Gubernatorial candidates gather for first debate
WAITSFIELD, Vt.—Gov. Jim Douglas, under fire from his two major-party gubernatorial campaign opponents during a debate Sunday, said he had worked to protect the state's environment, but that he wanted to limit the role of government on food, energy and other issues.
"Government should be at your side and not on your back," Douglas said in concluding remarks at a debate on agriculture and environmental issues sponsored by the Vermont Natural Resources Council, the local food group Vermont Localvores and the Waitsfield restaurant American Flatbread.
But Douglas drew criticism on a range of issues from Democratic House Speaker Gaye Symington and Progressive candidate Anthony Pollina, both whom faulted the three-term incumbent especially for being, in their view, too friendly to the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant and not friendly enough to wind and other alternatives energy sources.
One of Symington's sharpest barbs was over Douglas' veto earlier this year of a bill that would have required Vermont Yankee owner
Symington said it was "one of the most obvious failures of this administration" when Douglas vetoed a bill designed to "make sure Vermonters won't be stuck with the bill for cleaning up after Entergy when it leaves town."
Pollina faulted the governor for not doing more to push for buying dams along the Connecticut River that Pollina said "would have gone a long way toward replacing the power from Vermont Yankee."
Douglas replied that the decision about the dams was made by an independent commission to which he had just one appointee. He added that there was concern the purchase could increase Vermont's electric rates.
The debate did not go off without a couple of hitches. Liberty Union candidate Peter Diamondstone showed up uninvited, refused to leave and had to be forcibly ejected by a state trooper. VNRC spokesman Jake Brown said Diamondstone provided no advance notice of his intent to attend, or he might have been accommodated.
But the bigger hitch was the weather. Heavy to torrential rains fell throughout most of the event, with the pounding on the roof of the open-sided barn at the Lareau Farm drowning out parts of the candidates' opening statements.
Despite the elements, most in the rain-jacketed and umbrellaed crowd of more than 350 appeared to enjoy the pizza and other food supplied by American Flatbread, as well as the free ice cream. The crowd appeared to lean, as evidenced by applause repeatedly shushed by debate moderator David Moats, toward Pollina and Symington.
"This is not a Jim (Douglas) audience," said Garrison Nelson, a political science professor from the University of Vermont, who attended. "Anthony (Pollina) won the intensity battle. Gaye's (Symington) still gaining her voice. She's not as comfortable as the others. It's Anthony's fourth statewide race. It's Jim's 15th."
The candidates sparred on a range of issues:
-- Lake Champlain: Douglas said his "clean and clear action plan" for reducing phosphorus levels in Lake Champlain was making progress. His challengers noted the state's efforts had been faulted by the federal Environmental Protection Agency.
"If the Bush EPA tells you you're not making progress then you've got work to do," Pollina said.
-- Housing: Douglas said a bill passed last year to encourage affordable housing near downtowns and village centers was progress, but more needs to be done. He criticized a house-passed version of the housing bill. "Instead of new neighborhoods, it was no neighborhoods," the governor said.
Symington retorted that the governor's plan to call for 15 percent of new houses to be priced at $275,000 or less did not amount to affordable housing.
-- Local food: Douglas the state makes 82 percent of its purchases from in-state vendors. Pollina replied that many of those vendors are selling out-of-state products, "hamburger from the Midwest and milk from Massachusetts."
