by Mike Donoghue, Vermont News First
COLCHESTER – The executive boards of the Democratic party for both the town of Colchester and the county of Grand Isle conducted unpublicized meetings last week to produce names for a possible successor to longtime State Sen. Dick Mazza.
The private selection sessions were held before many of the constituents for Mazza, D-Grand Isle/Colchester even knew he had resigned Monday April 8 after 42 years at the statehouse, including 39 years as a state senator.
The list of six names proved to be interesting for both who was on as much as who was not included.
The chairs of both Democratic committees, who presided over separate meetings – Julie Hulburd for the town of Colchester and Dr. Deborah Lang for Grand Isle County – each had their names sent to Gov. Phil Scott for consideration to fill the seat.
Two Democratic State Representatives from Colchester – Sarah “Sarita” Austin, who covers Malletts Bay and Curt Taylor, who covers the village and Fort Ethan Allen areas – round out the three names sent from the town committee.
Joining Lang on the list of nominees from the Champlain Islands are Andy Julow, a former school board director from North Hero and Carol Tremble, a CPA and former South Hero selectboard member.
Hulburd told Vermont News First she believed there was not enough time to properly warn a public meeting for Democrats in Colchester to attend.
Hulburd said she has been town chair only since June and took her lead from the Vermont Democratic Party. She said the email from the Governor’s office, which was sent at 1:46 p.m. Tuesday, asked the two chairs to provide names promptly.
Hulburd said she later met by Zoom with Colchester Vice Chair Bob Henneberger, Secretary Ruth Blauwiekel and Treasurer Carol Anderson to approve the three nominations from the town. Hulburd emailed the names to the Governor on Thursday.
Lang did not respond to repeated attempts by Vermont News First over the weekend to reach her for comments about the process used in Grand Isle County and the quick turnaround time she used.
The letter from Scott’s office did not put any deadlines on the committees to find interested candidates.
However, in a return email to the Governor with the three Island names, Lang wrote the Grand Isle County Committee wants Scott to act quickly to fill the seat.
Lang wrote she believed there are some major decisions for the senate to consider before it goes home next month, including the annual budget, education funding and leadership.
Mazza’s resignation letter got overshadowed by the total solar eclipse last Monday. Some local TV stations never did a full story about his resignation until Tuesday or Wednesday. The Islander newspaper put the story out on its Facebook page on Monday, but the full story in its print edition landed on Thursday.
So many in the district of about 20,000 voters were unaware until mid-week about the senate vacancy. If people were interested in seeking the public office, it was too late. By that time, the six names had been sent to the Governor’s office.
He may be looking for a senator that is close to Mazza’s middle of the road philosophy when it comes to spending and other key issues. As the legislature increases taxes and fees, Scott and Mazza have repeatedly said Vermonters do not have bottomless pockets filled with cash.
The new senator will be expected to hit the ground running with so little time left in the session and so much to learn. Also, it is unclear if the new senator will get the two committee assignments that Mazza has held, or if some current senators might want those seats. The Transportation Committee and the Institutions Committee are both considered prize appointments.
The Governor may feel some pressure to appoint a woman since there are only 12 in the 30-seat senate. Scott also may feel pressure to appoint a candidate from the Champlain Islands because some residents believe the area is shorted at the legislature when it comes to reapportionment at the Statehouse.
If Scott appoints one of the two House members from Colchester seeking Mazza’s seat, it would mean the appointment process would start over to fill that post before adjournment.
It is unclear if the two Democratic committees were seeking candidates that are interested in running only to close out Mazza’s term, which would end in January, or whether they wanted somebody that might get an early jump on running for a full two-year term in the November election.
Mazza, who resigned for health reasons, has said he will help in any way in getting the seat filled. Mazza, in the days before his formal announcement, had been speaking with close friends about who might be good in his district to fill his seat if he resigned.
The letter from Scott seeking nominations said Mazza had asked the Governor’s office to seek separate lists from the two committees.
