(Host) Candidates for governor are focused on generating enthusiasm among their supporters with less than a week to go before the election.
Both Brian Dubie and Peter Shumlin are putting in long days and calling on as many allies as they can muster to help get their messages across.
VPR’s Susan Keese has this campaign roundup.
(Keese) Republican Brian Dubie continues to focus on jobs and his commitment to keeping taxes low as a recipe for economic growth.
(Dubie) "Taxes matter, regulations matter, workers comp, unemployment — all these things matter. And what my commitment would, is to give the workers of Vermont the tools they need to compete in global society, in global world."
(Keese) The lieutenant governor made his comments before an enthusiastic crowd at a warehouse in Williston.
Before his remarks, several small business owners spoke on his behalf. They included representatives from two aviation-related companies. Both said Dubie had pushed for tax changes that enabled them to hire new workers – a total of eleven jobs in all.
The change exempted certain maintenance procedures from the state sales tax.
(Shumlin) "I’m Peter Shumlin, I’m running for governor."
(Woman) "I think I’ve heard the name, actually."
(Shumlin) "Well, listen, I hope to see you Tuesday."
(Woman) "Don’t you worry about it."
(Keese) Democrat Peter Shumlin spent time in Bennington County meeting voters and shaking hands.
(Shumlin) "Now you know Congressman Welch, don’t you?"
(Keese) And he brought along some popular friends — local Senate incumbents Dick Sears and Robert Hartwell, and Democratic Congressman Peter Welch, who has a strong lead over his Republican challenger Paul Beaudry.
(Welch) "This is going to be a close race. It’s going to come down to a few votes. So all of us that have a candidate that we support, this is the time to be out there talking to our neighbors and saying why."
(Keese) The entourage visited several retail businesses, including a restaurant in Manchester – a so-called Gold town where frustration over property taxes is a recurring theme.
Shumlin spoke about his support for income sensitivity adjustments to property taxes.
And Shumlin took the opportunity to criticize Dubie’s positions on school funding.
(Shumlin) "He wants to have Montpelier mandate school spending, tell local communities they shall not spend more than X percent on their schools. My feeling is, local communities decide better than Montpelier…"
(Keese) Dubie has said he wants to limit the growth of school budgets to the rate of inflation. He’s also calling for a statewide conversation on school consolidation to bring down education costs.
For VPR News, I’m Susan Keese in Manchester.