there was room. The collection was moved to the Ward 5 School when the library underwent renovations.

The collection includes hundreds of artifacts that very few people have seen such as early granite industry tools, a revolutionary war rifle, fire buckets and fire house memorabilia, service and ethnic club materials, clothing, personal heirlooms and furniture. The collection also includes hundreds of boxes of archival materials such as photographs, news clip-pings, financial and legal records, correspondence, personal papers, account books and printed materials. Together, they tell a story of a small rural community of yankees that in a short period of time grew to become the center of granite trade and industry and a melting pot thanks to immigrants who came from abroad to work in the quarries.

According to Vermont History Center Curator Jackie Calder, the Barre Historical Society and the collection was started in 1915 as a response by upper-middle-class yankees to a perceived threat to their cultural heritage. The collection was organized in a formal way in 1974 and transferred to the Aldrich Library when the Barre Historical Society closed its doors in 1980.

“It was challenging,” says Marjorie Strong who is archivist at Vermont Historical Center and was archivist at the Aldrich Library in the 1990s. “The Collection was on the second floor and packed floor to ceiling,” she recalls. The hazards were so severe that she remembers climbing a ladder once to get some boxes down and falling back onto a big rack of historical paintings. She also used to fear dropping the big granite tools through the library’s second floor glass flooring. “I imagined them just going straight through,” she says.

Not only will the collection find a safer home at the Vermont History Center, complete with climate control and acid-free containers, but it will also be more accessible to the pub-lic. In August, the Barre Historical Society (which was revived in the 1990s to rescue the Old Labor Hall) signed an agreement with the Vermont Historical Society to house and maintain the collection at the center. “We’re happy to have it here. The center is an appropriate place for the collection,” says Calder. “It’s a very interesting collection for us because we have a lot of Montpelier materials. We think of them as two very separate communities but what the collections will reflect is a lot of intermarriage between the upper- and upper-middle class of the day,” she says.

The artifacts are less well known at this point as Calder has not been able to get a good look at the collection yet. “It’s freezing over there and there are no bathrooms,” she laments. By early 2015, however, several truckloads of artifacts will be delivered to the center’s doorstep and she and her staff will start the long process of cataloguing and storing the artifacts and their associated papers. “It’s not here yet and I don’t know it. There are thousands of things over there. We’re pretty full; we’re going to have to squeeze this in somewhere,” she says.

For Marjorie Strong, bringing the collection to the History Center is a dream come true. “It’s really fun. There are things I’ve totally forgotten about. It’s kind of like my baby is back.” Both she and Carnahan expressed how frustrating it has been to know that the collection existed but to have no way to access it. “It was really frustrating; people would know it existed but we couldn’t get to it. Now we can,” Carnahan says.

Processing the collection will take time, effort and money, according to Calder. The Vermont Historical Society funds its operations, programs, and facilities with appropriations from the state of Vermont, contributions and bequests from private individuals, and program fees and other earned revenue. Already halfway through it’s fiscal year, it does not have extra funding earmarked to process the Barre History Collection. Approximately $18,000 is needed to pay interns and purchase materials to catalogue the collection. Calder is looking for donations from the community at large to help foot the bill.

The appeal to fund the work will hopefully be answered by the community. The collection holds many treasures that help define Barre as a community then and now. “Historical items help us remember where we come from; we often take things for granted until it’s all gone,” says Calder. “We’re very happy to have the Barre History Collection here. It’s an appropriate home for it.”

Calder says she is committed to bringing the materials to life for the public by circulating items through the existing Barre history display at the center called “The Emergence of the Granite City: Barre 1880 to 1940.” That exhibit currently includes quite a few items that were initially culled from the collection. For more information on the Vermont Historical

Society, the Heritage Galleries and Library at the Vermont History Center in Barre, and the Barre History Collection, visit www.vermonthistory.org or call 479-8500.

Vermont History Center Librarian Paul Carnahan flips through the pages of the record book belonging to the volunteer fire house called “Torrent No. 1.” Photo by Emily Kaminsky.

Vermont History Center Curator Jackie Calder holds one of several schoolgirl embroidery samplers from the 1830s. The samplers are part of the Barre History Collection. Photo by Emily Kaminsky

Artifacts on display at the Vermont History Center.

Model train on display at the Vermont History Center

Historic photo on display.

SHOP LOCAL,

SHOP BARRE

Church chalice


This page was paid for by the Montpelier Public Schools.

This fall kicked off a fundraising campaign and a multi-year project to repair and sig-nificantly improve both the kindergarten and the upper playground at Union Elementary School. The Union Playground Project (UPP) has received donations of time, money, and specialized skills to make over the school’s outdoor spaces. Although there have not been any significant improvements made to this community resource in over twenty years, UES is raising community donations to avoid any additional tax burden to Montpelier residents.

“It’s like an old-fashioned barn-raising, said UES Principal Chris Hennessey. The need is there, so people come together and just make it happen. We have talented designers, organizers, and communicators, and soon we’ll be looking for folks interested in contrib-uting sweat equity! With research showing that we need to move our bodies to learn, this is more important than ever. Plus, I think some spaces encourage pro-social behavior—people of all ages act and feel differently according to their immediate environment.”

In fact, the new playground’s design intends to encourage certain positive behaviors. There are rope webs, slack lines, climbing mounds, tree stump jumps, and a climbing wall to build strength and oxygenate the brain, and there are also “quiet benches”, ter-raced garden beds, and shaded areas on the grass to encourage conversation and reflec-tion. Some areas have been designated for doing art en plein air or sharing a snack with a friend. In short, the design seeks to address the developmental needs of students outdoors so that they are ready to learn back when they go back inside.

UES owes a debt of gratitude to its UPP Designers Tolya Stonorov and Terry Hollo-way, as well as the UPP Fundraising Committee: UES teacher Theresa Giffin and UES parents Sarah McKearnan, Jennifer Matthews, Kristin Darcy, Alison Lamanga, Emma Bay-Hansen & Jenny Sheehan.

Please consider donating to UPP to help enrich our students’ play, growth, development, minds and muscles! Checks should be payable to Montpelier Public Schools, and can be sent to: UPP c/o Theresa Giffin, Union Elementary School, 1 Park Ave. Montpelier, VT 05602

Over the last five years, Main Street Middle School’s Team Summit has had a student intern visit the Montpelier Senior Activity Center to help out with technology. In ad-dition to that program, MSMS has now developed a learning program for seniors who come to the school to work through their technology questions and issues with helpful middle-schoolers.

Students have to apply in order to participate, and this year’s students proved their quali-fications by developing a curriculum, website, and resources for participating seniors. Students will be providing the last of six sessions this week, and will offer a second series starting in January depending on demand.

Dan Groberg, Program and Development Coordinator for the Montpelier Senior Center, had this to say about the program: “The Senior Tech class has been an incredible success. The MSMS students have taken their responsibilities very seriously, carefully planning the class, catering to senior needs, and being patient and thorough teachers. Seniors have loved learning new skills and making connections with young people. Thank you to MSMS for enabling this terrific partnership.”

“I hope we get a rainbow slide for the new play-ground, with colors on the inside and regular on the outside. And it should have windows too, so I can see my friends.” -Jacob Kaufman, Kindergarten

personalizationcommunity sustainability

Community Contributes for Union Playground Project

STUDENT VOX POP

“It’s a funny thing—I had a dream about a new playground and the plans look the same, with grass and long green pathways, not wood chips. I really want a new (playground) because it’s been like that for a really long time.” -Tatum Hébert, Grade 2

MSMS Shares Tech with Seniors

MHS Learning Exhibitions This spring, all 9th Graders will give exhibitions of learning to peers, parents, and teach-ers to provide evidence of their growth as measured by the MHS Learning Expectations (LEs). Students will ref lect on what they’ve learned, look for personal connections to their learning, and plan future learning opportunities.

This month, MHS teachers & students attended a series of workshops to prepare for the new MHS Learning Exhibitions (LX). Teachers & students learned 1) how to build a digital body of work 2) how to use the LEs to track transferable skills across discipline areas, and 3) how to give a high-quality presentation with appropriate technology tools. The purpose of the exhibitions is to encourage students to connect their learning across classes and over time, in order to make informed decisions about future planning.

Starting in Fall 2015, Vermont’s Act 77 requires all schools to have Personalized Learn-ing Plans (PLPs) for students to share individual learning goals with their parents and for schools to support f lexible pathways such as internships, online courses, and “dual enrollment” with colleges & universities. As schools around Vermont shift to personal-ized learning plans and proficiency-based learning for all students, MHS will build on this work...with teachers & students learning side by side.

DID YOU KNOW?The UES Playground Project will have no impact on local tax burden because it will be funded by donations.

Aside from maintenance and repairs, the last UES playground renovation was in 1991.

mpsSHOP LOCAL,

SHOP BARRE!

Barre Beat barrebeat.com

This week marks a transition in the world of downtown Barre busi-nesses. The Barre Partnership, a

Main Street program committed to creat-ing a vibrant downtown Barre, named Josh Jerome as its new executive director. His first day on the job was Dec. 15. I caught up with him the morning of his first day and he was already sifting through documents to get his bearings, planning on visiting one or two business owners, and following up on leads for two new possible events.

“I want to do some cool events,” he says. “I’m already working with some people in the area to create a running event.” In addi-tion, he plans on creating a home-brew and craft beer festival with the hopes of getting enthusiasts to consider downtown Barre as a place to enjoy the product as well as po-tentially locate a brewery.

On top of all of that, Jerome is transition-ing the Partnership’s office from the former Merchants Bank Building in downtown Barre to the second floor of a converted yellow house at the corner of Merchant and Summer streets owned by DLM Bookkeep-ing Services.

Jerome is a community development pro-fessional with links to local businesses and loan investment. He comes to the Barre Partnership from the Barre-based Com-munity Capital of Vermont, where he was a loan officer, helping start-up businesses. Jerome also serves as treasurer for the board of the Granite City Grocery and as trea-surer for the board of the Barre Partner-ship, a position he has resigned now that he has been named the Partnership’s executive director.

