Candidtates to meet voters at two local forums

July 10, 2024 | By Cheryl Casey | Correspondent

UPDATE: The candidate forum in Huntington on July 11 has been cancelled due to flood recovery. The event may be rescheduled for later this month.

Vermont’s primary election season is in full swing and this year’s race for the two state representative seats in the Washington-Chittenden House district is already shaping up to be the most expensive in the district’s history.

*Candidate Elizabeth Brown, right, with supporters in the June 29 Not Quite Independence Day parade. Photo by Lisa Scagliotti*

First-time candidate and Waterbury resident Elizabeth Brown has entered the race to challenge Democratic incumbents Tom Stevens and Theresa Wood in the primary election on August 13. She brings well-plenished coffers to the contest – over $17,000 so far, according to campaign finance disclosures filed with the Secretary of State on July 1. This amount exceeds the total reported contributions made to all of Stevens’ and Wood’s campaigns combined over the last decade.

A Massachusetts native who settled in Vermont in 2000 after graduating from the University of Vermont’s School of Business, Brown came onto the scene of local politics in March when she applied to be appointed to the Harwood Union Unified School Board to fill one of three vacant seats representing Waterbury. In her letter of application and her interviews with the Waterbury Select Board, which recommended her as an appointee, and the school board, she acknowledged she was interested in participating in discussions about state-level reforms to education funding policy.

Brown was appointed to the school board in mid-April. She then filed to run for the legislature at the end of May, announcing her candidacy for the House seat as a Democrat.

July 1 was the first financial reporting deadline with the Secretary of State and Brown’s list of contributions put her among the leading Democratic legislative candidates in the state for fundraising. Finance reports show that Brown has both outraised and outspent Esther Charlestin, the Democratic challenger to Gov. Phil Scott in the gubernatorial race. Charlestin, who does not have a primary contest in August has reported raising $12,235 as of July 1.

*Rep. Tom Stevens, D-Waterbury, walks in the Not Quite Independence Day parade on June 29. Photo by Gordon Miller*

Across Waterbury, signs of Brown’s campaign are literally popping up along roadsides and in yards. On June 29, Brown marched in the Not Quite Independence Day parade with about two dozen supporters wearing matching campaign t-shirts and carrying a large banner. A new candidate working on name recognition, Brown has mailed fliers to voters and placed ads on the Waterbury Roundabout website. She’s also appeared on local radio programs on WDEV and WMRW in the Mad River Valley.

Stevens took part in the parade carrying a campaign sign alongside several supporters. Wood, a Rotarian, was volunteering with the parade’s prize judging review stand and did not walk in the parade.

Casting a wide net

While Brown is setting a new bar for fundraising in a local, rural election, incumbents Stevens and Wood are undeterred by the numbers, saying they remain focused on what has always meant the most to them: connecting with people.

“It definitely does get you motivated,” said Stevens, who admitted fundraising is “always a little nerve-wracking.”

Stevens, who chairs the House General and Housing Committee, has been in the state legislature since 2009. He said he is making phone calls and reaching out as he has always done in his previous eight elections. “People know who I am. I have that name recognition, and that’s pretty valuable,” he noted, adding that, “in that sense, I don’t have to raise as much.”

*Rep. Theresa Wood, D-Waterbury, in her legislative committee. File photo by Glenn Russell | VTDigger*

Wood, who chairs the House Human Services Committee, says her campaign strategy “has not shifted. I have always campaigned on connecting with the people in my district and that’s what I’m continuing to do. I’m making public appearances, talking with people on the phone and responding to their emails, visiting with them in their homes, all of that is the same for me,” she explained.

Wood was appointed to the legislature in 2015, succeeding Democrat and former Rep. Rebecca Ellis who joined then-Gov. Peter Shumlin’s administration as senior counsel in the Agency of Natural Resources. Wood then ran for election in 2016 and has won her seat for a total of four successive terms.

“Obviously, [Brown] has raised a lot of money,” said Wood, “and that’s great for a district primary campaign. I obviously am raising money as well. I don’t have large contributors. I have multiple smaller contributors,” she added.

Although Wood’s campaign account currently lacks sufficient funds for mass mailings or candidate swag, she admitted that may change in the next few weeks. Wood’s July 1 campaign finance disclosure filing listed $650 in monetary contributions so far, and she said she had just deposited another $300.

*First-time candidate Jonathan Griffin is unopposed on the GOP ballot in the August primary. Courtesy photo*

Jonathan Griffin, another newcomer to local politics and the only Republican challenger vying for one of the district’s two seats, is watching the Democratic primary with great interest. Without a contest in the GOP primary, Griffin is essentially guaranteed a spot on the November general election ballot.

“I’m not a politician and probably a little bit behind because I’m a working parent with two jobs. I’ve been watching Elizabeth closely and I really like what she represents. It’s inspiring,” said Griffin. “I’m the lone Republican running unopposed in the primary. I’ve just been closely watching the Democratic primary because my next steps are really going to be dictated after August 13,” he explained.

Griffin may have some time before amping up his campaign and having some campaign materials. In the meantime he has placed a “Vote Brown” sign at the end of his driveway.

