Matt Dunne: Cementing Our Role As A Progressive Leader

Throughout our history, Vermont has set the standard for what it means to be progressive. We were the first state to ban slavery. We led the opposition to Joe McCarthy. We were the first state to legally recognize same sex unions, and to guarantee health care for all children.

But we’re in danger of losing our position as a progressive leader, as trust in state government erodes. Trust is the foundation that allows us to continue building on our legacy of progress. And when that foundation cracks — when people stop believing Montpelier has their interests at heart — progress grinds to a halt.

And make no mistake, that foundation is cracking. We have seen allegations of sexual misconduct towards a sitting state senator. We have learned that an elected official received millions of dollars in state contracts for his construction company, even while he sat on the committee that wrote the state budget. And we have seen the alleged perpetrators in the Northeast Kingdom EB-5 scandal give tens of thousands of dollars in political contributions, funnelled through various shell companies. It’s hard not to view it all as a trend.

Despite our dismay at these revelations, Vermont is ranked #50 — dead last — of all the states according to independent national rankings for state government transparency and accountability. We are:

• One of only three states that require no financial disclosure from candidates for office
• One of seven states with no ethics commission
• One of 17 states with no laws governing the revolving door between public officials and lobbyists
• One of a handful of remaining states that still permit direct corporate contributions to political campaigns — a practice that has been illegal at the federal level for over 100 years

We are last in the country on ethics for the simple reason that we continue to lack any formal guidelines. Unfortunately, the ethics bill that came before the Legislature this past session failed to advance, and we are once again left with nothing. This is unacceptable. Elected officials must have guidance on appropriate behavior, or Vermonters will continue to await the next outrageous revelation.
That is why I have just announced my first major policy initiative — a set of proposals that must be enacted in order to rebuild trust in state government in Vermont. Without that trust, nothing else matters — we will be unable to make the progressive changes necessary to meet Vermont’s challenges.

Here is the plan:

One: Create a robust ethics commission that applies to all legislators and executive officials.

Two: All candidates for legislative and executive office, and all executive officials, must file a standard disclosure of their financial interests.

Three: Ban direct corporate contributions to candidates.

Four: Make Vermont’s system for public financing of elections the most robust in the nation, rather than one of the least effective.

Five: Institute a two-year ban on lobbying by any former legislator or executive branch official, and a two-year ban on working in a sector for which they had state oversight.

Six: Require monthly, rather than quarterly disclosure of campaign funds raised.

Seven: Prohibit legislators and executive officials from being involved in decisions that present clear conflicts of interest.

Eight: Strengthen laws preventing coordination between super PACs and political campaigns.

I am pleased that all Democratic candidates for governor have answered our call and have now refused direct corporate campaign contributions. But that is not enough. In the interest of rebuilding the public trust, I am calling upon all candidates currently seeking the governor’s office to also disclose their personal assets.

Further, I ask all candidates to join my pledge not to self-fund beyond the individual limit of $4,000 per person. Self-funding in excess of the individual limit is a serious affront to the principle of one person/one vote because it allows very wealthy individuals a disproportionate influence on election outcomes.

Finally, I am asking all candidates for governor to join me in honoring the public’s right to know how a campaign is operating by making a campaign finance disclosure on June 15, before early voting starts on June 25. While the next disclosure is not legally required until July 15, early disclosure is the right thing to do

Only with transparency and accountability in both campaign finance and state government, enforced by a strong ethics commission according to clear rules, can Vermont build on our proud progressive heritage and truly lead the way.

We have a great deal of work ahead: We must enact equal pay for equal work; we must raise the minimum wage to a living wage of $15/hour; and we must address the entrenched poverty of too many of our citizens. But to do this vital work together, we must first restore the working trust between Vermonters and their government.

https://vtdigger.org/2016/05/18/matt-dunne-cementing-our-role-as-a-progressive-leader/

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