The Scoreboard: This Week's Winners and Losers

Who won and lost the week in Vermont news and politics?

Reporters, nukers, lobbyists, spies, Boston cream thighs, Dean, Daysies and douchebags!

Here's the Scoreboard for the week of Friday, Aug. 2:

Winners:

Cutting your losses — SEIU Vermont director Matt McDonald admits his union was cruising for a bruising in the race to represent 7000 home-care workers. Rather than invest in a "million dollar" GOTV operation — perhaps twice, if there was a runoff — SEIU on Thursday ceded the bargaining unit to AFSCME. Runner-up losers: SEIU gravy train passengers, like Vermont Leads and its lefty allies, who won't be seeing any more cash from Local 1199. 

Vermont lobbyists — They took in plenty of cash during the past three months, according to VTDigger's Alicia Freese. How much? During the first half of the year, KSE Partners reported $923,000 in lobbying compensation; Sirotkin & Necrason reported $814,000; McLean, Meehan and Rice $664,000; and Downs, Rachlin Martin $630,000. 

Surveillance push-back — Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) gave the nation's spy chiefs a piece of his mind Wednesday at a hearing of his Senate Judiciary Committee. The Vermont senator was particularly skeptical of the National Security Agency's accounting of just how many acts or terrorism were prevented solely by the NSA's phone data collection programs.

These guys — Duh. If you won a 2013 Daysie, you're a big-time winner. Especially those who won this year's bonus categories, like Daysies Man doppelganger (and cover model) Anna Liccione.

Losers and a tie score after the jump...

The Scoreboard: This Week's Winners and Losers

Who won and lost the week in Vermont news and politics?

Goat-killers, doppelgangers, loggers, Little Rockers, cops and... the economy.

Here's the Scoreboard for the week of Friday, July 26:

Winners:

The economy, stupid — State revenue forecasts are up, a bit. So that's good. But... Runner-up loser: Congress, whose federal budget sequestration is stalling Vermont's economic recovery.

Mark Mitchell — When the VSEA chief was fired last month by the union's board of trustees, ally and board president John Reese said Mitchell would be vindicated. Turns out Reese was right. Mitchell's back — and that brings us to our our Runner-up losers: Michael Casey and Abigail Winters, who staged the ultimately unsuccessful coup with the help of a few allies on the board. Now Casey and Winters are on their way out.

State auditor's office — Newbie State Auditor Doug Hoffer released the results of his first big audit this week: a sober, constructive look at how the state can do more to prevent workplace injuries. After years of politically motivated work by predecessor, Tom Salmon, isn't that refreshing?

Homeless advocates — They got their way on new motel rules this week, now that Gov. Peter Shumlin is playing nice with lefty lobbyists. Runner-up losers: Legislators who want to cut the program entirely. Oh, and the state budget, which'll be footing the bill for more stays at the Ho Hum Motel. 

Little Rock — For barely beating out Burlington as America's best small city in which to live.

Rutland Herald correspondent Eric Francis — For penning the following sentence in a story headlined, "Man Takes Stand in Goat-killing Case": "Parry said he had nothing personally against Majeski and had no reason to harm the goats beyond the fact that he had consumed more than a dozen beers and nearly as many Percocets that evening, and that Ashline offered to pay him what sounded like a couple of hundred dollars to do it." 'Nuff said.

Vermont's political doppelgangers — Especially Cousin Oliver. 

A tie score and losers after the break...

The Scoreboard: This Week's Winners and Losers

Who won and lost the week in Vermont news and politics?

Workers, swimmers, drinkers, Welch, Dodge, Bernie, Shummy & Brommy. That's Andy Brommy to you.

Here's the Scoreboard for the week ending Friday, July 19:

Winners:

Gov. Peter Shumlin — By striking a very reasonable deal with aggrieved neighbor Jeremy Dodge, the gov should finally be able to put his real estate troubles behind him — at least until next fall, when his political opponents will undoubtedly resurrect the issue. That is, unless there are any more Jerry Dodges out there... Runner-up losers: The Republican operatives who hoped to fan the flames a little longer on this one. 

