Singing the Anti-Nuke Blues

Former Manchester state representative, 8th generation Vermonter and distinguished blues-harp player Bob Stannard is departing his executive-director post at the  non-profit Better Bennington Corporation to return to the Statehouse on a daily basis come January.

Stannard, [pictured here with wife Alison at Saturday evening's VPIRG anniversary celebration]  tells Freyne Land he's been signed up to be a Montpeculiar lobbyist for the Citizens Action Network.

"Act 160 basically positioned the Legislature to have a role in the relicensing of Vermont Yankee and whether that’s voted on in 2008 or 2009 is going to be up for debate," said Stannard.

"I don’t like to consider myself a lobbyist because that implies that I’m a contract lobbyist and I take on anybody who pays me," said the blues-harp player.

"I consider myself to be more of an advocate than a lobbysist," said Stannard. "I take on a cause that I believe in. I tell people I can sell gasoline to a man on fire if I think it’s good gas. I HAVE TO BELIEVE IN THE GAS!

"And for me to be able to leave a very nice life where I was having a great time, liked by everybody, doing good work... to walk away from that to go back into arguably the most controversial issue fror the next two years - that wasn’t an easy decision.

"My wife and I talked it over. I owe it to my great-grandchildren who aren’t born yet to do it."