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In Vermont’s most competitive Senate races, 10 wealthy families contributed one-third of GOP candidates’ donations – VTDigger

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In Vermont’s most competitive Senate races, 10 wealthy families contributed one-third of GOP candidates’ donations – VTDigger


In Vermont’s five most competitive state Senate races, 10 generous families contributed more than one-third of all campaign donations to the Republican nominees, as of an Oct. 15 filing deadline.

Democrats in those five races, by comparison, can thank their top 10 highest individual contributors — among them, the candidates themselves and their family members — for one-fifth of their total fundraising numbers as of mid-October. That’s according to a VTDigger analysis of campaign finance data for the Caledonia, Chittenden North, Grand Isle, Orange and Orleans district races.

None of the five Republican nominees — Scott Beck, Chris Mattos, Pat Brennan, Larry Hart and Sam Douglass — are Senate incumbents, who historically have steep advantages, both at the polls and in fundraising. Beck, Mattos and Brennan are, however, current members of the Vermont House.

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These races are widely seen as the GOP’s best opportunities to flip Democratic districts in the Senate and crack the latter party’s two-thirds supermajority. There are currently 23 Democrats and Progressives in the chamber and just seven Republicans. 

GOP Gov. Phil Scott has been campaigning to support these down-ballot Republicans, telling Vermonters that his agenda depends on denting the Dems’ numbers. To reliably sustain his vetoes, Republicans would have to flip four seats. 

For 10 wealthy families, that potential outcome is worth dropping a substantial amount of cash.

Take, for instance, the five Republican candidates’ greatest familial benefactors: the Pizzagallis, who made their fortune in construction and real estate development. Four members of the family — Angelo, James, Jon and Remo Pizzagalli — each contributed about $1,000 to all five of the Republican Senate candidates. (Nineteen of the family’s 20 contributions to those five faces were for $1,000 exactly. The sole exception was the $960.60 Jon Pizzagalli donated to Hart of Orange County.)

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In an election in which Vermont’s rising cost of living and tax burden have dominated campaign trail rhetoric, Vermont Democratic Party executive director Jim Dandeneau said that these high-dollar donations suggest it’s Vermont’s wealthiest who are driving the conversation — not everyday Vermonters.

“The Republicans have tried to portray this as some kind of organic uprising about Democrats in Montpelier, and that’s not the case,” he said. “Democrats have spent the last eight years talking about building a Vermont that works for everybody, and not just the wealthy few. And the wealthy few are pretty upset about that, apparently.”

Scott’s campaign manager, Jason Maulucci, said he disagreed. “Talk to almost any member of their caucus,” he said of the Democrats. “Many of them have said it’s the number one issue they’re hearing when they’re going door-to-door.”

“To suggest that regular Vermonters aren’t feeling the pinch from higher property taxes and a new payroll tax, increased DMV fees, potentially seeing their home heating fuel costs go up billions of dollars — to suggest that they don’t care would be pretty tone-deaf,” Maulucci said.

Vermont’s campaign contribution limit from a single source, meaning an individual or a political action committee, is $1,680 for state Senate candidates, according to the Vermont Secretary of State’s Office. But that doesn’t mean families can’t coordinate their efforts to maximize their impact on local races. 

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The Pizzagallis are not alone in seeking to change the balance of power in the Senate. 

In its data analysis, VTDigger cross-referenced identical last names and addresses (as well as a number of common spelling irregularities) in campaign finance records to calculate the impact of Vermont’s wealthiest individual donors on the most closely watched legislative races. The totals may undercount total donations from these families, since not all members may share the same last name.

Five people with the last name Tarrant — related to Richard Tarrant, the founder of health care technology company IDX, philanthropist and 2006 Republican Senate nominee — donated more than $14,000 to four of the five Republican candidates. (To date, Mattos has not received a single check from a Tarrant.) Beck received the greatest amount of support from five members of the family, totalling $5,000, though none of them report living in Caledonia County, where Beck is running.

In total, the 10 families contributed 34% of all individual contributions to the five Republicans, as of October 15. The families’ cumulative contributions ranged from the Pizzagallis’ near-$20,000, to roughly $5,000 from Mark and Rick Bove, whose family operated the since-shuttered Bove’s Cafe in Burlington, owns the eponymous pasta sauce company and whose real estate empire has drawn negative headlines in recent years. 

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Several of the major donor families are involved in Vermont’s real estate industry, but not all.

