Joanna and Andy open with rescue stories, cross the 3,000-doors mark, and get real about the exhausting world of how special interests can monopolize candidate time.

Plus: fresh UNH poll numbers, journalism vs. content, and a look into the equity issues baked into lawn signs.

Then, as part of our pre-primary top races rebroadcast series, we revisit our conversation with Lieutenant Governor candidate Ryan McLaren — a longtime party fixture who worked for Peter Welch — on cynicism, community, affordability, and what it means to be "Made in Vermont."

#TheresNoAInCreemee #VTPoli #VermontPolitics #RyanMcLaren #LieutenantGovernorRace #VTElections2026 #VTLeg #Creemee #AffordabilityVT #LawnSigns

Andy and Joanna kick off giggly as ever, fresh off Andy hosting Lt. Gov. candidate Molly Gray for an islands tour — bagels, senior housing, a 1820s meeting house, and a proud town clerk's vault. Joanna opens up about the South Burlington forum blowup and reflects on the gap between voters fighting for basic needs and a loud minority fixated on issues far from the district. Then it's a field trip to Mount Philo, popsicles at Adam's Berry Farm, and an unplanned, deeply inspiring stop at Sisters of Anarchy ice cream. Plus: we rebroadcast our conversation with Molly Gray.

Description: Back in the Skate Shack, video and all! Andy and Joanna talk about their bucket-list campaign retreat hike up Mount Mansfield (bad birders, great views) and a few more key takeaways from the UNH poll. Joanna also shares a candid take on a forum that went off the rails and why librarians should moderate every debate. Plus, a visit to the Morning Drive studio. Then, as part of our primary rebroadcast series, we revisit our interview with gubernatorial candidate Aly Richards, recorded the morning after she announced.

#TheresNoAInCreemee #VTPoli #VermontPolitics #GreatIceFestival #AlyRichards #Governor2026 #VTElections2026 #NorthHero #SkateShack #MountMansfield #Birding #UNHPoll #VermontDebates

Andy and Joanna recap a Fourth of July full of Williston parade antics (ice-flinging Nordic skiers included), Andy's strong approval rating with dogs and children, and meeting campaign trail royalty in Richmond. They dig into the new UNH poll shaking up the Governor and Lt. Governor races — plus this week's best troll comeback. Since time is short on the trail, we're rebroadcasting our talk with Amanda Janoo.

#TheresNoAInCreemee #VTPoli #VermontPolitics #AmandaJanoo #UNHPoll #VTElections2026 #WellbeingEconomy #FourthOfJuly

Joanna and Andy continue their Chittenden County State's Attorney series with incumbent Sarah George, who makes the case for re-election after nine-plus years in the role. Sarah demystifies what a state's attorney actually does, then digs into the perception gap on public safety downtown, the local response to ICE, and the new accountability docket that finally cleared Burlington's COVID-era case backlog. She also explains why her office won't ask for cash bail—and what the research says about whether it works.

In the opener: a touch-a-truck adventure at the Champlain Parkway opening, a postcard party, and another stop on the Creemee tour.

#TheresNoAInCreemee #VTPoli #VermontPolitics #SarahGeorge #ChittendenCounty #StatesAttorney #CriminalJusticeReform #CashBail #PublicSafety #BurlingtonVT #ICE #Creemee #VTElections2026

Chittenden County's race for State's Attorney is heating up. Bram Kranichfeld, current Franklin County State's Attorney, joins us to dig into what the job actually entails, his case for better criminal justice outcomes, cash bail, accountability court, and where prosecutors must draw the line on ICE and politicized charging decisions.

In the opener, Joanna opens up about a missed endorsement deadline, and the umbrella-toting voter who restored our faith in humanity.

Plus a Glossary of Shame on "policy governance."

Also, Bram takes a hard line on creemee purity. No sprinkles.

Next week: Sarah George.

