Vermont’s only Super PAC, a liberal fundraising entity, received good news yesterday in its war against all Super PACs, especially those that spend cash in Vermont. Priorities PAC received its first donation yesterday of $10,000 from Lisa Steele, the co-founder and owner of Burlington developer Main Street Landing.
Steele, a board member at Shelburne Farms, also donated $15,000 to Vermont Priorities, the advocacy sister group to Priorities PAC. Steele is a member of the Bancroft family, the former owners of the Dow Jones news group. Steele is a former board member of Dow Jones.
In a statement, Steele said: “I personally think that we need to end unlimited spending in campaigns, but I also know that will not happen without action. For that reason, I’ve decided that I will support the Vermont Super PAC — Priorities PAC — whose mission is to end this type of electioneering.”
Steele said if independents, liberals, Democrats and Progressives don’t participate in the political process, policy decisions will be made by others who don’t share her values. She included economic justice, clean energy, and campaign finance reform among others as issues she felt strongly about.
Meanwhile, Priorities PAC’s founder Bob Stannard criticized independent expenditures by out-of-state political action committees in Vermont. He said such PACs should disclose their donors within 72 hours of receiving funds. Stannard is voluntarily releasing the names of donors to Priorities PAC.
Although Stannard created Priorities PAC in July, state records show that the much-publicized PAC has only raised $100 since then, which Stannard said was actually just the seed money required to open a bank account.
As for his ongoing battle against all super-PACs, Stannard maintained that his strategy kept things simple, and that the fight wasn’t over yet.
“Our strategy is very simple. Restrict and constrict super-PACs as much as possible, and get behind candidates who believe this kind of money in politics is a bad thing, instead of sitting on the sidelines,” said Stannard. “In order to undo it, you have to participate in the process.”
He said that Priorities PAC’s first advertisement was done and dusted, ready to air, awaiting only a final check, before they’ll disclose the donors and run the ad. Stannard declined to say which candidates the liberal PAC will back, but hopes that the recent news about Steele’s donation will encourage a healthier stream of donations.
Echoing a familiar refrain in the super-PAC world, Stannard said lastly, of his new donor Lisa Steele: “I really know very little about Lisa Steele, other than that I’m very grateful for her generosity.”
Read the story on VTDigger here: Vermont’s only Super PAC receives first donation.
