For Immediate Release
September 28, 2020
Contact:
Mike Donohue
mike@scottmilne.org
202-525-9835
FACT CHECK: PRO-MOLLY GRAY GROUP KNOWINGLY ISSUES FALSE INFORMATION ABOUT SCOTT MILNE’S NEARLY PERFECT VOTING RECORD
Rebuked By Pomfret Town Clerk For “Misleading At Best, Bordering On Blatant Lies”
POMFRET, VT – Scott Milne voted in every single primary and general election for which records exist with the exception of the 2018 primary when he did cast an absentee ballot that arrived too late to be counted, records held by the town of Pomfret confirm. The records prove allegations of non-voting made by the pro-Molly Gray Super PAC Alliance for a Better Vermont (ABV) were false and misleading.
Today, in response to a press release issued Friday by ABV, Pomfret Town Clerk Becky Fielder issued a scathing rebuke. In an email to ABV’s Ashley Moore on which the Milne campaign was cc’d, Fielder says she explicitly told Moore that she could not rely on the incomplete electronic records Fielder provided, and that she would have to review files in the clerk’s office for a complete and accurate picture.
ABV declined to do so, and instead knowingly published what Fielder deemed “misleading at best, bordering on blatant lies.” Fielder continues, “I am not taking a political side in sending you this email – I am taking a moral stand. I cannot in good conscience sit back and watch shoddy journalism and laziness shape the story, especially in this day and age of mistrust in the media.”
In a VTDigger sponsored debate last week, Molly Gray answered a voter submitted question about her voting record by falsely claiming to have voted in 2016. This contradicted her past public statements and her own voting record.
Milne called on Molly Gray to repudiate Alliance for a Better Vermont, which also falsely attacked Milne staffers, and come clean on her own voting record.
“Not only is Molly Gray lying about her own voting record, but now she has her supporters lying about mine,” said Milne. “Voting is a precious right that I take seriously, and it is a prerequisite for anyone seeking the second highest office in the land to have at least taken this basic civic responsibility seriously. Molly Gray should come clean about her dismal record and disassociate herself from this shady and dishonest organization.”
The full text of Fielder’s email is below:
Good morning Ashley –
I was disappointed in your article in VTDigger, because you misrepresented the information that is on file here in our office. I provided you with the ELECTRONIC record that exists, but informed you when we spoke on the phone that not all of the election information for participation was available in that report. I further told you that for the elections that were missing, we had paper checklists in our office that you or someone on your staff was welcome to come down and look through to find the full picture of Scott Milne’s participation. You declined that opportunity and said the electronic record was enough. Due to that error of omission, your article is misleading at best, bordering on blatant lies.
I took the time out of my extremely busy day to research Scott Milne’s voting record, at his request. I found that YES, he did indeed vote in the 2010 State Primary and General Elections and the 2012 Presidential Primary and State Primary, and that he requested an absentee ballot for the 2018 State Primary but it was received in our office after the close of the election so it was not counted. I do not have records from the 2008 Election year, likely due to the State Retention Schedules that were used to dispose of the old checklists before I came on as Town Clerk.
I am not taking a political side in sending you this email – I am taking a moral stand. I can not in good conscience sit back and watch shoddy journalism and laziness shape the story, especially in this day and age of mistrust in the media.
-Becky
Becky Fielder, Town Clerk & Lister
Town Of Pomfret
5218 Pomfret Road
North Pomfret, VT 05053
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Scott Milne knows how difficult COVID-19 has been for so many Vermonters whose lives and livelihoods have been upended. Now more than ever, we need more leaders in Montpelier who understand the challenge of running a small business and creating and protecting good jobs. Scott is running for lieutenant governor in order to help move Vermont through our economic recovery and toward a more prosperous future. https://www.scottmilne.org/.
For more information, please visit our website at www.scottmilne.org.