Jerome was chosen from among a strong slate of candidates, said Hillary Montgom-ery, president of the Partnership’s board of directors. “The board of directors was thrilled to receive a large number applica-tions from people who all expressed their desire to work for the Barre Partnership. The pool of highly-qualified candidates speaks to the buzz in Barre and that the Partnership is well positioned to keep it going. I and the rest of the board look for-ward to working with Josh. ”

“The future for downtown Barre is excit-ing,” Jerome said, “and I plan to bring that knowledge and a sense of eagerness to move the Partnership to its next level of growth and sustainability.” Jerome, a Graniteville native, has a B.A. in social science from Lyndon State College and an M.A. in sus-tainable businesses and communities from Goddard College. He replaces Dan Jones, who resigned after four years as the Part-nership’s executive director to return to a career in teaching. During his tenure, Jones managed a successful marketing campaign to maintain foot traffic to main street busi-nesses while Main Street was shut down for upgrades to the city’s sewer and water infrastructure.

Do you have a story to share with The Barre Beat? We’re queuing up intriguing stories about Barre and its inhabitants for upcoming Barre Beat articles. Please send your story ideas to The Bridge at 223-5112 or [email protected]. Follow @BarreBeatVT or @TheBridgeVT on Twit-ter for regular updates on Barre (and lots of other interesting stuff).

Main Street Program Names New Executive Director by Emily Kaminsky

5 High School Drive, Unit #1Montpelier, VT 05602

Students will be capable, motivated contributors to their local, national and

world communities.


THURSDAY, DEC. 18The Good Beginnings' Nest Winter Warming Party. Help warm up our parent resource center for the winter season and check out our new interior. Free chili lunch and gingerbread people decorating. Noon–2 p.m. Good Beginnings, 174 River St., Montpelier. Free. 595-7953. [email protected]. www.facebook.com/events/361713274006435/

Green Mountain Care Board Public Meeting. Agency of Administration update. 1–4 p.m. GMCB Board Room, City Center Building, 89 Main St., 2F, Montpelier. gmcboard.vermont.gov.

Brain Injury Support Group. Open to all survi-vors, caregivers and adult family members. Third Thurs., 1:30–2:30 p.m. Unitarian Church, 130 Main St., Montpelier. 244-6850.

Diabetes Discussion Group. Focus on self-management. Open to anyone with diabetes and their families. Third Thurs., 1:30 p.m. The Health Center, Plainfield. Free. Don 322-6600 or [email protected].

Survivors of Suicide Loss Support. Monthly group for people affected by a suicide death. Third Thurs., 6–7:30 p.m. Central Vermont Medical Center, conference rm. 1, Fisher Rd., Berlin. 223-0924. [email protected].

Grandparents Raising Their Children’s Chil-dren. Third Thurs., 6–8 p.m. Child care provided.

Trinity United Methodist Church, 137 Main St., Montpelier. 476-1480.

Songwriters’ Meeting. Meeting of the Northern VT/NH chapter of the Nashville Songwriters Association International. Bring copies of your work. Third Thurs., 6:45 p.m. Catamount Arts, St. Johnsbury. John, 633-2204.

Song Circle: Community Sing-A-Long with Rich and Laura Atkinson. (Rescheduled from Dec. 10.) A singing background is not necessary and song books will be provided. A variety of instruments are used to accompany the singers. Musicians are welcome to bring their instrument. 6:45 p.m. Jaquith Public Library, 122 School St., Marshfield. Free. 426-3581. jaquithpubliclibrary.org.

FRIDAY, DEC. 19CVCOA Chats. Questions about health insurance or other senior services? Sarah Willhoit, informa-tion and assistance specialist with Central Vermont Council on Aging, is available by appointment. 9 a.m.–noon. Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 58 Barre St., Montpelier. Free Call Sarah to set up an appointment: 479-4400.

Technology Assistance. All seniors are invited to drop-in for free technology assistance provided by a local student. 11:45 a.m.–12:45 p.m. Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 58 Barre St., Montpelier. Free. 223-2518. [email protected].

United Healthcare Presentation on Medicare Options. 1–2:30 p.m. Montpelier Senior Activ-ity Center, 58 Barre St., Montpelier. 223-2518. [email protected].

Fourth annual Fresh Tracks Holiday Party. Mulled Dog River red wine, plates of assorted artisan cheeses and chocolates prepared by the Northfield Falls General Store, The Ira Friedman Jazz Trio. 5–8 p.m. Fresh Tracks Farm Vineyard & Winery, 4373 VT Rte. 12, Berlin. Free. 223-1151. freshtracksfarm.com.

Qi Gong for Strong Winter Immune System. Samuel Hendrick offers simple tricks to align the mind-body system. 6–7 p.m. Hunger Mountain Coop, 623 Stone Cutter Way, Montpelier. Free. Register: 223-8000 ext. 202.

Orchard Valley's Winter Solstice Celebration. Join the celebration at this highlight of the holiday season, Orchard Valley-style! An evening of song, theater and revelry. 6–8:30 p.m. Montpelier High School auditorium, 5 High School Dr., Montpe-lier. Free. 456-7400. ovws.org.

Gifts for Giving at Red Hen. Join Red Hen Bak-ing, The Mud Studio, Nutty Steph's, Ann's Weav-ery, Heise Metal Sculpture and MiddleGround Florist to celebrate the season of giving. Meet the folks behind our products, sample our favorite holiday wines, ciders and foods. Enjoy discounts on all items in our shop. 6–9 p.m. Red Hen Café, 961 U.S. Rte. 2, Middlesex.

SATURDAY, DEC. 20Christmas Bird Count. 54th annual count covers parts of Montpelier, East Montpelier, Barre, Plain-field and Calais. Join in, no experience needed. Call North Branch Nature Center for more infor-mation: 229-6206.

AfroJazz and Yoga Workout. African/Caribbean and jazz inspired moves, yoga, hand weights and floor work. Easy to follow and adaptable. 9–10:30 a.m. Contemporary Dance & Fitness Studio, 18 Langdon St., Montpelier. $16. 229-4676. cdandfs.com.

Additional Recyclables Collection Center. Ac-cepting scores of hard-to-recycle items. Third Sat., 9 a.m.–1 p.m. 540 N. Main St. (old Times-Argus building), Barre. $1 per carload. 229-9383 x106. For list of accepted items, go to cvswmd.org/arcc-additional-recyclables-collection-center.html.

Christmas Craft Bazaar. 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Rte. 14, Williamstown (beside Pump & Pantry). 477-2122. [email protected].

Magic: The Gathering Tournament. An informal tournament every first and third Sat., 10 a.m.–1 p.m. Aldrich Library, Teen Room, 6 Washington St., Barre. Free. 476-7550. [email protected]. aldrichpubliclibrary.org.

Capital City Indoor Farmers Market. Featuring over 30 farmers, food producers and crafts-people. Music by Jairo Sequeira. 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Montpelier City Hall, 39 Main St., Montpelier. [email protected]. capi-talcityfarmersmarket.com.

Holiday with the Animals. Fun, family-friendly holiday party with food and festivities. Activities and animal-related crafts for all ages. With special guests Santa and Mrs. Claus. Please bring dona-tions to help spread good cheer to shelter animals and be entered to win door prizes. See website for wish list. 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Central Vermont

Humane Society, 1589 VT Rte. 14 S., E. Montpe-lier. For full wish list: cvhumane.com. 476-3811. [email protected].

Kids Creating Music. With Bob Brookens. Kids aged 18 months to 4 years old love learning to play instruments, as well as singing and dancing with Bob! 10 a.m. Waterbury Public Library, 28 N. Main St., Waterbury. Free. 244-7036. waterbury-publiclibrary.com.

Author Reading: Carol L. Noyes. Coming Full Circle: One Woman’s Journey through Spiri-tual Crisis. 10:30 a.m.–noon. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Hayes Room, 135 Main St., Montpelier. Free. 223-3338. kellogghubbard.org.

SUNDAY, DEC. 21Christmas Craft Bazaar. 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Rte. 14, Williamstown (beside Pump & Pantry). 477-2122. [email protected].

Old Meeting House Christmas Pageant. Annual Christmas pageant with live animals. Join us for this beautiful pageant and story of Christmas. 9:30–10:30 a.m. Old Meeting House, 1620 Center Rd., E. Montpelier. Free. 229-9593. oldmeeting-house.org.

Skating with Frosty The Snowman. Celebrate winter with an afternoon of family fun ice skating. Frosty the Snowman will be making a special appearance. Hot chocolate, cookie decorating and family fun. 1–4 p.m. Central Vermont Memorial Civic Center, 268 Gallison Hill Rd., Montpelier. $6. Skate rental, if needed, is $5. 225-8699. [email protected]. 225-8699.

THEATER, STORYTELLING & COMEDYDec. 18: Kathleen Kanz Comedy Hour. Headlining this month is Josie Leavitt, found-ing member of the Vermont Comedy Divas. Also featuring Kathleen Kanz, Timothy Bridge, Lori Goldman, Tyler Denton and Josie Leavitt. Adult content. Every third Thurs., 7 p.m. Capitol Grounds. 27 State St., Montpelier. $5. 223-7800. capitolgrounds.com.

Dec. 19–21: Night Fires. Theatre Group Ltd’s celebrational pageant-like play at the time of the winter solstice. As always, the theme is a journey through the dark to new life and hope. Music and poetry from the Americas, especially North America, plus some exquisite songs from all around the globe. Original prose by Debo-rah Lubar and Marianne Lust. Dec. 19, 8 p.m.; Dec. 20, 4 and 8 p.m.; Dec. 21, 2 p.m. The popular pre-show singing begins approximately 20 minutes before the show itself. Town Hall Theater, 68 S. Pleasant St., Middlebury. Adults $24; seniors and students $20. townhalltheater.org.

Dec. 20: Stories for a Winter's Eve. Original Vermont stories and music with Patti Casey and friends. 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. The Old Meeting House, 1620 Center Rd., E. Montpelier. Tick-ets: $15 advance at oldmeetinghouse.org; $18 at the door; $10 ages 12 and under; $50 4-pack. 249-0404 or 229-9593.

Dec. 20, 21: Green Mountain Nutcracker. Moving Light Dance offers the perennial holiday favorite dance production, now in its eighth year, featuring 75 local dancers, fabulous hand-made costumes and glorious set pieces. Dec. 20, 7 p.m.; Dec. 21, 2 p.m. Barre Opera House, 6 N. Main St., Barre. $14–28. 476-8188. barreoperahouse.org.

Performing Arts

Through June 30: Free Admission for Montpelier Residents to The Vermont History Museum. Come explore the his-tory of your community and your state in our award-winning, hands-on exhibit. 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Vermont History Museum, 109 State St., Montpelier. Free. 828-2291. vermonthistory.org.

