►
From YouTube: VT Lieutenant Governor Forum - 10/24/2022
Description
00:00:52 Opening Statements
00:04:58 Role of Lt. Governor
00:08:12 Endorsements
00:10:56 Working with Governor
00:15:27 Gun Rights
00:20:05 Climate
00:25:45 Racial Justice
00:29:38 Closing Comments
This video belongs to http://www.cctv.org and published with permission under Creative Commons License CCTV Center for Media & Democracy Programming is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
A
Hello
and
welcome
to
ongoing
ongoing
general
election
coverage
by
town
meeting
television.
This
is
one
of
a
series
of
forums
we
are
bringing
you
in
advance
of
the
general
election
on
November
8th.
My
name
is
Bridget
Higdon
I'm,
the
managing
editor
of
the
Saint
Albans
messenger,
the
Essex
reporter
the
Colchester
sun
and
the
Milton
independent
I'm
here
tonight
with
former
Lieutenant
Governor
David
Zuckerman
and
Senator
Joe
betting,
who
are
competing
for
your
vote
for
lieutenant
governor
of
the
state
of
Vermont
town
meeting
TV,
hosts
forums
with
all
candidates
and
covers
all
ballot
items.
A
A
We're
going
to
start
here
with
some
opening
statements
from
each
of
the
candidates.
They'll
have
one
minute
to.
Please
tell
us
why
you
were
running
and,
most
importantly
here,
what
will
be
different
for
the
people
of
of
Vermont
because
you
are
elected
so
we'll
go
I,
guess
alphabetical
here
by
last
name,
so
Senator
Benning.
Can
we
begin
with
you
please
for
a
one-minute
opening
statement.
Sure.
B
Thanks
Bridget
David
good
evening,
I'm
running
for
lieutenant
governor
because
number
one
I
believe
in
the
institution
of
the
Senate.
It's
a
place
where
I've
been
for
the
past
12
straight
years
and
I'm
somewhat
concerned
that
the
office
of
lieutenant
governor,
which
presides
over
the
Senate,
is
fast
becoming
a
revolving
door
for
politicians
who
want
to
climb
up
the
ladder.
I
don't
want
to
do
that
in
fact,
I've
committed
to
getting
reelected
in
24
if,
in
fact,
I
am
elected
this
term.
My
hope
is
that
folks
will
recognize.
B
I
have
been
in
the
Senate
now
for
12
years,
I
know
who
the
Senators
are
and
how
they
fit
together,
which
was
one
of
the
components
of
the
lieutenant
Governor's
position.
I
have
the
ability
to
run
a
meeting
having
been
chair
of
Vermont's
Human
Rights
Commission,
having
watched
three
different
Lieutenant
Governors
over
the
years
developed
their
Cadence
and
routine,
and
the
delivery
of
their
mission
as
moderator
of
the
Senate
and
I've
served
as
Town
moderator
in
the
town
of
Linden
for
the
past
10
years.
B
B
C
Thank
You,
Bridget
and
Tom
meeting
TV
I've
always
enjoyed
these
conversations
and
Community
Access
I
Am
David
Zuckerman
I'm,
a
former
lieutenant
governor,
also
state
legislator
for
18
years
also
Father,
small
business
owner
I
run
and
operate.
Our
farm
with
my
spouse
and
I
have
a
lot
of
experience
in
the
legislative
process,
both
as
a
policy
maker
and
as
lieutenant
governor.
C
So
if
you
get
me
and
as
lieutenant
governor,
what
you
will
see
is
someone
who
works
with
you
all
across
the
state
state
to
bring
your
voice
into
the
process
so
that
we
can
tackle
these
major
issues
facing
vermonters
and
and,
as
my
opponent
also
said,
you
can
find
out
more
information
on
my
website
at
zuckerman4vermont.com.
That's
zuckermanforvt.com
and
I.
Look
forward
to
working
with
you.
A
Great,
thank
you
very
much.
