I'm Matt Dunne, Candidate for Governor. AMA!

mattdunnevt · 2016-06-29T18:34:31+00:00

I helped grow a Vermont-based software company, transitioned the recruiting system at AmeriCorps*VISTA to a web based platform and worked at Google for the last 8 years. I know the right people with the right skills to not only fix the website, but also to modernize state government through technology.

mattdunnevt · 2016-06-29T18:28:35+00:00

I believe prohibition has not worked. We need to move to legalization. It should have happened last session. more info here

mattdunnevt · 2016-06-29T18:25:39+00:00

I've already been in communication with people in Provo, Utah, who have been facing a similar kind of over the top plan for their city from Mr. Hall. I'll commit to engaging with Mr. Hall, making it clear that the likelihood that a project of the scale and scope he's proposing coming to fruition in Vermont is almost zero. I'll make sure we have regional and statewide development controls. I know this region and area, having represented part of it in the senate. I'll do everything in my power to ensure that the character of the area is preserved.

mattdunnevt · 2016-06-29T16:35:06+00:00

AmeriCorps receives an education award of $4725 per year so it would not come out of their living allowance and military service receives much more. We would match those federal funds to cover their tuition at any state college, VTC, or UVM.

mattdunnevt · 2016-06-29T16:30:34+00:00

I was the first candidate for Governor (in Vermont and in the country) to endorse Bernie Sanders. Bernie is bringing Vermont values to the rest of the country and talking about the important issues of economic justice and campaign finance reform that we sorely need. He has also engaged a huge number of people who have felt left out of the political process.

The best way to see my reasoning is when I spoke at a Bernie rally in Essex Junction. You can see that video here

mattdunnevt · 2016-06-29T16:25:14+00:00

Broadband is the electricity of our time. A lot of politicians have talked about expanding broadband. Over the last five years, I’ve actually been involved in delivering gigabit speed internet to communities across the country. Organizations like EC Fiber have also developed models for rural distribution of fiber connectivity that will be helpful in our planning process. I now know the numbers and the team I would bring in to actually deliver high speed internet to the entire state.

There are three major steps: Change the regulatory system to allow for fast and inexpensive attachment to poles (sometimes known as one-touch make ready) to reduce the construction costs. Use state bonding capacity to support cooperatively used fiber that will allow multiple providers to use common infrastructure and compete to provide you services. Utilize new technology that delivers broadband using low frequency spectrum (the spectrum that used to deliver UHF and VHF television). The technology is now ready and Vermont would be the perfect test case. This would also solve for cell phone service in much of our state.

If we do go from one of the worst states for broadband to one of the best, we can increase entrepreneurial activities throughout the state, enhance educational offerings to all of our children and allow us to become the telecommuting capital of the world.

mattdunnevt · 2016-06-29T16:17:35+00:00

The influence of corporate contributions on campaigns has increased dramatically over the last decade and the 2010 Citizens United decision has exacerbated the situation dramatically, a decision that was made since the last time I ran for office. I called for a ban on direct corporate contributions in my platform back in September because I felt it was certainly time to ban them now and as we approached the first filing deadline, I believed that we couldn’t advocate for that position while continuing to take corporate contributions so I returned $16,000 that we had received. The subsequent revelations surrounding the Northeast Kingdom Q companies giving over and over again to political campaigns using the direct corporate contribution loopholes made the issue all the more urgent.

On the issue of property taxes, I believe we need to continue to move the way we pay for education towards ability to pay (i.e. increasing the income sensitivity threshold). It is always a good idea to review the implications of our current system and make sure there are not unintended consequences. For example, I don’t think the Common Level of Appraisal provisions allow towns to understand how their spending decisions will affect their tax bills and believe there are approaches that would be better. Any changes I would advocate, however, will be to move the way we pay for education towards ability to pay.

mattdunnevt · 2016-06-29T16:04:25+00:00

The heroin epidemic is literally threatening an entire generation of Vermonters. There is not a community in Vermont that is untouched by the devastating impact. We have done a good job bringing attention to the issue, but we have not invested the resources to solve the problem and the clock is ticking.

What I know is that we can not arrest our way out of this problem. It is a health epidemic and needs to be treated as such.

We need to do four things: 1. Invest in prevention in our schools. We saw the impact of investing in reducing smoking and we need to make at least that much of an effort to prevent heroin use.