The Ortons, who contributed nearly $7,000 to four of the five GOP candidates as of Oct. 15, founded the Vermont Country Store. The Dubruls, who distributed $5,000 among three campaigns, own and operate the Automasters car dealership enterprise. Paul Plunkett, a veteran executive of Hickok & Boardman Insurance Group, is the New England manager for the national insurance company Acrisure; he and his wife, Gina Plunkett (whose maiden name is Pizzagalli), together donated a total of $5,000 to Beck, Brennan, Douglass and Mattos.

As of Oct. 15, half of the 10 families had donated to all five Republican candidates; four donated to four; and one to three.

Another round of campaign finance reports were due to the Secretary of State’s Office by midnight Friday, after this story was published. The reports filed by publication time suggested that the families still had more cash to spare. In their Nov. 1 filings, Hart reported receiving $1,000 from Steele Dubrul of Shelburne and $960.60 from Eliot Orton of Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

To Dandeneau, the pattern of giving suggests some level of coordination between these high-rollers, a situation that is hardly uncommon. Maulucci, too, said, “It’s clear that they’re talking to each other.”

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“There’s a group of those business folks who are upset with the direction that the state’s going,” Maulucci said. “Not all of them are Republicans even, and they are trying to make a difference and give support to candidates they think will be more focused on making Vermont more affordable.”

What is different this time around, Dandeneau said, is Scott’s involvement in down-ballot races.

“This is Phil Scott making a play for a more pliable legislature, and he’s tapping into the folks who have historically funded his races,” he said, adding, “If we had 10 ungodly wealthy families on our side, I’d be doing the same thing for our people.”

Maulucci acknowledged that the Scott campaign had been in contact with some of the families, noting that many of them had contributed to his campaign, as well. 

“Often they’re asking us who we think are in competitive races, so we point to candidates that the governor is supporting,” Maulucci said. “And obviously, there’s been a lot of public attention to the Senate being particularly competitive, and the governor’s been on the stump campaigning for those candidates. So folks who have given to the governor and want to help out the governor might put two and two together and support some of those candidates.”

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The Pizzagallis have donated more than $15,000 to Scott this cycle. Former Wall Street executive and gubernatorial candidate Bruce Lisman has sent $2,500 his way.

Calls to members of several of the donor families were not returned. 

VTDigger also analyzed comparable data from the five Democrats running for these seats: Amanda Cochrane in the Caledonia district, Irene Wrenner in Chittenden North, Andy Julow in Grand Isle, Mark MacDonald in Orange and Katherine Sims in Orleans. Wrenner, Julow and MacDonald are incumbents (though Julow was only appointed to fill a vacancy in May). Sims is a member of the House.

Excluding contributions from the Vermont Democratic Party and political action committees (the Vermont NEA Fund, for instance, provided the maximum allowable contributions to Cochrane, Julow and Sims), Democrats’ major supporters contributed noticeably less money to hold onto the five Senate seats. While the Republicans’ top 10 donor families contributed at least $80,000 across five races, Democrats collected just $22,000 from their top supporters.

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“Not that our money came exclusively from small-dollar donations, but the bulk of our money was raised through nose-to-the-grindstone hustle, and not 10 phone calls,” Dandeneau said.

Four out of 10 of those top contributing families, however, were related to the candidates — or included the candidates themselves. Julow, for instance, donated or loaned himself more than $10,000 of his own money as of Oct. 15; his wife, Kim Julow, donated another $1,000 to his effort. Sims and her family members contributed roughly $4,500 to hers. Wrenner loaned herself $2,050. And Cochrane’s husband, John Raser, and her mother-in-law, Gail Raser, sent a combined $1,850 to the first-time candidate.

Republicans’ fundraising totals in the five races eclipse those of their Democratic counterparts when taking into account smaller donations, too. In total, Republicans raised $235,000 across all five races, compared to Democrats’ $166,000, as of the filing of their Oct. 15 reports.

One ripple effect of major donors’ input into these races is becoming clear: The grand total amount of money raised per state Senate race appears to be climbing.

In the Chittenden North district, first-term Democrat Wrenner raised $16,000 in 2022, and $18,000 by Oct. 15. By that time in 2022, her Republican challenger, former state Rep. Leland Morgan, raised a comparable amount: $17,000.

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This year, Wrenner’s challenger, Mattos, raised more than twice that by Oct. 15: $41,000.

“It is surprising,” Dandeneau said of the jump. “It’s completely out of the ordinary.”

He added, “It remains to be seen if this is a blip or a trend. I would like to say that it’s a blip. I’m concerned that it’s a trend.”