Senator
Benning
did
a
good
job
sort
of
describing
the
role
of
the
lieutenant
governor
as
it
is
on
paper,
proceeding
over
the
the
Senate
breaking
ties
as
need
be
so
David,
we'll
kind
of
come
back
to
you
here.
Can
you
talk
about
in
what
ways
you
would
use
this
position
both
sort
of
that
concrete
and
then
what
sword?
Can
you
build
around
that?
Please
sure.
C
There
are
the
three
very
clear
jobs.
One
is
to
be
first
in
line
to
be
Governor.
If
something
happens
to
the
governor
two
is
to
preside
over
the
senate
or
essentially
the
town
moderator
of
the
Senate,
and
the
third
is
to
serve
on
the
committee
on
committees
which
allocates
the
Senators
to
their
various
committees,
as
well
as
citizen
appointments
to
boards
all
across
the
state.
As
lieutenant
governor
I've
got
four
years.
C
What
I
used
to
do
was
travel
the
state
one
foot
in
the
building,
doing
the
official
duties
and
one
foot
throughout
the
rest
of
the
day
and
in
the
off
session,
traveling
Vermont,
really
bringing
vermonters
deeper
into
the
process
from
school
groups
to
senior
centers
I've
talked
with
and
worked
with
people
who
didn't
realize
how
powerful
their
voice
could
be
and
when
we
brought
them
into
the
process.
We
made
effective
change
for
them
and
their
community
members
and
I
look
forward
to
doing
that
again.
A
B
Well,
first
I
would
act
as
a
conduit
between
constituents
and
myself
for
people
who
would
want
to
come
into
the
building
and
learn
about
the
government
process
and
I've
done
that
in
the
past,
with
numerous
individuals
and
I
use.
The
typical
example
of
an
eighth
grade
girl
named
Angela
kubicki,
who
came
in
asking
me
the
question:
why
doesn't
Vermont
have
a
Latin
motto?
B
I'm
very
proud
of
the
fact
that
this
young
lady
now
is
out
of
college,
but
the
bottom
line
for
her
is
somewhere
down
the
road
50
years
from
now,
she'll
have
a
grandchild
on
her
knee
and
be
able
to
say
that's
something
that
I
did
through
government
and
I
was
very
appreciative
of
the
senator
who
helped
me
through
that
process.
I
believe
the
offer
is
also
a
place
to
act
as
a
conduit
between
anybody.
Coming
in
the
building
and
the
governor's
administrative
team,
I
have
a
very
good
working
relationship
with
all
of
the
administrative
players.
B
I
happen
to
know
that
they
have
a
mission.
I
know
what
that
mission
is
I
want
to
be
able
to
help
governor
Scott
continue
with
that
mission
of
making
Vermont
a
more
affordable
place
and
being
able
to
introduce
the
players
who
walk
in
my
door
immediately
to
those
folks
in
the
administration
who
might
bring
them
an
immediate
solution
to
their
problem
is
a
very
important
part
of
the
job.
A
B
Obviously,
the
first
endorsement
is
Governor
Phil
Scott.
He
has
officially
endorsed
me
not
just
in
the
general
election,
but
also
in
the
primary
I.
Think
that
he
sees
me
as
somebody
who
would
be
a
valuable
addition
to
his
team.
I
would
want
to
work
that,
for
all
it
could
be.
Fourth
I've
also
been
endorsed
by
former
Governor
Jim
Douglas,
a
former
Lieutenant
Governor
Brian
Dube
and
those
individuals
have
worked
with
me
throughout
this
process.
B
Teaching
me
everything
I
need
to
know
about
this
particular
position,
but
it
is
important
for
the
position
itself
to
have
a
really
good
working
relationship
and
I
happen
to
do
with
the
governor
that
I
would
be
serving
under
and
in
the
event
that
it
happened
that
he
could
not
serve
in
his
role
step
into
his
shoes.
If
you
will,
with
the
administrative
team
that
basically
comes
along
with
that
package
and
in
running
in,
what's
currently
an
8.2
billion
dollar
budget,
that's
really
important
when
somebody
steps
into
that
role.