Visual Arts EXHIBITSThrough Dec. 18: The Paletteers of Vermont Fall Art Show. Milne Room, Aldrich Public Li-brary, 6 Washington St., Barre. Free. 476-7550.

Through Dec. 19: 1864: Some Suffer So Much. Stories of Norwich alumni who served as mili-tary surgeons during the Civil War and traces the history of posttraumatic stress disorder. Sullivan Museum and History Center, Norwich University, 158 Harmon Dr., Northfield. 485-2183. Norwich.edu/museum.

Through Dec. 19: Art Schaller, Billboard Buildings: Collage and Mixed Media. Sullivan Museum & History Center, Norwich University, 158 Harmon Dr., Northfield. Free and open to the public. RSVP encouraged: 485-2183. [email protected]. norwich.edu/museum.

Through Dec. 27: Celebrate! Annual local arts celebration featuring artwork and crafts by more than 75 member artists of Studio Place Arts (SPA). Gallery hours: Tues.–Fri., 11 a.m.–5 p.m.; Sat., noon–4 p.m. Studio Place Arts, all three floors, 201 N. Main St., Barre. studioplacearts.com.

Through Dec. 31: Oils & Watercolors of Susan Bull Riley. Paintings of the botanicals, birds and landscapes of Vermont. Gallery hours vary but are generally Mon.–Fri., 10 a.m.–3 p.m; Sat. hours start in Oct. The Festival Gallery, #2 Village Square, Waitsfield. 496-6682. vermon-tartfest.com.

Through Dec. 31: Susan Bull Riley. Vermont landscapes, botanical and bird compositions. Gallery hours: 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m. The Governor’s Gallery, Pavilion Building, 109 State St., 5F, Montpelier. 828-0749.

Through Dec. 31: W. David Powell, Everything Must Go 3.0: Artworks from the New Millen-nium. Large and vibrant paintings, prints, mixed media and woven pieces. Gallery hours: 8–4:30 p.m. Art in the Vermont Supreme Court, 111 State St., Montpelier. 828-0749.

Through Dec. 31: Joyce Kahn, Out and About. Plein air paintings from Vermont and Mohegan Island, Maine. Opening: Nov. 10, 5–6 p.m. Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 58 Barre St., Montpelier.

Through Dec. 31: Donna Ellery. Long time Ver-mont artist works in glass, metals and the fine arts. Animal and people portraits, still life and everyday objects are painted in a style that allows some fluid high-spirited whimsy, while remain-ing true to the object or person. The Shoe Horn, 8 Langdon St., Montpelier. donnaelleryart.com/

Through Dec. 31: Neysa Russo, Felt Tapestry Exhhibit. Exhibit extended through December.

Lots of new work added. Bagitos, 28 Main St., Montpelier. Free. 229-9212. bagitos.com.

Through Jan. 3: Wilderness Photographs. Photographs of Vermont and New Hampshire wilderness are displayed. Exhibit viewing hours: Tues.–Fri., noon–6 p.m.; Sat., 9 a.m.–1 p.m. Royalton Memorial Library, 23 Alexander Pl., S. Royalton. Free.

Through Jan. 4: Sarah LeVeille, Whimsy. Acrylic paintings bring the farmyard to life. Reception: Dec. 18, 5–7 p.m. Gallery hours: Mon.–Thur., 9 a.m.–4 p.m.; Fri., noon–2 p.m. River Arts Center, 74 Pleasant St., Morrisville. 888-1261. RiverArtsVT.org.

Through Jan. 4: Lauren Stagnitti, In a Moment. Infrared photography. Reception: Dec. 18, 5–7 p.m.; artist talk 6 p.m. Gallery hours: Mon.–Thur., 9 a.m.–4 p.m.; Fri., 9 a.m.–2 p.m. Gallery at River Arts, Folley Hall at the River Arts Cen-ter, 74 Pleasant St., Morrisville. Free. 888-1261.

riverartsvt.org.

Through Jan. 17: Celebrating the Dishtowel. Ja-quith Public Library, 122 School St., Marshfield. Free. 426-3581. jaquithpubliclibrary.org.

Jan. 5–10: Vera Van Stone Fogg, A Lifetime Retrospective. Opening reception: Jan. 5, 2–4 p.m. Closing reception: Jan. 10, 3–5 p.m. Gallery hours: Tues.–Fri., 11 a.m.–5 p.m.; Sat., noon–4 p.m. Studio Place Arts, Main Floor Gallery, 201 N. Main St., Barre. studioplacearts.com.

Through Jan. 23: Shamus McCaffrey Langlois, Totems and Lovers, Clowns and Villains. Sculpture, painting and drawing exploring the transitional spaces between experience, desire and transformation. Gallery SIX, 6 Barre St., Montpelier. 552-8620. [email protected]. gallerysix.weebly.com/

Through Jan. 30: Tibetan Buddhist Thankgas. Various artists. Tulsi Tea Room, 34 Elm St., Montpelier. 223-1431. tulsitearoom.com.

Through Jan. 31: Michael T. Jermyn, New American Impressionism. Local photographer Michael T. Jermyn presents some new photo-graphic works along with a few old favorites. Tues.–Sun., noon–10 p.m. Chill, 32 State St., Montpelier. 223-2445 or 223-1570.

Through Apr. 10: Green Mountain Graveyards: Photo Exhibit. Fascinating look into the past with these photographs. Vermont History Muse-um, 109 State St., Montpelier. Exhibit included in museum fee. 828-2180. [email protected]. vermonthistory.org/calendar.

SPECIAL EVENTSJan. 9: The Photo Big Year: A Quest to Photo-graph North America’s Birds. Part of Naturalist Journeys 2015 Slide Show and Lecture Series. 7–8:30 p.m. Unitarian Church, 130 Main St., Montpelier. $5 donation. 229-6206. [email protected]. northbranchnatu-recenter.org.

Families of Color. Open to all. Play, eat and dis-cuss issues of adoption, race and multiculturalism. Bring snacks and games to share; dress for the weather. Third Sun., 3–5 p.m. Unitarian Church, 130 Main St., Montpelier. Alyson 439-6096 or [email protected].

Winter Solstice Celebration. Potluck, storytell-ing, bonfire, fireworks and lots of fun. 4 p.m. AllTogetherNow! 170 Cherry Tree Hill Rd., E. Montpelier. alltogethernowvt.org.

MONDAY, DEC. 22Treat the Common Cold with Chinese Medi-cine. Joshua Singer shares tools to reduce occur-rence and to help colds go away more quickly. 6–7 p.m. Hunger Mountain Coop, 623 Stone Cutters Way, Montpelier. Free. Register: 223-8000 ext. 202.

Monthly Book Group for Adults. Join us for the Jaquith book group. For copies of the book, please stop by the library. New members are always welcome. Fourth Mon., 7 p.m. Jaquith Public Library, 122 School St., Marshfield. 426-3581. [email protected]. jaquithpublicli-brary.org.

NAMI Vermont Family Support Group. Support group for families and friends of individuals living with mental illness. Fourth Mon., 7 p.m. Central Vermont Medical Center, room 3, Berlin. 800-639-6480 or namivt.org.

Crafting Peace, Feeding Syrian Refugees. A peace and love themed craft night. $15 donation covers all materials. All proceeds will go to the United Nations World Food Programme in an effort to help them continue their aid to Syrian refugees. We will celebrate the completion of the crafts by hanging them all around Montpelier in a Crafting Peace art show, and we will be auctioning off the artwork with all money from the sales going to the World Food Programme. 8 p.m. Charlie O’s World Famous, 70 Main St., Montpelier. $15

TUESDAY, DEC. 23Medicare and You Workshop. New to Medicare? Have questions? We have answers. Second and fourth Tues., 3–4:30 p.m. 59 N. Main St., Ste.

200, Barre. Free, donations gratefully accepted. 479-0531. [email protected]. cvcoa.org.

AfroJazz and Yoga Workout. African/Carib-bean and jazz inspired moves, yoga, hand weights and floor work. Easy to follow and adaptable. 5:15–6:45 p.m. Contemporary Dance & Fitness Studio, 18 Langdon St., Montpelier. $16. 229-4676. cdandfs.com.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 24Foot Clinic. Keep your feet healthy and strong.Call CVHHH a morning appointment and they will tell you what to bring with you: 223-1878. Twin Valley Senior Center, Rte. 2, Blueberry Commons, E. Montpelier. Cash or check made out to CVHHH for $15.

Refreshing Vinyasa Yoga. Enjoy a yogic practice on the eve of christmas to unwind and appreci-ate the life you have been given. Noon–1:15 p.m. Contemporary Dance & Fitness Studio, 18 Lang-don St., Montpelier. $16. 229-4676. cdandfs.com.

Christmas Mass at St. Augustine’s Church. 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. St. Augustine’s Church, 16 Barre St., Montpelier. 223-5285.

Christmas Masses at St. Monica’s Church. Mass 4 p.m and 6:30 p.m..; Christmas pageant 6 p.m.; Christmas concert with 45 voice choir, flutes, trumpets, bells and drums 11 p.m.; midnight mass 12 a.m. St. Monica’s Church, 79 Summer St., Barre. 479-3253.

Candlelight Christmas Eve Services. Family 5 p.m.; traditional 7:30 p.m. The Old Meeting House, 1620 Center Rd., E. Montpelier. 229-9593. oldmeetinghouse.org.

THURSDAY, DEC. 25Christmas Day Masses at St. Monica’s Church. 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. St. Monica’s Church, 79 Sum-mer St., Barre. 479-3253.

Christmas Mass at North American Martyrs Parish. 9 a.m. North American Martyrs Parish, Rte. 2, Marshfield. 223-5285.

Christmas Mass at St. Augustine’s Church. 10 a.m. St. Augustine’s Church, 16 Barre St., Mont-pelier. 223-5285.

FRIDAY, DEC. 26Friday Night Group. For youth age 13–22 who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning. Pizza, soft drinks and conversation. Cofacilitated by two trained, adult volunteers from Outright VT. Second and fourth Fri., 6:30–8 p.m. Unitarian Church, 130 Main St., Montpelier. Free. 223-7035. [email protected].

SATURDAY, DEC. 27Snowshoe Elmore with Green Mountain Club. Moderate. Appoximately 4.5 miles. Hike or snowshoe the Mt. Elmore loop trail. Bring water and lunch. 10 a.m. Meet at Worcester Town Hall, 20 Worcester Village Rd., Worcester. Weather and snow conditions may change time and location. Kathy or John: 229-0725.

