Bennington Banner from Bennington, Vermont • Page 5

Can Hoff Bring Two-Party Government to Vermont? Democrats: 'This Is the Year" Bennlngton Banner, March 1962--5 By TYLER KEvSCII Philip H. Hoff, 37-year-old Burlington attorney and stale representative, is the man who will at- 'lempt this year to break through Vermont's century-old one-party political barrier. Hoff has been the slnte on a political pulse-feeling mission for several weeks, and inade liis formal announcement this week Uial lie will seek tire office of governor on the Democratic ticket. Is lie the slar in the boiilical firmament" the "loo- good-to-be-true" candidate, as some of his partisans see him? Or will he be merely the latest in a long series of forgotlen wouid-bo politicians wliom the Democrats put up every two years. sub ject GOP ridicule i the slogan "boff and poff with i i On the surface of tilings, Hoff's chances as dismal as Vermont political history might 'indicate.

I the first place, it's an off- year nationally practically a prerequisite for genuine Democra- tic hope. Second, Hoff will mosl likely run against Gov. F. Rav Keyser who seems vulnerable on a number of issues and wlx apparently doesn't muster (he support he might from Republi- can Third, Hoff is coming up with new ideas which don't necessarily follow a "parly line" of thinking, arid which may provide appeal lo independents and Republicans. And fourth, he's the first candidate to ruin since it was proven, in the last off-year election that a Democrat can do it in Vermont (when William H.

Meyer of West Rupert won a seat in Congress as the first Vermont Democrat'to. win statewide office 'In 104 years). On the other hand, with a serious, active arid llioughtful oppon- this year, Republicans may amass their resources and come lo Ihe polls strong to avert the threat of losing de'cades of political power and patronage. L. Samuel Miller of Weslon, executive director of the Vermont Democratic party, has a briefcase full of statistics attempting lo show that this will probably be a very close election.

With a little more effort by one party or (lie other, victory could be obtained. Will Hoff serve as an effective enough rallying point for the Democrats, or will his candidacy have the unintentional effect of rallying thp Republicans? Uoff his Joun work on Hie family KC which they admit may when Oie campaign gets going. Campaign Theme To Be: 'Vermont Must Take a Good Look at Itself Philip Henderson Hoff was born in Greenfield, Mass, on June 29, 192-1, Ihe- second son and third child of Agnes Henderson Hoff and Hoff Jr. His mother came from Greenwich, N.Y. and hr's father, who-lost a factory during the.

Depression, is now a retired insurance, agent in Turners Falls. Hoff served three terms as' a Republican in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. A younger brother of Philip's, Foster, is principal of a high school on Long Island, and an older brother, Olaf in, is a Connecticut business executive. A sister, Mrs. Roseboro, lives in Cleveland, Ohio.

was graduated from Turners Falls-High School in the war year of 1942. During his junior year there he was mentioned for on tile All-Western Massachusetts teamr'Hece'iving a scholarship to Williams College Hoff Became a Democrat in College he attended for.a year before enlisting in the Naval Air Corps. He served in the Philippines attach ed to the submarine "Seadog." discharge from the Navy in March, 1940, Hoff returned to Williams, where he was graduated cum laude in 1948, shortening his time there somewhat by attending summer school. At Williams he.majored in English literature and belonged to Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity. Regarding his partisan switch, having been' "brought up" as a Republican, Hoff now says: "I suppose I became a Democrat in college.

I concluded that I couldn't see the Republicans as i controlled by business. While Ibelieve business is an important means, it shouldn't be the end result of government and 'too many Ren.iiblicans a them of course." On graduating from college, Hoff man-led the former a Brower of Teaneck, N.J., whom he met at Connecticut College. Then he entered Cornell a School. Between his second and third years there he worked for a New York law. firm.

The Hoffs have four daughters, Susan, 12, Dagny, 19, Andrea, 0, and Gretchen, 6. Hoff has been in Burlington since he was graduated from law school in He worked in Cleveland a sliorl time, but took advantage of an opportunity in Burlington despite a lower salary "because we decided that i was where we wanted to live." Now a member of the- firm of Black, Wilson and Hoff, the candidate describes his practice as being well rounded, although he does little criminal law. work. He is believed the 'record for having obtained the.largest personal injury verdict ever handed "Rep. Philip H.

Hoff, became one of the most frequently read names in Vermont during the record-length 1961 ses- i legislature. The bearer of that name, now th'e Democratic candidate for governor, didn't believe in Ihe sometime tradition that fresliman legislators should defer to their elders by being seen but not heard. He is believed to hold a record for the. number of bills introduced -about half of which were passed. takes credit for introducing the bill for medical aid to the needy aged, and will claim during the forthcoming campaign that he pushed it through over the opposition of Gov.