#TheresNoAInCreemee #VTPoli #VermontPolitics #ChittendenCounty #StatesAttorney #BramKranichfeld #CriminalJustice #CashBail #PublicSafety #ICE #AccountabilityCourt #Creemee #VTElections2026 #VermontPodcast

Joanna and Andy welcome Megan Metzler, chair of the Champlain Valley School District Board and vice president of the Vermont School Board Association, for a deep dive into Vermont's education funding crisis. Megan unpacks the foundation formula, why it doesn't work for Chittenden County, the $60 million that could be pulled from the county's schools, and why school boards have had to become loud advocates.

In the opener, Joanna and Andy talk creemee moments — structural integrity, pistachio regrets, and a hot debate over meltiness. Plus: a frank conversation about the "wait your turn" culture in Vermont politics.

#TheresNoAInCreemee #VTPoli #VermontPolitics #VermontEducation #Act73 #H955 #FoundationFormula #CVUSchools #ChittendenCounty #SchoolBoard #VTLeg #PublicEducation #VTElections2026 #Creemee #VermontCulture

Joanna and Andy welcome Ryan Kriger — former Vermont and FTC privacy attorney, now Deputy Chief of Privacy at the Massachusetts AG's office — for a deep dive into one of the defining issues of our digital age. Ryan breaks down what data brokers actually are, why HIPAA doesn't protect as much of your health data as you think, how states like Vermont are stepping up where the federal government won't, and what makes Vermont's approach genuinely different.

In the opener: the U.S. Secretary of Education's surprise Essex school visit (and the walkout it inspired), the filing deadline fallout, last-minute legislative exits, and the education funding bill that's not quite the rollback it's being sold as and Ryan raids his sprinkle cabinet. You will want to watch the video.

Anika Heilweil from the Public Assets Institute stops by to break down Vermont's Fair Share campaign — a push to recapture a portion of the massive federal tax cuts headed to the wealthiest Vermonters under HR-1. Anika explains why 80% of Vermonters support increased taxes on the wealthy, why the bill stalled in the statehouse, and what the data actually show on tax flight.

In our opener, Joanna gives an update on her Democratic Party neutrality resolution — which the bylaws committee scheduled without telling her, naturally — and we officially unveil our new intro featuring the late, great Chuck the Rooster.Plus: Andy and Joanna play Robin Hood with $400 million in would-be state revenue — from property tax cuts to tiny homes to ACA subsidy restoration — and Anika reveals her go-to creemee order.

Joanna and Andy sit down with Maura Collins, Executive Director of the Vermont Housing Finance Agency, for a deep dive into Vermont's housing crisis. Maura explains how VHFA moves Wall Street money to Vermonters, why Vermont median home prices are nearly 5x median income, and why $450 million in tax-exempt bond money sits unused while 850 apartments could be built today. Plus: the post-2008 rule quietly killing condo development, what you can do locally at housingdata.org, and Maura's shocking Creemee confession.

In the opener: canvassing dispatches, a two-Creemee week, Mets win the Subway Series, Joanna's Democratic Party primary neutrality resolution, and Senator Heffernan's disturbing floor comments on trans identity.

#TheresNoAInCreemee #VTPoli #VermontPolitics #VermontHousing #AffordableHousing #VHFA #HousingCrisis #VTLeg #VermontPodcast #MauraCollins #HousingPolicy #LetsBuildHomes #MetsWin #SubwaySeries #TransRights #VermontLife #CreemeeHeresy #HousingData

The mic takeover continues as Owen Foster and Charity Clark take the wheel and put Joanna and Andy through a delightfully rigorous Vermont quiz — dairy cows, state mottos, switchel, the Vermont wave, and a pronunciation segment that exposes who truly drops their T's.

Before the buzzer sounds, the group digs into Vermont's most stubborn challenges — education, housing, healthcare, and affordability — and why self-reliance may be the only answer as federal support melts down. Plus: Vermont's smallness as both superpower and social limiter, the Long Trail as spiritual home, and a Vermont history deep dive into the Young Turks and the Mountain Rule.

Also: dream podcast guests, Creemee orders all around, and some very old baseball grudges.

