Property Tax Question Blows Up in Radio Host’s Face.
Shocked to learn Democrats' policies are driving Vermonters out of their homes.
I happened to catch a few minutes of WDEV’s Vermont Viewpoint last Friday, one of the days Left-wing propagandist Kevin Ellis is given the microphone. His guest was Alex McLean, former campaign manager and chief of staff for Governor Peter Shumlin, who Ellis has on fairly regularly to uncritically trumpet Democrat party talking points, and this interview was following the typical “Isn’t Kamala all things wonderful, and isn’t Trump evil incarnate, yes, of course, I totally agree” pablum -- until Ellis decided to briefly change the subject to Vermont politics.
Ellis’ teed up the softball about how stupid and out of touch Vermont Republicans must be to think voters care about such insignificant issues as exploding property taxes, and massive taxes/fees on heating fuels and electricity, citing the failure of well-funded moderates like Stewart Ledbetter to prevail in primary elections. But he didn’t get the answer he was expecting. Here’s the (mostly; a few cuts for brevity and clarity) complete exchange between the two.
ELLIS: There was a lot of talk between political junkies and insiders about backlash against Democratic Supermajority fueled by Phil Scott who told a lot of people that he was getting involved in these races. There was a group of pro-business, Chittenden County business leaders who were funding moderate campaigns and giving money to the likes of former Channel 5 anchor Stewart Ledbetter and other candidates. And they all lost. And there is absolutely, unless I’m missing something, no evidence that the property tax increase and Clean Heat Standard and other climate change legislation that could drive up electric rates had any impact on this election vis a vis the Supermajority. Do I have that right?
McLEAN: You do, but I think the reason for it… is that IT’S A PRIMARY. Who votes in these primary elections? It’s the die-hards…. Those who deeply, deeply care and are party people. And I think that’s a bad thing. I think that’s why you see Vermont can go pretty far left on these things because these primaries result in a more left or right view than the majority of the middle. So, I think that’s what you saw. Do I think that most Vermonters are still apoplectic about property taxes? Absolutely. I just don’t think you’re going to see that in a Democratic primary vote.
ELLIS: Do you think we see it in the general election?
McLEAN: I do! I mean, this is so anecdotal, but my husband owns a residential real estate company in St. Johnsbury, and over the last two weeks he has listed more homes than he has in the last two months. And just this morning I asked him, what’s going on? Normally you’ll see people listing their homes like crazy in the spring, right. Snow melts. Things are looking nicer. Let’s list! You don’t typically see that in late August. What’s going on? His response: people got their property tax bills.
ELLIS: And they’re moving? (Chuckles)
McLEAN: Yeah. I said what! That’s going to make them move? And he said, well, these are people who are probably on the fence. Things are getting too expensive. They don’t know are they moving, are they staying? What are they going to do? Then they get their property tax bill and it’s up twenty percent. They can’t. That’s the tipping point. They can’t do it anymore…. People are upset and they’re stretched, and this property tax hike is very significant for people. So, do I think it will matter in a general election? Yes. Absolutely.
Ellis’ incredulous reaction to the idea that working people simply can’t afford the radical Supermajority’s agenda – particularly his contemptuous little chuckle at the idea that unaffordable taxes could possibly force people out of their homes – illustrates exactly how isolated from true impact of these policies the left-wing glitterati really are.
They choose to believe – or maybe are just so out of touch as to really think -- that anybody who works in the private sector, like Scrooge McDuck, has an attic filled with overflowing treasure chests of gold coins and jewels that we can dive into any time they demand more taxes, fees and regulatory expenses and somehow not be affected. It’s the mentality of a party determined to turn Vermont into a 9200 square mile country club where the “members” can afford to fork over five figure property tax bills for dues, the “staff” is one way or another on the state payroll, and the hoi polloi can just bugger off.
Is McLean correct that this will matter in a general election? Only if people vote at the ballot box and not just with their feet.
Rob Roper is a freelance writer with 20 years of experience in Vermont politics including three years service as chair of the Vermont Republican Party and nine years as President of the Ethan Allen Institute, Vermont’s free market think tank.
Media Notes: Rob Roper will be speaking at the Ludlow Town Hall Auditorium on Wednesday, September 4th, at 5:00 pm as part of the Strong Vermont Voices series.
Talk about the Swamp. Kevin is knee-deep in the Montpelier muck. Follow this link, and search for “Ellis, Kevin” under the registrant category: https://lobbying.vermont.gov/Public/SearchRegistrant. See some of his clients.
It reminds me of something Upton Sinclair said, “It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it.”
Rob, your last paragraph is the crux of the issue here: only if sufficient numbers of Republican legislators are elected will this insanity be mitigated. Nothing else matters in Vermont in this election. It is very sad good people are forced to leave the state, since that just leaves here a larger proportion of people electing the Dems/Progs.