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Old 05-02-2015, 01:29 PM
 
41 posts, read 89,394 times
Reputation: 68

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We used to be big fans of Vermont Public Television but got turned off a year or two ago by the political machinations of their board of directors. They kicked out the former long-time CEO of VPT (for possibly good reasons related to sexual harassment although I don't remember if any lawsuits were filed vs. him so can't remember if it was legitimate or just personality conflicts). Former South Burlington City Council Chair Pam Mackenzie was also the chair of the VPT board of directors at this time. She led them in violating numerous open meeting law requirements while simultaneously engaged in numerous illegal campaign finance shenanigans back in South Burlington. She was in favor of destroying home values & an entire neighborhood in South Burlington in order to bring in Lockheed-Martin's F-35 fighter jet and led the So.Burl. Council in over-ruling the prior decision to "wait and see" and not endorse the F-35. Now they are proceeding with the demolition of hundreds of homes. Ms. Mackenzie was mostly serving the interests of people who don't live in South Burlington, such as deep-pocketed developers like Ernie Pomerleau who funded her record-breaking campaign spending. She has just been forced to settle with the Attorney General's office and pay financial penalties for several of her violations. VPT unfortunately refused to publicly repudiate Ms Mackenzie even after she resigned from the board so we have stopped donating to them. Although the new VPT CEO Holly something is supposed to be very good and professional. Some of their programming no doubt is still excellent but the whole thing was so disturbing that it really turned us off.
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Old 05-02-2015, 10:31 PM
 
Location: Vermont
11,754 posts, read 14,573,193 times
Reputation: 18502
Except that the homeowners have been selling their houses to the airport for years under a program that goes back to 1990,, the houses have been sitting vacant, and the voluntary plan is based on average noise levels, not the potential noise from the F-35.

Other than that, you've hit the nail right on the head.
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Old 05-03-2015, 12:10 AM
 
41 posts, read 89,394 times
Reputation: 68
Jack, you're missing the fact that the F-35 significantly expands the "not suitable for residential use" zone far beyond whatever was true in 1990. Several thousand homes in Winooski, South Burlington and Williston that previously qualified for federally-backed mortgages no longer will (in part thanks to Ms. Mackenzie's pro-F35 efforts). Residents in this new "not suitable for residential use" zone have to disclose this if they are going to try to sell their house. This is all because of the F-35. There would be no need for these homeowners to be forced to take pennies on the dollar under the program that originally began back in 1990 were it not for the F-35. Yes, it is "voluntary" in that they don't have to use this program & can keep living in their homes (bought when there was less noise & it was considered suitable for residential use). But when it's time to sell for whatever reason, how many buyers will they find who can pay cash or want to pay the much higher interest rates of mortgages not backed by the feds? It's also not clear there will be any further funds in this program for the 1,000's of newly-impacted homes. To be clear, I don't live in the "zone" and my home is not impacted but I know plenty who do.

It obviously did not start with Ms. Mackenzie (Bryan Bender, National Security Correspondent for the Boston Globe, has detailed the high-level corruption around the F-35 basing decision and Senator Leahy unfortunately does not come off looking well at all, regardless of my respect for where he stands on some other issues).

Anyway, VPT is free to associate with and endorse people who violate campaign finance law and open meetings law, among others. My opinion is VPT has damaged their reputation and diluted their brand because of it. But it is just an opinion and plenty others no doubt disagree. None of us are perfect and some of these laws may be confusing (although I question why someone is considered competent to be board chair if they can't figure out the law). The new CEO may repair things over time. Still, it turns out Mackenzie remains on the board (in spite of her resignation from South Burlington City Council to take a job "out-of-state," in her words). VPT clearly believes it is a net positive to have such people on the board. It no doubt helps bring in donations from much bigger fish compared to what our family was able to donate over the years. Given the F-35's fraud and waste (over 100x more than Solyndra according to James Fallows of The Atlantic), it is understandable there is zero money left over in the federal budget for anything else, including public television, requiring VPT to bow down to the "movers and shakers" to shake some dollars their way.

Last edited by URob; 05-03-2015 at 01:16 AM..
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Old 05-03-2015, 11:13 AM
 
23,530 posts, read 69,959,736 times
Reputation: 48942
I am also less than impressed with the board at VPT. Three members from Montreal? Bring out the poutine and Quebec maple syrup! There is also one member from central Vermont who has been so obnoxious and elitist ever since he was a second-tier radio announcer that if he were on fire, I wouldn't pee on him to put out the flames.
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Old 07-15-2015, 05:17 PM
 
41 posts, read 89,394 times
Reputation: 68
Uh-oh, yet more conflict of interest questions being raised at PBS as Paul Heintz summarizes in the "Media Notes" section of his column this week. As Harry Chickpea has noted, given the composition of the PBS board, it appears they are more out-of-touch with the average Vermonter than ever:

Dunne Deal: A Not-Quite-Candidate Raises Big Campaign Cash | Fair Game | Seven Days | Vermont's Independent Voice
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Old 07-18-2015, 05:02 PM
 
18 posts, read 28,974 times
Reputation: 76
There's still Mountain Lake PBS/WCFE.
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Old 08-05-2020, 09:22 PM
 
23,530 posts, read 69,959,736 times
Reputation: 48942
What is the latest on VPT? Times change, board members change, and I hope they got back on track.
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