In New Poll, Sorrell Leads Donovan in AG's Primary — But Many Remain Undecided

With just six days to go before the August 28 primary, a new poll from Castleton Polling Institute shows incumbent Attorney General Bill Sorrell with a commanding lead over Democratic challenger T.J. Donovan.

At least among those who have made up their minds. Almost a third of voters surveyed said they were undecided in the Democratic primary for attorney general.

And the small sample size of 223 likely primary voters means the poll comes with a high margin of error — plus or minus 7 points.

"It's summer," said Castleton poll director Rich Clark. "And while those of us who love politics have been following it with great intensity, most of the public has been following the Olympics and everything else but politics." 

According to the poll, Sorrell leads Donovan 44 to 24 among likely voters, with 31 percent of respondents saying they are undecided. Among the 122 self-identified Democrats polled, Sorrell leads Donovan by 16 points, with 36 percent of Democrats saying they are undecided.

Click here for full results from the new poll.

Meanwhile, the poll showed Democratic Gov. Peter Shumlin (whose name the poll misspelled as "Schumlin") with a healthy lead over Republican challenger Randy Brock — 60 to 26, with only 10 percent of voters undecided. Twenty percent of Republicans polled said they'd vote for Shumlin if the governor's election were held today, compared with 6 percent of Democrats who favor Brock.

And surprising no one, President Barack Obama also holds a solid lead over Republican Mitt Romney among Vermont voters, 62 to 25 with just 7 percent of voters undecided. The poll was conducted between August 11 and August 21 — after Romney selected Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan as his running mate. As Clark noted, that pick doesn't seem to have moved the Vermont electorate.

The Most Ridiculous Photos of the 2012 Campaign — So Far

We interrupt our serious coverage of Vermont's 2012 election campaigns to bring you this totally frivolous bit of infotainment.

Every two years, Vermont politicians go through the rite of passage known as pandering for running for re-election. How do candidates win the hearts and minds of voters? Not with wonky policy plans and details about their "records," but with photos that show they are regular Joes — just like you!

To that end, Vermont candidates have peppered their Facebook pages with photographs depicting the lighter moments of the campaign. You know, milking goats, doing yoga, shaking hands with a guy in a cow costume. We pulled together the most amusing snapshots we could find and posted them here for your enjoyment. Many more are sure to come as the fall campaign kicks into gear post-Labor Day.

Our elected officials may at times leave us cynical, especially around campaign season, when things can get pretty petty. But at least they have a sense of humor.

Without further ado, we present the most ridiculous photos of the 2012 campaign, so far...

Attorney General Bill Sorrell submerged in a babbling brook

Many more after the jump...

VIDEO: 7 Highlights/Lowlights From Last Night's Seven Days-Channel 17 Attorney General Debate

 

Oh, snap!

Democratic rivals for attorney general, incumbent Bill Sorrell and contender T.J. Donovan, threw down on their home turf last night in a feisty debate inside Burlington City Hall sponsored by Seven Days and Channel 17 Town Meeting Television.

With the August 28 primary less than two weeks away, Sorrell and Donovan are jockeying hard for pole position — or maybe pol position — in the most competitive campaign of the year.

The candidates sat close together (their elbows were practically touching) and the tension was palpable at times. Donovan, the Chittenden County State's Attorney, stayed on offense the whole night, hammering Sorrell for what he said was a lack of engagement and leadership during his 15 years as attorney general — and for accepting help from a Washington, D.C.-based super PAC. Sorrell vigorously defended his record and got in his own digs, demanding that Donovan stop "distorting" his record.

At times, both candidates shook their heads in disbelief while the other answered a question.

Here are seven highlights (and lowlights) from the evening. You decide which is which.

Shumlin Widens Fundraising Gap, While Brock Widens Fund-Spending Gap

The news coming out of Wednesday's monthly campaign finance filing deadline is hardly news at all: Democratic Gov. Peter Shumlin continues to raise money, while his challenger, Sen. Randy Brock (R-Franklin), continues to spend it.

In the 30 days since they last reported fundraising numbers, Shumlin took in $160,293 to Brock's $55,329. But in that same period, the incumbent Democrat spent just $16,041 to his Republican challenger's $65,516, widening the already yawning gap between the two candidates' campaign reserves.

With Shumlin now having outraised Brock $839,805 to $584,924 — and that includes a $300,000 loan Brock gave himself — the governor's cash-on-hand advantage moving into the last two-and-a-half months of the race is $769,027 to Brock's $237,139.

