* updated below *
In a five-page ruling issued late this afternoon, Superior Court Judge Geoffrey Crawford ordered the state Department of Public Safety to release the roadside video of Auditor Tom Salmon’s DUI traffic stop.
The state has until 4:30 p.m. Thursday to release the video to Burlington attorney John Franco. The state’s attorneys could not be reached for comment about the ruling, or whether they will ask to stay the judge’s order.
Franco, a supporter of Salmon’s general election challenger Doug Hoffer, a Democrat-Progressive, ordered the DUI video from the DPS website back in early September. Initially the request was granted, and his credit card was charged $45 for a copy. Then Franco received word that his request had been denied by DPS Commissioner Tom Tremblay.
Franco appealed the ruling, was denied again — and then sued the state. First in federal court and then in state court.
This article appears in Oct 27 – Nov 2, 2010.
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What’s the big deal? Whenever I see him I say “is that guy drunk?”
As technology gets better and more compact, these instances will only increase. Attorney Franco has done a good thing here on our behalf.
I am a Democrat but I find this kind of tactic very disgusting. If Mr Hoffers Progressive Party operates this way in elections they really need to take a step back. All the complaining about negative campaigns needs to apply here too. Remember – Karma – eventually that bad energy in the universe will come back to you.
Mr. Francos good deeds could turn into big brother – be careful what you wish for.
Re: first comment, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery I guess – even bad imitation.Franco’s actions were implicitly, if not explicitly, approved by Hoffer. You can replace “John Franco” with “the Hoffer campaign” in every story on this issue. I guess now we’ll find out what they plan to actually do with the thing, since he’s been singularly silent on that point.I’d rather have a guy who drove 0.06 over the limit working as State Auditor than a guy who said that Burlington Telecom was “doing fine and will work out the problems” two years ago, when they were clearly in a death spiral. He also curiously referred to them as “we.” Of course, you’ll never hear about important points like that here on the Prog house instrument – just endless stories about the release of a video of an arrest that everyone knew about a long time ago.
Oh yeah, another Franco quote from yesterday that you’d never see repeated here for obvious reasons:”It’s no secret this was directly related to the campaign”
If Tom Salmon can get HIS DUI video released than I should be able to get a copy of mine, right? Mine would be a CLASSIC. I was ripped. I’d LOVE to see it. What makes him so special that he gets to take home a copy of his video and the rest of us just have to imagine what awesome things we might have done? This is is politics as usual!
Both Hoffer’s long history of pro-tax and pro-government advocacy, and also how he is campaigning in this race, make quite clear that he is not running for this office so that he can be an impartial, neutral auditor, but because he intends to use the office for left-wing policy advocacy.I want an auditor, not someone who is going to try to convince me that, despite all the studies to the contrary, Vermonters are actually undertaxed; not someone who is going to try to convince me that increased public spending is a good thing; not someone who is going to try to convince me that Burlington Telecom was a good idea and that the state should take over all private telecom companies in Vermont; not someone who is going to try to convince me that the public sector is good and the private sector is bad; not someone who is going to try to convince me that we should never cut public sector employment; and not someone who is going to try to convince me that we should adopt statewide IRV.Auditor. Auditor. AUDITOR. NOT policy advocate. Policy advocacy is for the Governor’s office, not the Auditor’s.
So – you all agree then that Shumlin’s video shouldn’t have been released either?
“Vermont State Auditor Thomas Salmon told a state trooper that he had two glasses of red wine the night he was arrested for drunken driving when he later said he had five drinks.”Tom Salmon – Gets drunk. Drives. Gets caught. Lies to the state trooper. This is not a man who deserves the public’s trust. http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20101028/NEWS03/101028056/Video-shows-Salmon-claimed-he-only-had-two-drinks
No one cares. .086 means you’ve got about one drink still in your system. How many you had earlier in the day is irrelevant. Franco just cost Hoffer a job, what a “pal.”
“This has nothing to do with my campaign” – Doug Hoffer”It’s no secret this was directly related to the campaign” – John FrancoNow who’s being dishonest, exactly?
“Salmon: This is not a man who deserves the public’s trust.”Hey, Alleged One Vermonter, just wondering: do you apply the same standard to that well-known paragon of trustworthiness and moral rectitude Peter Shumlin? Let’s see, where to start? Howbout with his attempt to use his Senate ID card and a prospective job offer as a way to get out of a speeding ticket? Is that enough for you, or shall we go on with more days-in-the-life from the man voted Most Ethically Challenged under the Dome? I’ll make a deal with you: if you don’t vote for Shumlin because of his lack of trustworthiness, I won’t vote for Salmon. Deal?
http://www.vermonttiger.com/content/2010/10/deal.html Your man’s a liar. Period.
I am not a Salmon supporter but he has always told the truth. Maybe that is why he has people swinging for him.
Always told the truth – except when he told the trooper that he only had 2 drinks … ??
I bet he told his kids that Santa brought them their presents too. Oh, the humanity
What on earth has happened to the Democratic Party in this state? This is not the party of hardworking responsible people that I grew up with. I can’t believe our party would condone this kind of tactics. I am going to vote Democratic but this Hoffer condidate is an embarrassment to the Vermont Democratic Party. It is just sad.
@ Seven Days:How come you’re not saying ANYTHING about Shumlin’s duplicity about VY?http://www.vermonttiger.com/content/2010/10/deal.html#morehttp://www.wptz.com/video/25557953/detail.htmlhttp://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=13410171Because you favor him?
Oh for God’s sake. Your favoritism toward Shumlin is pathetic. Guess what? Both candidates favor keeping VY operating.But at least one of them is honest about it: Dubie.
Hey, look, all the commenters from the Free Press came by to visit!
God forbid the echo chamber be compromised.
7D is a total eyes-shut-tight, fingers-in-the-ears, “la la la i cant hear you,” accept-no-contradictory-viewpoints Dem/Prog echo chamber. They’ve decided that Shumlin is their savior and that’s that. Even though he’s telling a small group of businessmen that he’s been lying to his supporters about his intentions on VY. Unbelievable. How willfully blind can you be?
Sean: I actually did write something earlier today about the VY / VT Tiger-inspired media stories. The editors just haven’t gotten around to posting it.
Thanks. Since this important story broke on the 28th, and it’s now the 30th, and there’s still no mention of it on this cutting-edge political blog, we politically-incorrect paranoiacs might assume that the story’s being delayed on this blog for a reason. But we’d probably be wrong about that.
Sean: The remaining posts of mine have been edited & posted. Here’s the link to the Shumlin / VY storyhttp://7d.blogs.com/blurt/2010/10/vermont-yankee-sale-trick-or-treat.htmlDid you see the Free Press blog on this topic, too?
This ploy by Doug Hoffer is repulsive – I still can’t wrap my mind around the fact that he is the Democratic candidate.