Republican gubernatorial candidate Phil Scott says he will sever ties with his business if he is elected in November.
Scott has co-owned Dubois Construction in Middlesex for 30 years and opponents have raised conflict-of-interest questions because of the company’s contracts for state work.
Scott announced Saturday at a company event that, if elected, he will sell his share of the business.
During the primary campaign, Scott’s opponent Bruce Lisman ran television ads attacking Scott and the fact his construction company had earned nearly $4 million in state business since he was first elected to the Senate in 2001.
In the general election campaign, Democrats have also pursued the issue.
“I believe it’s wholly inappropriate for the head of the executive branch to have ownership in a company receiving taxpayer dollars,” said Conor Casey, chairman of the Vermont Democratic Party.
Until now, Scott’s response has been that he would retain ownership but would separate himself from the daily operations of the businesses and set up a blind trust to create “a complete firewall between me and the business.”
“I want every Vermonter to know that I will be a full-time Governor, focused entirely on serving the people of our state and fully committed to restoring the faith and trust in government that has been lost in the last 6 years,” Scott said in a statement announcing his decision to sell his share of the company.