B
C
I'm
particularly
proud
of
the
environmental
endorsements,
Viper
Sierra,
Club,
Vermont
conservation,
voters,
Bill
McKibben,
because
when
you
look
at
the
issues
of
our
time,
they
are
all
overshadowed
by
the
climate
and
what
we
can
or
may
not
do
around
trying
to
mitigate
the
effects
and
how
we
can
take
advantage
of
the
economic
opportunities
that
the
climate
crisis
is
also
going
to
create
for
us
from
weatherization
to
renewable
energy
jobs
and
carbon
sequestration.
Through
agriculture.
A
Great,
thank
you.
Both
very
much
I've
got
sort
of
a
follow-up
question
here.
Senator
Benning,
you
mentioned
that
it's
important
to
have
a
working
relationship
with
the
governor
as
lieutenant
governor
and
so
of
course,
governor
Scott
is
running
for
that
position.
We
also
know
Brenda.
Siegel
is
running
for
that
position.
A
C
Sure
happy
to
have
that
conversation
I
will
work
with
whoever
is
Governor
I've
always
made
that
opportunity
available.
I
think
there
are
issues
that
you
can
work
on,
no
matter
who's
in
the
executive
branch.
It's
also
important
to
recognize
that
the
relationship
between
the
lieutenant
governor
and
the
people
of
Vermont
and
the
Senate
is
critical
to
making
sure
those
voices
are
heard.
B
Well,
I
think
I
have
a
very
good
relationship
with
Phil
Scott.
That's
the
one
difference
that
I
bring
to
the
table
here
in
this
conversation,
because
I
know
that
David,
at
the
very
least
in
running
against
him,
has
demonstrated
that
he
is
not
in
favor
of
what
the
governor
is
presenting
for
policies.
So
what
I
Envision
at
the
commencement
of
the
next
session
is
the
warning
signs
coming
down
the
pike
of
a
severe
downturn
in
our
federal
revenue
stream
at
a
time
when
David
and
Phil
Scott
would
be
at
loggerheads
with
each
other?
B
And
that's
very
concerning
to
me
I,
want
to
believe
that
if
Brenda
Siegel
is
actually
elected,
I
have
had
a
fairly
good
relationship
with
Brenda.
I
use
this
as
an
example
on
the
past
winter,
when
she
was
sleeping
out
on
the
State
House
steps,
I
was
walking
by
one
morning
and
I
invited
her
into
the
building
to
get
warm
and
give
her
breakfast
we
engaged
in
conversation.
Then
we've
had
several
conversations
since
then.
We
have
long-term
and
short-term
differences
in
how
we
would
attack
a
given
problem.
B
For
instance,
housing
Brenda
is
very
much
interested
in
creating
a
short-term
solution
to
the
problem.
I
am
very
much
interested
in
creating
a
long-term
solution
to
the
problem
and
I
suspect.
If
we
spend
some
time
working
with
each
other,
we
would
figure
out
how
to
reach
consensus
but
I
at
the
end
of
the
day,
I
believe
everybody
that
is
in
the
state
house
right
now,
I
don't
care
what
party
you're
from
they
all
see
me
as
somebody
who
is
congenial
and
willing
to
work
across
to
party
lines.
B
We
have
done
so
many
occasions
and
many
of
the
bills
that
I've
been
associated
with
have
been
just
that,
for
instance,
cannabis
reform
attacks
and
regulated
system.
I
have
worked
very
extensively
with
people
from
across
the
aisle
and
I
believe.
That
is
the
actual
way
you
get
things
accomplished
here
in
Vermont.
C
If
I
could
follow
up
on
that
for
a
moment,
I
do
appreciate
the
work
Joe
picked
up
from
my
15
years
of
cannabis.
Work
again
also
across
the
aisle
part
of
working
across
the
aisle
is
recognizing
those
people.
You
did
work
with
so
Joe.
Thank
you
for
that
work,
as
well
as
work
on
many
other
issues
that
we've
worked
together
on,
but
I
do
think.
It's
I
do
think
it's
important
to
recognize
that
our
job
is
to
be
representative
of
people
and
to
work
with
anybody
and
everybody.