MONDAY, DEC. 29Bootcamp for Dancers. Intermediate/Advanced. A class of technical drill with a focus on develop-ing, honing and strengthening proper alignment, extension and movement applicable to ballet, modern and jazz. 3–4:45 p.m. Contemporary Dance & Fitness Studio, 18 Langdon St., Mont-pelier. $16. 229-4676. cdandfs.com.

TUESDAY, DEC. 30AfroJazz and Yoga Workout. African/Carib-bean and jazz inspired moves, yoga, hand weights and floor work. Easy to follow and adaptable. 5:15–6:45 p.m. Contemporary Dance & Fitness Studio, 18 Langdon St., Montpelier. $16. 229-4676. cdandfs.com.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 31Refreshing Vinyasa Yoga. Enjoy a yogic practice on the eve of the new year. Set an intention and celebrate! Noon–1:15 p.m. Contemporary Dance & Fitness Studio, 18 Langdon St., Montpelier. $16. 229-4676. cdandfs.com.

Central Vermont Runner’s Club annual New Year's Eve 5K Road Race. Part of the New Year's Eve celebrations in downtown Montpelier

planned by Montpelier Alive. Registration 12:30 p.m. at the Pavilion Building, 109 State St., Montpelier. Race begins 2 p.m. on Court St. near the Pavilion Building.

New Year's Eve at Bethany! Fun activities for kids —make celebratory hats and noisemakers 3–4:30 p.m.; ham dinner 5–6:30 p.m.; Hearts & Souls concert featuring Mark LeGrand, Sarah Munro, Denise Ricker, Skip Potter, Doug Little and Arthur Zorn 7 p.m. Bethany Church, 115 Main St., Montpelier. Kids activities are free. Tickets for dinner and concert: $30 at door; $25 advance. Advance tickets available at Bethany Church office, 9 a.m.–noon on weekdays. 622-0376. [email protected].

Marko the Magician at Montpelier High School. Marko will entertain the audience with hypnosis and magic. Part of the New Year's Eve celebrations in downtown Montpelier planned by Montpe-lier Alive. Two shows: 4:30 p.m. and 5:45 p.m. Montpelier High School, 5 High School Dr., Montpelier. Adults $5; children ages 5 and under free. Tickets: eventbrite.com or Montpelier Alive Facebook event page. Tickets also available at the door.

Fireworks Show. Part of the New Year's Eve celebrations in downtown Montpelier planned by Montpelier Alive. 7:30 p.m. State House Lawn.

New Year's Eve Extravaganza at Montpelier City Hall. Hosted by blues singer/songwriter Dave Keller. Featuring The Dave Keller Band, Starline Rhythm Boys and special surprise musical guests. Drinks from Three Penny Taproom, food from Mad Taco, free champagne toast, countdown and disco ball drop at midnight, portraits by Middle Gray Group, classic soul and R&B spinning between sets, dance contests, door prizes and a Wall of Wishes to raise money for local charities. Fine attire suggested but not required. All ages welcome. Doors open 7:30 p.m.; Starline Rhythm Boys 8–9:30 p.m.; The Dave Keller Band 10 p.m.–1 a.m. Montpelier City Hall, 39 Main St., Montpelier. Tickets: $10 advance; $15 at door; free for children 17 and under. Advance tickets available at lostnationtheater.org and Capitol Stationers. 229-2737. [email protected]. davekeller.com.

The White Stallion, seen here, now on display at Chill in Montpelier as part of Michael T. Jermyn's exhibit New American Impressionism.


MusicVENUESBagitos. 28 Main St., Montpelier. Free. 229-9212. bagitos.com.

Dec. 18: Piano recital for students of Nancy Reid Taube, 6–8 p.m.Dec. 19: Isaiah Mayhew & Friends (roots, reg-gae, hip hop) 6–8 p.m.Dec. 20: Irish Session with Sarah Blair, Hilari Farrington, Benedict Koehler, Katrina VanTyne and others, 2–5 p.m.; The Verbing Nouns and Small Axe (acoustic) 6–8 p.m.Dec. 21: Eric Friedman & Gretchen Doilon (folk ballads) 11 a.m.–1 p.m.Dec. 23: Nancy & Lilly Smith folk duo, 6–8 p.m.

Capitol Grounds. 27 State St., Montpelier. 6–8 p.m. Free. 223-7800. [email protected]

Dec. 19: Bramblewood (bluegrass/folk)Jan. 1: Paul Cataldo (singer-songwriter)Jan. 2: Cygne (singer-songwriter)Jan. 8: Abby Jenne (acoustic)Jan. 9: Miranda Moody Miller (singer-song-writer)

Charlie O’s World Famous. 70 Main St., Mont-pelier. Free. Call for show times if not listed: 223-6820.

Dec. 18: Metal Thursday with Fall from the Gallows & DJ Crucible (metal)Dec. 20: Anachronist, Pistol Fist (rock)Dec. 26: Made In Iron (metal)Dec. 27: Mad Mountain Scramblers (bluegrass)

North Branch Café. 41 State St., Montpelier. 7:30–9:30 p.m. Free. 552-8105. [email protected]. thenorth-branch.com.

Dec. 18: James Secor (traditional and original songs on the kora or guitar)Dec. 20: Michelle Rodriguez (original jazz/indie folk)

Nutty Steph’s. 961C U.S. Rte. 2, Middlesex. All performances are from 7–10 p.m. 229-2090. [email protected]. nuttystephs.com.

Dec. 18: Jim Thompson (rockin’ jazz piano)Dec. 19: Rauli Fernandez & Friends (rock-steady blues)Dec. 20: Creaturetown Puppetfest and a variety of other local performers.Dec. 26: Cooie & Friends (blues)Dec. 27: Jazzyaoke! with Z JazzDec. 31: Bacon Wednesday New Year’s Eve. $20.

Positive Pie. 22 State St., Montpelier. 229-0453. positivepie.com.

Dec. 20: Sweater Pride: Glam Vermont Ugly Sweater Xmas Party with DJ Papi Javi (dance/top 40) 9–10 p.m. Ages 18+. $5.

Dec. 23: White Out hosted by DJ Ben Arsenal and featuring Yee with Shper Morse Dividian Trio. 21+. $5.Jan. 2: Gang of Thieves (rock) 21+. $5.Jan. 9: Kina Zoré (Mozambican-American) 21+. $5.

Sweet Melissa’s. 4 Langdon St., Montpelier. Free unless otherwise noted. 225-6012. facebook.com/sweetmelissasvt. Additional performances T.B.A.

Dec. 18: Seth Yacovone Acoustic, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 19: Honky Tonk Happy Hour with Mark LeGrand, 5 p.m.; Tim Brick's Send Off Party, 9 p.m. Dec. 20: The Pizza Tapes, 9 p.m. Dec. 23: Open Mic Night, 7 p.m.Dec. 24: Wine Down with D. Davis, 5 p.m.Dec. 26: Honky Tonk Happy Hour with Mark LeGrand, 5 p.m. Dec. 30: Open Mic Night, 7 p.m. Dec. 31: Coquette, Smokin' J's- New Year's Eve bash! 9 p.m.

The Whammy Bar. 31 County Rd., Calais. 7 p.m. Free. 229-4329. whammybar1.com. Call for performance times if not listed.

Dec. 18: Laura MeyerDec. 19: Chad HollisterDec. 20: June Morse Christmas Sing-a-LongDec. 26: Penny Arcade (blues/jazz)Dec. 27: Lewis Franco and The Brown Eyed GirlsJan. 2: Broken String (bluegrass)Jan, 3: Two Cents In The Till

ARTISTS & SPECIAL EVENTSDec. 18: Vermont Symphony Orchestra Brass Quintet with Counterpoint. 7:30 p.m. The North Church, 1325 Main St., St. Johnsbury. Adults $24; students/seniors $20; ages 18 and under free. 864-5741 ext.16. vso.org. Tickets also available at catamountarts.org.

Dec. 20, 21: The Onion River Chorus and Friends. With guest director, Richard Riley. Featuring Christmas music from France by Char-pentier and Saint Saens as well as some French folk songs. Dec. 20, 7:30 p.m.; Dec. 21, 4 p.m. Unitarian Church, 130 Main St., Montpelier. Adults $12; students $10; family $25.

Dec. 28: Breaking Up Christmas: Cajun Sol-stice Dance. With Katie Trautz and the Green Mountain Playboys. 3 p.m. Cabot Town Hall, Willey Building, Cabot. By donation.

Jan. 10: Shady Rill: Patti Casey and Tom McKenzie in Concert. Part of the Adamant Winter Music Series. Optional potluck 5:30 p.m.; show starts 7 p.m. Adamant Methodist Church, 1180 Haggett Rd., Adamant. $10 advance at the Adamant Coop; $15 at door. 223-5762.

Submit your calendar listing by using our online submission form atmontpelierbridge.com/calendar-submissions OR send listing [email protected]

FRIDAY, JAN. 2Death Café. Group discussion about death with no agenda, objectives or themes. First Fri., 11:45 a.m.–1 p.m. Twin Valley Senior Center, Rte. 2, Blueberry Commons, E. Montpelier. Bring your own lunch or eat at the center for $4. 223-3322.

Bootcamp for Dancers. Intermediate/advanced. A class of technical drill with a focus on develop-ing, honing and strengthening proper alignment, extension and movement applicable to ballet, modern and jazz. 5–6:15 p.m. Contemporary Dance & Fitness Studio, 18 Langdon St., Mont-pelier. $16. 229-4676. cdandfs.com.

Author Readings at Vermont College of Fine Arts. Clint McCown, MFA in writing (fiction) faculty member and author of “Haints,” Leslie Ullman, MFA in writing (poetry) faculty member and author of “Progress on the Subject of Immen-sity,” and Stephen Dunn, visiting poet and author of “Different Hours.” 7–8:15 p.m. VCFA, College Hall Chapel, 36 College St., Montpelier. Free. vcfa.edu/writing.

Coffeehouse. Enjoy live music and share your own. Fellowship, potluck snacks and beverages. First Fri., 7–9 p.m. Trinity United Methodist Church, 137 Main St., Montpelier (park and enter at rear). Free. 244-5191, 472-8297 or [email protected].

SATURDAY, JAN. 3National Federation of the Blind, Montpelier Chapter. First Sat. Lane Shops community room, 1 Mechanic St., Montpelier. 229-0093.

