"I'm For Doug"

I am supporting Doug for the following reasons.

I was an inexperienced Mayor, wet behind the ears, when Doug was Lt. Governor and Winooski was in the process of trying to redevelop the Downtown and we needed to form a TIF (tax increment district).

Doug took me and the Downtown project on and guided the TIF bill through the Senate and assisted getting it through the House. We got our TIF district approved and Doug still calls to see what he can do to assist Winooski. I feel Doug was a key player early in the Downtown redevelopment.

In the last four years as a Representative from Winooski I have watched Doug in the Senate working on the health care bill and other issues that are very important to Vermonters. Doug listens to everyone, no matter what side they are on. I have seen Doug many evening as I leave the state house working in his committee room very late into the evenings.

Doug is for Vermonters of all walks of life and he will make a great governor to lead our state out the recession.

I’m for Doug because he’s a very thoughtful and dedicated public official. He cares deeply about Vermont and our people, and knows the critical issues facing Vermont now and in the future. I’ve been impressed with Doug’s work and commitment to Vermont’s communities and families since I first met him when he was Lt. Governor. His vision and dedication are what we need at this challenging time.

Doug Racine has always been there for Vermont’s workers, children, and the poorest among us. He has been consistent in his positions on education, health care and labor issues. Doug is a respected member of the legislature and Vermont’s next governor needs to be familiar with the challenges our legislators face, while being a partner–not an attacker. I support Doug Racine because he can be trusted to lead Vermont with a vision of fairness, honesty and hard work. His record represents Vermont at its best.

We had the great fortune last weekend to host a house party for Doug. It only served to confirm our belief that he will be a great governor for this great state. It was a distinct pleasure to meet Doug on a personal level and to talk about issues important to our guests and to us. We were committed to Doug’s candidacy before the house party. Just look at his calendar – Doug has an obvious commitment to meeting and hearing from Vermonters from every corner of the state and from all walks of life. Review the history of his public service – during the past 25+ years he has served in the administration, the legislature, and on his local school board. He is committed to assuring that every Vermonter has the opportunity to experience success and the benefits of living in this state. We hope you will join us in supporting Doug’s candidacy for governor. He will bring only good things to Vermont.

I am excited about our state’s potential and firmly believe that Doug is the person to lead us at this critical time. We can and will be a much different state with Doug in the Governor’s office!

Doug is a proven leader; a person of integrity and commitment to Vermont.
He will be a Governor who understands the issues facing our State today, and with a vision for the future. Unlike the current administration, he will present Vermont as the extraordinary place that it is. Doug is the only Democrat who has defeated Mr. Dubie in a statewide election, and he’ll do it again with vigor and grace. As a native Vermonter, he’ll serve us all, regardless of party or economic status.

I have known Doug for 30 years. He has experience as a business owner/manager, in the executive branch of state government and as a legislator. In my opinion, this breadth of experience makes him the best choice to work with the state legislature, with state employees and the Executive Branch to resolve the problems and seek out the opportunities before us. His inclusive style will involve and engage all perspectives to achieve the best possible results for all of us. It will be refreshing to have all Vermonters represented at the table.

For more than three decades, as a U.S.State Department political officer, my job entailed meeting politicians and statesmen from a range of nations, including those at all levels of our government. I met more than enough of them to believe I could tell who was had what it takes and who didn’t. In retirement here in Vermont, I have met Doug Racine a number of times and heard his message. I believe he has what it takes to be a great governor.

Doug is experienced, smart, articulate, well educated and he knows the state and its issues. Importantly, he has that quality called presence that so many others lack. His background makes him capable of working at all levels. One can imagine him working effectively with a group of educators in, say, Brattleboro or perhaps addressing the National Governors’ Conference in Washington, DC. Myself the son of a UMW shop steward, I was delighted this week to see Doug win the endorsement of Vermont’s most important unions.

Doug has what it takes to win the Democratic nomination. He has already demonstrated that he can beat Brian Dubie. I believe he will do so again this fall.

I support Doug Racine because he was the best person in the 2002 election and because he is the best person in the 2010 campaign.
In addition to supporting him for his ideas, I also support him because I admire his character. Never did he impress me more than after he lost the election in 2002, an election that seemed overly influenced by the opposition’s negative and unfair advertising and by the out-of-state money that accrued to the opposition in the last days of the campaign. Doug Racine had every reason to be bitter after that election, but his demeanor and his public statements revealed a grace and humility uncommon in public life.

On the issues closest to my heart – Environmental Sustainability and Universal Health Care – Doug has impressed me the most. I also know he’ll support runoff voting when the issue comes before the legislature again. I voted for him eight years ago, and I plan to vote for him again.