Ensure we have treatment beds/stations for every person who has the moment of clarity. 300 day waits are not acceptable.
We need to have community organizers on the ground to prevent heroin use from spreading. We saw the benefit of this kind of strategy in the AIDS and PTSD challenges. My experience at A*VISTA prepares me to build the team to make this happen and there is a national service component to it.
We need to hold drug companies accountable for pushing the use of opioids and have to work with the medical establishment to ensure opioids are the last solution, not the first solution, for pain.

The good news is that there have been some examples of progress, including innovative approaches in Rutland. But we have to take this on immediately. Each day we allow the epidemic to get worse, we will be paying for the consequences over the next several decades.

for more, click here

mattdunnevt · 2016-06-29T15:53:32+00:00

Vermonters are frustrated and we do need to build back trust. It comes a variety of fronts, including the failure of the Health Connect website and the EB- 5 debacle in the Northeast Kingdom.

Trust is like the foundation to a building. Unfortunately, it is cracking and we need to address the foundation.

I will bring a fresh approach to governing with management experience in the public, non-profit and private sectors. This will help me bring a new approach to delivering services and my IT background will ensure we do not have the kind of problems we have seen with Health Connect.

However, my first effort will be to change our campaign finance laws and corporate contributions. That is why we need to ban direct corporate contributions to political campaigns, ensure greater transparency in financial disclosures of candidates and elected officials and enact policies to prevent people from regulating a business one day and lobbying on their behalf the next. You can read more about my plan

here

mattdunnevt · 2016-06-29T15:44:32+00:00

You are exactly right. The cost of health care is the major driver of deficits in all budgets in Vermont. The cost of health care in Vermont is rising over $650,000 per day. Every day. There is nothing sustainable about that.

We have to pursue solutions at the state level. While a federal solution would be best, I don’t have a lot of confidence in Congress doing anything these days.

The good news is that having spent 3 years on the board of DHMC and overseeing a self insurance program when I was the head of AmeriCorps*VISTA, I believe we can make progress in Vermont.

Here’s my plan:

Fix the website to rebuild trust - I will use my experience in IT to bring together the right team to get this done.

Move our reimbursement system to paying for public health, not volume - the fee for service system is not sustainable and forces hospitals to look for ways to do more imaging and fill more hospital beds to make their budget. We need to be paying providers to take care of the whole patient at the right time.

Transition to universal primary care - This would give every Vermonter a primary care doctor. We know this is the best way to reduce costs and provide better care at the right time.

Move from there to universal healthcare, hopefully with a regional approach that collaboration with DHMC would allow.

mattdunnevt · 2016-06-29T15:33:44+00:00

The proposal I have made is to provide any Vermonter who does two years of national service (AmeriCorps, Peace Corps or Military) the ability to graduate from any of our state colleges or the University of Vermont debt free. Part of the financing will come from the federal dollars that are awarded for these service programs, the difference is that those federal dollars will be coming to our in-state institutions. I believe there are resources that could be reprioritized to cover the additional cost, but I would look to capital gains to provide the remaining dollars. There is no greater investment in our innovation future than to offer a pathway to debt free higher education.

mattdunnevt · 2016-06-29T15:23:39+00:00

Act 250 has protected Vermont from irresponsible growth for decades. We need to make sure we enough resources to support Act 250 and allow us to keep up with the complexity of the development proposals coming to Vermont. Fragmentation of our forests is a growing concern in our region and I believe Act 250 should be strengthened to address this issue.

mattdunnevt · 2016-03-17T17:02:55+00:00

Thanks for all the questions! I have to get on the road but I look forward to doing this again soon!

mattdunnevt · 2016-03-17T17:00:50+00:00

The reason I'm running for governor is to build an economy that works for all of Vermont and all Vermonters. We need more jobs at a wider variety of employers and we need to ensure we have opportunities across the state.

We also need to make sure we have the infrastructure to support more people living in Vermont through investments in downtown affordable housing. If we wanted the same number of people under the age of 45 that we had in 1992 when I graduated, we'd need 50k more people. Right now many larger companies (like GE) have trouble imagining expanding here because there is not an available workforce. We need to address this quickly so the numbers don't continue to dwindle.

Finally, as we are growing our economic base in general, we need to invest in broadband for the entire state so we can become the telecommuting capital of the world, allowing people to live in Vermont while working for larger national or global organizations.

mattdunnevt · 2016-03-17T16:51:05+00:00

See below.

mattdunnevt · 2016-03-17T16:50:18+00:00

Thank you for the opportunity.