Magic: The Gathering Tournament. An informal tournament every first and third Sat., 10 a.m.–1 p.m. Aldrich Library, Teen Room, 6 Washington St., Barre. Free. 476-7550. [email protected]. aldrichpubliclibrary.org.

Capital City Indoor Farmers Market. Featuring over 30 farmers, food producers and craftspeople. 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Montpelier City Hall, 39 Main St., Montpelier. manager@montpelierfarmersmar-ket.com.capitalcityfarmersmarket.com.

Osteoporosis Education and Support Group. For those who have been diagnosed with osteo-porosis or osteopenia, have a family member who has been diagnosed or want to learn about osteoporosis. Learn from a variety of guest speak-ers and medical specialists. First Sat., 1–3 p.m. Community National Bank, Community Room, Crawford Rd., Derby. 535-2011. [email protected]. betterbonesneK.org.

Author Readings at Vermont College of Fine Arts. Karin Gottshall, visiting alumni poet and author of “The River Won’t Hold You,” Barbara Hurd, MFA in writing faculty member (creative nonfiction) and author of “Stepping Into The Same River Twice.” 7–8 p.m. VCFA, College Hall Chapel, 36 College St., Montpelier. Free. vcfa.edu/writing.

SUNDAY, JAN. 4Crafting with Old Clothes. With Morgaine Bell.Turn t-shirts, sweatpants, and other unused apparel into something new and useful. 1–3 p.m. Aldrich Public Library, 6 Washington St., Barre. Free; open to the public. 476-7550. [email protected]. aldrichpubliclibrary.org.

Author Readings at Vermont College of Fine Arts. Refael Paul Arenson, graduating fiction writer, and Iztok Osojnik, visiting poet/fiction/creative nonfiction writer and author of Else-where. 7:30–8:30 p.m. VCFA, College Hall Chapel, 36 College St., Montpelier. Free. http://vcfa.edu/writing.

MONDAY, JAN. 5Pottery Class at the Mud Studio. Wheel throw-ing and handbuilding classes for all skill levels. Mud Studio, 961 Rte. 2, Middlesex. Call for class fee and registration information: 224-7000. the-mudstudio.com. (See classified listing on p. 23.)

Parent Meet-Up. Come meet other parents, share information and chat over light snacks, coffee and tea. First Mon., 10–11:30 a.m. Hayes Room, Kellogg-Hubbard Library, 135 Main St., Montpe-lier. Free. [email protected].

Senior Cohousing - Aging in Community. Pre-sentation and conversation on senior cohousing. 6–7:30 p.m. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, 135 Main St., Montpelier. Free. 477-2616.

Classic Book Club. New members always wel-come. Most first Mon., 6–8 p.m. Cutler Memo-rial Library, 151 High St. (Rte. 2), Plainfield. Free. 454-8504. cutlerlibrary.org/resources/bookclub.

Author Readings at Vermont College of Fine Arts. Richard Jackson, MFA in writing faculty member (poetry) and author of “Retrievals,” and Sigrid Nunez, visiting fiction writer and author of “Salvation City.” 7–8 p.m. VCFA, College Hall Chapel, 36 College St., Montpelier. Free. vcfa.edu/writing.

TUESDAY, JAN. 6ADA Advisory Committee Meeting. First Tues. City manager’s conference room, City Hall, 39 Main St., Montpelier. 223-9502.

Library Book Delivery Service. First and third Tues., 1 p.m. See sign-up sheet near office for more info. Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 58 Barre St., Montpelier. 223-2518.

Women’s Circle. Women and mothers discuss motherhood, family life and women’s health. Hosted by midwives Chelsea Hastings and Hannah Allen. First Tues., 6–8 p.m. Emerge Midwifery and Family Health, 174 River St., Montpelier.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 7Bereavement/Grief Support Group. Open to anyone who has experienced the death of a loved one. 10–11:30 a.m. Conference Center. 600 Granger Road, Berlin. Free. 223-1878.

Grandparents Raising Their Children’s Chil-dren. First Wed., 10 a.m.–Noon. Barre Presbyte-rian Church, Summer St. 476-1480.

Cancer Support Group. First Wed., 6 p.m. Potluck. For location, call Carole Mac-Intyre 229-5931.

U-32 School Board Meeting. Open to the public and community members are always welcome to attend. 6 p.m. U-32, Rm. 131, 930 Gallison Hill Rd., Montpelier. 229-0321.

Montpelier School Board Meeting. 7 p.m. Montpelier High School library, 5 High School Dr., Montpelier. 225-8000.

The White Mountain Huts. Dartmouth professor Allen Koop explains the Appalachian Mountain Club’s hut system in New Hampshire, and how the huts and their people have formed a society with its own history, traditions and legends. Part of the Vermont Humanities Council’s First Wednesdays lecture series. 7–8:30 p.m. St. John-sbury Athenaeum, 1171 Main St., St. Johnsbury. Free. 748-8291.

On Thin Ice: Climate Change in the Cryosphere. Pam Pearson, director of the International Cryo-sphere Climate Initiative, will discuss changes in the globe’s regions of ice and snow. Part of the Vermont Humanities Council’s First Wednesdays lecture series. 7 p.m. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, 135 Main St., Montpelier. Free. 223-3338. kellog-ghubbard.org. vermont humanities.org.

THURSDAY, JAN. 8Deep Energy Efficiency for the Zero Energy Home. Examination of opportunities for and cost-effectiveness of achieving efficiency improve-ments in Vermont homes. This event is part of a series of workshops for residents and businesses on how we can each move toward Net Zero, hosted by the Montpelier Energy Advisory Committee in partnership with Efficiency Vermont. 6:30 p.m. Unitarian Church, 130 Main St., Montpelier. Free. 229-3559. [email protected]. eanvt.org/net-zero-montpelier/

FRIDAY, JAN. 9Technology Assistance. All seniors are invited to drop-in for free technology assistance provided by a local student. 10:45–11:45 a.m. Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 58 Barre St., Montpelier. Free. 223-2518. [email protected].

Perfect Pairing with Vermont Salumi. Join Ver-mont Salumi in the tasting room for free samples of cured “Pepe” Salumi paired with complementa-ry samples of wine. 5:30 p.m. Fresh Tracks Farm Vineyard & Winery, 4373 VT Rte. 12, Berlin. Free. 223-1151. freshtracksfarm.com.

Introduction to Massage for Couples. Learn massage techniques, which include tapping, reflexology, and massage for the head and neck that will relax and rejuvenate your partner. This is a "clothes on" workshop. 6–7:30 p.m. Hun-ger Mountain Coop, 623 Stone Cutters Way, Montpelier. Free; donations welcome. Register: 223-8000 ext. 202.

SATURDAY, JAN. 10Young Adventurers Club Outing. YAC is a Green Mountain Club group helping parents and kids get outdoors together. Easy. Contact Lexi at 229-9810 or Mike at 223-8493 for trip location, details and meeting time and place.

Cross-Country Ski Craftsbury with Green Mountain Club. Craftsbury Nordic Center. All abilities. Various distances. Trail fee. Call Mary G. at 622-0585 or Mary S. at 505-0603 for meeting time and place.

Stone Wall Winter Workshops. Learn the basic techniques for building dry-laid stone walls with a special focus on stone native to Vermont. Work-shop dates: Jan. 10, Feb. 14, Mar. 7 and 21, 8:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m. Workshops held at Red Wagon Plants, 2408 Shelburne Farms Rd., Hinesburg. $100. Space is limited. For complete schedule

and to register contact Queen City Soil & Stone: 318-2411, queencitysoilandstone.com. (See our ad on p. 6.)

Quick Books Training. With Elizia Meskill, CPA from Davis & Hodgdon Associates. Free Quick-Books training for small businesses. 9 a.m.–noon. Capstone Community Action, 20 Gable Pl., Barre. Free. Mandatory to call or email to enroll. Laura: 477-5176 or [email protected]. Margaret: 477-5214 or [email protected].

Tell them you saw it in

The Bridge!


Weekly EventsART & CRAFTBeaders’ Group. All levels of beading experience welcome. Free instruction available. Come with a project for creativity and community. Sat., 11 a.m.–2 p.m. The Bead Hive, Plainfield. 454-1615.

Noontime Knitters. All abilities welcome. Basics taught. Crocheting, needlepoint and tatting also welcome. Tues., noon–1 p.m. Waterbury Public Library, 28 N. Main St., Waterbury. 244-7036.

Women Knitting for Peace Group. Knit/crochet items to be donated to those in need world-wide. Bring yarn and needles. Thurs., 10–11 a.m. and 6–7:30 p.m. Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 58 Barre St., Montpelier. 223-2518. For basic info. and patterns: knitting4peace.org.

BICYCLINGOpen Shop Nights. Volunteer-run community bike shop: bike donations and repairs. Tues., 6–8 p.m.; other nights. Freeride Montpelier, 89 Barre St., Montpelier. 552-3521. freeridemontpelier.org.

BOOKS & WORDSLunch in a Foreign Language. Bring lunch and practice your language skills with neighbors. Noon–1 p.m. Mon., Hebrew; Tues., Italian; Wed., Spanish; Thurs., French. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, 135 Main St., Montpelier. 223-3338.

English Conversation Practice Group. For students learning English for the first time. Tues., 4–5 p.m. Central Vermont Adult Basic Educa-tion, Montpelier Learning Center, 100 State St. 223-3403.

Ongoing Reading Group. Improve your reading and share some good books. Books chosen by group. Thurs., 9–10 a.m. Central Vermont Adult Basic Education, Montpelier Learning Center, 100 State St. 223-3403.

BUSINESS & FINANCE, COMPUTERSComputer and Online Help. One-on-one com-puter help. Tues. and Fri., 10 a.m.–1 p.m. Water-bury Public Library, 28 N. Main St., Waterbury. Free. Registration required: 244-7036.

Personal Financial Management Workshops. Learn about credit/debit cards, credit building and repair, budgeting and identity theft, insurance, investing, retirement. Tues., 6–8 p.m. Central Vermont Medical Center, Conference Room 3. Registration: 371-4191.

EDUCATIONLunch & Learn. Every Tues., noon–1 p.m. North Branch Café, 41 State St., Montpelier. Free. Limited seating. Reservations: 552-8105. Detailed info. on each topic: thenorth-branch.com/upcom-ing-events/

FOOD & DRINKCommunity Meals in Montpelier. All welcome. Free.