Keyser. Aid to Needy Aged The measure is tied in with the federal Kerr-Mills Act, which sets aside for Vermont $200,000 in state funds and $400,000, in federal aid will be administered by the state under a plan to be adopted by the State Social Welfare Department next July 1. Vermont's participation in this program should serve lo ease the pressure oh some of its communities now (Overburdened with. relief costs, in addition to its humanitarian purpose of helping the aged. said he was "dumfounded" to learn the state administration was not going to press for i measure, even though it was sup-, ported in the platforms- of both parlies.

Soujtit Highway Probe" It was Rep. Hoff who introduced the measure calling for investigation of the Slate Highway Department. He says he was not so much interested in uncovering any "scandal" as he was in having the state fake a good look at. its "outmoded" road system. Hoff introduced -for the driver retraining under which the commissioner of motor vehicles can order a violator to i enter a retraining school.

The first school of this kind was recently established in the Burlington area. Another motor vehicle regulation that can be credited lo Hoff is the so-called "slowpoke driver law'" which requires a person responsible for impeding the flow of traffic fo pull over or face arrest. The first conviction.under the new law took place not long ago in Bennington Municipal Court. Move la Shorten Sessions One Hoffs bills not passed- it.was approved by the House but killed in Ihe Senate was he believes, in terms of shortening the legislative sessions. Active as a Freshman Legislator down in Vermont.

Last December while i-epresenting a girt injured in an explosion, he won a verdict of $93,000. He has been active in Ihe Vermont Bar Association and was president of the Vermont Junior Bar Conference. Hoff's pDlilical career began modestly as the driver of a car in a pool to get voters to the ballot boxes. He "rose" to poll cliecker, then served on a ward committee. The first office he sought was two years ago when lie ran for alderman in Burlington's i Ward.

He lost by only 80 votes, Hie closest a Democrat ever came to taking the city's most predominant Republican ward. The winner, George Hauck, Hoff describes as "a very fine guy." In tire fall, of I960, Hoff ran Alderman Edward Keenan for Burlinglon city representative and defeated him in every ward in the city. Rep. Hoff may be going on a political limb, hut the general theme of his gubernatorial campaign is lhat "Vermont must take a good look at itself." This thesis is a rather intangible one politically. It is subject to the charge of non-specificness.

i proposals for various commissions and consultants lo study a broad of Vermont problems and issues may draw criticism that he favors "government by subcommittee," Yet Hoff realizes that one of tlie oldest political dodges is to say, "let's refer the problem to a committee" in order to brush it under a rug. Fully aware of the potential criticism, Ire believes are numerous' areas in which Ihe state must stand back and take a good look at itself instead of proceeding pqndei-ously and blindly ahead. Worried about Vermont In spite jts. possible.intangi- ble qualities, a good look af ourselves" in may catch fire politically. If (here are enough citizens worried about Vermont's repulalion backwardness and who are concerned lest the population explosion burst forth and ravage the tranquil, rural then Hoff may have found a selling point.

Item: Transportation. Hoff believes that the entire transportation picture in Vermont should be analyzed. The state strauld consider forming" a transportation au- to look into every aspect, railroads, trucking, shipping, aviation and the entire highway network. A "complete picture" is needed, he says, before such individual problems as the Rutland Railroad caii be lackled successfully. "I feel strongly," he says, "that take a good look at ourselves, find out what Vermont's potential is, what the future problems will be, and where we should aim." Rural Areas' Problems Not the least of Ihe transportation problem is tlie fact lhat towns are having a difficult time administering their own road programs, Hoff says.

Part of the reason, he the "radical" decrease in farming, resulling in smaller and smaller rural populations lo support town road projects. Also not the least of the problem is tlie fact lhat Vermont has "246 isolaled kingdoms" which are making little or no attempt at pooling their resources and equipment. Hoff also thinks the Slate Highway Department should seriously consider, doing what other states have done: keep a relatively small department and hire private concerns to do work under a com. petitive bidding system. As it stands now, he feels the Highway Department is "huge and growing.

Th'e system of state aid to local roads also needs reevaluation, lie believes. Item: Sclrools. The candidate observes tliat "Vermont's schools are in bad shape, and towns are having a difficult job keeping them going." Stale aid has increased in dollars but its percentage in relation to the total picture has decreased, he says. A Bag of Dust? ''I aiin'cOhviKeed lhat "children in many 'pa'rts' of 'a'fe not receiving an adequate education. We have to review the whole education system unless we want to hand our youngsters a bag of dust," he adds.

Hoff.feels that one answer lies in lire of more regional, or union schools. They are frequently now because of the cost, and he thinks the slate must do more. Vermont now offers no inducement to towns to form regional school districts, while other states, notably neighboring York and Massachusetts, hojd out definite and substantial financial encouragement. I Promotion. Originally, Vermont was an agrarian state, divided by mountains into eastern and western sectors.