Scott’s team is expected to begin interviews sometime this week with the six candidates, an office spokesperson said. The list will be whittled down and the governor will eventually interview the finalists.
A spokesman for Scott said Friday afternoon the governor’s office was still waiting for one applicant to submit the resume and cover letter that was requested so the office could prepare for interviews.
The governor does not have to pick from the two lists submitted. Some previous governors have actually picked somebody not on the party list.
While it apparently was too late for many residents to express interest in the vacant seat to the local Democratic committee, there were some names that local residents were surprised were not on the list. Among them was former House Speaker Mitzi Johnson of South Hero, South Hero Selectboard Chair David Carter and current State Rep. Josie Leavitt, D-Grand Isle/West Milton, the lone Democrat in the House from the islands.
Two of Leavitt’s three Democratic colleagues serving in the House from Colchester had their names sent to the Governor’s office.
Also not included were either of Mazza’s two adult children to serve out the final 3 or 4 weeks of the legislative session, but there may have been no interest. Governors have been known to appoint family members to fill seats.
Democratic Gov. Howard Dean picked Diane Snelling, a Republican, in 2002 to succeed her mother Sen. Barbara Snelling, who resigned for health reasons.
Categories: politics
Glad to not be hanging in those parts anymore. Despite a great police force, crime & drugs have steadily been creeping into beautiful & once-serene Colchester. Now with the pronoun crowd moving into further force “diversity”, the area will only succumb. With UVT so close, it only survived as long as it did due to Dick Mazza’s sensible & steady oversight. Poor Colchester……
Re: Dems hold unpublicized meetings….
17 V.S.A. § 2623 Vacancies in offices within this State
“(a) In the event of a vacancy in any State, county, or legislative office, the Governor may request the political party or parties of the person whose death or resignation created the vacancy to submit one or more recommendations as to a successor. “
But political parties, and committees thereof, are not subject to Vermont open meeting laws.
Does this mean political parties shouldn’t consider polling the affected constituency for opinion on the matter of appointment recommendations to fill a vacancy? No. Of course not. At least in my opinion, the party committee should ‘consider’ public input. But there is nothing in the law that says they must do so.
There’s no story here.
thirty senators//// one down twenty nine more to go//// there was no hero in the vermont senate to stop the covid kill shot/// so stop grand standing with the hero worshipping crap/// these people sold out the vermont tax payers and the damage will be felt for many years in the future///
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (D) warned of “secret societies” in his speech of April 27, 1961. Interesting how the party that he represented, as did his eliminated brother Robert, have embraced closed door secret meetings and dirty, dirty, dealings done not so cheap. He tried and he died just for trying…
In my opinion Kennedy was “eliminated” because he wanted to remove the central bank and he messed with the unions. The gov sanctioned this and even had their own apparatus in place to ensure it’s success and direct the blame of the “elimination”. The mob who were mad at the unions were to be the fall guys if necessary leaving the gov twice removed. One of these two orgs propped up Lee Harvey Oswald who likely didn’t even fire the shot that killed Kennedy.
The gov wanted him gone because if he succeeded then the power and influence over the US and the cash cow that is the US taxpayer would stop for the central bankers. Are the central bankers members of the secret societies? I suspect so, but they are bankers first and foremost.
Appoint a Republican! Ask Mazza whom he would like.
“private selection sessions” isn’t that how politburos, oops I mean democrat party always dies things?
“does” things. does, dies, the end results seems to be the same. 😀
Mazza is a backwards dinosaur who should have resigned many years ago, but his ego would not allow it. No doubt we’ll be stuck with someone with even less common sense.
I suspect you are correct, an even less favorable candidate will emerge with even more degenerate ideology.
My memory of Mazza is that originally he was a fair politician who voted well on a number of laws but like most of the political elite in VT has slipped further and further towards a communist than a level headed supporter of freedom. Then again I wasn’t paying attention nearly as much as I am now so it might just be that good old VT media having programmed my mind over the years.