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Christmas Lights Vermont: 6 displays to make some holiday memories at in 2024

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Christmas Lights Vermont: 6 displays to make some holiday memories at in 2024


Holiday lights, decorations at American Christmas in Mount Vernon NY

American Christmas in Mount Vernon has opened its Holiday Lane Christmas lights display to the public through December 29, 2024.

The weather is getting colder and the days are getting shorter, but the dark days of winter bring with them a beloved holiday tradition sure to brighten up anyone’s day – Christmas lights.

And no where does Christmas like Vermont, just ask the Hallmark Channel.

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To experience the dazzling lights of the holiday season, you don’t have to go far. Whether you want to stroll through a park, watch a parade or take in the lights from your car, Vermont is sure to have the holiday light display for you.

Here are six in-state Christmas light displays to check out this holiday season.

Winter Lights at Shelburne Museum

On nights during the holiday season, Shelburne Museum turns into a winter wonderland full of colorful light displays. Each building and garden of the museum’s campus is uniquely decorated, from cascading twinkling lights at Beach Woods to the 220-foot illuminated steamboat “Ticonderoga.”

New this year, Shelburne will feature a circus display filled with whimsical figures under an illuminated Big Top tent. The museum will also have two gift shops and a café with hot chocolate open until 8 p.m. each night of the light display.

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Online tickets cost $15 for adults, $10 for children ages 3-17 or $30 for VIP. Shelburne recommends purchasing online, as tickets at the door are more expensive and not guaranteed. For those who want to experience the dazzling lights from their car, drive around nights are available on select days for $65 per car.

When: Winter Lights is open on select days from Nov. 21, 2024 through Jan. 1, 2025. The event starts at 4:30 p.m., and the last admission is at 7 p.m. Sensory-friendly nights will be Dec. 9 and Dec. 16, and drive through nights are Dec. 3-4, Dec. 10-11, Dec. 17-18 and Jan. 2-5.

Where: Shelburne Museum, 6000 Shelburne Road, Shelburne, VT

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A Forest of Lights

Nature lovers can experience the beautiful Vermont outdoors lit up for the holiday season at the Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS) Nature Center in Quechee. A Forest of Lights, the nature center’s holiday light special, is an outdoor walkthrough experience with thousands of lights in exciting displays, including the Snow Shower Tower, Snow Globe, Whimsical Woodland and Mandala Trees.

When you finish walking through the illuminated forest, hot chocolate and light snacks are available for purchase to enjoy by the campfire.

Tickets cost $13 for adults or $8 for children over three.

When: This nature-filled light display is open from 4:30 to 7 p.m. on weekends and other select days from Nov. 22, 2024 through Jan. 4, 2025.

Where: VINS Nature Center, 149 Natures Way, Quechee, VT

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Christmas Lights at the Joseph Smith Birthplace

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints celebrates Christmas with an outdoor light display at the birthplace of the church’s founder, Joseph Smith. Over 200,000 colorful lights decorate the grounds of the South Royalton monument.

Visitors can walk or drive along the decorated path for free.

When: After an official lighting on Nov. 29, this light show will be open daily through Jan. 1, 2025. Hours are 4 to 9 p.m.

Where: Joseph Smith Birthplace, 357 Lds Lane, S. Royalton, VT

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Winter Lights in the Park

This free, family-friendly light display allows guests to walk through lit trees and tunnels in Maple Street Park while holiday music floats through the air. Winter Lights in the Park also doubles as a scavenger hunt for hidden ornaments throughout the decorated trees.

When: Maple Street Park’s lights will be on from 5 to 8 p.m. daily from Nov. 28, 2024 through Jan. 1, 2025.

Where: Maple Street Park, 75 Maple St., Essex Junction, VT

Holiday Lighted Tractor Parade

Manchester’s holiday tractor parade is back for its 14th year, offering a unique mobile light show. As part of the town’s holiday celebration Manchester Merriment, the parade brings tractors and floats decked out in lights and holiday decorations to the heart of downtown Manchester.

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Attendance to the town’s holiday parade is free.

When: This year’s tractor parade is Saturday, Dec. 7 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Where: The parade takes place in downtown Manchester on Main and Bonnet St.

Spruce Peak Lights Festival

Held for one night only at The Village at Spruce Peak, the Spruce Peak Lights Festival illuminates the ski village and surrounding evergreen trees with thousands of holiday lights.

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Other attractions at this event include ice dancing performances, photos with Santa and a firework show.

When: Spruce Peak’s 2024 lights festival will take place on Saturday, Dec. 21 from 1:30 to 6:30 p.m. The annual lighting will be at 7 p.m.