Jeremy Dodge — Last fall, the guy was one step away from losing his land to tax sale. Now he's got five years to pay off a low-interest mortgage. He got exactly what he wanted: his house — and another chance to hold on to it. Now, let's hope the family and friends who were so quick to jump in front of a TV camera remain by his side to help him pay Shummy back.

Gov. Peter Shumlin (redux) — Turns out the gov got a nice boost to his bank account in January when his campaign repaid him the $275,00 he loaned himself during his 2010 gubernatorial race. Better yet, none of his (obvious) potential 2014 opponents — Randy Brock, Phil Scott, Brian Dubie or Bruce Lisman — turned in impressive fundraising totals this week. Runner-up loser: Shumlin's small-dollar donors, whose money went straight to the gov's personal bank account.

Sen. Bernie Sanders — According to BuzzFeed, he's got "the best hair in Congress." Runner up winner: BuzzFeed's Benny Johnson, for compiling the definitive collection of Bernie hair photos.

Swimmers — Because, as Seven Days' Ken Picard reports, there's poop in the water — and you don't know about it.

The Commons — For publishing the definitive story, penned by veteran freelancer Joyce Marcel, of the 2011 Brattleboro Co-Op shooting.

Three-Buck Chuck drinkers — Trader Joe's is a-comin' to South Burlington. QUICK, EVERYONE FREAK OUT!

Vermonters — If Norwich's Jane Stetson is named ambassador to France, we all get to party down at the American embassy in Paris, amiright amiright?!?!?!

Losers and ties after the jump...

The Scoreboard: This Week's Winners and Losers

Who won and lost the week in Vermont news and politics? 

Moose, kids, cats, congress critters, northern cities, pollsters and planes!

For more, read the Scoreboard for the week ending Friday, July 12:

Winners:

F-35 coverage — The South Burlington City Council said it now supports basing F-35s in town. The Winooski City Council said it now opposes the planes. A group of medical professionals said they're "bad for our children's health." And the Vermont Air Guard said they're "the right fit" for Vermont. Like 'em or not, America's next fighter jets were the talk of the town in Chittenden County this week.

Newport — A Newport-based cycling gear company broke ground on a new facility in Derby. The Jay Peak crew announced that a lite airplane manufacturer is coming to Newport State Airport. And, most importantly, Seven Days' own Corin Hirsch and Megan James cruised to Newport to see if the city's ready for prime-time. On the downside? Newport's North Country Hospital cut 19 jobs Tuesday, according to the Caledonian-Record. Runner-up winner: Gov. Peter Shumlin, who might be able to talk the state into buying him one of those fancy Newport lite planes. Buy local, right?

Weather forecasters — They're the only reporters anybody wants to hear from these days. Runner-up losers: political reporters, for obvious reasons.

T.J. Donovan — The indictment this week of Winooski Police Cpl. Jason Nokes makes the Chittenden County state's attorney look tough on (allegedly) rogue cops — something that can't be said of erstwhile political opponent Attorney General Bill Sorrell. But by letting a grand jury do the dirty work of criminally charging the cop, Donovan avoids directly antagonizing the law enforcement community. A savvy political move by a guy looking for rematch against Sorrell? 

Losers and ties after the break...

The Scoreboard: This Week's Winners and Losers

Who won and lost the week in Vermont news and politics?

Lobbyists, flag thieves, health care haters, jets, the news and maybe you! 

Behold, the Scoreboard for the week ending Friday, July 5:

Winners:

Dzemila Heco — Nearly six years after an accident on Route 15 in Essex rendered her paraplegic, the Essex Junction woman won a $43.1 million verdict in her lawsuit against car seat maker Johnson Controls. The Burlington Free Press' Sam Hemingway, who first reported the story Monday, quoted a legal expert calling the verdict the largest in state history.

Vermont businesses — They'll pay less in unemployment insurance taxes now that the state has repaid a loan from the U.S. Department of Labor. Runner-up loser: Unemployed workers, whose benefits were capped at $425 at the height of the recession.

Health care reform haters — Vermonters for Health Care Freedom scored a rare round of press hits this week when it circulated a letter written by. U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee chairman Darell Issa (R-Calif.) taking aim at the state's new health care exchange. 

