Living and Working in Burlington Vermont

Two events yesterday clearly drove home why we continue, despite all of its challenges, to live in Vermont. Early in the day, the Chamber and the VBSR hosted a working session focused on enhancing the clarity, predictability and timeliness of the permit process. The underlying theme of the morning was that true environmentalists and business developers do not have to be enemies. Both groups have allowed others to define their relationship as antagonistic as opposed to working together to find commonality. At the core, Vermont continues to be attractive to as a place to live, to work and to recreate because of its environmental attributes. Absent those, we look like my home turf of Bergen County, New Jersey. Those who support the preservation of Vermont’s environment understand that growth is inevitable but that it must move forward in a thoughtful way. Developers understand that a healthy economy is the best protection against feckless development and ‘get rich quick’ schemes. Engaged in a true exploration of core values and seeking common ground where they could were multiple representatives of environmental non-profits, for-profit developers, non-profit developers, and state regulators. Clearly everyone wasn’t holding hands and singing Kumbaya after just one meeting but no one left at swords points either. All there would acknowledge that a continued dialogue is the best way to find solutions: lawsuits only succeed in making others richer.

Later that same evening, over 100 private citizens, joined by a sprinkling of elected officials, met at the Tabor House Inn in West Swanton, Vermont as members of the freshly renamed “Friends of Northern Lake Champlain” (formerly the Friends of Missisquoi Bay). We came together to reinforce our commitment to ensure that efforts to reduce pollution caused predominantly by non-point sources do not wane either due to lack of state/federal funds or loss of interest. Many people have been involved in these efforts for nearly two decades and it is easy to lose the energy and drive needed to sustain the commitment to work with farmers, municipalities, scientists, bureaucrats and news reporters, all of whom seem to have particular vested interests. It was incredibly heartening to see that this group of 100 has not lost their drive, vigor and commitment. In fact, with the launch of a new website, a commitment to raise funds, and the new coalition of lake-related business owners and environmental groups, a positive outcome is even more certain.

To end where I began: there is no place better than Vermont for people of different backgrounds, values and beliefs to come together to forge alliances over common issues. While we might sometimes act like a dysfunctional family, we are still a family tied by common bonds.

We can’t do a lot about the rain that has inundated us this summer except to decide to enjoy the lushness that it brings. And, to the chagrin of many, we can’t do away with taxes. They exist second in certainty only to death. But, we can do something about the system, process and amount that the representatives we send to Montpelier extract from us to fund state government.

For the record, I am neither a ‘tax and spend’ nor a ‘my money is my own’ kind of guy. I believe that government exists to provide the core services envisioned by those who created our state and to provide services to those whose predicament could not be contemplated in the late 1700’s. Somebody has to pay for those services. Capitalism has provided the best avenue to create the wealth to allow that to happen. That said, I must confess that I am disturbed by the rampant populism that I see riding the high wave of political rhetoric and action these days. It will always be that the wealthier among us will have to pay more than those who are less able but the delicate balancing act seems to have been knocked a-kilter. No where is it more evident than in how we pay for education. Those who are below a certain income threshold pay a fixed percentage of their income. Those above that threshold are left to experience Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride as others vote to spend their money. Fundamentally, that is wrong. Those who choose to locate and invest in our state need predictability and transparency. The current system provides neither. I have often said that we are a small state that likes to ‘play big’. While that is great when we compete in areas of intellectual property, technology, higher education and the like, it is not great when our marginal tax rates rank in the top 5 in the country, our population is in the bottom 5 and our out-migration of youth is among the country’s highest.

Vermont needs a reality check and overhaul not just of our tax system but also of the expectations that we have for government subsidized programs. State government, non-profits, education “systems” and certain municipal services have grown with little rhyme or reason over the past quarter century. The populist view that if someone wants a particular program or service than it must be provided is nonsense just as it is nonsense to think that “someone else” will pay the price. Whether it is health care, education or permit reviews, everybody should pay enough of their income to drive home the fact that there are no free lunches.

This summer there are three executive-legislative committees at work in Montpelier: education; tax; and government efficiency. Perhaps they should consider working in conjunction since no matter which one you poke, the other feels the pain.

I watched the press conference as Major General Dubie announced the deployment of over 1500 Vermont National Guard soldiers to Afghanistan and others to Iraq. While we had all expected the news, it is nonetheless sobering to hear it formalized. These wars are unlike others that our country fought in Europe and even in Vietnam. Although there are news stories on a regular basis, the conflicts often lose their immediacy in our everyday lives—unless of course you have a family member, loved one or friend that is serving. As the memory 0f 9/11 fades, the sense of our collective connection to the conflict fades as well --- until 1500 of are called up and leave.

Make no mistake, 1500 working men and women will be missed. Businesses will have to adapt and figure out ways to accomplish their mission with fewer staff or how to back fill in critical areas. But, at the end of the day, whether you run a non-profit, a Fortune 500 company or a small business, our role in the war on terrorism is to ensure that those we send to fight have a job when they return. No soldier should have to worry that they will not be able to provide for their families or themselves after their tour of duty is done.

