Biography of Anthony Pollina
Anthony Pollina brings a unique perspective of 25 years of experience as an organizer, coalition builder and legislative advocate to all his discussions with Vermonters on Equal Time.
In 1985, in response to a crisis created by big increases in farmer’s property taxes, Anthony worked with farmers to found Rural Vermont to challenge higher taxes on the local level and the unfair system of appraisal and taxing farms. The group mounted a successful effort to change the
state’s current use laws and in the process got farmers from around the state working together.
As Rural Vermont’s Executive Director, Anthony worked on a range of other issues and grassroots organizing efforts including a one-time state dairy price premium payment, to help make up for cuts in farmers income caused by federal policy and helped lay the groundwork for the Northeast Dairy Compact. The group also organized a series of national dairy farmer meetings, bring dairy farmers from over 25 states to Vermont to design a regional approach to dairy policy.
While at Rural Vermont, Anthony was also among the very first to challenge the use of bovine growth hormone (1986) and start making farmers and consumers aware of the coming of farm biotechnology and genetic engineering. Rural Vermont helped expose problems with rBGH studies at UVM and conflicts of interest at the UVM Extension Service. Importantly, Anthony helped win Vermont’s original rBGH milk-labeling law. At the time he became a member of the National Biotechnology Working group an organization of farm, consumers and scientific organizations and organized the first national conference on Biotechnology, Agriculture and the Environment (held in Washington DC).
In 1991, Anthony became Congressman Bernie Sanders Senior Policy Advisor where he coordinated policy and outreach on a range of issues including agriculture, biotechnology and environmental health. He worked with Bernie to develop the National Dairy Nutrition Act and to initiate an investigation of conflicts of interest between the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and biotechnology companies by the Congressional General Accounting Office.
In 1996 Anthony joined the Vermont Public Interest Research Group (VPIRG) first as its interim director, leading the group through a reorganization effort, then as Policy Director where he led legislative advocacy, grassroots organizing and coalition building efforts to fight factory farming, genetic engineering in agriculture and on the health effects of low level toxic exposures.
While at VPIRG he also led a coalition to reduce prescription drug prices by requiring manufacturers to charge Vermonters the same price as they charged Canadians. This group was the first to challenge the drug industry at the state level and to educate Vermonters about the lower prices charged in Canada and other countries.
Throughout 1997 and 1998, Anthony also led the statewide coalition effort that resulted in the Vermont Legislature passing the nation's most comprehensive campaign finance reforms of any state. His work led Governor Howard Dean, when signing the law, to refer to Pollina as "Mr. Campaign Finance Reform."
In 2000, Anthony ran for Governor as the nominee of the Vermont Progressive Party in a race against incumbent Howard Dean (D) and Ruth Dwyer (R). He received 10% of the vote in a tightly contested race. In 2002, Anthony ran for Lieutenant Governor again as a Progressive and received 24% of vote in another highly contested three-way race. In both campaigns, Anthony successfully highlighted the need for more rural economic development, affordable health care for all Vermonters, support for the working men and women of Vermont, lowering the cost of Vermont colleges and real investment in Vermont farms and farm infrastructure.
Also in 2000, Anthony founded the Vermont Democracy Fund where he works today. The Vermont Democracy Fund (VDF) is a non-profit committed to giving working families and family farmers a stronger voice in public policy. VDF organizes citizen-working groups on issues and supports research into sustainable economic development. Among his early work with VDF, Anthony helped organize a working group of families of kids with disabilities to fight back against cuts in important services, an Act 250 working group bringing together environmentalists, business owners and others, as well as actions on clean water and other issues.
Currently VDF is focused on two major projects, Dairy Farmers of Vermont and Equal Time Radio. Dairy Farmers of Vermont is an association of over 300 dairy farms – large and small from every county in Vermont. In 2003, with Anthony as its organizer, DFV won unprecedented bargaining meetings with dairy co-ops to talk about ways to improve farmer’s milk prices and farm income. Those meetings and the farmers growing awareness of gain more control over their milk and more value from its sale, led to their current effort to develop a Vermont brand of milk and an independent Vermont processing plant for conventional and organic milk.