The Vermont Progressive Party

Statewide Candidates

Thomas Hermann for Congress
38 Long Street Unit 3
Barre, VT 05641
461-4433

Thomas Hermann - Barre

Thomas James Hermann was born and raised in southwest Florida. In March of 2003, Thomas joined the Army as an infantryman. Thomas thought this was the most direct and honorable way to serve his country, his friends, and his fellow citizens. As a member of the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team Thomas received his Expert Infantry Badge, the Army Achievement Medal and extensive Stryker certifications.

In August 2005, Thomas deployed to Iraq. He spent six months patrolling the streets of Mosul, earning his Combat Infantry Badge and Unit Combat Patch. Thomas was then reassigned to Rawah, in the Al-Anbar province, for a remaining six months. During that time, Thomas logged over 150 missions, earned The Army Commendation Medal, and received his Golden Spurs.

As Thomas and his unit were at the airfield preparing to return to America, they learned that they had been stop-lossed and their tour of duty was extended for an extra four months, which they spent in operations in Bagdad. Thomas was awarded the Army Good Conduct Medal and is now a member of the Individual Ready Reserves.

While in Iraq, Thomas had an awakening. He realized that his initial support for the war had been informed more by the circumstances of his upbringing than by honest analysis. In Iraq, he realized that there are often more than two sides to any issue, and that we had been sold a bill of goods by an over-reaching administration and a subservient Congress.

Upon his return to the U.S., Thomas realized that the changes that he experienced in the war had led him to think differently about civic life as well. He relocated to Barre, along with his wife Kim. Thomas now works as a farm laborer in Waitsfield. He has answered the call to run for Congress because he recognizes that he is in a unique position to call our current Congressman to account for failing to live up to his promises to work to end the war.

Thomas put his life on the line to enforce policies that were not only wrong-headed, but illegal as well. He saw first-hand the tragic results of these policies, and he realizes that our current Congressman either doesn't understand, or is unwilling to address the malfeasance and illegal actions by the Bush administration that set these policies into motion.

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Charlotte Dennett for Attorney General
PO Box 281
Montpelier, VT 05601
881-1195

Charlotte Dennett - Cambridge

Charlotte was an investigative reporter for 30 years and has been practicing law in Vermont for 11 years. She helped sue one of the worst polluters of the country, Du Pont Company, for suppressing her husband's 800 page, widely-hailed unauthorized biography of the company and the family. Charlotte also spent over a decade documenting the role of Big Oil in destroying the Amazon rain forest and its peoples (The Will be Done: The Conquest of the Amazon, HarperCollins, 1995) and has continued to expose the role of Big Oil in shaping and misshaping American policy in the U.S., Middle East, and Latin America.

Charlotte served both on the board and as President of the Franklin County Family Center, a St. Albans-based non-profit organization which specializes in helping families with parenting classes, child care, and while she was serving provided advice and assistance to abuse and rape crisis victims.

Charlotte will work vigorously to close the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. Recent problems - leaks in the cooling tower, increased radiation levels - are serious warnings that this aging nuclear plant - one of the oldest in the country - cannot produce increased power levels of 20% without posing a serious risk to our communities. Re-licensing is a mistake.

Proudly for the state of Vermont, Charlotte is also pledging that, if elected, she will immediately undertake the prosecution of George W. Bush for the unnecessary deaths of Vermont soldiers in Iraq. Vermont has paid the highest price in deaths per capita in the nation. Charlotte and the man whom she will appoint as Special Prosecutor, Vincent Bugliosi, believe they have firmly established jurisdiction. Details are in Bugliosi's New York Times bestseller "The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder." Charlotte and Vincent have been traveling the state together to make their case.

As attorney general, Charlotte will also vigorously investigate inflated prescription drug pricing, credit card ripoffs, predatory bank lending, gas price gouging, and other forms of consumer fraud. She will rigorously enforce employment discrimination laws that protect against discrimination based on (among other things) race, color, religion, sexual orientation, age, disability and HIV status.