Towns" were the core of all social, political and economic activity. But now, with improved transportation a communication, this has a clianged. Yet Ihe state continues to labor within the same framework it lias always had. The "we should take a good look at ourselves" theme applies especially in the field of promotion, Hoff feels. Lure 'Right 1 Business The central idea is this: we should first know wliat businesses we want and what ones we don't want, tlien set out to lure the right ones.

"Anybody who thinks we can give our Vermont Development Department an inadequate budget and expect them to bring in industry is crazy," lie says. The VDD budget for is about $30,000, while other states are spending hundreds of thousands, Hoff adds. He says lie thinks the state's "cow image" which implies rural charm unspoiled by over- commercialism need not be damaged at all by industry. Elec-. Ironies and plastics are two examples of the kind of industry tfiat won't breed a "mill town" atmosphere nor spoil the horizon with ugly smokestacks.

Hoff also feels the state should know more about retired persons and why they arc attracted here. In many instances, these persons have "done wonders," he says, especially in the southern end if tire state in improving property values and perhaps there is more the state could do lo en- I'courage them. Ski' Road Regarding the ski business, Hoff says there should be a firm policy on providing state access roads. If necessary, this should be a regularly budgeted item, but in any case it should not become a political football, he asserts. In the broad promotional picture, Vermont should have a definite and known policy, Hoff says.

"If, for example, we decide that Vermont should become the playground of.tlie East, we should aim state government toward a goal." Hoff adds parentlietically that he suspects a thorough study would result in a recommendation that the state slxnild pin-sue the recreational field. Hoff has been director of both the Champlain Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Burlington Industrial Corporation. The latter has helped bring in IBM, expansion of General Electric and other businesses chiefly through construction of speculative "shell" plants. 'One Unholy Mess' Item: Taxes. Ask Hoff whether he favors a sales tax or a ski lift ticket tax or any other kind of tax, and you'll get the same answer: before any new tax is adopted, the entire fiscal structure of the slate should be overhauled.

"The slate's tax structure is just one unlmly mess," tie em- phasizes. Hoff favors reassessment of the entire state, and the formation of a state lax equalization board lo iron out inequities jn state aid distribution and to establish -M equitable basis of comparing various towns' tax rates. A campaign issue will be Ihe state's $3 million debt, which Hoff claims is not being retired. He says a bond retirement program "had to be forced on the governor" last year. Item; Welfare.

Hoff accuses the incumbent administration of being "a steel and concrete administration" and avoiding any kind of welfare. Overlapping Futtctioas Again, he thinks the wlrole question sliould be reassessed because of the existing overlapping of federal, state and local functions. He 'would 'want tb" emphasize more preventive'-welfa'rey- 'and i means bringing the staffs of the Walerbury Slate Hospilal a Weeks School up to par, and having enough psychiatrists available. The chief reason, besides the obvious humanitarian one, is that in the long run every person who can be returned from an institution to society will cost the state that much less. Alone these lines he feels there is need for a medium security mental institution where patients will have observation, treatment a some degree of freedom.

"I'm tired of seeing us duck these things when the net result is higher cost," he complains. Some Answers Needed In summary, Candidate Hoff is calling for "a sort of a Hoover Commission" whose task will be to undertake all Ihese studies and come up with, some answers. According to his way of thinking, the commission would have several divisions and would have the power to hire outside professional consultants to come up with some valid conclusions that could have a real impact on stale government These ideas would be carried out within tlie framework of "a responsible two party system" in which the chief merit would be "lo have someone over (lie shoulder of state government" at the piano for a family 'Ong are Joan and Phi.ip Hoff and" (heir (left fo risht) Grefohcn, 6, Andrea, 12, and Dagncy, 10. This was a bill to establish a legislative council and setting up expanded facilities for research. To speed up the drafting of legislation, the measure would have authorized the hiring of outside attorneys as draftsmen.

There are only three draftsmen now. Under his plan, work could be started on legislative drafts in November, enabling town representatives (o send in their requests in advance, thus speeding up tho whole law-making process. Hoff notes with interest a "Keyser took no stand on it at (he time. Now he's talking about bringing some draftsmen back early." A number of his other bills dealt only with the city of Burlington. 'Lack of Leadership' Regarding the lenglh ot sessions, Hoff said he thinks it is simply a matter of leadership.

And regarding the last session he charges that Ihe "lack of leadership" was responsible for the record set. As lie sees it, Gov. Keyser was engaged in "a real hassle" with the Senate, especially over the bond retirement fund Is- sue. He also aims the "lack of leadership" charge at Speaker Leroy Lawrence of Stamford. He criticizes for "seeking no advice and accepting hone, 1 and further alleges that the governor showed an unwillingness lo work with the legislature.

But a basic reason for the session's length, Hoff says, I lack of discipline; and behind this is the lack of genuine twn party system. "A strong Democratic party would force both sides to work together," he asserts. Hoff, Hnff d.u Mer, us DM! rtxte her hrdttme utery wrms to mjoy itrnorvi thin sh0..