A
C
A
C
You
know,
all
we
need
to
do
is
make
sure
we
have
a
safer
State
and
allow
people
to
have
the
guns
they
need
for
their
personal
safety
and
or
hunting,
as
is
protected
in
article
16
and
of
the
Vermont
constitution
in
article
two
of
the
U.S
Constitution.
But
we
do
know
that
it
is
legally
been
approved
to
have
certain
limitations
and
I
think
we
need
to
look
at
a
couple
of
those
to
make
sure
Vermont
is
both
safe
and
respectful
with
those
gun
rights.
B
I,
don't
Bridget,
and
that's
because
we've
had
several
pieces
of
legislation
come
down
the
pike
recently
I.
Don't
think
any
of
them
have
had
a
real
full
time
to
work
out,
but,
for
instance,
the
red
flag
law,
I
supported
it
once
we
had
due
process
put
in
place
to
protect
those
who
were
accused
but
had
a
good
reason
not
to
be
accused
to
be
able
to
get
into
court
and
get
their
property
back.
I
have
had
several
differences
of
opinion
along
the
trail
about
article
16
of
the
Vermont
Constitution.
B
The
bottom
line
on
that
is,
it
has
got
nothing
to
do
with
hunting.
It
is
all
about
your
right
to
bear
arms
for
self-defense.
So
when
I
hear
people
talking
about,
oh
a
waiting
period
is
just
a
little
thing.
We
can
wink
wink
and
pretend
we
don't
need
to
worry
about
the
explicit
language
of
the
Constitution
I
get
up
on
my
heels.
If
you
will
and
I
say,
wait
a
minute,
we
are
sworn
to
uphold
that
document,
we're
sworn
to
protect
and
defend
it.
B
If
you
want
to
change
the
constant
institution,
that's
fine,
but
right
now
the
explicit
language
requires
me
to
be
very
cautious
when
walking
down
the
road
of
additional
gun
legislation
and
right
now,
I,
don't
know
anything!
That's
out
there
pending
on
the
table
that
we
could
specifically
address
so
right
now,
I'm
happy
with
what
we've
got.
C
B
I'll
just
pose
a
counter
to
that
and
say:
I
know
what
the
document
says.
It's
very
explicit
and
the
first
thing
that
happens
to
you
when
you
take
a
seat
in
the
legislature
is
you
are
to
uphold
that
document
and
I
intend
to
continue
doing
that
unless
and
until
I
see
something
that
doesn't
interfere
with
that.
B
A
B
Sure
I
would
say
it's
a
safe
bet.
The
climate,
in
the
way
it
is
changing,
will
affect
Vermont
in
some
fashion.
I'm
not
going
to
be
so
bold
as
to
say
it's
going
to
result
in
us
being
a
desert
in
the
near
future,
but
the
bottom
line
is:
we
need
to
be
paying
attention
to
what's
going
on.
For
that
reason,
I
have
championed
the
cause
of
having
us
become
resilient,
because
I
think
that's
within
Vermont's
ability
to
do.
Vermont
has
a
very
limited
number
of
people.
B
B
We
have
set
aside
a
lot
of
money
through
the
years
to
make
homes
weatherized
we've
been
absent
projects
to
complete
that,
but
we
have
paid
attention
to
it
and
I
think
that
is
the
direction
we
need
to
be
going.
We
shouldn't
allow,
for
instance,
homes
to
be
built
in
a
river
floodway
plane,
you're,
going
to
have
a
lot
more
water
falling
upon
us,
and
when
that
happens,
those
folks
who
are
closest
to
the
water
may
be
threatened
so
learning
how
to
adapt
as
a
human
animal
to
what's
coming
down.
B
The
pike
is
very
important
and
it
is
within
our
responsibilities
as
a
state
to
try
to
take
that
on
it's
not
over
biting
anything
that
you
want
to
attack
in
climate
change.
One
of
the
differences
between
David
and
I
is
we
have
a
very
different
opinion
on
what
tools
should
be
used
in
that
effort.