Finally, Vermont has a shockingly poor record for protecting workers if they engage in whistleblowing, with only limited protection for private sector employees (Vermont nurses) and zero protection for public sector employees. An Accountablity Report Card issued by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility gave Vermont the lowest grade, ranking 51 out of 51 states (including the District of Columbia) for failure to have a general whistleblower statute for government employees. Charlotte will strongly recommend passage of a Vermont False Claims Act that will protect both public and private sector employees against retaliation for whistleblowing, and will compensate them should they prevail in their claim.

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Vermont House Incumbents

Susan Hatch Davis for House 75 Notchend Road West Topsham, VT 05086 439-5103	Rep. Susan Hatch Davis - Washington House Commerce Committee Susan Hatch Davis is running for re-election to her house seat representing Chelsea, Corinth, Orange, Vershire, Washington and Williamstown in Orange-1. Susan was elected in 2006, when she defeated a conservative Republican and was the top vote getter in her two-seat district. Susan grew up in West Topsham and has lived in Washington for over 30 years, where she raised her three children. She is retired from the State of Vermont as an Information Technology manager and Systems Security Director for over 30 years. She is active with the East Orange church. She sat on the House Commerce committee, where she worked on issues important to developing our rural economy, such as expanding broadband to every corner of the state. She has been steadfast in protecting injured workers’ benefits and safety in the recent workers’ compensation legislation. She also fought to require Vermont Yankee to fund its decommissioning obligations, rather than pass those high costs off to a subsidiary, and eventually (as many predict) to Vermont taxpayers.
Sarah Edwards 127 Main Street 4A Brattleboro, VT 05301 257-4630	Sarah Edwards - Brattleboro House Natural Resources and Energy Committee Sarah Edwards is running for re-election to her seat representing Brattleboro’s Windham 3-3 district. In 2002, she became the first Progressive elected outside of Burlington and is working to return to the statehouse for a fourth term. Sarah sits on the Natural Resources and Energy committee, and has been a strong advocate for those concerned about Vermont Yankee, VT’s nuclear power facility, located just outside her town of Brattleboro. As Vermonters have more questions about the nuclear facility owned by a giant, out-of-state corporation, it is comforting to have a solid voice in the legislature speaking up for the needs of regular citizens. Her input will be even more critical in the 2009-2010 session, when the legislature will likely vote on whether Vermont Yankee will be allowed to continue operations. Sarah is the House representative to the Vermont State Nuclear Advisory Panel (VSNAP) and the High Level Nuclear Waste Working Group of the National Conference of State Legislatures. Sarah has also served as the co-chair of the labor caucus.
Sandy Haas for Legislature PO Box 25 Rochester, VT 05767 767-4751	Sandy Haas - Rochester House Human Services Committee and Joint Corrections Oversight Committee Sandy is a retired lawyer and small business owner from Rochester who has served her community for the past twenty-five years on a variety of boards and committees. She was first elected to the legislature in 2004. She serves on the House Human Services and Joint Corrections Oversight Committees. Both assignments allow her to pursue long- standing interests in seeing government deliver necessary services in the manner most effective to achieve community goals. She is also a member of the Legislative Committee on the Vermont State Colleges and co-chair of the Women's Caucus. Sandy’s ability to work effectively with both of the other major parties has been recognized in the legislature. Sandy was asked to chair a working group to address substance abuse treatment for Vermonters charged with crimes and assigned to another special working group examining the proposed reorganization of three state prisons. Learn More
Pearson for Vermont House 12 Brookes Avenue Burlington, VT 05401 324-0862	Christopher Pearson - Burlington House Government Operations Committee Chris was appointed to the legislature by Governor Douglas in 2006 to fill the seat Bob Kiss vacated when he was elected Mayor of Burlington. He ran uncontested for re-election in the fall of that year. Chris was introduced to Vermont politics in 1998 when he was the coordinator for Bernie Sanders’ campaign. He then managed Anthony Pollina’s two statewide campaigns and served as the first full-time director of the Progressive Party beginning in 2001. He now works on a national election reform effort called National Popular Vote – a state-based effort to elect the president by popular vote. Chris has served on the House Commerce Committee, and now sits on the House Government Operations Committee. There he has been instrumental in shaping discussions around campaign finance, democracy reform, and protections for the state work force. He and district-mate David Zuckerman are facing two Democrat challengers this election. Learn More
Randall for State Representative 627 Bonneau Road North Troy, VT 05859 673-7382	Dexter Randall - Troy House Fish, Wildlife, and Water Resources Committee Dexter was first elected to the House in 2004 Dexter was elected to fill the seat vacated by Democrat Bobby Starr. Dexter has served on the Fish, Wildlife, and Water Resources Committee. Among his accomplishments in Montpelier, he was instrumental in passing the Groundwater Bill this past year. This bill declares groundwater a public trust, enabling Vermonters (rather than out-of-state corporations) to control this critical resource. Dexter has been a leader in the efforts to increase the amount of Vermont-made products, food, and services purchased by state institutions, as well as to provide protection for farmers from GMO liability. Dexter is a U.S. Navy veteran, and has been a dairy farmer since 1973. He has been a farmer advocate since the 1980s, fighting for issues such as the current use program and the North East Interstate Dairy Compact. He is a leader in Dairy Farmers of Vermont, Rural Vermont, UVM’s Rural Education Advocacy Project, and the Vermont Milk Company. Learn More
Zuckerman for State Representative 14 Germain Street Burlington, VT 05401 863-2199	David Zuckerman - Troy House Agriculture Committee David was first elected in 1996, and is the longest serving Progressive in the House. He is Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, where he has been instrumental in crafting tri-partisan support of bills promoting sustainable local food systems. This past session, David has worked to pass bills allowing increased sales of raw milk, farm-direct sales of poultry, and hemp production. He is well-known for his past work on Vermont’s landmark genetically modified seed labeling law and the state’s medical marijuana law. He is an organic vegetable farmer he has been a leader on economic and environmental reform. David faces two democratic challengers this year in the two-seat district he represents with Christopher Pearson.

