weekly political column. Tim Newcomb
Kevin Burgess, the Vermont Democratic Party s director of outreach, quit earlier this month, citing a toxic work environment and a complete and utter failure of party leadership. Days later,
Scott McNeil, the party s executive director, announced he s leaving, too. The Vermont GOP is also in disarray, split between fealty to and disdain for former president
Donald Trump. Burlington s 19-year-old GOP chair,
Kolby LaMarche, recently called on state party chair and Trump supporter
Deb Billado to resign. When that didn t happen, he stepped down himself. Meanwhile, groups such as Emerge Vermont, an affiliate of a national group that recruits and trains Democratic women to run for office, and the newly formed Bright Leadership Institute, a stand-alone, nonpartisan group supporting candidates of color, have taken up some of the functions former
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Vermont Legislators are proposing and committees are reviewing bills with a focus on the budget and the impact of the pandemic. Numerous groups including the House Progressive Caucus are lobbying legislators in a virtual world to address their priorities.
The House Progressive Caucus recently outlined its priorities for the biennium, focused on equity in policy and response to the pandemic. Caucus chair Selene Colburn of Burlington says all their priorities have a common theme as the pandemic amplifies societal inequities. “While we as a caucus believe we need to be thoughtful we also believe now is not the time for holding back on addressing the roots of these inequities. The legislature must support bold transformative policies to make change rather than try to restore a status quo that left so many Vermonters behind. We can’t hesitate to do too much because of the pandemic. The pandemic asks us to step up and do more in this moment not less. The Vermont Progressiv