So how've they been raising and spending it?

In Irene Funding Dispute, Shumlin Makes Nice With FEMA

For nearly four weeks, Gov. Peter Shumlin's administration has blamed the Federal Emergency Management Agency for misleading — and even deceiving — the state into believing it was due more in Tropical Storm Irene recovery funding than it may eventually receive.

But on Tuesday, Shumlin sought to hit the reset button with the feds.

"I'm proud of the relationship we have developed with FEMA," the governor said, unprompted, at his weekly press conference. "I can tell you that in talking with other governors about recovery efforts like this, there is not a governor in the country who will tell you that there aren't good days with FEMA, there aren't bad days with FEMA, that there aren't happy days with FEMA, that there aren't sad days with FEMA. And we have to expect that we're going to have exactly the same experience here in the state of Vermont."

The governor's newly conciliatory tone toward FEMA comes as the agency continues to weigh the level at which it will reimburse Vermont for the replacement of the state psychiatric hospital and the Waterbury State Office Complex — both of which were badly damaged by Irene. Contrary to reports earlier this week, Shumlin said Tuesday that an announcement from FEMA outlining how much funding the state should expect is still three to four weeks away. Shumlin and the state's congressional delegation are continuing to lobby for the maximum amount of funding, the governor said.

Aerial Shots Capture Lowell Wind Project Progress

Steve Wright last took to the sky in April to capture a series of dramatic bird's-eye photographs of construction at Kingdom Community Wind, the 21-turbine wind project that Green Mountain Power is constructing on a ridgeline above Lowell. He went airborne again on Wednesday this week — in the interest, Wright said in an interview with Seven Days, of documenting the ongoing construction on the mountaintop. "In some years we’ll look back at this and shake our heads," says Wright, a Craftsbury Common resident and outspoken opponent of ridgeline wind development.

"It's continually distressing that we would do this with a mountaintop, but we're moving on to a statewide campaign to make sure this doesn't happen anywhere else," adds Wright, a former commissioner of the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department. His concerns aren't aesthetic but rather biological. "Humans have a capacity to be able to tolerate looking at just about anything," he says. "That mountain has been forever changed in its hydrology and its entire ecological function."

Wright's photos first appeared on the Mountain Talk blog, where wind opponents post frequent photos, videos and updates. It's been a busy week for activists in Lowell. On Monday, around 45 protesters scrambled to the mountaintop to stage a peaceful protest blocking the main construction thoroughfare at the site, an event that culminated in six arrests. A day after the largely festive gathering (complete with square dancing and chanting), around 30 activists returned for a somber "funeral" for Lowell Mountain. 

Green Mountain Power previously said that Wright's aerial photos only present a snapshot of a moment in time and that much of the disturbed landscaped will be re-vegetated after construction wraps up.

UPDATE: This morning, GMP spokesman Robert Dostis added that concerns like Wright's were raised during the extensive permitting process for the wind farm, were "fully vetted," and eventually the Public Service Board deemed the project to be in the public good. Dostis says that construction at the site — where the crew is now finishing the fourth complete turbine — is on schedule for completion by the end of the year.

Dostis also says that while the total "project impact" is 135 acres, GMP has conserved more than 2700 acres to mitigate that environmental impact, and nearly all of the conserved land is protected in perpetuity. 

Photos by Steve Wright

Cruiser-Crushin' Vermont Farmer Becomes an Internet Hero

By now you're probably familiar with Roger Pion, the Newport farmer who went all HULK SMASH on seven Orleans County Sheriff's Department vehicles last week. Pion, who was reportedly angry over a previous marijuana arrest, is now facing more than a dozen charges in connection with his tractor rampage.

But it's not all bad news for Pion — he's got the Internet on his side. Shortly after Pion's story hit the news, someone created a Facebook page called "Roger Pion, the magnificent," which has accumulated 1512 likes as of this writing. On that page you'll find some excellent works of Photoshop — Pion in his finest Ethan Allen get-up, his now-infamous tractor in progressively wilder situations, plus other takeoffs on popular online memes. That's right: Roger Pion is now an Internet folk hero.

7 Takeaways From Tuesday's Attorney General Debate in Shelburne

Neither candidate made any gaffes.

But Democrats T.J. Donovan and Bill Sorrell did face plenty of tough questions from a standing-room-only crowd in Shelburne last night at the third of nine debates before the August 28 primary for attorney general.

Seated on metal folding chairs on stage at Shelburne Town Hall, Sorrell defended his 15-year record as AG while Donovan, the Chittenden County State's Attorney, made the case for change.