Where: Spruce Peak Village, 559 Spruce Peak Road, Stowe, VT



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Copley Hospital support staff unionize – VTDigger

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Copley Hospital support staff unionize – VTDigger


Copley Hospital in Morrisville on Oct. 19, 2023. File photo by Carly Berlin/VTDigger and Vermont Public

Support staff at Morrisville’s Copley Hospital voted to unionize last Thursday. The formation, which came through a decisive 68-44 vote, joins together the hospital’s nearly 150 staff with its almost 100 nurses in the regional United Nurses and Allied Professionals union.

“I wanted to form a union to be able to have a voice at the table,” Leta Karasinksi, an emergency department technician, said in a press release. 

“Up until a few years ago, we had the same healthcare plan as the nurses. Now the union nurses have a better health plan than us,” she said. “I want to see equality with benefits. I want to see safe staffing patterns to be able to deliver the quality of care our patients deserve.”

The yes vote comes on the heels of a similar unionization drive by support staff at Central Vermont Medical Center in early September. They chose to unionize as a chapter of AFT-Vermont, joining support staff at the University of Vermont Medical Center and Porter Medical Center. 

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Sarah Bray, a patient engagement specialist at Copley who voted in favor of the union, said in a press release that she thinks the staff should be taken seriously. “I think this union will unite the nurses and support staff for years to come and benefit the community at large.”





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Vermont Conversation: Rhodes Scholar and Vermonter Lena Ashooh on working 'towards a brighter future' – VTDigger

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Vermont Conversation: Rhodes Scholar and Vermonter Lena Ashooh on working 'towards a brighter future' – VTDigger


Photo courtesy of Lena Ashooh

The Vermont Conversation with David Goodman is a VTDigger podcast that features in-depth interviews on local and national issues with politicians, activists, artists, changemakers and citizens who are making a difference. Listen below, and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or Spotify to hear more.

It has been nearly two decades since a Vermonter won a coveted Rhodes Scholarship, widely considered the most prestigious scholarship in the world. The Rhodes Scholarship pays for international students to pursue postgraduate studies for up to three years at Oxford University in England.

This week, Lena Ashooh of Shelburne was named a 2025 Rhodes Scholar. She is one of 32 Rhodes Scholars chosen from the U.S. from over 3,000 students who applied. According to the Rhodes Trust, Vermont has had 43 Rhodes Scholars since the first cohort in 1903. The last Rhodes Scholar from Vermont was named in 2006.

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“It’s so special to be named a Rhodes Scholar as a Vermonter,” said Ashooh. “People have such a special attachment to Vermont, even if they’re not from there, it occupies this really beautiful place in their mind. It’s a place of respite and joy and progressivism.”

Lena Ashooh graduated from Champlain Valley Union High School in 2021. At CVU, Ashooh was active with 4-H and she founded Mi Vida, MiVoz (“my life, my voice”), a group that brought together the children of migrant farmworkers in Vermont with other youth to share stories and discuss how to make change. In 2020, she was named one of Vermont’s top youth volunteers and was recognized with a national Prudential Spirit of Community Award.

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Ashooh is now a senior at Harvard. She is pursuing Harvard’s first major in animal studies, an interdisciplinary program that she designed that combines philosophy, psychology,  biology, and political science. She explained that animal studies is a way to study social injustice.

“Looking at the ways that animals were mistreated or their freedom was being restricted also allowed us to attend to ways that people, and specifically vulnerable people, are also being mistreated, being subjected to exploitation or to disease and illness and pollution from farms,” said Ashooh.

While in college, Ashooh has lobbied legislators on environmental justice, worked as an intern for Vermont Rep. Becca Balint, and has done research in Puerto Rico on macaque monkeys. She is co-president of Harvard College Animal Advocates and she also plays the classical harp. At Oxford, Ashooh plans to study animal ethics, and address the question: “What does it mean to respect an animal as an individual?”

“My hope is that working on this question seriously as it pertains to animals might give us better philosophical concepts to be applied with humans as well. That can enable us to ensure that each person’s individual value and the valuing of their contributions can be protected.”

Ashooh will pursue a postgraduate degree in philosophy at Oxford and is considering attending law school. She leaves open the possibility of returning to Vermont. 

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“I’ve always found Vermont to be a front runner in spearheading progressive ideas that might change the way the country is thinking …  I think Vermont would be a very exciting place to return to to try out some progressive policies that might help us head down that path towards a brighter future.”





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