Mon.: Unitarian Church, 130 Main St., 11 a.m.–1 p.m.Tues.: Bethany Church, 115 Main St., 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.Wed.: Christ Church, 64 State St., 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m.Thurs.: Trinity Church, 137 Main St., 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.Fri.: St. Augustine Church, 18 Barre St., 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m.Sun.: Last Sunday only, Bethany Church, 115 Main St. (hosted by Beth Jacob Synagogue), 4:30–5:30 p.m.

Lunches for Seniors. Mon., Wed., Fri., Noon. Twin Valley Senior Center, 4583 U.S. Rte. 2, E. Montpelier. $4 suggested donation. 223-3322. twinvalleyseniors.org.

FEAST Together & To-Go. All proceeds benefit the FEAST Senior Meal Program. Tues. and Fri. Dance/play with the band, 10:30 a.m.; communal/take-out meals, noon–1 p.m. Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 58 Barre St., Montpelier. Seniors 60+ free with $7 suggested donation; under 60 $9; to-go meals $9 for all. Please make reservations at least one day in advance: 262-6288.

HEALTH & WELLNESSTurning Point Center. Safe, supportive place for individuals and their families in or seeking recovery. Daily, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. 489 North Main St., Barre. 479-7373.

Sun.: Alchoholics Anonymous, 8:30 a.m.Tues.: Making Recovery Easier workshops, 6–7:30 p.m.Wed.: Wit’s End Parent Support Group, 6 p.m.Thurs.: Narcotics Anonymous, 6:30 p.m.

Early Bird Bone Builders Class. With Cort Richardson, Osteoporosis exercise and prevention program. Wear comfortable clothing and sturdy shoes. Light weights provided or bring your own. All ages. Every Mon. and Wed., 6:30–7:30 a.m. Twin Valley Senior Center, Rte. 2, Blueberry Commons, E. Montpelier. Free. Cort: 223-3174 or 238-0789.

Bone Building Exercises. All seniors welcome. Every Mon., Wed. and Fri. 10:45–11:45 a.m. Twin Valley Senior Center, 4583 U.S. Rte. 2, E. Mont-pelier. Free. 223-3322. twinvalleyseniors.org.

Tai Chi for Seniors. Led by trained volunteers. Every Mon. and Fri., 1–2 p.m. Twin Valley Senior Center, 4583 U.S. Rte. 2, E. Montpelier. Free. 223-3322. twinvalleyseniors.org.

Living Strong Group. Volunteer-led group. Sing while exercising. Open to all seniors. Every Mon., 2:30–3:30 p.m. and every Fri., 2–3 p.m. Montpe-lier Senior Activity Center, 58 Barre St., Montpe-lier. Free. Register: 223-2518. [email protected].

Sex Addicts Anonymous. Mon., 6:30 p.m. Betha-ny Church, 115 Main St., Montpelier. 552-3483.

Overeaters Anonymous. Twelve-step program for physically, emotionally and spiritually overcoming overeating. Two meeting days and locations. Tues., 5:30–6:30 p.m. at Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, 39 Washington St., Barre. 249-3970. Fri., noon–1 p.m. at Bethany Church, 115 Main St., Montpelier. 223-3079.

HIV Testing. Vermont CARES offers fast oral testing. Thurs., 2–5 p.m. 58 East State St., Ste. 3 (entrance at back), Montpelier. Free. 371-6222. vtcares.org.

Growing Older Group. Informal drop-in group to share experiences, thoughts and fears about aging. Every Fri., 10:30–11:30 a.m. Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 58 Barre St., Montpelier. 223-2518.

KIDS & TEENSBaby & Toddler Story Time. Every Mon., 10a.m. Waterbury Public Library, 28 N. Main St., Water-bury. Free. 244-7036. waterburypubliclibrary.com.

Orchard Valley Playgroup. An early childhood educator will lead the group, featuring seasonal songs, lap games, a puppet story, free play and conversation. For ages 4 and under and their par-ent/caregiver. Every Mon. through May, 1–2:30 p.m. Orchard Valley Waldorf School, 2290 VT Rt. 14 N, E. Montpelier. Space limited to 10 fami-lies; pre-registration required. [email protected].

The Basement Teen Center. Cable TV, PlaySta-tion 3, pool table, free eats and fun events for teenagers. Mon.–Thurs., 3–6 p.m.; Fri., 3–11 p.m. Basement Teen Center, 39 Main St., Montpelier. 229-9151.

Story Time and Playgroup. Story time with Syl-via Smith and playgroup with Melissa Seifert. For ages birth–6 and their grown-ups. We follow the Twinfield Union School calendar and do not hold programs when Twinfield is closed. Every Wed. through June 3. 10–11:30 a.m. Jaquith Public Li-brary, 122 School St., Marshfield. Free. 426-3581. jaquithpubliclibrary.org.

Read to Coco. Share a story with Coco, the resident licensed reading therapy dog, who loves to hear kids practice reading aloud. Wed., 3:30–4:30 p.m. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, 135 Main St., Montpelier. Sign up ahead: 223-4665 or at the children’s desk. kellogghubbard.org.

Read with Arlo. Meet reading therapy dog Arlo and his owner Brenda. Sign up for a 20-minute block. Thurs., 4–5 p.m. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, 135 Main St., Montpelier. 223-4665. kellogghub-bard.org.

Preschool Story Time. Every Fri., 10 a.m. Water-bury Public Library, 28 N. Main St., Waterbury. Free. 244-7036. waterburypubliclibrary.com.

Drop-in Kinder Arts Program. Innovative ex-ploratory arts program with artist/instructor Kelly Holt. Age 3–5. Fri., 10:30 a.m.–noon. River Arts Center, 74 Pleasant St., Morrisville. 888-1261. RiverArtsVT.org.

Teen Fridays. Find out about the latest teen books, use the gym, make art, play games and if you need to, do your homework. Fri., 3–5 p.m. Jaquith Public Library, 122 School St., Marshfield. 426-3581.

Mad River Valley Youth Group. Sun., 7–9 p.m. Meets at various area churches. Call 497-4516 for location and information.

MUSIC & DANCEBarre-Tones Women’s Chorus. Open rehearsal. Find your voice with 50 other women. Mon., 7 p.m. Alumni Hall, Barre. 223-2039. Barretones-VT.com.

Dance or Play with the Swinging over 60 Band. Danceable tunes from the 1930s to the 1960s. Recruiting musicians. Tues., 10:30 a.m.–noon. Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 58 Barre St., Montpelier. 223-2518.

Monteverdi Young Singers Chorus Rehearsal. New chorus members welcome. Wed., 4–5 p.m. Montpelier. Call 229-9000 for location and more information.

Piano Workshop. Informal time to play, refresh your skills and get feedback if desired with other supportive musicians. Singers and listeners wel-come. Thurs., 4–6 p.m. Montpelier Senior Activ-ity Center, 58 Barre St., Montpelier. Free; open to the public. 223-2518. [email protected].

Ukelele Group. All levels welcome. Thurs., 6–8 p.m. Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 58 Barre St. 223-2518.

Gamelan Rehearsals. Sun., 7–9 p.m. Pratt Center, Goddard College. Free. 426-3498. [email protected]. [email protected].

RECYCLINGAdditional Recycling. The Additional Recyclables Collection Center accepts scores of hard-to-recycle items. Tues. and Thurs., 12:30 p.m.–5:30 p.m. ARCC, 540 North Main St., Barre. $1 per carload. 229-9383 x106. For list of accepted items, go to cvswmd.org/arcc-additional-recyclables-collection-center.html.

SOLIDARITY/IDENTITYWomen’s Group. Women age 40 and older ex-plore important issues and challenges in their lives in a warm and supportive environment. Facilitated by Amy Emler-Shaffer and Julia W. Gresser. Wed. evenings. 41 Elm St., Montpelier. 262-6110.

SPIRITUALITYChristian Science Reading Room. Need a daily lift? Dial 617-450-3430 and listen to a brief in-spired thought intended just for you today. Shared with love from Christian Science Reading Room. Christmas week hours: Tues., 11 a.m.–1 p.m.; Wed., 11 a.m.–1 p.m. and 5–7:15 p.m.; closed on Christmas; Fri. and Sat. 11 a.m.–1p.m. Regular hours: 11 a.m.–5 p.m.; Wed., 11 a.m.–7:15 p.m.; Thurs.–Sat., 11 a.m.–1 p.m. 145 State St., Mont-pelier. 223-2477.

Christian Counseling. Tues. and Thurs. Daniel Dr., Barre. Reasonable cost. By appt. only: 479-0302.

Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. For those interested in learning about the Catholic faith, or current Catholics who want to learn more. Wed., 7 p.m. St. Monica Church, 79 Summer St., Barre. Register: 479-3253.

Deepening Our Jewish Roots. Fun, engaging text study and discussion on Jewish spirituality. Sun., 4:45–6:15 p.m. Yearning for Learning Center, Montpelier. 223-0583. [email protected].

SPORTS & GAMESRoller Derby Open Recruitment and Recre-ational Practice. Central Vermont’s Wrecking Doll Society invites quad skaters age 18 and up. No experience necessary. Equipment provided: first come, first served. Sat., 5–6:30 p.m. Mont-pelier Recreation Center, Barre St. First skate free. centralvermontrollerderby.com.

YOGA & MEDITATIONYoga and Meditation. With Katy Leadbetter. Meditation: Mon., 1 p.m. (unlimited). Introduc-tion to yoga: Tues., 4 p.m. (four-class limit). Consultation: Fri., 11 a.m. (one per person). 56 East State St., Montpelier. Free. 272-8923.

Christian Meditation Group. People of all faiths welcome. Mon., noon–1 p.m. Christ Church, Montpelier. 223-6043.

Sutra of Golden Light Reading. The benefits from reciting, listening to or even hearing the name of the sutra are immeasurable, from eliminating conflict, terrorism, torture and famine to achiev-ing full enlightenment. Every Tues. through Dec. 9, 6:30–7:30 p.m. Milarepa Center, 1344 US Rte. 5 S., Barnet. Free. Vegan/vegetarian dinner 5:30 p.m. for $8. RSVP at least one day in advance: 633-4136 or [email protected].

Zen Meditation. With Zen Affiliate of Vermont. Wed., 6:30–7:30 p.m. 174 River St., Montpelier. Free. Call for orientation: 229-0164.

Meditation Sitting Group. Facilitated by Sherry Rhynard. A weekly meditation group offers ways to find out more about meditation and gives sup-port to an existing or a new practice. Every Thurs., 5:30–6:30 p.m. Central Vermont Medical Center, 130 Fisher Rd., Berlin. Free. 272-2736. [email protected].

