Voices

Hoffer: Illuzzi’s labels mask details

RE: “Wearing blue in a red county” [Sept. 5]:

With all due respect, Vermonters might like a little more information about Vincent Illuzzi. It is not unfair for him to call himself a “Vermont Republican,” but such labels can mask important details.

• For example, he voted against the Legislature's health-care reform bill (H.202, Act 48).

• He received the third-lowest rating of all state senators from VPIRG, which just released its annual report card, and was also rated poorly by the League of Conservation Voters.

• In 2012, Mr. Illuzzi co-sponsored a bill to reinstate the 40-percent capital gains tax exclusion, which overwhelmingly benefits the wealthy and seriously reduces state tax revenues (S.196, 2012).

Note also that Mr. Illuzzi did not support marriage equality, stood with John Sununu at Mitt Romney's kick-off event in Montpelier, and has contributed money to John McClaughry's conservative Ethan Allen Institute.

This is the kind of information that won't be found on Mr. Illuzzi's campaign website. Voters need more than catchy labels to make informed decisions.

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