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Smashing Failure

Before I retired, blithely ignorant statements about recycling in the media made me want to reconfigure my laptop with a Louisville Slugger. Seven Days reporter Ken Picard’s remarks about the new Break Room in South Burlington [“Going for Broke,” November 5] — “And lest anyone feel guilty about adding to Vermont’s sole landfill, all broken objects are separated into recyclables, e-waste and general trash”— triggered my dormant swing response.

I can’t imagine any item leaving the Break Room in recyclable form. Even worse, Picard has now taught his teenage kids that smashing a still-working flat-screen TV to tiny bits is “without consequences.” Tell that to the local businesses that salvage significant value from discarded electronics in repair training programs, refurbishing and resale, or harvesting and marketing hard-to-find parts on the global reuse marketplace.

Recycling — selling raw materials as commodities to be re-formed into new products — is always the last stop in value extraction, and it has its own rules for what can and can’t be processed by the people and complex machinery that accomplish that work. Smashing anything to “a mangled mess of glass, plastic and electronics” renders it virtually worthless to anyone but the landfill operator.

Given the fraught state of the world and the enormous lift of publishing Seven Days every week, this may seem trivial. To the professionals who have been educating the public and local media about responsible waste management for decades, it’s truly disheartening. Though my computer remains safe, my faith in Seven Days’ fact-checking is, sadly, a little bit battered.

Thanks, BCA

[Re “Mourning in America: BCA Center Art Show Explores Private and Public Grief,” November 5]: Thank you for bringing attention to Burlington City Arts’ current exhibit, “Do We Say Goodbye?,” which I found to be deeply moving and a compelling reflection on our most profound — and also most ordinary — human experiences of death, grief and loss.

One of the artists featured in this show has offered another important contribution to our community. As part of Great Streets BTV’s Main Street Project, Lydia Kern was commissioned by BCA to create a piece of public art. Her “Anthology” is the stunning result. Across from the Flynn and framing one of the entrances to City Hall Park, this beautiful sculpture glows with the colors of a sunset over the lake and is vibrant with pressed flowers contributed by many community members. At different times of day and in different kinds of weather, the light shines through the colorful resin in glorious, meditative and even playful ways. In a post on Instagram, BCA describes “Anthology” as a reflection on “transformation, interdependence and participation” — all things that can serve us well during these complicated times.

I encourage folks to visit this uplifting public artwork! And thanks to BCA for remembering the importance of beauty in our daily lives.

A Lawyer’s View

I want to respond to David Stewart’s letter [Feedback: “You Forgot the Word ‘Illegal,’” October 29]. Firstly, being undocumented is not a criminal offense; it is a civil violation, just like when we get a parking ticket. Under Section 208(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 USC 1158[a]), anyone who is inside the United States, regardless of their current immigration status, or who arrives at a port of entry or between a port of entry (I believe that Stewart called it an “illegal” entry), is entitled to seek asylum in the United States.

Secondly, the current administration is going out of its way to terrorize and target a vulnerable community, not just “criminals.” As an immigration attorney, I have clients who are lawfully seeking an immigration benefit, have zero criminal history and are beloved members of our communities who have been arbitrarily detained by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The administration is targeting all immigrants, regardless of their status. It has also stripped my clients of a lawful status that they had (parole/temporary protected status) that allowed them to work, thereby creating thousands of “illegal” noncitizens whom they could then remove.

Finally, I ask for empathy for our community members who made the tough decisions to leave their homes to come to the U.S. seeking safety and opportunity. I would ask we who are born here in the U.S. to think about what would cause us to make this kind of decision and to extend grace, empathy and respect to our friends and neighbors here who have bravely done so.

Bad Policy for Vermont

Thank you for covering Gov. Phil Scott’s mandate requiring state employees to return to office [“Remote Control: State Employees Push Back Against Gov. Scott’s Plan to Make Employees Who Work at Home Return to the Office,” October 1; “Distant State Workers Get Nine Months to Relocate,” October 3, online; “Employees’ Union Asks Judge to Block Return-to-Office Mandate,” November 20, online]. This decision deserves renewed attention as its impacts on workforce stability, customer service and state resources become clearer.

A recent Vermont State Employees’ Association survey found that only 21 percent of state employees plan to stay with the state for at least five years — down sharply from 85 percent in the most recent State Employee Engagement Survey.

Meanwhile, some departments will move into newly leased spaces, adding costs for rent, furniture and equipment despite ongoing budget challenges. This is especially concerning given that remote and hybrid work have proven successful and support local economies.

Vermonters should care because high turnover is costly. Replacing a skilled employee can cost 50 percent to 200 percent of their annual salary. If the return-to-office mandate drives just 300 employees to leave, replacement costs could reach $10 million to $40 million.

Rigid in-office policies will only increase turnover, recruitment expenses and vacancy rates, resulting in poorer state services at higher taxpayer cost. In contrast, maintaining flexible hybrid options aligns with the governor’s broader goal to address Vermont’s demographic challenges and expand the state’s workforce by attracting new residents and creating opportunities for young Vermonters.

As the Vermont Futures Project notes, remote workers “revitalize rural areas, promote innovation, and strengthen local economies.” Vermont should embrace this future, not retreat from it.

