Todd for VT House

Housekeeping Note

I allowed an old domain name to expire for cost savings, which unfortunately many items on this site were linked with.  So some navigation won't work and images won't show up.

I tried buying the domain back recently, but it's been scooped up by a squatter in Portugal.  Thus, I need to do some site work, though that won't happen for quite some time.

As they used to say in the early web days: please pardon our dust.

Housekeeping

Quick housekeeping note: I've let an old domain expire for cost savings.  Unfortunately, a lot of links to photos on this blog relied on that domain, so you'll see some messed up stuff for a while--will fix over time.  And yeah, I'll clean up comment spam, too.

ntodd

Whither The Campaign?

It's been almost a week and we've kinda recovered.  Sleep schedules are still a bit out of kilter, especially thanks to setting the clocks back.  A few aches and pains remain from pounding the pavement, but they are fading almost as fast as the yard signs from the Vermont landscape (interesting that many more Dubie signs are still visible--don't blame me, I voted for Bill and Opus?).

Of course the 2010 campaign is over and 2012 hasn't really begun.  Yet I will not be retiring the domain name, blog, Twitter, Facebook page, or YouTube channel.  The activity level will be significantly lower, as obviously any public interest will be, but I want to maintain things as we have plenty of work here in Fletcher and down in Montpelier on the various campaign issues we discussed with voters.

Healthcare will be the most immediate thing to push forward since Act 128 calls for Dr Hsiao's team to release their three plan design drafts on 1 January, 2011, for 15 days of public review and comment.  If we've learned anything from President Obama and healthcare reform at the national level, strong Democratic majorities and a Democratic executive are not any guarantee of success, and we must keep the fire lit to win single-payer.

Redistricting also looms large for small towns like Fletcher and Fairfield who currently are under the shadow of St Albans Town.  We'll definitely be involved in that process so our communities end up in more rational districts that meet our needs over the next decade.

Thus, I will use this place to document what's going on legislatively, what we're trying to do about the issues, etc.  Eventually it will ramp back up into a campaign presence, and in the meantime it's a citizens' accountability and engagement project.

Thank you again to everybody who made it possible for us to get to this point.  Out of the election have come a variety of cool opportunities that I never would've expected.  I won't be a legislator next session, but there's a lot of to be accomplished all the same--we're not returning to the status quo ante.  I'll keep you posted.

todd

(Almost) Final Words

It's getting to the time when I should be quick and succinct, which is a bit unnatural for me.  We've seen that on the trail, where I will stand there chatting with voters for however long it takes, seriously cutting into the number of doors we can knock.  Hey, I'm a professor sometimes and talk for a living, plus spending most of my day with a baby makes me starved for adult conversation!

Anyway, we're now in the critical final few days of this campaign.  No more filibustering on the front porch, even though we're having a great time.  No more blogging about policy solutions, even though I have lots more to say.  I mean, after this post.

I must note that the last couple days have pushed us over the fundraising goal, with $1025 raised since the September finance report.  That's astonishing.  I originally hoped to get 400 bucks, saw that threshold shattered quickly, then upped the ante to a very aggressive thousand.  You all came through on that, literally fueling the campaign as we drive around our very rural, dispersed district.  You paid for postcards and postage, card stock and printer cartridges, cell phone minutes and blog hosting.

Almost 100 contributions averaging about 36 dollars made this campaign possible.  Sam, Ericka and I thank you humbly for that amazing amount of faith and support.

Not only did we have scores of donors, we also had dozens of volunteers hit the phones and doorsteps.  Mostly friends and family, and also people who up until recently were really complete strangers and now we consider friends.  Between them, we've been able to canvass hundreds and hundreds of homes, call hundreds and hundreds of voters and send hundreds and hundreds of cards and letters.

Thank you so much for the investment of time and energy.  It has put us into a great position to perhaps surprise some people on Tuesday.

I'm not sanguine about our electoral prospects.  The odds are stacked against an obscure stay-at-home-dad who jumps into a race without any party support.  Obviously we need to catch a few breaks in a 5-way race for two seats when there are essentially 3 incumbents on the ballot.

Yet failure is only guaranteed when you don't try.  We all have worked wicked hard had to make success possible.  So we've already won a huge victory, whatever the vote count is next week.

Seriously, I want to win, and we've campaigned to win.  No matter what, though, we're going to party like it's 1999 after the polls close because this was just such a wonderful experience and awesome team effort.  Whether Todd Pritsky is in Montpelier or Fletcher, there's a lot of stuff that needs to be done over the next couple of years, and we will keep plugging away at it all.

All that said, let's remember there a still 4 days left to campaign.  You have time to volunteer and/or donate to help get additional votes.  I appreciate the support we've already gotten so much and would like to ask you to do just one more thing before it's over.  Then we can crash knowing we did all we could and sleep soundly with no regrets.

todd

Does This Tritium Make My Atomic Mass Look Big?