Large donations cross party and district lines

Not only has Brown raised a significant amount of money, most of her contributors hail from outside of the Washington-Chittenden House district that she is campaigning to represent. According to her financial disclosure statement, over $15,000, or 90% of Brown’s monetary contributions of $100 or more, came from individuals or businesses based outside of the legislative district; a third of that sum comes from out-of-state donors.

Among Brown’s donors is prominent Republican party figure Bruce Lisman of Shelburne who gave $500. A Republican candidate for governor in 2016, Lisman may have lost to Phil Scott in the primary, but he's contributed $2,500 to his former opponent’s campaign so far this year.

A retired Wall Street executive, Lisman is a founder of the nonpartisan Campaign For Vermont organization that advocates for fiscal reforms to state government.

This cycle, Lisman so far has donated to four legislative candidates including Brown. Two others are Democrats – Chittenden County state Senate candidate Stewart Ledbetter of Winooski ($1,000) and Greensboro House candidate David Kelley ($500). Thomas Renner, the Democratic primary challenger to Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman, P-D, received $3,000 from Lisman, and Rep. Scott Beck, R-St. Johnsbury, reported a $1,000 Lisman contribution to his re-election campaign.

In addition to Vermont bankers and real estate professionals, Brown’s report shows that 37% of her $16,980 contributions over $100 came from out-of-state donors, most from Florida and Massachusetts. Four of her donors have contributed the maximum of $1,120 for this election cycle; only five have contributed less than $100 each for a total of $375, according to the finance report. Candidates are not required to identify those smaller donors by name and address.

Scanning for potential donors who might also be Washington-Chittenden voters turns up just two Waterbury contributors – Chris Viens who contributed $700, and Lisa Meyer who donated $250. A former Waterbury Select Board member, Viens challenged Stevens and Wood in 2020 running unsuccessfully as an independent House candidate. A $300 contribution from Kristen Rodgers lists a Waterbury mailing address but Rodgers lives in Moretown where she was a member of the Harwood School Board, having served as chair until the March election this year.

All four candidates in the local House race are Waterbury residents running to represent a district that encompasses Waterbury, Bolton, Huntington, and Buels Gore.

“That’s the nature of fundraising,” said Stevens, who has also received donations from outside of the voting district over his 16-year career in the State House. “What’s rare is to receive contributions in the $500 or more range,” he added.

Wood emphasized that her goals “are to hear mostly from our local constituents, and those are the folks who are making campaign contributions to me. I haven’t reached out to big businesses or out-of-district folks other than legislators who are retiring from their legislative work. One of them has already made a contribution,” she said.

According to Vermont’s campaign finance law, surplus campaign funds, if not carried forward to a new campaign, must be donated according to contribution limits to another candidate, PAC or political party, or charity.

Watching the process, Griffin acknowledged that “there’s obviously a preference that local money supports local elections – that’s my perspective. But that hasn’t been the reality of our elections on any scale, really. I assume that as a successful businesswoman, [Brown] has a lot of personal contacts that just support her as an individual.”

In addition to fundraising, the July 1 campaign finance reports also list campaign spending. Brown’s report shows the campaign has spent just under $13,000, with the biggest expenses to date being graphic design, printing, postage, and advertising.

Neither Wood nor Stevens reported any campaign expenses for this period. Without any fundraising so far, Griffin did not file a financial disclosure report.

Brown invites candidates, voters to forums

In an effort to engage voters in a discussion about key issues, Brown has organized and scheduled two candidate forums in the next week and invited the other candidates in the race, all of whom have accepted the invitation. Meant to serve as informal listening sessions, the town-hall-style forums will be in Huntington on Thursday, July 11, at the town library, and in Waterbury on July 17 at the Main Street fire station. Both are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.

Moderators will be Huntington Selectboard Chair Dori Barton and Waterbury Select Board Chair Roger Clapp. Elected to non-partisan offices, they will serve as neutral parties facilitating the events.

Brown has said she anticipates the forums will provide voters an outlet to share their most important concerns and issues. Her fellow candidates said they welcomed the opportunity for these conversations.

Wood acknowledged that she and Stevens “had actually talked about putting something together and she just beat us to it” in organizing the events.

“I’m looking forward to connecting with constituents in all four communities that we serve,” said Wood. “Hopefully there will be a good turnout of people. Being a legislator is a lot about listening. That’s what my big plan is, to make sure to be listening to the people who have questions and comments about what should be done in Montpelier.”

Griffin, who admitted he joined the race because he’s “a little bit frustrated with the trajectory of spending” by the legislature, said, “It will be nice to hear from people face-to-face, in a venue where we can hear from other perspectives. Obviously I’ll share my ideas, but I’m really interested in listening and learning.”

Stevens said he expects the forums will be well-attended by voters from all parties. He said the forums will be an opportunity for voters “to get to know us [and] show the distinctions between the candidates.”

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Elizabeth Brown did not return requests for comment prior to publication.

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To find out more about Vermont campaign finance requirements and filings for all legislative, statewide and other candidates running this election cycle, visit the Vermont Secretary of State’s Campaign Finance System website campaignfinance.vermont.gov. The primary election is Tuesday, Aug. 13, with early voting now open.

Below are the July 1 Campaign Finance Disclosure Statements filed by the candidates in the Washington-Chittenden Democratic Primary.

Click to enlarge the images below.

Elizabeth Brown