Matt Dunne for Lt. Governor of Vermont

Background:


Thank you for reading my DFA candidate statement. Read the entire statement as one document and learn more about my campaign here.

Our federal government has lost its way and Vermont is suffering the consequences. The Bush administration is damaging our environment, compromising our freedoms, and starving state programs that support our most needy.

The current Lt. Governor is part of the problem. He has supported the Bush Administration's actions, openly opposes the progressive social values held by a majority of Vermonters, and relies on big campaign contributions from the RNC.
I am running for Lt. Governor because I believe Vermonters deserve a clear voice, raised in opposition to Vermont's treatment at the hands of the Bush administration. We deserve a Lt. Governor who will advance innovative ideas to help all Vermonters, and who will provide a model for winning elections by empowering grassroots citizens.

As Lt. Governor, I will restore Vermont's role as the nation's progressive leader, by bringing Vermonters together to solve some of our most pressing problems. I will push for universal healthcare coverage and universal pre-school. I will work with leaders across the state to reduce our dependence on foreign or dangerous energy sources by 2012 through efficiency or in-state renewable energy generation. I will also push for ubiquitous broadband through public investment, and to reward all young Vermonters who commit to two years of AmeriCorps service with the opportunity to graduate from college debt-free. And I will continue to depend on grassroots volunteerism to provide the power for my campaigns and to energize our state and national future. BACKGROUND:

I grew up in a household committed to civil rights and civic engagement. My father was an activist who served time in prison for peacefully demonstrating against segregation in North Carolina. My mother was an education professor at Dartmouth College who helped to reform public education and train a new generation of teachers. Growing up in Vermont, I saw firsthand how public policy can make a difference in people's lives.

I ran for the Vermont House at 22, announcing my candidacy the summer after I graduated from Brown University. My home district had traditionally voted Republican, but I ran a grassroots campaign, engaged college students in the campaign, and knocked on every door in the district. I won by 186 votes.

During my four terms in the House, I focused on initiatives to create jobs for Vermonters without compromising our farm and forest land. Read more...

Goals:

Vermont once led the nation in innovative progressive policies. We were the first state to abolish slavery. Over the past 30 years we established model environmental policies, equitable funding for public education, and access to health insurance for all Vermont children. We extended equal benefits and rights through Civil Unions to gay and lesbian couples. But in recent years we have lost our status as the nation's progressive leader. More Vermonters are uninsured (including children), healthcare costs are crushing small businesses, housing prices are skyrocketing, our dependence on foreign and dangerous energy sources deepens, our landscape is being developed at twice the rate of population growth, young people are leaving because they can't find jobs, and the number of Vermonters in poverty is growing.

Our state is at a crossroads- we can return to being model for innovative, progressive policies, or slide into mediocrity. We can't just talk about change. Vermonters have to make it happen.

I am running for Lt. Governor because I believe we need to attack these challenges with bold initiatives. I want to use the office of Lt. Governor to bring people together from across the state to set bold goals, developed roadmaps to achieving those goals, and work with lawmakers to make these changes a reality. Vermont's small size and proud tradition of practical idealism make it possible for us to once again lead the nation in critical issue areas. We can also lead the nation by example in empowering our young people with a fast start in life, through high-quality pre-school, exposure to international education, opportunities to give back through national service, and freedom from debt when they graduate from college. Imagine a generation of Vermonters with these opportunities, ready and able to pursue their hopes and dreams. This is the legacy I want to create for the state that I love.

Issues:

Healthcare- We cannot sustain the dramatic increases in healthcare costs much longer. We can and must cover all Vermonters and reduce healthcare costs by bringing Vermonters together into one large buying pool, changing the reimbursement to providers to reward wellness, and select a private provider to administer the self insurance program. GE uses such mechanism to cover all of their employees and retirees, a group that is larger than the population of Vermont. There is no reason why we can't do the same to achieve the same savings and cover all Vermonters.

Creating jobs and a culture of entrepreneurship to compete in the global marketplace- We must make investments to provide universal broadband, seed capital for Vermont start-ups, public investment in technology transfer efforts at our institutions of higher education, technology incubators, and authentic downtowns that provide the housing and lifestyle to attract and retain young innovators. Inspiring entrepreneurship and creating "new economy" jobs is essential to keeping Vermont's workers earning a livable wage in the turbulent world of corporate downsizing and outsourcing.

Reducing dependency on foreign and dangerous fuel sources- With the deadline of the renewal of the Vermont Yankee contract approaching quickly, we have the opportunity to target 1/3 of our energy and lay out an investment strategy to replace those megawatts with instate renewable sources or reductions through efficiency, starting with our wasteful, inefficient, and taxpayer-funded public school buildings.

Fighting Poverty- It is unacceptable that 20% of the children in Burlington, our largest city, live in poverty. I would propose we set a target of reducing poverty by 50% over 7 years, creating partnerships with nonprofits, AmeriCorps and the business sector. We must provide affordable housing, individual development accounts, job training, high quality pre-school, mental health outreach, and strong mentoring programs.

Fiscal Accountability- All programs in state government should strive to meet their public goals with high efficiency, transparency, and a clear social return on investment. Too many times, government officials hold on to outmoded processes, fail to talk to related departments, or don't listen to front line employees on how to make government work better. Similar to the efforts I undertook with the parks system, I would continue efforts to reduce costs through investments in technology and efforts to empower state employees to achieve clearly articulated goals.

Grassroots Support:

I have spent my entire life working to empower people, and my campaigns are no exception. From my first run for the Vermont House at 22, to my work at AmeriCorps*VISTA and my more recent campaigns for the State Senate, empowering the grassroots has been the core of my efforts. I have also worked to support grassroots leaders as a founding board member of the Center for Progressive Leadership. In my last Senate campaign I knocked on 3,000 doors. More importantly, we engaged over 50 volunteers of all ages. With the endorsement of 21st Century Democrats, we will again run a grassroots operation driven by a strong field campaign that will support local State House candidates, and engage young people and low-income communities.

DFA Values:

My commitment to public service comes from my belief that government and the public sector should empower people and communities. I believe that we must be bold in our vision, even if that vision receives criticism. I believe everyone should have the freedom to voice opposition to our elected leadership without fear of wire tapping or intimidation. I believe in freedom to control our bodies without government interference, and the freedom to make our own end-of-life choices. I believe we should not take on only the safe campaigns or wait for the sure thing. Finally, I do believe we have the power to take back our country, if we act on our hopes not our fears. When I worked on the Dean campaign, coordinating the Lakes Region office in New Hampshire in the final days of the primary, I saw the potential of hundreds of people passionate to make change happen. While we did not prevail that day, it was the energy and commitment to a new way of doing politics in America that gives me the confidence we can win this race for Lt. Governor in November.