What did the audience learn about the candidates in 90 minutes? Quite a bit actually.

Here are seven takeaways from the debate. Click here a list of upcoming AG debates — including the Seven Days/Channel 17 matchup at Burlington City Hall next Wednesday, August 15.

1.Biography will not decide the race

Both were born and raised in Burlington. Both had a lot of sisters (Donovan has five, Sorrell has four) and no brothers. Their families are deeply connected. But Sorrell did drop one family anecdote during his opening statement that elicited a few "aah"s from the crowd and might endear him to some voters in Shelburne. His great-grandfather was apparently the head caretaker on Shelburne Farms — and has a signed note of appreciation from the estate's patriarch, William Seward Webb, that now hangs on Sorrell's wall.

Attorney General Candidates Scheduled for Nine Debates

Last week, the two Democratic candidates for attorney general debated for the first time in Strafford and on the set of WCAX's "You Can Quote Me." They also debated whether they're debating enough.

This week, Attorney General Bill Sorrell and Chittenden County State's Attorney T.J. Donovan are back to just plain debating — twice. Tonight they'll face off at a Shelburne Town Hall debate hosted by the Chittenden County Democratic Party. On Thursday, they'll go head-to-head on Vermont Public Television. Next Wednesday, August 15, Seven Days and Channel 17 are hosting an AG's primary debate at Burlington City Hall.

Below is a schedule of the debates scheduled thus far. Stay tuned for additions, as both campaigns have expressed a willingness to schedule a few more. Cuz nine debates clearly won't do the trick.

• Tuesday, July 31 — Vi Coffin Memorial Forum — Strafford Town House — 7 p.m. — See coverage from the Valley News, the Burlington Free Press and the BFP's vt.Buzz blog. Listen to the debate here.
• Wednesday Aug. 1 — Taping of WCAX's "You Can Quote Me" — Two-part debate to be broadcast Sunday, Aug. 5 and Sunday, Aug. 12 — See coverage from WCAX, the Associated Press and the Times Argus. Watch part 1 of the debate here.
  
• Tuesday, Aug. 7 — Chittenden County Democrats' Debate — Shelburne Town Hall — 7 p.m.
• Thursday, Aug. 9 — Vermont Public Television Debate — 8 p.m.
• Monday, Aug. 13 — Debate on WDEV's The Mark Johnson Show — 9 a.m.
• Wednesday, Aug. 15 — Seven Days & Channel 17 Debate — 5 p.m. — Burlington City Hall (and streamed live on 7dvt.com)
• Thursday, Aug. 16 — Burlington Free Press Debate, Pt. 1 — Noon — Streamed live on burlingtonfreepress.com
• Tuesday, Aug. 21 — Burlington Free Press Debate, Pt. 2 — Noon — Streamed live on burlingtonfreepress.com
• Thursday, Aug. 23 — VPR's Vermont Edition — Noon

Protestors Block Crane Path at Lowell Wind Project (VIDEO)

Updated below — Six protesters arrested for blocking road.

After gathering at 5 a.m. this morning, a group of 20 or so "mountain occupiers" hiked to the ridge of Lowell Mountain to block construction of wind turbines. Their plan: Camp out in the crane path — a crucial thoroughfare for construction at Green Mountain Power's Kingdom Community Wind project — until "the situation is resolved," according to a press release put out by the demonstrators.

Protesters have formed a human blockade, where occupiers are singing, chanting and brandishing signs that read "Stop Destroying Vermont" and "Shumlin Lies." An additional 25 protestors have joined the barricade since early this morning, bringing their numbers to around 45. 

The protesters made the march to the ridge line by way of Don and Shirley Nelson's adjoining property, and were on site to block construction vehicles at 7 a.m.. They're making their stand on the same piece of land where, in December, six protesters and one reporter were arrested for trespassing. The ownership of the land is currently in dispute between the Nelsons and GMP.

Craftsbury Commons resident Steve Wright, an outspoken opponent of the wind development, is stationed near the access point on Route 100. Wright told Seven Days by phone that the drumming and chanting from the ridge line can be heard in the valley east of the project. While Wright hiked the ridge line for 25 years, his "aging legs" didn't let him join the protest this morning.

"This is not about stopping the project," Wright says, acknowledging that construction will inevitably continue at the 21-turbine wind development. "This is about stopping other projects that are as ill- thought-out and land abusive — projects that really don’t do anything for climate change action."