And thoughts on the race for Speaker of the House

by Rob Roper

Following the seismic gains Vermont Republicans made in the state senate last November, shifting the partisan balance in the body from 7-23 to 13-17, Republican Randy Brock (R-Franklin) is making a bid to be Senate President Pro Tem which, if successful, would oust the current holder of that position, Philip Baruth (D/P-Chittenden). This is good news for Vermonters, even if Brock’s chances are a long shot.

The Senate President Pro Tem plays a major role in setting the agenda for the senate, presides over the senate in the absence of the Lieutenant Governor, and sits on the Committee on Committees, which determines the committee assignments for the members. Setting all party considerations aside, Brock is uniquely qualified for this position, especially at this time in our state’s history.

In addition to fourteen years in the senate (two stints), Brock served in the statewide office of Auditor of Accounts as well as running unsuccessful statewide campaigns for governor and lieutenant governor. This gives him both local and statewide perspectives on how issues and policies affect communities that is broader than someone’s who has only served one district in the state would have. Baruth, on the other hand, has only represented Chittenden County in his senate career (and after redistricting in 2020 the most progressive section of it), and has never run for statewide office engaging with voters outside his district.

Brock’s professional career was in finance, serving as an auditor for Fidelity Investments, and that experience combined with his time on the Senate Finance and Economic Development committees and especially as Auditor of Accounts for Vermont gives him a valuable set of skills and deep insights into our state’s finances – which you may have noticed are in dire need of professional help. Our education finance system, our health insurance system, our housing crisis could all benefit from leadership that actually understands how the businesses that supply these services work, and how they interact with government to do what they are supposed to do.

Brock also served in the US Army’s Military Police Corps, where he earned a Bronze Star, which gives him some welcome insights in law enforcement, another area where Vermont needs intelligent leadership to solve our crisis with rising crime.

Perhaps most importantly, Brock has a good relationship with Governor Phil Scott and could do much to restore a productive working relationship between legislative branch and the Administration that the hyper-partisan, ideologically driven Baruth has destroyed and shows no inclination to repair.

But, in order for Brock to win, he needs three Democrats to vote with the thirteen Republicans to give him a majority. That might be a bridge… or two… or three too far in this day and age. That said, if you live in a senate district that is represented by Democrats please contact them and tell them to vote for Randy Brock for Senate President Pro Tem. (Find your senators HERE.) It’s time to end the legislative disfunction!

Krowinski vs. Sibilia vs. Anyone Else

Sadly, on the House side as of this writing no such Republican has stepped up to run for Speaker of the House. The two candidates for that post are the current Speaker, Representative Jill Krowinski (D-Burlington) and Representative Laura Sibilia (I-Dover). Neither is an appealing prospect.

In Krowinski we have the backroom architect of the horrible policies that have led to the unaffordability crisis we now face on so many fronts, and in Sibilia we have the field commander who shepherded those policies into law.

All the reasons Democrats got their clocks cleaned in the last election, the reasons why Vermont voters are ripping furious – the Clean Heat Standard, the Renewable Energy Standard, the Global Warming Solutions Act, and the pupil weighting law that did so much to blow up our property tax bills – Laura Sibilia was a lead advocate for, presenting the bills on the House floor.

This “choice” does not represent “change” in any meaningful way.

While I am sure there is plenty of behind-the-scenes horse trading going on regarding committee assignments, pet projects getting fast tracked, promises of potholes getting filled, and assorted inside baseball, from a Republican voters’ perspective from outside the building, Sibilia is a far worse choice – for all the reasons she might appear to be the better one.

She’s labeled an Independent, not a Democrat. She’s lives outside Chittenden County. She’s not the incumbent Speaker at a time when folks are looking for change. That may appear all to the good, but these are all very, very superficial attributes. They are the sheep’s clothing that disguises the wolf. If you want to see who Laura Sibilia actually listens to and represents, check out the video below…

She is tied at the hip to the worst special interests driving up the cost of living for Vermonters in the most avoidable and unnecessary ways, and she has not indicated that the election results of November 5^th have given her any second thoughts about the radical agenda she’s been pursuing.

So, here’s my last Hail Mary appeal to some Republican to step forward and run for Speaker. You will not win under the Golden Dome, but you will win in the eyes of every Vermonter who voted for real change for our state. And that is more important.

Rob Roper is a freelance writer who has been involved with Vermont politics and policy for over 20 years. This article reprinted with permission from Behind the Lines: Rob Roper on Vermont Politics, robertroper.substack.com