By Yaël Ossowski | Vermont Watchdog With an office and desk housed within the Vermont Department of Taxes, Gloria Hobson is not your average salaried government employee. In fact, based upon her job description and title, one would argue her work serves as the ultimate paradox: a “taxpayer advocate” with a state government paycheck. Since 2001, Hobson has acted…
By Yaël Ossowski | Vermont Watchdog On the trail of scammers, Vermont aims to set up financial guard dogs to sniff out companies offering high-interest predatory loans to elderly pensioners. A proposed state law would put a stop to companies offering seniors quick cash for their monthly pension checks. “I was approached by AARP over the off-season talking about…
By Yaël Ossowski | Vermont Watchdog In keeping with Vermont Watchdog‘s mission of keeping state government accountable, a quick peek at the state payroll is always important. The state of Vermont has 7,805 public employees, according to the Department of Human Resources, a number that has stayed relatively stable for a decade. The average state employee in Vermont is 47…
By Yaël Ossowski | Vermont Watchdog All of the problems in Vermont seem bad enough to warrant paying big for mental health professionals. A recent examination of the employee state compensation database in Vermont shows the highest-paid public employee in the state is a “private secretary” for the Department of Mental Health. While he’s not actually a secretary, his job…
By Yaël Ossowski | Watchdog.org The dominoes are falling all across New England. The New Hampshire House of Representatives made history last week when it became the first state Legislature to vote in favor of a bill to legalize the sale and possession of recreational marijuana. “Polls show 60 percent of voters in the state support (the bill), and…
By Yaël Ossowski | Watchdog.org Vermont last year began limiting how long its residents could receive welfare benefits. Six months later, the move appears successful. The ‘Reach Up’ initiative has already received fewer requests to join the program than in months’ past, according to the Vermont Department of Finance and Management. The new time-limit on the program, now…
By Yaël Ossowski | Watchdog.org Vermont is knee-deep in a crisis of epic proportions, Gov. Peter Shumlin declared in his State of the State speech Wednesday. He’s determined to end it. “The crisis I am talking about is the rising tide of drug addiction and drug-related crime spreading across Vermont,” pronounced Shumlin. “In every corner of our state, heroin…
By Yaël Ossowski | Watchdog.org When nuclear power finally vanishes from Vermont’s borders this year, the town of Vernon will suffer the loss of its biggest taxpayer. As discovered in tax agreements with city officials, the announced shutdown of the Yankee Nuclear Power Plant, owned by Entergy, a New Orleans-based energy conglomerate, will not only reduce the choice in the…
By Yaël Ossowski | Watchdog.org In many aspects, Vermont isn’t not afraid to buck the status quo. After the Revolutionary War, it existed as its own republic for nearly 14 years. It was the first state to introduce women’s suffrage in 1880, allow civil unions in 2000 and pass same-sex marriage in 2009. And while it may be a trendsetter, it…
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By Yaël Ossowski Published December 19, 2013 Read story here