Shambhala Buddhist Meditation. Group meditation practice. Sun., 10 a.m.–noon; Tues., 7–8 p.m.; Wed., 6–7 p.m. Shambhala Meditation Center, 64 Main St., 3F, Montpelier. Free. 223-5137. montpeliershambala.org.

Sunday Sangha: Community Ashtanga Yoga. Every Sun., 5:40–7 p.m. Grateful Yoga, 15 State St., 3F, Montpelier. By donation.

Rocque Long Painting

• Insured • 30+ years professional

experience• local references.

802-223-0389

LIght movIng, L andfILL runs, and odd jobs. We’ve got the truck.

Give us a call at: 224.1360

T&T Truck for Hire

223-3447clarconstruction.com

• New CoNstruCtioN

• reNovatioNs

• woodworkiNg

• geNeral CoNtraCtiNgDo What You Do Best.

Bookkeeping · Payroll · Consulting

802.262.6013 evenkeelvt.com

GREG’SPAINTING

Metal Roof PaintingInterior & Exterior

FREE ESTIMATES ∙ INSURED ∙ SINCE 1990

802-479-2733 [email protected] WANTED:

LIBRARY DIRECTOR: The Brown Public Library, located in Northfield, Vermont, seeks an energetic and collaborative Library Director for a salaried position (30 hours/week) with benefits. The director manages the day-to-day operations of the library and works with the library Trustees to develop goals, policies and budgets. A Master's degree in Library Science from an ALA-accredited program and at least four years of public library experience is pre-ferred. Salary range is $30,000-$42,000, plus benefits. See http://www.brownpubliclibrary.org for information about the library and to apply.

SERVICES:COUNSELING AND PSYCHOTHERAPY

Glenn Beatty L.I.C.S.W.Couples, individuals, adolescents and children.30 years' experience. Most insurances accepted. Available for Saturday appointments in Mont-pelier office. 802-488-0235.Offices in Montpelier and Burlington.

HOUSING WANTED:THE CENTRAL VERMONT COMMUNITY LAND TRUST is seeking to rent one-bedroom apartments now through September 2015 to house our established long-term tenants during a renovation project. If you have apartments in Montpelier and are interested in guaranteed rent and lease enforcement, please contact Liz Genge, Director of Property Management at 477-1333 or LGenge @cvclt.org.

Class listings and classifieds are 50 words for $25; discounts available.

To place an ad, call Michael, 223-5112 ext. 11.

Tell them you saw it in

The Bridge!

Design & Build

Custom Energy-Efficient Homes

Additions • Timber Frames

Weatherization • Remodeling

Kitchens • Bathrooms • Flooring

Tiling • Cabinetry • Fine WoodworkSince 1972Repairs • New floors and walls Crane work • Decorative concrete Consulting • ICF foundations

114 Three Mile Bridge Rd., Middlesex, VT • (802) 229-0480 [email protected] • gendronconcrete.com

Advertise in The Bridge,

your local paper working for you!

Call 223-5112 ext. 11

CLASSES:ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE WINTER SESSION: "VOYAGE INTO FRANCOPHONIE" This 6-week French class will be offered in Montpelier from January 12 to February 16.Descriptions and sign-up at aflcr.org.Contact Micheline Tremblay at [email protected] or at 881-8826.

Depth Astrology

K

elley Hunter, Ph.D.

Consultations Individuals, couples, children

Workshops & ClassesFree COSMIC NEWS e-letterGive an astrology party - fun!

456-1078 To Illumine Your Life Path

y

802-456-1078 heliastar.com

CLASSES:POTTERY AT MUD STUDIO Resolve to beat your cabin fever this winter in a pottery class at the Mud Studio. Wheel throw-ing and handbuilding classes for all skill levels starting January 5th. Come dig in the fun. Visit us at www.themudstudio.com, call at 224-7000 or stop in at 961 Route 2 in Middlesex at The MiddleGround Complex, next door to the Red Hen Bakery for registration information.

SEEKING LAND TO PURCHASE:BUYER: Land with timber, requires 25 or more acres. Cash buyer. Quick closing. Send contact information to: [email protected].

VACATION CLOSE TO HOME:GET AWAY COTTAGE IN WOODBURY on over 100 private acres of woodland trails and open fields. Cross country skiing, sledding or just relaxing by the woodstove. dogpondacres.com


Marjorie Drysdale’s “Tagalong Kid: A Katonah Idyll” is par-tially a memoir and partially a

storybook. Written as the tale of 1950's upstate New York, Marjorie (or Marjie, as was her childhood nickname) moves with her parents, her sister, and a pair of vividly described older brothers known as War-ren and Bruce, to the village of Katonah. Here, the brothers run wild and Marjie runs wild with them. Drysdale clearly has a gift for language, and the reader can almost feel the sun sparkling on the water during a frequent fishing expedition, or smell the dry, papery scent of an old class-room on the first day of school.

As time passes and Marjie matures, the childhood innocence and simplicity of Drys-dale’s early recollections is lost, replaced by a kind of dry wit, the kind of wit that finds humor in the scrapes and bruises of school-age childhood. Later still, Drysdale grows reflective as Marjie matures and grows a bit more aware of the complications of adult life.

This change in mood plays well for the reader, forcing a kind of transfer of perspective that echoes that of the author and main character alike. With this change, the audience must evolve. In many ways, “Tagalong Kid” is a coming-of-age story that is not necessar-ily aimed at those who are coming of age themselves. Instead, those who could glean the most out of the text seem to be those who wish to relive a bygone era, though at times the book’s tone would seem to appeal most to a child.

“Tagalong Kid” is worth reading. It is a sweet memory, and the stories being told are obviously close to the author’s heart. They are recounted with sincerity, emotion, and, every now and then, a glimmer of pure insight into the mind of a child or, for that mat-ter, the mind of a parent. In the end, “Tagalong Kid” is an enjoyable read and one of great potential.

A Sweet MemoryBook Review “Tagalong Kid: A Katonah Idyll” by Marjorie Drysdaleby Lindsey Grutchfield

If I were writing a letter to members of the Vermont House and Senate who will gather in Joint Assembly in the

day or two after the Legislature convenes in January, my message would be painfully clear:

Please read the Vermont Constitution.

If you were the candidate for governor who got the most votes on Election Day last Nov. 4 in all likelihood you would be saying – “I got the most votes. That means I win.”

But that is not what the Vermont Constitu-tion says or implies.

In the fall of 2003 Montpelier lawyer and historian Paul Gillies along with former state Archivist D. Gregory Sanford pub-lished an article in the Vermont Law Re-view. That article ponders the meaning of Section 47 of the Vermont Constitution – the section of the constitution that outlines what happens if no candidate for governor or lieutenant governor or state treasurer wins a (50 percent-plus-one) majority vote.

Gillies and Sanford begin their article with these words:

“Majority rule is the essential mode of democratic rule when a body of people is asked to decide between two choices. ‘Yes’ or ‘no’; this candidate or that are choices that have only one outcome — one candi-date has the majority of votes and prevails. When three or more candidates are on the ballot for an office, it becomes harder for any one candidate to attain a majority of votes. As such three- or four-way elections go, obtaining more votes than anyone else — a plurality — has become the standard in most states, cities and towns. Vermont is different. In Vermont majority rule remains the standard for the election of

the three highest state officials and some local offices. Section 47 of the Vermont Constitution requires a candidate running for governor, lieutenant governor, or state Treasurer to obtain a majority vote in order to be elected. Failing that, ‘the Senate and House of Representatives shall by joint ballot, elect to fill the office, not filled as aforesaid, one of the three candidates for such office (if there be so many) for whom greatest number of votes shall have been returned’.”

That is the situation we find ourselves in today. On Nov. 4, no candidate for gover-nor achieved a majority vote and it is now the task of a Joint Assembly of the new Legislature to elect a governor. But the constitution says nothing about any obliga-tion to vote for the candidate who got the most votes.

The Bridge has been publishing for 21 years now. At no time during this period has the paper endorsed a candidate for public office.

Instead, we have discussed a range of pub-lic issues. We have tried — strenuously — to present within our pages the fullest possible range of political thinking and perspectives — right, left and center.

In what I am writing here, I am taking leave of the paper’s tradition of not endors-ing candidates for public office.

As I look back on the election and the race for governor, essentially a race between Peter Shumlin and Scott Milne — this is what I see.

Peter Shumlin entered the race with a number of advantages.

He was the incumbent. He had the greater name recognition. The Democratic party had impressive majorities in both the House and Senate. Shumlin was a seasoned politi-cian who had served in the House, the Sen-ate and had twice been elected governor. He had more campaign money, as governor and as newsmaker he had greater media

attention. And be-cause of his campaign money advantage he had greater paid media exposure.

In this uneven contest, Scott Milne was not

an incumbent. His Republican party was in the minority in both houses. Milne had run for the House and lost but he had never served in political office. He had much less name recognition than his opponent, much less campaign money, much less media at-tention and less paid media exposure. Yet when the votes were counted on Nov. 4 and 5, no candidate achieved a majority and Shumlin’s margin of victory was 2,434 votes.

I will not attempt a comprehensive review of Shumlin’s second-term performance as governor.

I will note in passing that according to press accounts Shumlin was out of state for 141 days since his second term began in January 2013.

What I will do, also, is discuss, even if brief ly, the troubled, expensive, and largely dysfunctional roll-out of the state’s Ver-mont Health Connect program, a roll-out with costs in the tens of millions of dollars.

That this country cannot put together a universal health care system — and the Af-fordable Care Act doesn’t qualify as such to

me — is a national disgrace.

But the messy and expensive Vermont Health Connect roll-out hurt the gover-nor’s single-payer health care initiative. If the state was unable to handle the Health Connect roll-out could it handle a single-payer system?

Then there were repeated promises by Shumlin to put forward the details of a funding proposal for the new single-payer health care initiative. That proposal was never put forward to the Legislature. In effect, the Vermont Legislature was disre-spected.

That funding proposal was never put for-ward before the November election. So it couldn’t be examined, couldn’t be dis-cussed. And the Vermont voters were disrespected.

Now, a funding proposal is to go before the Legislature at the end of this December, days before the new Legislature convenes. Again the Legislature is disrespected.

Shumlin has often articulated the need to get health care spending under control. But where is the funding plan? Where is the transparency?

And has mortal damage been visited on the idea of a single-payer initiative because Vermont Health Connect was bungled and because a funding plan was never taken to the Legislature or to the voters?

