The Vermont General Assembly convened today for the new biennium and the tension in the air was palpable. The challenge to Speaker Jill Krowinski from Independent Rep. Laura Sibilia and rumors of challenges from the left and the right to Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Baruth seemed to signal that this Opening Day would be the spiciest one in a while.
The suspense was gone by lunchtime. In a resounding victory for Team “Nothing Ever Happens,” Baruth cruised to re-election without opposition and Krowinski handily defeated Sibilia, 111-35.
When I got to the State House this morning, the word was already buzzing around the cafeteria that Rep. Pattie McCoy of Poultney, the Minority Leader, had put out the call that she and much of her caucus would be backing Krowinski, seemingly dooming Sibilia who was counting on near-unanimous support from the GOP. However, as the late, great, Yogi Berra once said, it ain’t over ’til it’s over, and the contest proceeded to the floor of the House.
Krowinski was nominated by Rep. Theresa Wood, a Democrat from Waterbury who chairs the Human Services Committee. Her nomination was seconded by Rep. Tom Burditt, a Republican from West Rutland. Sibilia was nominated by West Windsor Democrat Rep. Elizabeth Burrows, and her nomination was seconded by Republican Rep. Mark Higley of Lowell and Progressive Rep. Troy Headrick of Burlington.
Sidebar: Big props to Rep. Higley for speaking succinctly in support of Sibilia’s candidacy. His distinguished colleagues could learn a thing or two from him.
Sibilia’s tripartisan support signaled a possible second wind for her candidacy. However, the winds died down as the House entered a lengthy period of debate and member after member rose in support of Krowinski’s candidacy while Sibilia’s only vocal backers were those who had already publicly declared support for her candidacy.
Once the members finished their thrilling perorations (highlights included Rep. John O’Brien of Tunbridge invoking the memory of the late Speaker Walter “Peanut” Kennedy and Rep. Burrows using the word “gestalt”) the time had come for the secret ballot vote.
Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas, presiding over the House, instructed members on how to fill out their ballots, including the admonition “Do not write your name on the ballot.” Once all the members had cast their ballots, a tripartisan crew of seven (or six, at this point in the proceedings I was in the lobby of the House with fifty or so of my closest friends and couldn’t really see or hear) members appointed as “tellers” worked diligently to count the votes.
Feeling peckish and seeing no need to remain with the throng of meerkats trying to peep through the doors of Representatives Hall, I went to the cafeteria for a danish while the counting continued. As Copeland Hanzas conferred with the clerk and prepared to announce the results, a hush fell over the cafeteria. When she announced the results, people largely shrugged and went back to their conversations. The result was largely as expected: Krowinski won, and quite handily.
As I said, the results of the vote were secret, so we’ll never know exactly who voted for whom. If we take Digger’s number of 21 Democratic, Independent, and Progressive lawmakers who said they were backing Sibilia, and assume that number includes Sibilia herself, that would mean that 14 of Sibilia’s GOP colleagues gave her their support. Based on the speeches in support of her, she had assembled a truly fascinating coalition, ranging from the Progressives to moderate Democrats and independents all the way to bona fide conservatives like Mark Higley. However, this coalition was clearly not deep enough to propel her to the office in back of the cafeteria.
So, in the words of Jerry Seinfeld, “is this anything?” Hard to say. Krowinski has certainly cemented her position with bipartisan support and has another two year lease on the top job. However, if I were her, I’d be paying close attention to the members that signaled intent to vote against her today. There are clearly factions on the left, in the center, and on the right that are dissatisfied with the way the Speaker is running the House, and with a diminished majority, any of them could flex their muscles to get their priorities included in key bills. In cutting a deal with any of them, she’d risk alienating the others. Make no mistake, she’d be in no danger of going the way of Kevin McCarthy, but it’s still a tightrope that could cause a few headaches for Democratic leadership.
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