There's No "A" in Creemee

Andy returns from his birthday moose expedition to the Northeast Kingdom. Joanna makes a shocking confession about creemees. Plus, a teaser of the all-star cast for the upcoming pod-iversary.

On the policy front: the Vermont ticket scalping bill hits snags in Senate Economic Development (even with a Noah Kahan endorsement), Act 181's Road Rule and Tier 3 look headed for full repeal, and H-955 — the education transformation bill — passes the House with a second homeowner tax attached and heads to the Senate.

Then, live from the Statehouse, Joanna and Andy sit down with Rep. Emilie Kornheiser, Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee. Emilie breaks down how Vermont actually raises money — from the consensus revenue forecast and the emergency board to property tax buy-downs and the second homeowner's tax that could be a game-changer for Vermont homesteaders. She also weighs in on the fair share campaign, keeping Vermont dollars out of Amazon's pocket, and what it means to fund democracy from the ground up.

In Last Licks, Andy redeems his mooseless weekend with stories of moose in deeply wrong places — hospital lobbies, Walmart trampolines, and one very tipsy moose stuck in a Swedish apple tree.

Joanna kicks off the episode fresh from the campaign trail — and with a fresh set of trolls. Meanwhile, there's a big win to celebrate: the Act 250 commission has ruled in favor of the community again in the fight against Amazon.
Then, Joanna and Andy sit down with Dr. Steve Leffler, the brand-new CEO of UVM Health and President of UVM Medical Center about the future of UVM medical.
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This week we kick things off with a holiday double-header — Passover at the Grossman/Cramer house and an epic Easter egg hunt at the Julows new addition.

Joanna also shares what it felt like to finally be the candidate at the mic for the first time on Kurt Wright's show. Then things get a little more serious: the ongoing fight over Democratic Party neutrality in primaries, the memo, the apology to Ryan McLaren, and why Joanna is pushing for a codified resolution in May.

Then we bring you live from Barr Hill in Montpelier, where over 200 people packed in for the launch of Aly Richards' campaign for Governor of Vermont — kids, families, old teachers, ex-boyfriends' moms, the works.

We sit down with Aly for a deep dive into why she's running. She brings her decade leading Let's Grow Kids — and the most significant child care law in the country — to a conversation about Vermont's structural challenges: a housing crisis that underlies almost every other problem, rural hospitals staring down bankruptcy, and an economy that needs a strategic offense, not just a goalie. She talks about growing up on a dirt road in Newbury, working the Obama campaign, and why Vermont's smallness — its ability to literally pull each other out of the mud — is still its greatest strength.

Plus, Statehouse Style, Campaign Design Edition — the story behind the red clover campaign logo and her Creemee order with a tactical approach to sprinkles.

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Joanna and Andy are back in double scoop mode — just the two of them — digging into a packed post-crossover moment at the Vermont Statehouse. They open with dispatches from the No Kings Rally, where Joanna emceed, Senator Becca White airdropped in and owned the mic for three minutes flat, and Joanna's 15-year-old Isa Cramer delivered a speech that brought down the house — and handled an interruption like a seasoned pro.

On education, they unpack the House Education Committee's significant pivot away from forced district consolidation and toward Cooperative Service Agreements — a shared-services model similar to BOCES in New York that could deliver real administrative savings without blowing up local schools. The Senate remains stalled with no clear direction, setting up a potentially messy conference. Joanna also reflects on the moment Chittenden County superintendents and school board chairs collectively broke from the sidelines to tell families that Act 73 would pull $63 million from their districts — and what it meant that they felt they had to do that.

On housing, they break down S325, which puts an 18-month pause on Act 250's Tier 3 implementation and delays the road rule by three and a half years. A Republican-led amendment to strip Tier 3 entirely — which would have collapsed the political bargain that made Act 181 possible in the first place — failed on party lines.

On healthcare, H-585 just passed the House with a quietly big provision: mandated site neutrality for physical therapy, which equalizes reimbursement rates between hospitals and independent providers. It also expands prior authorization relief, giving independent practices a fighting chance.

And finally: H-621, the Priestly-Cole wealth tax, is now a standalone bill creating two new income brackets for earners above $500K and $1M. The JFO estimates it could raise $100 million — money that would otherwise come out of the other 99%. Joanna's heard from plenty of high-earners who say they'd sign up for it.

Plus: the first creemees of the season and Front Porch Forum's not-so-candidate-friendly "candidate access" program.

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Joanna and Andy open with a candid conversation about Democratic Party neutrality in primaries — and why the Vermont coordinated campaign's "buy-in" model undermines voter trust.

