51% of Vermonters disapprove of the Vermont Legislature’s job performance, according to poll results released by the Campaign for Vermont. 

CFV announced that they had commissioned a bipartisan, scientific public opinion poll of Vermonters. The survey interviewed 400 randomly selected Vermont residents to measure their feelings towards state leaders, various issues that policymakers are pursuing, and general sentiments about the direction the state is heading.

“What we have found is shocking,” said CFV President Pat McDonald “Vermonters have very clear opinions on a number of policy differences between the Administration and the Legislature. And consistently the legislature has missed the mark in setting their priorities.”

The results released Wednesday, Nov. 29 show that 53% of Vermonters believe the state is headed in the wrong direction, while only 35% approve of the state’s direction. When asked how respondents felt about the job Governor Scott is doing representing the issues they cared about, 64% gave a thumbs up, generally reflecting his consistently high opinion ratings. 

Conversely, the Legislature received a disapproval rating of 51%. Only 40% said they approved of the job the Legislature is doing, with 30% strongly disapproving. Overall, approval ratings of the Legislature were more than 10 points underwater, compared to Scott’s 34-points above water rating. Also surprising, was a finding that two-thirds of respondents claimed to follow the policies and actions of the Governor and Legislature closely.

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New State of Vermont IT exec named – Gov. Phil Scott has named Andrea DeLaBruere the new deputy secretary of the Agency of Digital Services.  

DeLaBruere was appointed commissioner of the Department of Vermont Health Access (DVHA)  in December of 2021, and before that as an executive director for the Agency of Human Services (AHS), assisting with coordinating the work of the departments, participating in the pandemic response, and leading Agency efforts on communications and legislative affairs. Addie Strumolo will take over as Acting Commissioner of DVHA. 

Prior to coming to AHS, DeLaBruere worked in the health information technology, pharmaceutical, and medical device industries. She is originally from the Northeast Kingdom and now lives in central Vermont. DeLaBruere received her Bachelor of Science degree in Health Education from Norwich University, and her Master of Science in Health Care Administration from Southern New Hampshire University. 

Former state officials join Montpelier law firm – Tarrant, Gillies & Shems has hired two lawyers this year: former legislator and state official Sarah Buxton and former Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner David Mears. 

 Buxton served in Governor Howard  Dean’s office and under civil rights leader Marian Wright Edelman at the  Children’s Defense Fund in Washington, D.C. She most recently  served as State Director of Workforce Development at the Vermont Department of Labor.  In 2010 she graduated from Vermont Law School and was a three-term representative for Orange-Windsor 1  District, serving on the House Education Committee and the Legislative Committee on  Administrative Rules. She championed the passage of Vermont’s first-in-the-nation  universal prekindergarten education entitlement. 

Mears’ practice will focus on environmental, energy, brownfields, and land  use law. He is the former Executive Director of Audubon Vermont and served as the Associate Dean of  Environmental Programs at Vermont Law School. He also served in the Texas state government, the U.S.  Department of Justice-Environment and Natural Resources Division, and the Washington Office  of the Attorney General-Ecology Division. David has a degree in environmental engineering  technology from Cornell University, and Juris Doctor and Master of Environmental Law and  Policy degrees from Vermont Law School. 

Perfect gift for your hunter/angler – Finding a gift that will continue to give for a full year is a challenge, but the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department has a solution on their website — a license gift certificate for hunting and fishing licenses.

“It’s a perfect gift for a friend or family member who hunts or fishes,” said Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Christopher Herrick.  “You can go to our website, fill out the gift certificate and pay for it online, and then print the certificate to present to your recipient.”

The license section of Fish and Wildlife’s website has a link to the gift certificate.  The person who receives the certificate must go to the website to redeem their certificate and purchase their licenses.