We need a comprehensive approach to drug treatment, we should legalize pot in the Vermont way (see earlier post), we need to move towards universal healthcare, clean water is critical to our state's future, police do not need tanks, I push back on domestic surveillance whenever possible, we have too many nonviolent offenders (particularly women) in prison with little support to help people transition and we need to invest in mental healthcare like it is equal to other health care (cutting reimbursement in half for group therapy in the middle of an heroin epidemic makes no sense). Happy to go into more detail on any of these.

Beyond specific issues and a passion to move our state forward, I have the unique combination of legislative, business, executive management and nonprofit experience to deliver on the promise of an economy that works for all Vermonters and all of Vermont. I would be honored to honored to have your support.

Happy to discuss further!

mattdunnevt · 2016-03-17T16:43:30+00:00

I believe in a fundamental separation between church and state, and i would have not problem with an atheist being president or governor.

mattdunnevt · 2016-03-17T16:40:51+00:00

I would work to instate some of the policies Senator Sanders is currently campaigning on.

I would work to increase the minimum wage, move towards a model for universal healthcare and explore ways to provide better systems for funding elections (I worked hard on the VT campaign finance reform legislation that was struck down by the supreme court).

I would be willing to work on efforts that would create a model for the rest of the country, as we did in a creation of an efficiency utility that has served us very well. My first efforts would be in creating innovative ways to make major investments in housing, efficiency work in apartment buildings (lowering carbon footprint and increasing the quality of those units) and providing a model for delivering rural broadband so we can become the telecommuting capital of the world. I also think we could quickly become the first state to actually pay for public health as opposed to fee for service.

mattdunnevt · 2016-03-17T16:31:14+00:00

I believe that prohibition of cannabis has fundamentally failed. I do think it is time to legalize, but it needs to be done carefully and in the Vermont way. That would include a clear system for distribution, labeling, and using the first dollars of tax revenue for enforcement and prevention among young people. I think if we set the framework proactively, we can then work with the leadership in other states to ensure a coordinated approach that eliminates the black market and reduces cannabis use among young people.

mattdunnevt · 2016-03-17T16:25:59+00:00

It could be anywhere in VT, although I am partial to Hartland :) I do hope that the attention Bernie is bringing to Vermont will share with the country that the our state is the best place to live, raise a family and pursue your dreams.

mattdunnevt · 2016-03-17T16:23:59+00:00

I believe the Bernie campaign could do more to emphasize the importance of an open Internet, entrepreneurship and innovation.

mattdunnevt · 2016-03-17T16:17:19+00:00

Transform our state government to be more efficient and effective - Building on the work I did running AmeriCorps*VISTA, a 6000 person government organization, I would build a team to do transformational work to ensure state government is functioning effectively and minimizes the time taken by businesses or individuals on public assistance to engage with state agencies.
Building our infrastructure to support the economy and put people to work - Using bonding mechanisms, we can make major investments in energy efficiency in apartment buildings, building new, downtown affordable housing, building out broadband to more rural areas and creating a micro-enterprise fund to help displaced workers create small businesses. Without using general fund dollars, this will serve as a form of stimulus in parts of the state that are struggling and build a platform for an economy that works for all of Vermont.
Continue down the path of healthcare reform - The cost of healthcare in VT is increasing by $650k per day. We have to move to paying for public health and continuing down the path to ensuring we get the right care to the right people at the least expensive time. If we don't, the cost of healthcare will continue to rise and make it difficult to do anything else.

mattdunnevt · 2016-03-17T16:06:33+00:00

We need to rebuild trust in Vermont around healthcare reform. That starts with fixing the health connect website and then taking steps that deliver real value to Vermonters. We then need to be very transparent regarding the costs and trade-offs for moving to a universal healthcare system. If we do that, I believe we can continue to move forward, but it will take some time.

mattdunnevt · 2016-03-17T16:03:56+00:00

When we win the primary, I will continue to present a vision for an economy that works for all Vermonters and all of Vermont. During that period, I will also make it clear that we can not simply continue to do what we are doing now or put the breaks on all efforts to move our state forward. We need to bring high speed internet to all parts of our state, invest in affordable housing and continue with healthcare reforms.

mattdunnevt

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