But
for
me
the
top
priority
is
making
sure
we
are
resilient.
C
Sure
well,
thank
you.
A
few
things
my
opponent
just
mentioned.
He
has
been
a
climate
Champion
I
I'm
interested
in
that,
given
that
every
Environmental
Group
has
endorsed
me
and
in
fact
some
have
recognized
me
as
an
environmental
leader
and
champion
in
the
legislature,
and
if
my
opponent
has
received
such
accolades,
I
was
unaware,
but
through
20
years,
I've
worked
on
environmental
legislation.
Both
water
quality,
climate,
housing
weatherization
as
well
and
I,
can
tell
you
as
a
farmer
that
the
changing
climate
is
happening
daily.
The
erratic
weather
is
happening
more.
C
C
It
is
critical
that
we
take
this
into
a
no
level
of
urgency.
We
know
when
there's
a
a
catastrophe,
whether
it's
the
covid.
When
citizens
came
together
and
said,
we
need
to
tackle
this
together.
We
need
to
take
care
of
our
neighbors.
We
need
to
take
care
of
ourselves.
We
can
do
this
with
a
climate
with
a
coordinated
effort
and
I
believe
I'm
better
suited
to
do
that
coordinated
effort
having
worked
with
people
all
across
the
state
on
these
issues
already
well.
B
David
you've
asked
about
my
championing
for
the
environment,
but
long
before
you
came
to
the
state
of
Vermont.
I
was
one
of
those
people
who
was
harassing
their
Congressman
because
we
were
experiencing
acid
rain
from
the
Midwest
coal-fired
power
plants
and
it
was
defoliating
our
Mountain
Ridge
lines,
the
exact
Ridge
lines
which
we
differ
about,
whether
or
not
we
should
have
500
foot
wind
towers,
put
atop
them
after
dynamiting
those
Ridge
lines
and
then
having
all
of
those
Ridge
lines
exposed
to.
In
the
case
of
Lowell
21,
separate
100
foot
tall
concrete
pyramids.
B
B
I
really
think
it
would
be
disingenuous
for
us
to
try
to
leave
that
impression
with
the
public
at
large,
but
I
do
believe
that
there
are
certain
things
that
national
government
should
be
doing
in
order
to
effectuate
the
changes
that
I
think
we
both
are
looking
for,
but
there's
also
Vermont's
contribution
to
that
and
I
believe
that
Vermont
has
a
limited
number
of
people
and
a
limited
number
of
dollars
to
work
with
so
I
come
back
to
saying.
Resiliency
right
now
is
my
number
one
priority.
C
I
think
we
need
to
do
both,
but
I
will
tell
you
as
a
farmer.
There
are
crops
that
I'm
already
taking
off
of
my
list
of
production
because
of
the
impact
of
different
pests
due
to
them
arriving
sooner,
because
our
climate
is
changing,
whether
it's
carrots
or
something
else
I
will
very
clearly
let
you
know
that
there
are
crops
shifting
as
far
as
what
is
valuable
or
possible
to
produce
in
Vermont
literally
years
within
years,.
A
C
Well,
of
course,
first
and
foremost,
I
hope
voters
will
support
proposition
two.
It
is
on
the
on
the
ballot
to
adjust
our
constitution
language
around
slavery,
to
make
sure
there's
no
semblance,
even
within
our
Criminal
Justice
System,
of
allowing
that
in
Vermont
it's
both
symbolic
and
meaningful
I
think
we
really
have
to
look
specifically
at
our
education
and
incarceration
systems.
We
know
there's
a
very
disproportionate
rate
of
disciplinary
actions,
suspensions
and
detentions
of
people
in
communities
of
color
in
school.
C
We
need
to
do
serious
training
around
implicit
bias,
to
really
work
to
reduce
these
disproportionate
numbers
that
are
being
incarcerated
and
being
punished
in
our
schools.
We
also
need
to
support
Economic
Development
tools.