The Vermont National Guard does a fantastic job of supporting families up to and throughout deployment. In the greatest Vermont tradition, they make sure that their own are taken care of. We should all join with the Guard and go the extra mile to make sure that the little peace of mind that we can give goes with our soldiers to the front.

A few events over the last week drove home the point that the Burlington area really is a small region that plays big. We are the 5’10” NBA player that competes in a 6’10” game. Here are a few examples: the Quad events brought in some of the biggest national and international performers for a two-week festival of song, music, dance and theatre; the CVE is hosting Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp and Bob Dylan followed by Kid Rock; the LCI Derby drew 5500 anglers to the shores of Lake Champlain; and, we still host a major league baseball team. There are a ton more examples but you get my point. There is no way a city of forty thousand should ‘play this big’---but we do.

My belief is that once we attain this level we can ill afford to slide back to ‘B’ class status. These types of events draw tourists, businesses and the curious onlookers to the region as much as the lake and mountains do. If we begin to lose the very fabric of our DNA, the things that differentiate us from other towns of more than thirty thousand with pretty scenery, we will become just another region whose time has passed.

Which leads me to my biggest gripe: how the heck can we afford to let the Lake Monsters leave due to a sub-standard park? While this is clearly not ‘value-added’ business in the traditional sense it is a much a part of whom we are as the myth of Champ. There were real efforts made to save the team and their owner should be congratulated for bending over backwards to make it work. It’s is time for others to step up to the plate and keep a quintessential part of our region in tact.

The Lake Champlain International (LCI) recently concluded its 28th annual Father’s Day Fishing Tournament. More than 5500 anglers from Vermont and around the country participated in the event that awarded prizes in the thousands of dollars. Once again, the LCI reinforced Lake Champlain as one of the best Bass fisheries in the country and, this year, heralded its re-emergence as a premier cold water fishery thanks to our successful treatment for sea lamprey. Lake Champlain is being written up in national magazines and angler blogs across the country.

It has been well documented that anglers spend the most per capita while visiting Vermont. Importantly, they spend their money across all sectors of our economy and in places where other tourists often miss. Just travel through the Champlain Islands, along Route 7, through Addison County, or along West Lakeshore Drive in Malletts Bay and check out the small motels, ‘mom and pop’ restaurants, and bait and tackle shops. There you’ll see the boats and trailers and family entourages that make up the folks who come to fish in the Father’s Day tournament.

While it is true that we cannot expect fishing and other outdoor sports to fully support Vermont’s need for tax revenue, it is a source that is fairly consistent and one that needs to be better marketed. For one, I am surprised that Vermont’s flagship publication has never done a story about the LCI Derby. Twenty-eight years and a quintessential Vermont pastime that rings that state cash register surely warrant a story. As we look to grow and shore up our tourism base we need to recognize the gems that already exist and promote them more widely. Establishments need to be open during the ‘shoulder seasons’ to accommodate not only anglers but duck hunters and ice fishermen. These are clean and green opportunities that need focus and attention from business owners, tourism promoters and the state.

During World War II the enduring image of 'can do' America was that now iconic image of Rosie the Riveter. As their men went off to fight the war, thousands of "Rosies" suited up and went off to build armaments and materiel for the war efforts. Their efforts contributed as much as any man to our success and, in retrospect, began to cement the view that women are as capable as men in blue and white collar worlds.

A little-heralded gem that emerged ten years ago in Vermont is a program, run by Vermont Works for Women, called Rosie's Girls. The program takes middle school girls and introduces them to what those of us old enough to remember "shop class" call the trades. These are non-traditional areas of employment for women like welding, masonry, carpentry and the like. Over the past years, it has expanded to ten sites within Vermont and has been exported to 4 other states. It takes only a peek under the hood to realize the multiple levels of value in this program.

It is great that the program opens up areas of employment that many girls would not usually consider but that, in reality, pay an honest wage for an honest day's work. It opens up jobs that have a true value in our computerized, web-enabled, 4-nanosecond world. Just ask anyone who has a burst pipe in the winter, a plugged toilet, a wall outlet that needs to be re-wired, or a car that just won't start whom the most important person is to them at that moment!

More importantly, I think it does something even greater. Despite all the advances that we have made in pushing for gender equality, there is still a belief that girls just can't compete in certain avenues. Rosie's Girls works with girls who are at the point of becoming young women: a time that is often rife with all sorts of 'growing-up issues.' It meets them where they are at and teaches them that they can do and be anything that they put their mind to. The program breaks stereotypes and erases self-doubt. As Vermont and this country look for people to confidently lead us in the future, we need programs like Rosie's Girls not only for the tangible skills that it teaches but for the intangibles that it infuses. Congratulations to Tiff Bluemle and the staff at Vermont Works for Women for ten years of building skilled workers and strong Vermonters.