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Please get involved and stay informed by showing up at our next meeting (check the calendar on the right sidebar), or contact the Chairman here or sign up at the Vermont Democrats' site. Thank you!

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

David W. Curtis Awards Dinner Highlights

Those of us who were able to attend the David W. Curtis Awards Dinner last Friday at the Hilton found it to be a terrific affair with many inspiring speakers, including U.S. Senators Leahy and Sanders, Congressman Welch, Gov. Kunin, Speaker Gaye Symington, State Senator Doug Racine, and the featured speaker, U.S. Senator Chris Dodd (CT). If you haven't read about it by now, the crowd was highly enthusiastic to have Gaye proclaim her candidacy in the race for Governor. Wisely, I think, she is waiting until the legislative session is finished to announce her decision. Our Vice-Chair, Robert Ready, videotaped most of the speeches and turned the tape over to the VDP. You can see excerpts of the speeches here.

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

TOM SALMON Re-Election Kick-off in Burlington

PLEASE JOIN TOM SALMON FOR THE KICK-OFF OF HIS RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN AT 6:30 THIS FRIDAY IN BURLINGTON AT THE FIREHOUSE GALLERY (151 CHURCH STREET)


Salmon for Auditor
P.O. Box 341
Bellows Falls, VT 05101
www.salmonforauditor.com
March 19, 2008

Dear Friend,
I am pleased to be writing to you to announce my decision to seek re-election as Vermont’s State Auditor. After an intense campaign and a rollercoaster recount I have settled into doing the people’s work at the Auditor’s Office.

These are not ordinary financial times. As your State Auditor, I have worked to improve process, financial communication, training and reliable reporting across the State. With full commitment, our staff has been able to produce many useful internal and external reports to help State government function more effectively while saving taxpayer dollars.

A cooperative, honest dialogue has enabled the office to address various state, local and municipal issues in a unemotional, productive manner.

I tell everyone I meet that this is the best job in government to foster accountability and process improvement. That is why I am excited and energized to be running again for State Auditor. I look forward to continuing the important work of the Auditor’s Office begun over the last fifteen months and hope you can support me in my campaign.

Please join me on April 11, 2008, in either Bellows Falls, Barre or Burlington to celebrate the formal announcement of my candidacy for Auditor in the 2008 Election.

Sincerely,

Thomas M. Salmon, CPA

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Pearls of Wisdom and Humor

The Evening with Gov. Madeleine Kunin was attended by more than 30 guests at the South Burlington Senior Center last Friday evening. Guests schmoozed amid delicious cheese, fruit, salsa and crackers, hors d'oeuvres, and hot and cold beverages provided by Catering by Dale as they waited for the program to begin.

Representative Jason Lorber kicked off the program as he introduced Gov. Kunin, Rep. Gaye Symington, VDP Executive Director Jill Krowinski and a number of other legislators in the audience. He quickly transitioned into humor-mode as he told about his first run for political office. Before introducing standup comedian Josie Leavitt, he called on several members of the audience to select the winning tickets for a number of door prizes including a gift basket, a copy of Gov. kunin's first book, Living a Political Life, and an Eco-Bag.

Josie Leavitt, co-owner of the Flying Pig Bookstore in Shelburne Village, gave a 15 minute performance of her renowned comedy act. Leavitt has performed not only in Burlington-area nightspots, but in New York City clubs as well. She delved into some political humor as well as environmental humor as she recounted incidents in her personal experiences. Her humorous tales left the audience laughing and smiling.

Gov. Kunin said she initially had some misgivings about following a couple of comedians, but thought back to her days in the legislature and felt it wasn't such a stretch after all. Introducing her newly published book, Pearls, Poltics & Power, she talked seriously about her research into the roles of women in politics across the globe as well as in the United States and came up with some pretty interesting statistics. 16% was a number that kept cropping up over and over again. It represents the percentage of women in the U.S. Congress, the percentage of women in top corporate positions, and the percentage of women in the lower houses of Parliament worldwide.

She also talked about the factors women take into consideration when deciding to run for office and how we can encourage more women to take part in public life. Among the many national and international figures she spoke about, she included several local women including Representatives Helen Head, Rachel Weston and Speaker Gaye Symington, all of whom are mentioned in the book.

A question and answer period followed, providing audience members an opportunity to share their views. The evening ended with everyone feeling their time was well spent, and those who purchased copies of Gov. Kunin's book were able to have their copies autographed by her. You can view photos of the event here.