There's
great
Professionals
of
color
networks
that
we
could
help
either
individually
to
amplify
their
existence
to
help
small
businesses
get
started
led
by
people
of
color,
as
well
as
potentially
State
investment
to
help
those
businesses
get
on
their
feet
and
build
the
wealth
of
our
society
across
all
of
us,
not
just
some
just
proportionately.
B
This
I
believe
I
probably
have
about
a
minute
left.
So
let
me
say:
first,
we
are
working
on
all
of
these
things.
In
my
chairmanship
of
the
Vermont
Human
Rights
Commission,
we
began
talking
with
law
enforcement
agencies
to
try
to
start
collecting
data
to
reflect
how
they
were
stopping
anybody
of
color.
B
B
Connor
is
a
person
of
color,
and
we
were
talking
about
the
fact
that
he
left
my
town
of
Linden
to
go
over
to
Burlington
because
he
felt
more
comfortable
in
a
place
where
he
had
a
whole
lot
of
people
who
looked
like
him
and
I
said
Connor.
The
way
that
we're
going
to
actually
have
a
lot
of
people
talking
to
each
other
is,
if
you're,
not
in
a
homogeneous
society.
We
are
actually
out
there
talking
with
each
other
every
day,
and
that's
really
something
very
important
to
me
to
have
that
conversation
in
Lieutenant
governor's
office.
A
A
B
C
Right,
thank
you.
I
just
I
do
want
to
thank
CCTV
and
all
of
you
out
there
watching.
You
do
have
a
clear
choice
before
you,
one
who
wants
to
go
with
a
little
more
business
as
usual,
and
someone
else
who's
got
bold
Progressive
leadership
to
tackle
the
Urgent
issues
of
our
time.
I've
spent
my
entire
career
in
public
service,
putting
forth
ideas
and
issues
that
were
ahead
of
their
time
in
the
moment,
but
working
with
vermonters
across
the
state.
C
We
built
the
momentum
to
tackle
those
big
issues
from
Marriage
equality
to
raising
wages,
Lyme
medical
care
for
vermonters,
as
well
as
affordable
housing
and
climate
and
and
Rural
agricultural
issues.
I
want
to
continue
that
fight
with
you
and
for
you
as
lieutenant
governor
I,
want
to
continue
the
work
I've
done
in
living
rooms
and
church
basements
and
coffee
shops
across
the
state,
bringing
you
into
the
process
so
that
Vermont
pillar
will
tackle
these
issues
with
the
urgency
that
they
have
and
need
and
deserve
I
hope,
you'll
vote
for
me
on
Election
Day.
C
B
David
has
alluded
to
the
fact
that
I'm
actually
looking
for
business
as
usual
I
will
plead
guilty
if
business
as
usual
is
keeping
Vermont
affordable.
As
Phil
Scott
has
attempted
to
do,
I
plead
guilty,
if
being
a
person
who
has
tried
to
keep
our
taxes
down,
I
will
plead
guilty
to
wanting
to
do
that
as
well.
B
If
those
things
are
business
as
usual
I'm
all
for
it,
we
have
attempted
to
do
everything
we
can
to
make
Vermont
a
reasonable,
affordable,
great
place
to
live
work
and
play,
and
the
last
thing
I
want
to
say
is
between
the
two
of
us:
I
have
the
best
working
relationship
with
Phil,
Scott
and
I
believe
he
will
be
re-elected.
Please
visit
my
website
joebenning.com
thanks
everybody
for
turning
out
today
and
have
a
great
Vermont
day.
A
A
You
can
do
so
at
the
poll
from
7
A.M
to
7
P.M
on
November,
8th
or
you
are
most
likely
mailed
a
ballot
which
you
can
fill
out
and
either
bring
to
the
poll
or
give
it
back
to
your
town
clerk,
so
lots
of
options
for
voting,
and
we
really
do
encourage
you
to
do
so
again.
My
name
is
Bridget
Higdon
managing
editor
of
several
papers
in
the
area
here
and
yeah
I
appreciate
the
chance
to
be
a
part
of
this.
You
can
re-watch
this
on
the
town
meeting
tv
YouTube
channel.