Vermont House Challengers

Burke for State Representative 62 West Street Brattleboro, VT 05301 257-4844	Mollie Burke - Brattleboro Mollie is a visual artist and teacher, and is listed on the Vermont Arts Council juried artist registry. She has served as an elected town meeting representative for Brattleboro District 2 for eighteen years. She is on the advisory board of Brattleboro Climate Protection, an organization that works in conjunction with the town on energy conservation issues. She believes passionately in the arts as agents of social change, and in the responsibility of working artists to bring their particular vision to broader social and political issues. Mollie and husband Peter Gould have three children and two grandchildren.
Paul Cook For State House 183 Riverside Ave Burlington, VT 05401 338-2834	Paul Cook - Burlington Paul works as a counselor for a disabilities rights organization, where he advocates in the areas of legal matters, housing, and employment discrimination. He graduated from Johnson State College, taught History and Drama, and written plays, a novel and political articles for national and local publications. Paul ran for City Council in Burlington in 1999 and 2008. Paul is running to address issues such as livable wages, renewable energy, green manufacturing jobs, affordable vo-tech programs in high schools throughout the state, and promoting organic farming. Learn More
Dowland for Vermont 1461 Whittier Road Derby Line, VT 05830 895-4680	Winston Dowland - Holland In 2004 Winston defeated one of the most conservative members of the Statehouse, Republican Nancy Sheltra. He narrowly lost to a Republican in 2006. Winston is a U.S. Navy veteran, and is the chair of the Holland select board. He is the Vermont Commander of the Disabled American Veterans, and serves as the Transportation Coordinator for the Veterans Administration in the Northeast Kingdom. Winston has been a letter carrier and a steel worker, active in both unions. While in the House he served on the General, Housing & Military Affairs committee. He was a strong voice for raising the minimum wage, providing protections for emergency responders, supporting veterans and the National Guard, and recognizing the Abenaki Nation.
Garneau For State House 72 Alfred Buck Lane Pittsford, VT 05763 483-4330	Ellen Garneau - Pittsford Ellen was born and raised in Vermont, and returned to school in her late 40’s to earn her BA from Johnson State College in 2005. She owns a small marketing business, which she runs out of her home in Pittsford. Ellen hopes to help increase the use of green power statewide, and develop new business and good jobs in our state. Ellen is a former EMT and fire fighter, and Red Cross Life Support instructor. She serves as President of DemocracyFest. Learn More
Potak for State Representative 1796 Craftsbury Road Greensboro, VT 05841 533-9206	Nancy Potak - Greensboro Nancy was a founding member of the Vermont Campaign for Health Care Security and a Community Organizer for Vermont Health Care for All. She was the Vice President of the North East Kingdom Habitat for Humanity and the Vermont Interfaith Action. She is a Member of the class of 2007 of the Snelling Center’s Vermont Leadership Institute. Nancy is dedicated to creating a health care system with Vermonters that works for Vermonters, helping small businesses develop and grow, helping family farmers earn a decent living and protecting our rural landscape, and exploring options for locally controlled renewable energy. Learn More
Cindy Weed for State Representative 374 Weeds Lane Enosburg Falls, VT 05450 933-2545	Cindy Weed - Enosburg Cindy has owned and managed a small jewelry manufacturing business for over 20 years. She is also a writer, specializing in human interest and environmental topics, a public relations specialist, and a motorsports photographer. She is running for an open House seat, and will have a three-way race in November. Cindy has lived in Enosburg for 35 years, where she and husband James have raised three children. She has served on the Enosburg Falls School Board, the Franklin Northeast Supervisory Union board, and the board of the Enosburg Falls Opera House. She plays bass and sings in the Missisquoi River Band. Learn More

