This story by Ryan Pacheco was first published in the Manchester Journal on Oct. 8, 2026.
BENNINGTON COUNTY — A second round of politically critical postcards have been mailed to Bennington County residents by “Common Sense PAC”, the Independent Expenditure Political Action Committee (IEPAC) that was responsible for late September’s similar mailer regarding State Sen. Seth Bongartz, D-Bennington. The second mailer, which is part of a planned series by Common Sense PAC, focused on State Sen. Rob Plunkett, D-Bennington, accusing the senator of failing to deliver on crime and public safety, education, property taxes and affordability. The mailer also included a message of support for Republican candidates who are running for the same seats, Spike Whitmire and Josh Williams.
Plunkett told the Manchester Journal that the ad was a mischaracterization of his work, and was disappointed to see what he views as ‘attack ads’ becoming commonplace in Vermont’s political landscape.
“It is so transparently incorrect, and clearly sent out by people who have never spoken to me. Even responding to it gives it more credence than it deserves. Apparently, the worst they can come up with is that I’m quiet,” said Plunkett, referring to a picture of a cricket that was included on the mailer.
“If they want someone who is going to be a grandstanding politician, that won’t be me. A lot of the work I do is not exactly the work that makes headlines, but it is building the relationships and trust with your fellow legislators in Montpelier, which I did on both sides of the aisle. Another thing that has bothered me about this is that Vermont is meant to be citizen legislators, people who just go and do their duty. This felt so drastically different than the type of politics in Vermont that I want to be a part of, and I was really saddened by the idea of others seeing this. I think this will be a disincentive for a lot of good people to run,” added Plunkett.
Following the second wave of mailers from Common Sense PAC, former legislator and concerned citizen Bob Stannard issued a complaint to the office of Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark, alleging that the PAC violated campaign finance laws related to properly disclosing donor names on the mailers, and required filing of a ‘mass-media report’ for the second mailer.
Stannard’s first complaint alleges that violations of 17 V.S.A. § 2972(c) occurred when names of individual contributors were not disclosed on the mailers, which only included the words ‘paid for by Common Sense PAC’.
“Section 2972(c)(1) is not complicated. An electioneering communication paid for by an independent expenditure-only political committee ‘shall also contain the name of any contributor who contributed more than 25 percent of all contributions and more than $2,000.00 to that committee … since the beginning of the two-year general election cycle,’ ” said Stannard in his complaint regarding the first statute, before sharing publicly available donor data from the Campaign Finance System of Vermont.
“By the time the PAC paid Spectrum another $10,470.72 on September 24 for the mailer attacking Senator Plunkett, it had taken in $25,000; $10,000 of it, 40 percent, came from a single California limited liability company, Durin Systems LLC. The law says that name belonged on the second postcard. That name was not disclosed. This is not a technicality. The whole point of § 2972(c) is that when a handful of people, or one out-of-state company, bankroll a political attack, the voters on the receiving end get to know who’s behind it. Common Sense PAC told the Secretary of State who its funders are, but it didn’t tell the voters,” added Stannard.
Stannard’s second complaint, alleging violations of 17 V.S.A. § 2971, regarding the proper filing of a ‘mass media report’, said that Common Sense PAC failed to file the report for the second mailer.
“Section 2971(a) requires anyone who spends $500 or more (adjusted for inflation; the Secretary of State’s current form says $650) on a single mass media activity within 45 days before a general election to file a mass media report with the Secretary of State within 24 hours. Section 2971(d) adds a specific obligation for independent expenditure-only PACs that spend $5,000 or more in that window: a 24-hour report that also discloses every contribution over $100 accepted since the committee’s last report,” Stannard said in his complaint to the Attorney General’s office.
“The 45-day window before the November 3, 2026 general election opened on September 19. The PAC’s own October 1 disclosure reports a $10,470.72 payment to Spectrum Marketing Companies on September 24 for ‘Media – Postcards,’ which is the Plunkett attack mailer that was in our mailboxes within the past week. That expenditure is squarely inside the window and roughly double the §2971(d) threshold. A mass media report was due by September 25. As of today, the Secretary of State’s campaign finance system shows no mass media report from Common Sense PAC for that expenditure. The only mass media report on file is for the September 8 Bongartz mailer. This demonstrates that the PAC knew how to file that one. It chose not to file the second. It should be noted that the $10,000 from Durin Systems LLC arrived on September 16, after the PAC’s last periodic report. Section 2971(d) exists precisely so that a contribution like that gets disclosed in real time, before the election, rather than buried in a monthly report. That is the disclosure Vermonters were denied,” added Stannard.
Durin Systems LLC has drawn public attention following the second mailer, as the mailing address listed on the Campaign Finance System of Vermont’s website is listed as 228 Nevada Street, El Segundo, California. The listed address is associated with Durin Mining Technologies Corp, a California-based mining startup. The Manchester Journal reached out to the mining company to ask why they were donating to a county senate race in Vermont, and Founder and Chief Executive Officer Ted Feldmann explained that his company has nothing to do with the similarly named Durin Systems LLC, and is unsure as to why his company’s address is listed.
“I’m not familiar with Durin Systems LLC and have never heard of the Common Sense PAC. My business is called Durin Mining Technologies Corp. I am frankly very confused as to why the Durin name and El Segundo address were used. I double-checked our bank and credit card statements and can confirm that this donation was not from us. We do not make political donations,” said Feldmann.
Common Sense PAC Treasurer Richard Kaufman declined to comment on Stannard’s allegations, but did confirm that the California mining company was not involved.
The mailer’s disclosure said that the mailer was “not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.” Spike Whitmire confirmed for The Manchester Journal that his campaign had nothing to do with the mailer. The Manchester Journal was unable to reach Josh Williams via the phone number provided on his campaign website, but previous reporting by The Manchester Journal on the Common Sense PAC mailer regarding Seth Bongartz confirmed that Williams and his campaign had no influence on the PAC’s mailers.
“To be clear, the Common Sense PAC is an independent political organization that has nothing to do with my campaign. I am not involved with any part of it, including the drafting of the recent flyer. But I would note that everyday Vermonters feel like they can’t afford to live here much longer and have become desperate for change. They feel that Mr. Plunkett and Mr. Bongartz have not delivered any relief. During the last two years government spending is up over $1 billion, taxes have continued to rise and healthcare and Housing have become unaffordable. After twenty-two years of one party controlling both the House and Senate, everyday Vermonters are looking for a new breed of Senators to represent them that have practical solutions, are fiscally responsible with their tax dollars and will demand change. Spike Whitmire and Josh Williams will fight for all Vermonters and deliver results,” said Whitmire.
Haley Sommer, senior advisor to the Attorney General said that the office has received the complaint, and outlined the review process going forward.
“The Attorney General’s Office has received the complaint, and it is currently under review. After a complaint is received, the general process is to reach out to the subject(s) named in the complaint and request a response by a specified deadline. It’s important to note that any information gathered by the Attorney General’s Office during the course of this process is confidential under 17 V.S.A. § 2904(a)(4),” said Sommer.
Source: vtdigger.org
