Ethics director tells committee the commission lacks capacity to manage candidate disclosures

Christina Cret, executive director of the Vermont State Ethics Commission, testified to the Government Operations & Military Affairs committee on April 23 that candidate financial disclosure administration historically has been handled by the Secretary of State's office, while the Ethics Commission handles executive officers and state employees. "I have never viewed that as being an ethics commission... requirement," she said, describing the candidate form as a standalone statutory requirement.

Cret said the central dispute is practical: who answers members of the public when filers have questions about completing the form. She told the committee that the Ethics Commission has limited staffing—one part‑time executive director and one part‑time administrative assistant—and that the agency lacks capacity to add public support responsibilities without new positions. "We are the ethics commission in the country that has the least amount of staffing," she said.

Cret described an online filing system the commission built and offered to share with the Secretary of State, saying the initial build cost was "close to $20,000." She proposed a compromise approach that would keep the candidate form in the candidate filing packet, add a jointly maintained FAQ posted on both agencies' websites, and set a clear process for which office handles follow‑up public questions depending on jurisdiction and staffing.

On staffing, Cret said appropriations had provided one additional position intended for municipal ethics work but that the commission needs another staff slot to take on added duties related to candidate disclosures and public inquiries.

The committee did not reach a final decision during the portion of the hearing provided. The witness testimony was interrupted by a building evacuation announcement at the end of the available transcript.