Then Alex LeClair, CEO of Essex Physical Therapy, joins the pod to pull back the curtain on what it's actually like to run a small healthcare business in Vermont. Alex unpacks the authorization gauntlet that delays patient care, the jaw-dropping disparity between what hospitals and independent clinics get reimbursed for the same PT visit, and what House Bill 585's site-neutral billing proposal could mean for primary care. He also digs into Vermont's housing and healthcare premium crisis through a very personal lens — including a high school friend with a spinal injury who called him last summer worried he wouldn't be able to afford catheters if Medicaid cuts went through. Alex grew up in Essex, built a career in Boston, came back ready to plant roots — and is living in his parents' basement because the down payment isn't enough. He is the thirty-year-old in the basement.

Plus: Joanna launches her State Senate campaign at the Richmond Library — live on mic, with her kid Isa by her side. The cookies got rave reviews. The signs are very slightly pink. And Isa has strong opinions about miniature horses.

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Joanna and Andy open with a St. Paddy's Day debrief — cement trucks, cold wind, and Andy's complicated relationship with foundation construction. Then it's into Act 73 territory: a CVU legislative breakfast where school board members laid out the math showing the foundation formula could slash Chittenden County school funding by 14%. Plus: Mets heartbreak, fantasy baseball drafts, and jersey fashion dilemmas.

Then Molly Gray — former Lieutenant Governor, leader of the Vermont Afghan Alliance, and our first-ever repeat guest — joins the pod on her birthday to talk about why she's back in the race for Lieutenant Governor. She makes the case for fierce, experienced leadership in a moment that doesn't have room for on-the-job training. We get into the South Burlington ICE raid and what it exposed about Vermont law enforcement's lack of preparedness, the governor's decision to cut SNAP for Afghan SIV holders, and the real cost of a Vermont that's becoming a playground for the wealthy. Molly also reflects on the Democratic Party's identity crisis and how to bring back the people it's lost.

In Last Licks, it's a Maple Weekend tribute: fun facts about syrup from space to the Civil War, and the jaw-dropping story of the Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist of 2012 — $18 million of Quebec's strategic reserve, 30 arrests, and the longest food-theft sentence in Canadian history. Don't mess with the maple.

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Joanna and Andy welcome Alison Novak, Seven Days education reporter and soon-to-be Reporter of the Year from the New England Newspaper and Press Association, for a deep dive into Vermont schools during a pivotal crossover week. They unpack the stalled implementation of Act 73, the fight over school choice and independent school funding, the lawsuits already in the pipeline, declining enrollment, technical education, and second homeowners tax proposals.

In our opener Joanna opens up about his first week as a candidate in the wild — and the emotional gut-punch of an ICE raid in South Burlington

Plus: a Glossary of Shame on bills "stuck on the wall," Amanda Janoo announces she's running for governor, and Allison reveals what may be the most creative Creemee order we've ever heard — the Dreamee from Yates Family Orchard.

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We've got big news here on There's No "A" in Creemee.

We sit down with Ryan McLaren, longtime behind‑the‑scenes force in Vermont politics and now a candidate for Lieutenant Governor.

We talk about what shaped him (including growing up in a 900‑square‑foot house in Essex Jct), what he's hearing from voters, and why he's running.Ryan digs into affordability, rebuilding trust with working Vermonters, the soft‑power weirdness of the LG’s office, and what it means to be “Made in Vermont.”

Plus: rural vitality, floods, dairy, and how not to get pushed around by a Trump administration.Ryan levels up our Creemee Order segment with a deeply considered opinion on the subject.

This week’s episode centers on a deep-dive conversation with Burlington Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak. We talk about:

1. The intertwined crises of homelessness, mental health, and substance use—and why Burlington’s challenges are really Vermont’s challenges

2. Community safety, media narratives, and what it actually means for Burlington to be ranked among the safest communities in the country

3. Preparing for a potential ICE surge: what the city can do, where its authority stops, and how mutual aid and neighboring towns fit into the response

4. “Modern Gov,” budgets, Dillon’s Rule, and why Vermont’s government structures need an update

5. Gun policy, charter changes, and why Emma chose the Progressive Party

6. The politics of style, taking up space in heels, and (crucially) what the Mayor orders at the creemee stand

We also bring you along for a quick Great Ice Festival dispatch—bonfires, fireworks, and a goat named Lord Voldemort.

Plus, we check in with Elaine Haney about her run for State Senate in Chittenden Central and what it means to challenge incumbents in a crowded primary.

And finally: Vermont Business Magazine has added a Best Vermont Podcast category this year. It’s a write‑in, penultimate‑question situation—so if you’ve got a minute before March 1, we’d be honored to have your vote for There’s No "A" in Creemee.

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