Vermont State Senate Candidates

Bloch for Washington County Senate
6 Winter Street
Montpelier, VT 05602
229-4734

John Bloch - Montpelier

John Bloch is running for the Vermont Senate for Washington County. This three-seat district currently has two incumbent Republicans and one incumbent Democrat. John is retired from a career working on health care matters, education, and community economic development.

Currently John is president of the Markham Center, an organization that helps small communities meet their telecommunication needs through education. John also serves as president of Onion River Community Access Media in Montpelier. He is the treasurer of the Old Labor Hall in Barre. In addition, John sits on several state boards. He is Vice President of the Alliance for Retired Americans and also Vice President of the retirees chapter of VSEA. On a national level, John’s board experience includes: Rural Coalition, Executive Committee of the National Alliance for Retired Americans, Past President of the Society for Community Development, and current board member for The Alliance for Community Media.

John’s focus in the Senate will be fighting for issues such as, universal healthcare, affordable housing, home heating alternatives, and community economic development.

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Tim Ashe for Chittenden County Senate
62 Ward Street
Burlington, VT 05401
318-0903

Tim Ashe - Burlington

Progressive Burlington City Councilor Tim Ashe is running in the Democratic primary for the Vermont Senate for Chittenden County and working to win the Progressive primary as a write-in. This six-seat district currently has one incumbent Republican and four incumbent Democrats.

For 10 years, Tim has worked to improve the Burlington community and beyond, particularly for those without economic security. He has served for four years on the Burlington City Council. As Chair of the Community Development Committee, he led Council efforts to improve and increase the stock of affordable rental and homeownership housing. He currently serves on the City’s Finance Board, where he helped hold the City’s tax rate constant for the 3rd consecutive year, an inflation-adjusted decrease of 10% for taxpayers.

Tim works for Cathedral Square, a developer of affordable housing for seniors and people with disabilities, where he’s managed projects totaling 155 units and $17 million. Tim previously worked for Bernie Sanders and CVOEO.

Tim has been an active volunteer, serving on the board of directors of Spectrum Youth and Family Services, as a coach for Old North End Little League, and as a mentor in Barnes Elementary School. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Vermont, and his graduate degree from the Kennedy School of Government.

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