Hashtags: #TheresNoAInCreemee #VTPoli #VermontPolitics #VermontHistory #MountainRule #YoungTurks #RealVermonter #VermontQuiz #Switchel #Creemee #VermontValues #LongTrail #VermontCulture #OwenFoster #CharityClark #VTElections2026 #BraveVermontState #VermontPodcast

It's our podiversary! For this special anniversary episode, we hand the mics to two fan favorites — Attorney General Charity Clark and Green Mountain Care Board Chair Owen Foster — who turn the tables and interview Joanna and Andy.

We cover the podcast's scrappy origin story (yes, the bike shop), the thinking behind the name, Vermont's shrinking media landscape, the cultural problem of incumbency, party neutrality, what people get wrong about politicians, and whether two-year terms are a feature or a bug. Plus: the couch tape line makes an on-air debut, and Charity shares her all-time favorite piece of social media hate mail.

#TheresNoAInCreemee #VTPoli #VermontPolitics #Podiversary #CharityClark #OwenFoster #VermontMedia #Democracy #Incumbency #GreenMountainCareBoard #VermontPodcast #VTElections2026 #BehindTheMic #VermontLife

On this Double Scoop episode, Joanna and Andy catch up on all the political and policy news fit to podcast. We survived another week on the doors — rained on, recognized by a fan, and mourning two beloved pod mascots: Chester and Chuck.

Then it's statehouse time. We ponder if legislators can handle devices better than high school students. Also, the governor is threatening to shut down Vermont state government, we get the latest on the buydown, and forced school district consolidation. Meanwhile, the wealth tax is picking up steam.

Plus: Act 181 loses Tier 3 and the road rule, data privacy heats up in two competing bills, and Joanna asks why legislators keep vetoing bills before the governor even gets the chance.

#TheresNoAInCreemee #VTPoli #VermontPolitics #VTLeg #WealthTax #EdFinance #Act181 #DataPrivacy #GreenUpDay #VTElections2026 #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.
#TheresNoAInCreemee #VTPoli #VermontPolitics #VermontHealthcare #UVMHealth #SteveLeffler #HealthcareAffordability #RuralVermont #GreenMountainCareBoard #Act181 #AmazonVT #Act250 #VTLeg #VermontMedicine #HealthcareAccess #JoannasRunning #VTElections2026 #Creemee #PapaNicks

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.

#TheresNoAInCreemee #VTPoli #VermontPolitics #VermontGovRace #AlyRichards #LetsGrowKids #VermontHousing #VTHealthcare #VermontElections2026 #Creemee #VermontGovernor #VTLeg #DemocraticPrimary

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.

#TheresNoAInCreemee #VTPoli #VermontPolitics #NoKingsRally #DoubleScoop #VTLeg #Act73 #VermontEducation #Act250 #S325 #VermontHousing #H585 #SiteNeutrality #HealthcareVT #H621 #WealthTax #PriestlyCole #Crossover #VTElections2026 #Creemee #FrontPorchForum

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.

#TheresNoAInCreemee #VTPoli #VermontPolitics #VermontHealthcare #PrimaryCareCrisis #SiteNeutralBilling #HousingCrisis #AffordableVT #VTLeg #SmallBusiness #GreenMountainCareBoard #JoannaForSenate #VTElections2026 #Creemee #VermontLife #BasementGeneration

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.

#TheresNoAInCreemee #VTPoli #VermontPolitics #MollyGray #LieutenantGovernor #VTElections2026 #ICERaids #ImmigrantRights #Act73 #VermontEducation #VTLeg #AfghanAlliance #VermontValues #HoldTheLine #MapleWeekend #MapleHeist #VermontMaple #GreatMapleHeist #Creemee #VermontPodcast #802Politics

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.

#TheresNoAInCreemee #VTPoli #VermontPolitics #Act73 #VTLeg #VermontEducation #AllisonNovak #SevenDaysVT #EducationReform #VermontSchools #Crossover #Creemee #AmandaJanoo #VTElections2026