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By Karen Bufka
If you do a little online search about lobbyists in Vermont, Morris Strategies might come up. Going to their website vtlobbyists.com, you’ll read “Let us help you shape the story and create opportunity. Our mission is to elevate organizations and businesses through impactful communications and sound political strategy.” Further down the page, under the heading “Morris Government Affairs” it states, “Delivering results for our clients by navigating them through Vermont’s legislative process and executive branch.” Click the “Learn More” button. Against a backdrop of Vermont’s flag, you’ll read “Morris Government Affairs” and below, “Lobbying in Vermont. Morris Government Affairs delivers results for our clients by helping them navigate Vermont’s legislative and executive branches. We operate at the highest level of integrity and always protect our client’s reputation. Let us be your eyes, ears and voice in Vermont politics. We will get you where you need to be through: Procurement; Bill Tracking; Grasstops and Advocacy; Coalition Management; Building Relationships”
What does it mean, “shape the story”? Or, “create opportunity”? This lobbying firm and others are active – very active – in our Statehouse. They are the “eyes, ears and voice” for their clients, helping them to navigate Vermont’s legislative and executive branches. They deliver “results”. How do those results impact the rest of us? They get their clients to “where you need to be”. Will where their clients “need to be” serve you, or me?
They list their methods: “Procurement”? I looked it up, yet still don’t know what it means here except that it means obtaining stuff. “Bill Tracking” is self-explanatory. Thecampaignworkshop.com says “grasstops” is “when you focus your outreach efforts narrowly on opinion leaders and folks who have strong connections to elected officials…a top-down strategy that focuses on engaging with the individuals who have the ear of those who make decisions or have some type of sway or influence over public policy…reaching out to folks who have a connection with those in power in the hopes that they can influence policy.” Quorum.us explains that a “grasstop” is “an individual who has extra influence…can mobilize support and has a relationship with politicians of influence…the focus is on getting high-profile individuals to take action in support of your cause…the power behind grasstops advocacy comes from people’s natural inclination to listen to those they perceive to have status.” “Advocacy; Coalition Management; Building Relationships” seem self-explanatory but “Coalition Management” makes me wonder: are these people creating the “coalition” they are managing?
At Monday’s NEK Chamber of Commerce’s Legislative Breakfast in St. Johnsbury I asked, “How can the community make our voices heard over those of lobbyists and what are your personal attitudes towards prioritizing community input over that of lobbyists?”
Sen. Russ Ingalls said that his experience with lobbyists in the Statehouse has been positive, that often they’re the only people he can get information from. They may advocate for a certain position but the information is helpful and there are lobbyists on both sides. “A lobbyist isn’t going to sway me.” He said that hearing from “his people” has often changed his position on something, and “it’s the people who speak the most and the most often that I’m listening to.”
Rep. Marty Feltus said that she certainly pays attention to what individual constituents have to say. However, she wants to make sure that they are coming from a basis of “having the information—the correct information”, asking them to take a broader perspective, pay attention to the issue as a whole, not just one little thing from social media or the newspaper.
Sen. Scott Beck said, “I think there’s a presumption in that question that legislators prioritize lobbyists over the people we represent and I don’t fundamentally think that’s the case…”
A longtime State Representative once told me that the Statehouse is pretty much run by lobbyists. We would be wise to consider that possibility. According to lobbying.vermont.gov, there are 24 lobbying firms and 450 lobbyists registered in Vermont. We have 150 State Representatives and 30 State Senators.
Our legislators seem to genuinely want to prioritize what we, their constituents, express. The thing is, if they rely on professional lobbyists for information and are the focus of lobbyists’ strategies in service to their clients, are they going to succeed in doing so? They are only human.
I suggest that we take a page or two from the lobbyist playbook both to help our legislators do their best on our behalf, and to balance the weight of lobbyist influence in our Statehouse. The lobbyists track bills—we track bills. The lobbyists connect with “grasstops”—we reach out to influential people, too. They build relationships and create coalitions—we can do that. Our legislators are grateful for, and possibly dependent on, the information lobbyists provide. We can provide information, and in a way which Rep. Feltus would approve, having done our research thoroughly and with our eye on the big picture.
Our legislators say they want to hear from us, and that they “listen to the people who speak the most”. Let’s be those people.
The author is a St. Johnsbury resident.
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Categories: Commentary
Most Democrat and Progressive legislators continue to demonstrate, in 2025, that they do not give a rat’s behind about representing all of their constituents, whether they voted for them, or not. Our U.S. Constitution was established to protect the unalienable rights of the minority, even if that minority is one. They hate our founding documents and will use any means necessary to get to their end goal of communist government. They are still the majority power, and are drunk on this power. Most well-meaning Republicans are in the position of making things less bad.