A delightful comment in response to the candidate forum discussion about Vermont Yankee:

Having Todd answer last - after these bigger named, partied candidates - is a riot. They wander through variously vague statements, and then Todd churns out a ton of genuinely substantive information, showing he's researched all of this, talked to people involved, thought about it, has plans in mind, and can communicate it all to us in plain terms.

What if we actually elected people that were smarter than us and earnestly and sincerely wanted to serve us in making our lives, and world, better?

I take it ambitaz was unimpressed with Lynn's trenchant observation that tritium goes with nuclear power...

todd

Online Q&A This Thursday

I've been invited to be a guest on the Beer Party's Facebook page this Thursday at 1000 pm Eastern/900 pm Central time.  An informal chat about the campaign, policy, etc.  I would appreciate folks joining in with questions and support!

todd

Symbolism Around Town

Sam and I took a little walk this afternoon around "downtown" Fletcher, specifically to inspect the restoration work on the Binghamville United Methodist Church's clock (seen in the upper right of this site). The innards had been repaired a number of years ago, but the faces have since deteriorated so once again the community kicked in funds to fix them up.

Wait, that's not the clock!  Sorry, for no particular reason  I just liked this scene as we circumnavigated the churchyard.

Only the western face remains in need of work; compare to the southern face.

Being both philosophically- and politically-minded of late, I see the church clock as quite symbolic.  The old framework remains, connecting us to our past, but the practical mechanisms have needed to be upgraded and improved over time to still function today.  And of course in this photo there's a trick in the lighting: the old face is in shadow, the new face brightly lit by the late-summer sun.  Time for some renewal and getting away from old ideas.

I was thinking of using this shot to replace the old one I've had on the site since I first announced my candidacy, but now I'm not sure.  It's sort of a Rorschach test, and I can imagine alternate interpretations that are contrary to my campaign's mission and ideals (which I will leave as an exercise to the reader).

So maybe I'll just let it be a slice of life from my hometown for you to share.

todd

Quick Update

Has it really been 2 weeks since I've blogged here?  Well, the timestamps don't lie.

I've been relying on Twitter for most updates since lately my Little Campaign Partner--who is 10 months old today--has been extra needy of late, so I don't get a lot of laptop time.  Really there's not much to tell as the campaign basically just plods along, but I'll try to make it sound more exciting.

I did have a good time doing "Shotgun Express" with Dick Day on Channel 15 public access tonight.  Too tired to recount it all and I don't get the DVD until Monday, but let's just say it was an interesting chat about the Constitution, collapse of the financial system, and other fun things.  After reviewing the show, I may need to hire a handler to tell me to avoid the media going forward.

More later.  Keep those cards and letters coming.

todd

Campaign Financing

This week I have to file my first ever campaign financing report to the State.  It's due on Thursday, but today is the last day I have to include contributions for this round.

So...the current fundraiser has been wonderful, though I was remiss in continuing to remind people about it last week.  Heat, Sam's illness and teething, and other externalities made doing much of anything, campaigning or otherwise, problematic.

Still 110 bucks shy of the aggressive goal of $750 by the 15th.  How about I send you a bumpersticker or button for any contribution of $10.01 or more?

You can donate securely online, including with a credit card even if you don't have a PayPal account.  Donations by check:

Todd Pritsky For VT House
215 Bog Road
Cambridge, Vermont
05444

If you have questions, please contact me at toddforvthouse@gmail.com.

Thanks to everybody for all the support, financial, moral, etc.  It's been so great during these hot, difficult days.

todd

Fundraiser Update

We're currently at $455 on our way to $750 by the July 15th campaign finance reporting deadline.  Thank you so much for your generous support thus far!  Time for a final push, and let me once again try a gimmick to goose folks who have been thinking about contributing to the cause.

To honor Vermont's birth on July 8th, 1777, how about this:

• The next 8 people who "like" the campaign's Facebook page (there are 365 right now) will receive a free Todd for Vermont House button or bumpersticker (your choice).
• Every person who donates $27.77 gets 2 buttons or bumperstickers (or 1 of each)
• Every person who donates $37.77 gets those 2 piece of schwag and a t-shirt

Please help pay for gas and provide a little viz at the same time!  You can do so securely via Paypal (even if you don't have an account) or by sending a check:

Todd Pritsky For VT House
215 Bog Road
Cambridge, Vermont
05444

Vermont's Independence Anniversary is just 8 days away.  If we get 8 people to donate at the higher level, the fundraiser is finished a week early.  Contribute now and you'll have a free conscience and be free of my nagging!

Again, everybody's help has been terrific and is very appreciated.  Onward...

ntodd