"You Complete Me"

August 5, 2008

For Immediate Release

Contact:  Dennise Casey

802-223-3412

"You Complete Me"

Since Speaker Symington Won't Release Complete Information About the Symington/Lacy Finances, We've Taken Matters into our Own Hands With the Help of Google!

Montpelier, VT - The Douglas campaign learned yesterday that Speaker Gaye Symington is still refusing media calls for the complete release of the Symington/Lacy personal financial information.  We're sure the Symington campaign is busy with more pressing matters - like trying to figure out just who pays with "Efficiency Pays" - so, with apologies to Jerry Maguire and with a quick search of Google, we've stepped in to provide a more complete snapshot of the Symington/Lacy financial statement.

Using the "Internets" - specifically, Google - we've found the following about Mr. Lacy's financial interests.  We offer them here in no particular order:

• Mr. Lacy is/was founder or director of Guayaki Yerba Mate.  "Yerba mate is a beverage made from the leaves and stems of a powerful rainforest tree, native to the subtropical rainforests of Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina."
  • http://www.bakewellrepro.com/bios.html
  • http://www.guayaki.com/index.php
• Mr. Lacy is the treasurer and director of Gonofone Development Corporation which founded the GrameenPhone - the largest wireless cell phone company in Bangladesh.
• http://www.bakewellrepro.com/bios.html
• http://www.grameenphone.com
• Mr. Lacy is the founder and president of The Barred Rock Fund, a $5 million, 501(c)(3), non-profit, venture capital fund.  Started in 2000 with Ben & Jerry's co-founder, Ben Cohen, Barred Rock fund has investments in eight companies in five states.  According to the publicly available IRS Form 990, in 2004 Mr. Lacy received $99,996.00 in compensation from Barred Rock.
• http://www.bakewellrepro.com/bios.html
• http://www.cedoburlington.org/business/chittenden_county_resource_guide/cc_resguide_venture_capital.htm
• http://www.guidestar.org  (for access to IRS Form 990)
• Quick Fact: Lacy's Ben & Jerry's boss and Barred Rock partner, Ben Cohen, is supporting Anthony Pollina over Symington.
• Mr. Lacy is founder or director of Bakewell Reproductive Center which is focused on building a grass-based bovine gene pool that produces gourmet beef.  "The mission is to identify and provide the best possible grass-based genetics the world has to offer."
• http://www.bakewellrepro.comMr. Lacy is founder or director of Hardwick Beef, which raises grass-fed cows.
  • http://www.bakewellrepro.com/bios.html
  • http://www.hardwickbeef.com/
• ~Mr. Lacy on beef: "'Basically, when you are eating beef, you are eating oil . . . it's supported by corn subsidies, and the meat is not healthy (because of antibiotics given to the cattle),' said Lacy."
• http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060702/BUSINESS/107020175/-1/XML07
• Mr. Lacy is/was a director of and/or investor in Sun & Earth, Inc. "Natural cleaning products that are environmentally safe. Offers household cleaners, hand soap, laundry, and dishwashing detergent."
• http://www.bakewellrepro.com
• Mr. Lacy is the Executive Producer of The War Tapes, a documentary.
• http://www.thewartapes.com/2006/03/lacy.shtml
• Mr. Lacy is co-founder of Scranton/Lacy Films, LLC which produced The War Tapes.
• http://www.thewartapes.com/2006/03/lacy.shtml
• Mr. Lacy is a director of and/or investor in Vermont Mystic Pie Company.
• http://www.vermontmysticpie.com/our_story.aspWe'd like to say "you had me at ‘Yerba Mate,'" and be done with it, but we're sure there's more to the Symington/Lacy financial statement than what we could find using Google.   It's hard to believe that after 24 years of marriage Gaye Symington hasn't benefited at all from the above mentioned business dealings. 

Of course, the easiest fix is the obvious one: Speaker Symington should "show us the money" and follow the lead of the other two candidates in the Governor's race and make a full financial disclosure.  Both Republican and Democrat candidates in the last three cycles have been transparent with their finances and Speaker Symington should strive to meet that standard.  Vermonters deserve that from their candidates for Governor.

###

Dennise R. Casey
Douglas for Governor
802.223.3412 office
802.233.9436 cell
802.229.1964 fax

Paid for By Douglas for Governor - P.O. Box 1414 Montpelier, VT 05601 - Steve Bourgeois, Treasurer