Spot-on, Renee…
Consider Federalist Paper #10, penned by James Madison.
“Among the numerous advantages promised by a well constructed union, none deserves to be more accurately developed than its tendency to break and control the violence of faction.” – – James Madison, Federalist Paper #10
“By a faction I understand a number of citizens, whether amounting to a majority or minority of the whole, who are united and actuated by some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adverse to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community.
“There are two methods of curing the mischiefs of faction: The one, by removing its causes; the other, by controlling its effects.
“There are again two methods of removing the causes of faction: The one by destroying the liberty which is essential to its existence; the other, by giving to every citizen the same opinions, the same passions, and the same interests.”
Just a thought… Pass a law banning lobbyists. Oh wait, the people who would have to pass that law are the same people who…..
Never mind.
I’ve often thought that keeping out of state money, and lobbyists who are from out of state, out of the State House would be a good first step at ensuring that “Vermonter’s” interests were treated with the fairness, and importance that we deserve. You are out to lunch if you think that a small group of Vermont political advocates can compete with out of state big bucks, lobbyists. As a sportsman two of my most important issues are 2nd Amendment infringements, and hunters rights. We are very lucky to have advocates like Chris Bradley, Bill Moore, Mike Covey and others who go to the State House, and listen to the drivel. lies. and just plain B.S. day after day, week after week, for 5 months or more every year, and they do this for me, and every other sportsman. It takes a toll on these guys ! I can remember Evan Hughes (God bless him) stopping by the Pavilion building where I was working at the front desk, and unloading to me some of the crap he had to listen to, and then sort fact from fiction, so he could propose, or defend his (our) positions. A lot of those people under the “Golden Dome” are so full of themselves, and their perceived importance that they forget, they work for us ! Then you go and throw in big dollars from Michael Bloomburg, Giffords, and the Brady Bunch, to be spent by their surrogates up on Court Street to keep Vermonters in line with their out of state programs. It just ain’t right ! It would be so nice if Vermont politics was only for Vermonters !
Speaking as a reader, not editor-
Karen writes well and to the point about a very important issue. I appreciate and agree with her desire to see the State House be a better example of the People’s House. It’s the main reason I publish the Chronicle.
I used to be a lobbyist. I know the folks at Morris, used to collaborate with them on various projects, including supporting Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. They are good people and skilled professionals. The lobbying industry may be a problem, but Morris is not. That is not just my opinion but is the general consensus in the State House.
This is a case of ‘everyone is right.’ Lobbyists do play an essential role of informing legislators and rallying grassroots support- just look at some of the folks speaking truth about the problems with the Clean Heat Standard. But Karen is right too: citizens must not surrender their power to the interests with the money and organization to hire lobbyists. Citizens must not be overwhelmed.
Neither should legislators give lobbyists undue influence. In recent years the NEA, Planned Parenthood, and the Renewable Power industry have been ascendant and IMHO too influential and demanding. Solution: keep voting out the legislators who listen more to lobbyists than to you.
And PS – many, many editors and reporters (myself included) were once lobbyists or worked for one. Or likely will. Caveat emptor.
This year the Chronicle is publishing not only the names and emails of legislators, as we gave in the past, we’re also doing it by committee. See for example Tim’s story on Senate Corrections, and Mike Bielawski’s stories this week.
We try to give you the tools. But only you can reach out to lawmakers on the issues and bills that matter to you. Like the headline says – Be your own lobbyist.
I heartily agree with your comments – Karen and Guy. As a lifelong teacher I knew that the brains of our children are the most precious natural resource we have and we must protect them. That’s why I cut my teeth in the political world battling commercialized cannabis.
If you want it you can grow it, or likely find ways to barter for it without direct sales. When VT Senators sought to commercialize and their first line of inquiry was how close can we have a store to the schools, that was abysmal. No surprise at all – they targeted the brains of our youth and if the newspapers would have done their due diligence and investigative reporting they would have told you what other states already knew from experience – forget the lies the Cannabis Industry were promoting because cannabis IS a gateway drug. Opioid deaths rapidly increased here like they did in every other commercialized state. Black markets and black business tactics rapidly followed too. NPR in Colorado were telling that story before Vermont decided they didn’t want to listen they just wanted more profits and new business.