Davis love — Gov. Peter Shumlin jumped on the #TeamWendy bandwagon last week when he called Texas state Sen. Wendy Davis to congratulate her on her famed filibuster to halt an anti-abortion bill. Does his call mean the Democratic Governors Association, which Shumlin chairs, is trying to recruit Davis to run for governor? Not necessarily. Shummy dodged that question at a press conference earlier this week.

Stannard love — VTDigger's Andrew Stein doled out the love for lobbyist extraordinaire Bob Stannard in an unsurprisingly entertaining exit interview this week. Is this the last we'll see of the Manchester native in Montpelier? I highly doubt it.

F-35 publicity — First came the Boston Globe. Then Harper's. Now the New York Times.

Losers and ties after the break...

The Scoreboard: This Week's Winners and Losers

Who won and lost the week in Vermont news and politics? 

Pipe organ-istas, raccoons, vagrants, eardrums and, um, Patrick Leahy.

We humbly present you with the Scoreboard for the week ending Friday, June 28:

Winners:

Vermont trailblazers — It's hard to overstate the role our little state has played in advancing gay rights over the years. Here's to the Vermonters who led the way and helped make possible the Supreme Court's decision Wednesday to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act.

Sen. Patrick Leahy — Immigration reform, SCOTUS decisions, an FBI director nomination, the ongoing NSA surveillance debate. If you're Leahy — and you like nothing more than being at the center of it all — this was a good week.

Evolution — Absent from the voluminous coverage in Vermont of DOMA's evisceration (including my own) was mention of one salient fact: Back when DOMA passed the Senate in 1996, both of Vermont's senators, Leahy and Jim Jeffords, were among the 85 who voted for it. Only then-Congressman Bernie Sanders voted against it. In the years since, Leahy evolved quite a bit and became one of the loudest cheerleaders for DOMA's repeal. Did he make up for that first vote?

Payoffs — Speaking of evolution, Sanders spent weeks pretending he might not vote for immigration reform, complaining that the bill allowed too many guest workers to take American jobs. But in the end, as the National Review's Jonah Goldberg wrote this week, "his support was bought with a $1.5 billion youth jobs program" that doesn't have a heck of a lot to do with immigration reform.

Burlington vagrants — Sure, they can still get booted from Church Street, but at least they get to read the 14-page legal memo justifying the legality of their eviction!

Holly Maniatty — Without question, she is Vermont's dopest sign language interpreter. Runner-up winner: Pipe organ geeks.

Losers after the break...

The Scoreboard: This Week's Winners and Losers

Who won and lost the week in Vermont news and politics? 

Race car drivers, Dominican banana growers, dirty hippies, VPR listeners, journalists and more! 

Behold, the Scoreboard for the week ending Friday, June 21: 

Winners:

Lt. Gov. Phil Scott — No really, he's a winner. With Gov. Peter Shumlin out of town Thursday night, Scott "took the first victory for a Vermont Acting Governor in state history in the 50-lap Late Model Feature" at Thunder Road, WCAX reported. As if there's a lot of competition in the gubernatorial racing realm! You'd have to round up a couple of bears to get Shummy moving that fast. Runner-up losers: Taxpayers, who foot the bill for round-the-clock gubernatorial State Police protection, only to see their acting gov veering around a race track at top speed.

Changes of attitude — After biting the hand that regulates it, the struggling Vermont Health CO-OP adjusted its attitude this week and decided to listen to — rather than fight — the Department of Financial Regulation's criticisms. Runner-up winner: Jerry Diamond, the gov's Dodge-gate lawyer and one of the CO-OP's newest board members. Dude hasn't gotten this much press since running for governor in 1980.

Big Ben — After remembering the Dominican property he left off his 2010 financial disclosures, Shumlin told Seven Days he lets a guy named "Big Ben" grow bananas on the 3/4-acre property for free. Paging Jerry Dodge!

Mark Mitchell — He got un-fired this week — at least for now. Runner-up loser: The VSEA, for obvious reasons.

Howard Dean nostalgia — You have the power (to read a lot of Ho-Ho nostalgia stories this week)! But will Dr. Dean run it back in 2016? I wouldn't count on it.

