Gov. candidates debate in Dana

Last Sunday afternoon, the five Democratic candidates for governor of Vermont gathered in Dana Auditorium to discuss and debate a variety of policy issues, including renewable energy, healthcare, education, agriculture and economic development. Professor Emeritus of Political Science Eric Davis acted as moderator for the forum, which was jointly organized by the Middlebury College Democrats and the Addison County Democrats.

The five candidates are Susan Bartlett, state senator from Lamoille County from 1992 to the present; Matt Dunne, manager of Community Affairs at Google and former state legislator; Deb Markowitz, secretary of state since 1998; Doug Racine, current senator and former lieutenant governor from 1997-2003; and Peter Shumlin, president pro tempore of the Vermont Senate and who spearheaded the gay marriage act last year.

Much of the debate was centered on their individual capabilities to beat Brian Dubie, the Republican hopeful. Rasmussen polls in March showed notable leads by Dubie over each individual Democratic candidate in head-to-head races for governor. Deb Markowitz is currently faring the best against the current lieutenant governor in polls, earning 39 percent of the votes to Dubie’s 46 percent.

Davis launched the debate by asking about the ticket-splitters who voted Democratic on a federal level but who voted for current Republican governor Jim Douglas.

“Why do you believe Douglas won those elections,” asked Davis, “and what is your strategy for keeping the ticket-splitting voters in the Democratic party in this year’s elections?”

After the debate, Davis said that it was still early in the electoral process to see a front-runner but emphasized that whichever candidate could keep “the people who voted for Leahy and Welsh in the Democratic column [will] win.”

Renewable energy was an issue of great concern with the current controversy surrounding Vermont Yankee, a nuclear power plant that will likely be decommissioned in 2012 after repeated leaks of potentially hazardous materials and false statements under oath by company executives. The Senate has voted 26-4 to decommission the power plant, but the House is still awaiting a decision.

Middlebury students, mostly from the Sunday Night Group, had started the Race to Replace campaign to encourage Montpelier to replace Vermont Yankee with 100 percent clean energy if it closes in 2012. The plant in southern Vermont supplies the state with as much as a third of its electricity annually.

Ben Wessel ’11.5 of the Race to Replace group represented the organizing Middlebury College Democrats in the debate. He said that students around the state “view this election as a race to replace Vermont Yankee” and asked candidates, “What will you be doing [to] make sure that we replace that one-third of the state’s electricity with carbon-free, affordable electricity?”

Most of the debaters were hesitant about making promises to immediately replace Vermont Yankee with renewable energy, though they agreed on a gradual transition to clean energy with power coming from HydroQuebec in the short-term.

Matt Dunne stood out as the firmest supporter of renewable energy, communicating a plan for “significant industrial level biomass … and two 50 to 75 megawatt biomass [woodchip] plants.” He also proposed utilizing Vermont’s AAA bond rating to invest in green technology businesses in Vermont.

Deb Markowitz tackled the problem from another angle, speaking about the loss of about six hundred jobs that would come with the decommissioning of the nuclear power plant and called “for the creation of a green zone in southern Vermont for incubator businesses, for green energy and energy efficiency.”

After the forum, Wessel spoke to his concerns that the candidates were not doing enough to push the renewable energy movement forward. “I was a little disappointed with many of the candidates’ ‘no-can-do’ attitude, suggesting that we would need to rely on natural gas for baseload power in the near future. I know that it’s a big, scary thing to try and push for 100 percent renewable electricity for the state, but I think Vermont can do it in an affordable way, and I’d push all the candidates to look into it.”

The organizers also presented an audience question inquiring about the feasibility of a single-payer healthcare system for the state of Vermont.

Susan Bartlett replied, “Under the federal legislation as it passed, they say that no state can ask for a waiver for single-payer until 2017.”

However, Bartlett remains optimistic that the additional money set aside by Washington would help Vermont find solutions for lower reimbursements and further establish Vermont’s reputation as a progressive and green state.

“When we’re ready to do the final flip to single payer — that, I think, will be well before 2017 — that’s when as governor we go to Washington and say, ‘Okay, we’re ready to go [to single-payer].”

The forum ended with closing statements from each candidate, and they all took the time to talk about jobs and economic development in Vermont, based on future jobs in “renewable energy, biotech and niche tourism.”

Markowitz said, “I’m going to be focusing on existing businesses first, making sure they have the infrastructure to succeed and making sure they have the money to succeed.”

After the forum, candidates were approached on future partnerships between the colleges of Vermont and the statehouse in Montpelier. Peter Shumlin went so far as to say Vermont’s future was connected to cooperation with Middlebury College. “I’m convinced that our jobs future is dependent on a partnership with Middlebury and our higher education institutions that prepare our students for the jobs of the 21st century that result from our moving away from our addiction to oil.”

Matt Dunne was equally excited about getting students at Middlebury and other schools to participate in Vermont politics, citing his initiative in starting a policy research program at UVM and Dartmouth “where undergrads were directly involved in creating research for legislature on demand … I was elected straight out of college and will never forget that opportunity to get involved at that level.”

Shumlin also mentioned his efforts to encourage colleges in Vermont to offer degrees in environmentally related topics. “I’ve approached the president of UVM to be the first university in the country to offer a degree in climate change.”

Doug Racine urged students to start by “getting involved in the local and regional level” and said he “would love to invite students to talk to them about what they’re learning at the local level.”

Bartlett and Markowitz were not available after the debate for comment.

Will Bellaimey ’10.5, co-president of the Middlebury College Democrats, praised Matt Dunne for his energy and understanding of the issues.

“He has done the best job of connecting with students, and I’ve talked to many students who walked out of the debate ready to vote for him … [He] speaks with the mix of energy, idealism and pragmatism that we of the Obama generation look for in a politician … His plan to replace Vermont Yankee with 100 percent renewable energy is the most complete and most ambitious of any of the candidates and that alone will win him the loyalty of many activists on campus.”

Bellaimey also encouraged students on campus to get involved with the elections, saying that “most Middlebury students love Vermont and care about its future. Many of us would consider living here after graduation if there were jobs and opportunities available. The next governor will be key in determining that future. Vermont is a great state to get involved in politics, because it’s such a small community that you really can make a difference.”