This, in part, is the damaged legacy of the past two Shumlin years.

And this is why the Joint Assembly should elect Scott Milne.

Elect Scott Milne

by Nat Frothingham

Book ReviewThe Center for Leadership SkillsBUSINESS & LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

Lindel James coaching & consultingTaking You from Frustration to Enthusiasm

802 778 0626 [email protected]

Honoring Caregivers — Our Silent Army

Editor:Every day, a remarkable group of Vermont-ers performs a great labor of love: caring for aging parents, spouses, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles and friends so they can remain in their homes. They are on duty 24/7, and often cannot take a break. Yet they wouldn’t have it any other way. These caregivers are truly unsung heroes.To honor family caregivers, AARP launched a new initiative to focus attention on their stories called “I Heart Caregivers.” Every caregiver has a story and gathering these stories strengthens the caregiver community for everyone’s benefit. If you know someone with a story to share, encourage them to go to www.aarp.org/iheartcaregivers.In addition to offering caregivers the op-portunity to share stories with each other, the initiative also provides us with a power-ful way to bring those voices to lawmakers and policymakers in Montpelier. Together with other organizations, AARP Vermont is gearing up to work for common-sense solu-tions in the next legislative session to sup-port family caregivers and their loved ones.

For example, we need to develop improved transitional care plans for patients returning home from the hospital, secure better work-place flexibility for caregivers, and ensure we are investing in the programs and services that caregivers and their loved ones need in their own communities.We know that there is a silent army of some 120,000 Vermonters who are caregivers each year. Let’s recognize these remarkable indi-viduals who are working to help seniors live independently and who make it possible for them to stay in their homes where we know they want to be.

Greg MarchildonState director, AARP Vermont

To Bike or Not to Bike? That is the Question

Dear Editors,I would like to clarify a couple of points in my previous letter regarding mountain biking in Hubbard Park. As Dan Voisin mentions, I made an error attributing Tim Flynn’s letter, “A Thank You and A Plea,” to Tim Shea. I apologize to all parties for the mistake.Also, as Mike Donofrio and others so rightly pointed out, I need to explain my earlier statement that read, “… Onion River Sports

wants to sell more bikes to those who can afford them.”I apologize for letting my emotions get the better of me and for not phrasing that sen-tence better. Mr. Donofrio suggested that I back away from that statement unless I can defend it, and I will gladly back up a little … but not all the way. I have nothing but the utmost respect for the owner and the employees at Onion River Sports. They are great people and amazing advocates for ac-tive, healthy, outdoor lifestyles. I love that store! Perhaps that is why I was so angry.• The last I knew, a primary employee of my favorite outdoor/bike store is on the commission that will determine mountain bike access in a park located a short ride from its doors.• The initiative has been described as a way to get kids and new/returning mountain bikers into the sport (see Mr. Flynn’s elo-quent letter in support of this).• It is reasonable to assume that the only bike store in town would benefit directly from one of its employees influencing a municipal decision regarding new moun-tain bike access that would most likely lead to new mountain bike riders and more bike sales.

No matter how pure the employee’s inten-tions are or the store’s role, to me his par-ticipation crosses the line from passion and advocacy to a conflict of interest for the store.

I hope the ORS employee continues to speak out in support of mountain biking, just not as a voting commission member. If the ORS employee recuses himself from the commis-sion on this issue, I will happily back all the way away from my earlier statement.I will, however, continue to assert that Hub-bard Park is a special, vulnerable piece of land. Is it a pristine natural area? Of course not, and a lone, small mountain bike trail may not cause significant physical damage, but to many people Hubbard is more than just trees, rock, and soil. It is a quiet place, and there are far too few parcels like it left in our cities.We are stewards of Hubbard Park and have a responsibility to sustain it for future genera-tions. After more than 100 years of light foot traffic, Hubbard Park is still in relatively good shape, and I fear its demise through a thousand small cuts. Going forward, the people of Montpelier need to decide the ap-propriate use for Hubbard Park in a manner that is consistent with the park founder’s intent. If after a fair, transparent, democratic process, we conclude that Hubbard should be developed for mountain biking or other recreational uses, then I’ll be sad, but I’ll ac-cept the decision.

Brent EhrlichMontpelier

Letters

Editorial

Charles Hoffman

1927 to 2014

A little over a week ago I talked by phone with Nelson Hoffman who told me that his father, Charles Hoffman, had died Dec. 3.

Charles Hoffman and I have been friends over the past few years. We shared an enthusi-asm for writing, poetry and storytelling. From time to time in good weather we sat out on a bench in front of Kellogg-Hubbard Library and talked or had a bite to eat in a local restaurant. On two or three occasions we got into a car and drove out of Montpelier to no place in particular — a shared ramble.

Charles had many friends in Montpelier and will be missed. In an upcoming issue of The Bridge, I will write about Charles in a more complete way. According to his son, Nel-son, sometime this coming summer there will be a graveside service for Charles Hoffman with military honors at the Vermont Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Randolph Center. As of this writing, no date for that service has been set.

Nat Frothingham

In Memorium


The Health Care is a Human Right Campaign released the following statement today in response to recent informa-tion concerning Gov. Peter Shumlin’s proposal to finance

Green Mountain Care:

“The Health Care is a Human Right Campaign urges the Gov-ernor to refrain from financing health care reform through a massive cost-shift to workers and patients. Vermont cannot afford to reduce the contributions of big businesses to our healthcare system. We remind the governor of the legal obligation, set out in Act 48, to finance health care in an equitable way, based on ability to pay. It is unconscionable to make workers, low and middle income individuals, and small businesses shoulder the burden of paying for a health care system that is supposed to be a public good shared equitably by everyone.

The Health Care is a Human Right Campaign is deeply concerned about a report in the VTDigger.org (“Single Payer Financing Likely to Start with 8 Percent Payroll Tax, Dec. 4, 2014), which suggests that Governor Shumlin’s financing proposals will dramatically reduce large businesses’ health care contributions, with a f lat payroll tax of 8 percent rais-ing less than half the total amount needed for the new system. Large businesses currently spend around 20 percent of their payroll costs on health care premiums, contributing around three-quarters of premiums costs of all privately insured residents. The campaign is concerned that a f lat payroll tax, combined with a proposed individual healthcare “fee,” would entail a huge cost-shift to workers and small businesses. Paying for over half of the system costs through an “income sensitive health care fee” on individuals, capped at the high end, would benefit both large businesses and the wealthiest Vermont residents, who would pay proportionally the same as middle income earners. Unearned income, assets and other wealth would be exempt, yet the poorest residents would be subject to premium or fee payments.

The Health Care Is a Human Right Campaign opposes any fi-nancing plan that creates exemptions for high income earners and wealthy individuals, as this directly contradicts the principle of equity. Moreover, the campaign objects to charging “premiums” or “fees,” which are private payments that perpetuate the current insurance system, and fail to establish a publicly financed health care system, paid for through equitable taxes.

The campaign reminds elected officials that how the health care system is paid for also has significant implications for whether people can get access to care. We are deeply concerned that the proposed low-value health benefits, also reported in the VT Digger, would adversely impact people’s access to care, and lead to a further cost-shift to those who can least afford it. Any health care system that requires individu-als to pay up to 20 percent of health care costs out-of-pocket will force people to forgo needed care. Deductibles and co-pays place the burden of paying for our health care system on sick people, pushing patients into debt. When combined with a private fee or premium, 20 percent cost-sharing constitutes an unprecedented and unconscionable cost-shift to patients, workers, and all low- and middle- income Vermont residents.

The people of Vermont desperately need a universal, publicly financed health care system that enables everyone to get the care they need and contribute what they can. Such a system can only work if it is financed publicly and equitably, and if it provides all needed care, without cost barriers. The Health Care Is a Human Right Campaign urges the governor to put forward proposals that meet the human rights principles in Vermont law. We represent thousands of Vermont residents, and we are ready to fight for a plan that is universal, equitable and works for all people.”

Keith BrunnerVermont Workers' Center

Group Condemns Cost-Shift to Workers and Patients

Candidate Scott Milne, who finished a close second to Peter Shumlin in the 2014 Vermont gubernatorial race, announced today (Dec. 8) that he will ask state legislators to elect him when they take office in January. Milne finished with 45.1

percent of the vote, compared with Shumlin’s 46.4 percent.

Vermont’s Constitution requires legislators to choose the winner in races for governor, lieutenant governor or treasurer where no candidate gets a majority of votes cast.

“This was a close race, and no doubt a tough one to lose,” said Paul Burns, executive director of the nonpartisan Vermont Public Interest Research Group. “But it’s been over a month now, and it’s time to recognize that finishing second does not make you the winner. It would be an affront to democracy if Mr. Milne — the undisputed second place finisher — were chosen to be the next governor of Vermont.”

VPIRG was one of the groups that helped to pass legislation (S.31) in Vermont in 2011 calling for a National Popular Vote in presidential elections. The legislation passed 85-44 in the House, and 20-10 in the Senate.

VPIRG also supports instant runoff voting as a means of ensuring that candidates for top offices in Vermont have the support of a majority of voters. In the absence of IRV or another form of run-off, VPIRG believes that the winner of a race is the person who gets the most votes.

“This is serious business,” said Burns. “It’s not some sort of child’s contest where every-one’s a winner just for playing. It’s about who will be the next governor of Vermont. And under any common understanding of democracy and fair play, that person should be the person who won the most votes.”

Paul BurnsExecutive director of VPIRG

Second Place Doesn’t Make You Governor

What Do You Think?Read something that you would like to respond to? We welcome your

letters and opinion pieces. Letters must be fewer than 300 words. Opinion pieces should not exceed 600 words.

The Bridge reserves the right to edit and cut pieces.Send your piece to: [email protected].

Opinion

Opinion

Christmas trees

223-4258

ADVERTISE IN THE NEXT ISSUE OF THE BRIDGE:

Legislaturein Session

Jan. 8– Jan. 21, 2015

ALL AD MATERIALS AND AD SPACE RESERVATIONS DUE TUESDAY, DEC. 30, 2014 For information about adver-tising deadlines, rates and the design of your ad call 223-5112, ext. 11, or email our ad sales representatives at [email protected] or [email protected]

PAGE 28 • DECEMBER 18 , 2014 - JANUARY 7, 2015 THE BR IDGE

Thank you for supporting The Bridge!

HappyHolidays

from your friends at

The Bridge!

Documents

The Bridge, December 18, 2014