Dems: Emails show Douglas more concerned with political image than state policy

The Vermont Democratic Party and gubernatorial candidate Gaye Symington (D-Jericho) responded to the disclosure of internal emails within Gov. Jim Douglas' Administration that were released to the public Wednesday.

The Times Argus reports the internal e-mails reveal high-ranking administration officials are worried about protecting Douglas' image amid the state job cuts and said members of a key House committee are "like children."

"These email exchanges again demonstrate that in the face of bad news, Jim Douglas chooses to hide behind his formidable PR machine rather than accept responsibility for his own failed leadership," Vermont Democratic Party spokesperson Liz Saxe said in a statement Thursday. "Vermonters deserve more than a governor who puts politics ahead of policy."

"On issue after issue, Jim Douglas puts his own political image ahead of the best interest of Vermonters," Saxe said. "Leadership requires more than grabbing the microphone and taking credit for success; it requires accepting responsibility for the tough choices."

The Vermont State Employees' Association, the state workers' union that has criticized the Douglas administration's staff reductions since they were announced in November, released the results of a public-records request for correspondence about the reductions as reported by The Times Argus.

"These messages prove that the Governor's obsession with public relations is affecting substantive decisions about services to Vermonters," House Speaker Symington said in a statement Thursday. "The attempt to deceive lawmakers by reclassifying positions because Douglas' staff knew cutting social workers would look bad is very disturbing."

The article said the Douglas administration argued publicly that state government has been growing too rapidly and filling jobs was not a priority. The e-mails reveal the governor's advisors were concerned with keeping Douglas out of political trouble over the job cuts.

Symington has criticized the governor for preserving at least seven tax-payer funded public relations positions in the state budget.

"No wonder the Governor refuses to reduce his million-dollar PR operation even as he cuts vital services like aid to college students," she said. "It's clear his paid PR team values protecting Douglas' image more than serving Vermont."

The Joint Legislative Government Accountability Committee, which has been created to help make government more efficient, read excerpts from the Union on Wednesday.