John McClaughry nostalgia — Because, hey, why not?!

(Safe) hippie sex — Seventh Generation co-founder Jeffrey Hollender is getting into the, um, toxin-free, fair trade condom business, WCAX's Gina Bullard reported this week. Best part of Bullard's story? The hilarious woman-on-the-street interviews on Church Street. Be sure to check it out.

You! — That is, if you go vote for yourself in the new "Best Facial Hair" or "'Daysies Man' Doppelganger" categories in this year's Seven Daysies (Ballots close at 5 p.m. Friday, FYI).

Losers after the break...

The Scoreboard: This Week's Winners and Losers

Who won and lost the week in Vermont news and politics? 

The answer lies below in the Scoreboard for the week ending Friday, June 14:

Winners:

Ken Picard — More than a week after the Seven Days reporter (disclosure: his desk is 10 feet away from mine!) broke a story about prostitution in Chittenden County massage parlors, local law enforcement and the rest of the media are finally catching up. Runner-up losers: The "johns" who've continued to frequent Harmony Health Spa since and got busted by the fuzz Wednesday. What's the matter? Those dudes don't read Seven Days?!

Queen City cyclists — You better pull over for this one: If Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger gets his way, the city's next Department of Public Works chief will be... a bike geek. What does Local Motion's Chapin Spencer know about plowing snow and filling potholes? We'll find out soon enough.

Backcountry skiers — Good news this week for the "old goats" who tear up the woods in the Bolton backcountry. The gnar will be shred-able in perpetuity thanks to a million-dollar fundraising effort led by the Vermont Land Trust and funded in part by the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board.

More after the break...

The Scoreboard: This Week's Winners and Losers

Who won the week in Vermont news and politics? Not nearly as many as those who lost it, according to this week's diligently researched and poll-tested Scoreboard.

Check 'em out below and leave your additions and subtractions in the comments section:

Winners:

Jerry Dodge — Gov. Peter Shumlin on Wednesday promised to sell East Montpelier's most famous 16 acres back to his neighbor. Now all Dodge needs is a damn lawyer. Runner-up winners: Reps. Kurt Wright and Patti Komline, who struck just about the right tone in their Wednesday press conference calling on Shumlin to help all the Dodges of Vermont. The Republican reps were wise to mask their political attack as a policy proposal — and to keep the crazies of their party well away from the podium.

Vermont ski slopes — They killed it this year. With 4.5 million skier visits, this was the dankest season since 2001, according to the Vermont Ski Areas Association.

Magic Hat — An armistice has been declared in the war of beers divisible by the number three. In a joint statement issued Thursday, South Burlington-based Magic Hat and Kentucky-based West Sixth indicated they've settled their differences, with the latter company retracting a number of hopped-up statements. So who won? As the Burlington Free Press' Sally Pollak noted, West Sixth appears to have removed a star-like symbol from its logo that was totally wigging out Magic Hat. VICTORY!

Losers and ties after the jump...

The Scoreboard: This Week's Winners and Losers

The news of the week may turn out to be today's release of a new Air Force report weighing the relative impact of basing F-35 fighter jets in Burlington and elsewhere. But, um, we haven't had a chance yet to read all 3000 pages, so we'll wait for the dust to settle before we throw it in our weekly list of winners and losers in Vermont news and politics.

Don't worry. There are still plenty of contenders for this week's Scoreboard. Without further ado, here it is for the week ending Friday, May 31:

Winners:

AFSCME — In its fight to represent 7000 Vermont homecare workers, AFSCME got out ahead of the SEIU this week with a nice little PR stunt: marching 4000 signatures down to the Vermont Labor Relations Board to preemptively file for a yet-to-be-scheduled election. That provided reporters with an AFSCME-centered hook to write about what could become an interesting union-on-union fight.

Steve Goodkind — The iconic Burlington Public Works director announced this week he's retiring 32 years after becoming then-mayor Bernie Sanders' first City Hall hire. That means plenty more backwoods skiing, motorcycle touring and banjo pickin' for the dude, which definitely earns him a spot on our list of winners.

Ties and losers after the break...