‘Time to Resist’

The October 29 Seven Days cover perfectly illustrates the challenge facing Gov. Phil Scott’s administration as it seeks a “balancing act” during this first year of the Trump administration (read: regime). Unfortunately, it also shows the continued tendency of the media to normalize this country’s slide into authoritarianism. It does so by showing half of the people as MAGA supporters and half as “blue” voters when, in fact, Vermont is one of the bluest states in the country. It chose Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris by a 2-1 margin in 2024.

I can credit Gov. Scott’s efforts to deflect negative attention from Vermont. However, his approach seems a bit misguided, if not deluded. This is illustrated by the recent decision of “the regime” to deny disaster aid to Vermont.

I’d also like to note that this approach doesn’t directly acknowledge those of us in Vermont who are being targeted by the hateful actions of the Trump regime. Those include the LGBTQ community, people of color, immigrants and many others. We do not have the luxury of laying low.

Finally, I’d like to note the article’s anonymous quote from a Scott administration official: “This is not a time to resist. This is the politics of appeasement.”

No — it damned well is the time to resist! Democracy, human rights, the rule of law and the Constitution are all under relentless assault.

We should all remember how well appeasement works when dealing with authoritarian wannabes. Just think of Neville Chamberlain. We know how that worked out.

Respect for Early Educators

Thank you for the excellent article on Vermont’s investments in childcare [“Growing Gains: Vermont’s Bold Investment in Childcare Is Largely Paying Off,” November 19]. I want to add some context to the section on the “professionalization bill” and honor the concerns of my colleagues quoted in the article. As an early childhood educator serving on the Advancing as a Profession Task Force, I had the privilege of helping shape the workforce recommendations in the Early Childhood Educators Profession Bill and witnessing firsthand the thoughtful, deliberate work behind them.

Change can feel uncertain, especially in a field that has endured so much instability. This bill looks to the future workforce while honoring and supporting those already in the field. It provides extensive supports and transition provisions to help current educators succeed during the shift. The changes are deliberately paced to ensure they are sustainable, well supported and manageable for everyone involved.

To recruit and retain the educators who make Vermont’s childcare system thrive, meaningful professional recognition is essential. With $125 million in public investments, some level of individual accountability is expected. This bill gives early educators a chance to design a licensure system that truly reflects the respect, career pathways and stability our profession deserves — a system we can be proud of.

‘Ads Should Be Ads’

[Re 7D Brand Studio: “Burlington Police Department, Mayor Work Together to Improve Community Safety,” November 12]: Ads should be ads, and articles should be articles. Printing content paid for by Pomerleau Real Estate in the same layout as a regular Seven Days article is misleading. I appreciate that Seven Days is distributed free of charge and that it must therefore generate revenue through advertising. But publishing a piece sponsored by one of Burlington’s biggest landlords posing as a news story compromises this publication’s journalistic integrity.

The “article” itself reads like a recruitment ad for the Burlington Police Department. It mentions that retention has “long been difficult for the department” and in U.S. law enforcement generally but does not ask why that is the case, as real journalism would. It’s unclear who even wrote the story; there’s no byline.

The anonymous author acknowledges that 19 of the 20 individuals — 95 percent — with whom Burlington’s police interact most frequently are experiencing unsheltered homelessness. They write that this highlights the need for “broader responses and resources” without naming the obvious one: housing for all.

As Burlington’s second-largest landowner, Pomerleau Real Estate has benefited financially as housing prices have skyrocketed. This increase in the cost of housing is also largely responsible for the rise in homelessness — people live outdoors when they cannot afford other options. The Pomerleaus personally profit from spreading the belief that escalating police presence, rather than making housing affordable for everybody, is what is needed to address public drug use and crimes of desperation. That must be why they paid several thousand dollars for this pro-BPD puff piece.

We Found Each Other

Loved the story on Seven Days personals [From the Publisher: “The Personals Touch,” November 19] and just wanted to add my own. I’m 80 years old and found my current partner, former giant pumpkin grower Steve Minor, through Seven Days personals. They are not just for the young but also for the “not dead yet” folks like us. Our first date was at Muddy Waters on Main Street in Burlington. We will be going back there on our two-year anniversary on December 15. Yahoo, Seven Days! You guys continually renew our faith in humanity!

Shout-Out to Johnson Woolen Mills

[Re “Glad in Plaid: A Complicated Burlington Businessman Aims to Revive Johnson Woolen Mills,” December 13, 2023]: I recently contacted Johnson Woolen Mills regarding repair of my 50-year-old coat. Gene Richards responded and said they’d be happy to repair it. I remembered he used to be director of the Burlington airport; now he owns Johnson Woolen Mills. I picked up the coat at his house in a few days, and there was no bill included. I suggested I’d like to send a $25 check to give to that person as a bonus. He said that offer was very kind but totally unnecessary. I was very touched by this gesture, as this is my favorite garment of all time!

My point in writing this is that supporting local businesses does matter. It keeps dollars in our communities and helps secure people’s jobs.

Also, I just bought a set of summer tires from my local mechanic and said I wanted product made in the USA. I’m all set for spring. When I get exceptional customer service, I want to tell them so!

This article appears in Dec 3-9 2025.

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