Week in Action 5/20/2016

Phil officially kicked off his campaign for Governor with his Green Flag Tour making its first stop this week. Read more about the launch of the tour and Team Scott’s other efforts over the last week, below.

IT’S TIME FOR A LEADER WHO WILL MAKE THE ECONOMY A TOP PRIORITY
Phil spoke with the Caledonian Record this week to share his vision for Vermont and how, as Governor, he’ll make certain the economy is the top priority for legislators.

As Phil told the Record, Vermonters are “struggling to make ends meet and are working two and three jobs to do it.” Yet, as he points out, of more than 1,200 bills introduced in the previous biennium, very few were focused on improving the economy. We made no meaningful progress on the economy this year.

Phil expands on his proposals to set a 90-day limit to the legislative session in order to focus the Legislature on bills that will improve the economy and reduce costs, as well as his ideas for improving education and other top issues facing Vermonters. Click HERE to view the full interview.

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TEAM SCOTT HITS THE ROAD
Phil has always made it a priority to meet with Vermonters around the state while serving as Lt. Governor and working as a small business owner. Now he’s kicking the campaign season into high gear with a statewide Green Flag Tour, with stops in all of Vermont’s 14 counties.

Team Scott hit the road this week in “Blizzard” – our mobile campaign office – to hear ideas and perspectives directly from Vermonters. As Phil said, “Listening and learning is the key to bringing people together around our goals of a stronger, more affordable Vermont and restoring faith and trust in state government.”

Find out when Blizzard will roll into your area, and see a full listing of the Green Flag Tourand Team Scott events, HERE.

THANK A VET MOTORCYCLE RIDE ON MAY 21
Tomorrow Phil will join hundreds of Vermonters from around the state in support of veterans’ charities, and we hope to see each and every one of you there. The Thank a Vet Motorcycle Ride will kick off from locations in Rutland, St. Albans, St. Johnsbury and White River Junction at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 21.

Riders will converge in downtown Barre at 12 p.m. where a ceremony honoring Vermont veterans and an afternoon barbecue will be open to all. Funds raised at the barbecue will benefit the Josh Pallotta Fund, dedicated to helping veterans with PTSD, and the Friends of Veterans Organization, which helps veterans to avoid homelessness.

Supporting our military and veterans is something we can and should all commit to – we owe them so much. For more information visit the event’s Facebook page. We hope to see you there.

AN IMPORTANT DISCUSSION ON OUR OPIOID CRISIS
A heartfelt thank you to Dartmouth-Hitchcock and VT Digger for organizing an informative panel discussion on Vermont’s opioid crisis. Phil attended the Digger Dialogue in White River Junction on Wednesday. It’s important that we understand how this issue affects us all. It is a crisis that touches every pocket of our state – no community is immune. Read more about the discussion at VT Digger.

Next week Phil will be at the Vermont Futures Tour, the Vermont Sheriff’s and Chief of Police annual meeting and the Essex Memorial Day Parade.

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ICYMI: PHIL IN THE NEWS

Phil: We have a crisis of affordability
“With all the fees and taxes, and so forth, affordability is a real crisis in this state…the answer is growing the population and stemming the flow of workers out-of-state.” (Source: WCAX: Full Story)

Phil: Honor our fallen police officers
“When you keep us safe and run towards a problem instead of away from a problem, that separates those that serve in a uniform from the rest of us.” (Source: Fox44: Full Story)

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ICYMI: THIS WEEK’S #GOODREADS

Burlington Free Press: Shelburne government finds youth movement
The Burlington Free Press highlights a unique Shelburne program, working to foster interest in public service and civic responsibility amongst its youth. Phil believes it is vital to get our youth involved and engaged with local and state government. We need more regular, every day Vermonters to take interest and run for public office to ensure our Legislature reflects our values. Read the full article HERE. Click HERE to learn more about Phil’s legislative proposal that would, in part, help build a Citizen Legislature.

Thanks to everyone that came out to events and participated in meetings this week. Be sure to follow along with the campaign’s activities everyday – and share your thoughts – @PhilScott4VT  and https://www.facebook.com/PhilScottforVermont/.

Sincerely,

Team Scott