But WAIT – the next shoe to drop is when the ER rooms are too full with psychotic breaks, hyperemesis, aggressive violence, when autism rates accelerate in preschools creating lifelong closely monitored care needs. When dummied down IQ’s become life long and permanent. There’s a HUGE cost to community and the state that will be rolling out stronger and stronger.
HOW DO YOU GET THE LEGISLATORS TO LISTEN? HOW DO YOU GET THE PEOPLE TO LISTEN? HOW DO YOU GET ENOUGH VOICES TO CARE ENOUGH TO RAISE UP A LOBBYING VOICE PRESENCE LEGISLATORS WILL WANT TO HEAR?
I say – PRAY and ACT!!!
PRAY – God alone is the avenue into people’s thoughts and hearts. Ask Him to open the doors of the hearts. Yes, there is a God who made this beautiful state and us, and He is eager to hear from you and have you partner with Him to make others more like Him- creative, caring, and concerned. Check Him out – Trypraying.org He’s eager to show you personally that He cares and is here. He will guide you to find open hearts to augment and strengthen your voice.
ACT – engage with others and let them know your concerns, engage with decision makers, bring a group to where the decisions are made, perhaps you need to become the decision maker, and put your voice out where others will see it – write letters to the editor, respond to comments, be a lobbying influence.
That’s what Karen and Guy are saying – be the lobbying influence. Thank you for reminding us all to STAND UP, BE A VOICE and I add PRAY. We all daily need His guidance and should be thanking Him for letting us enjoy this beautiful state – His creation. God Bless American and YOU.
With all due respect to Karen, Guy, and HHilltop –
Of course, you are correct. There ARE lobbyists that are honorable. In fact, you can find honorable people in all kinds of nefarious organizations. Likewise, you can find bad apples in the best-run organizations. But that’s not the issue.
The issues are these: 1) Unfortunately, some legislators DO take money from lobbyists, and for that money they vote a certain way. I don’t think anyone can deny that. Again, as I said above, SOME – not ALL. How many votes do lobbyists have to buy before a legislative vote goes “the right way”? Probably not that many, as most legislators are dug in like ticks on one side or the other of any issue. 2) More importantly, why should I, why should we, as a people, have to hire lobbyists to get our positions taken seriously by and made known to the legislature? This is not only incomprehensible to me, it’s trying to “play within the system” – the system that got us in this mess in the first place. As someone famously said, the definition of stupidity is doing the same thing over and over and over again and expecting a different outcome.
So yes, write letters to those outlets that will print them. Talk to your friends, family, and neighbors. Speak up at your local school board meeting or at Town Meeting. Write to your legislators (although if your particular legislator is a Socialist Progressive, you’d be better off pounding sand). These are all great strategies and part of the solution. I wholeheartedly endorse all of them.
However, the biggest part of the solution is to vote any legislators out of office who take even a dime from lobbyists. They surely aren’t going to leave on their own or legislate themselves off the gravy train. Can we not see what’s wrong here? The system is the problem. The lobbyists (as a whole) are part of that problem. and yes, it sucks that we’d have to throw out the 15% good lobbyists with the 85% bad. I hate that. As you all mentioned, many of them are honorable and very decent people. I don’t disagree.
We. The. People! We elect people to office to represent us, as our representatives. They take orders from us, not the other way around. Why can’t we see that the vast majority is being “ruled” by the vast minority? By the special interests – Big Pharma, Big Ag, the Military-Industrial Complex, and politicians who became 100x more wealthy after they are installed in office? Why can’t we see that part of the solution is term limits, initiative petition, and Voter ID?
Here’s what I say. If the system is the problem, figure out how to put in a new system that remains faithful to the original Constitution, and make all your decisions based on that goal. You might be surprised how many of us there are that feel similarly.
Robin, “However, the biggest part of the solution is to vote any legislators out of office who take even a dime from lobbyists.
The problem with this is that most of the people who we think should be voting their legislator out, think that their Representation in Mount Peculiar is just fine, it’s everybody else’s that is the problem. Just think how we’d be stylin’ if everybody voted their Senator, and Reps. out, in other words, completely turn the table.
Yea, I know, “pipe dream” but boy we would be stylin ! Term limits !
You can be your own lobbyists on this website, just pay one hundred eight dollars per year and name the crooks that are screwing you. Their are some cave monkeys at the state house that watch your comments.
How in hell can ANYONE say lobbyists for the Vt NEA are doing ANYONE in this state any good except the self serving educational “Blob”?
Teachers are state employees. They should belong to the VSEA like every other state employee. The VTNEA should be desolved in the SOV . JMO