Just last month, we told you about how Wally Roberts, the executive director of Common Cause Vermont was building a database of searchable campaign finance reports, something that has been beyond the grasp of Vermont state government.
Well, that database is now frozen in time mid-election. Roberts said he was laid off from Common Cause on Aug. 9. The national organization that advocates for open government shut down the Vermont chapter, he said.
Roberts said the chapter was funded by money from the national group and by money he raised. Apparently, he didn’t raise enough. Roberts said he contended he needed something like the campaign database in place to persuade people to give money. “It was difficult to raise money without a product,” he said.
Roberts, who was trying to shed light on money spent on elections, found just how powerful money is. “Money is everything,” he said.
