2012 legislative update

Legislators

PETER SHUMLIN, Governor of the Great State of Vermont, was born in Brattleboro, Vermont on March 24, 1956 and has lived in Putney/Westminster all of his life. Occupation: educator/business owner/ dairy farmer. He was educated in elementary schools in Putney, Vermont; graduated from Buxton School, Williamstown, Massachusetts; Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut (B.A., 1979). He is married to Deborah Holway Shumlin (also born and raised in Putney), and they have two daughters, Olivia and Rebecca. Member of: Board of Selectmen, chair for six years; Landmark College, Putney, Vermont, board of trustees. He has served on: Windham Regional Commission; Putney Grammar School, board of trustees; Yellow Barn Music Festival; Putney Family Services. Member of the House: 1990 (seated January 3, 1990), 1991-92. Member of the Senate for 10 years: 1993-2002. After his first term in the Senate he was elected Senate Minority Leader where he focused on re-gaining the Democratic majority for his caucus. At that time there were 11 Democrats and 19 Republicans in the Vermont Senate. After one term as Minority Leader, the Democrats captured the majority and he was elected President pro-tempore for the following six years: 1997-2002. In that capacity Peter served as chair of the Finance Committee, chair of the Senate Rules committee, as a member of the Transportation and Appropriations Committees and as a founding member of NLARX, a national legislative organization dedicated to reducing prescription drug prices. In 2002 he ran unsuccessfully for Lieutenant Governor and returned to private life for the following four years. In 2006 he was re-elected to the Senate and his colleagues elected him to return as President pro-tempore. Senate office phone: 802-828-3806. Home phone: 802-387-4447. Work phone:802- 387-5000. POST OFFICE ADDRESS: 345 Hickory Ridge Rd, Putney,VT 05346.
 

PETER GALBRAITH, State Senator of Windham County, Democrat, a lifelong Townshend resident, is a best selling author and former U.S. diplomat. He began his career as a professor at Windham College in Putney and at the School International Training in Brattleboro. In 1977, he was elected the youngest ever Chair of the Vermont State Democratic Committee and helped lay the foundation for today’s progressive politics. In 1979, he joined the staff of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee where he uncovered and helped stop Saddam Hussein’s genocide against the Kurds. In 1993, President Clinton appointed him the first U.S. Ambassador to Croatia where he negotiated the peace agreement that ended the Croatian War. He served with the United Nations in East Timor and Afghanistan. He has run an international business from Townshend since 2003. Peter is a trustee of Marlboro College and on the board of the Grace Cottage Foundation. Address: PO Box 335, Townshend, Vermont 05353. Phone: 365-7633. Email: galbraithvt@gmail.com

ROBERT M. HARTWELL, State Senator of Bennington County, Democrat, was born in New York City and raised in Greenwich, Connecticut. Before moving to Vermont in 1994, Bob was admitted to practice law in New York and Connecticut. He practiced law in Fairfield,Connecticut before being employed as a labor attorney at American Company, a Fortune 100 corporation. Bob wasappointed Labor Counsel for the Company's packaging sector in 1982 and was responsible for the legal compliance of the Company's equal opportunity, affirmative action and employee safety programs; in addition, he handled labor arbitrations, unfair labor practice charges and managed outside counsel. Later, Bob was of counsel to law firms in New York City and Stamford, Connecticut before moving to Vermont where he was engaged in the practice of law in Manchester with emphasis on land use and real estate transactions. Bob served on the Town of Dorset Planning Commission, 1995-2001 and was Chair, 1996-1999; he served on the Dorset Selectboard, 2001-2004, and has served on the Bennington County Regional Commission since 1997 and has been chair since 2001. He also serves as the president of the Executive Committee of the New England Association of Regional Counsels, the umbrella organization for New England regional planning. Bob has served as an Acting Judge in the Windsor Superior Court and is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Vermont Land Trust. Address: Box 1105, Manchester Center, Vermont 05255. Contact: 362-5757 Home fax 362-5758 hartlaw@sover.net

RICHARD W. SEARS, JR., State Senator of Bennington County, Democrat, was born in Framingham, Massachusetts, on April 22, 1943, and became a resident of Bennington in 1971. Occupation: Worked in residential programs for troubled youth for over 35 years. Retired 1/1/2006. He was educated in schools in Ashland, Massachusetts; New Hampton School, New Hampton, New Hampshire; University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont (B.A., 1969). He is married to the former Beverly Bushey. Member of: Bennington Select Board, 1987-93, chairman for four years; Elks Lodge #567. Religious preference: Congregational. Home phone: 442-9139. Email: rsears@leg.state.vt.us POST OFFICE ADDRESS: 343 Matteson Road, North Bennington, VT 05257.

JEANETTE WHITE, State Senator of Windham County, Democrat, was born on May 2, 1943, in Thief River Falls, Minnesota and moved to Vermont in 1972. She received her Bachelor's Degree from the University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa in political science and sociology in 1965 and her Master's Degree in Community Development and Community Education in 1972 from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois. She is married to Bill White and they have two grown children, Laurie and Josh. Home phone: 387-4379. POST OFFICE ADDRESS: 35A Old Depot Road, Putney, VT 05346.

ANN MANWARING, State Representative of Wilmington, Whitingham and Halifax of Windham County, Democrat, was born on July 14, 1940, in Westerly, Rhode Island, and has been a resident of present town since 1977. Occupation: Retired Small Business Owner; Founded and ran small business for 23 years which emphasized family friendly policies, raising three babies of employees in place of work. Real Estate Broker, 5 years. She was educated at Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, Ohio (B.A. Economics, 1962); Marlboro College Tech Center, Brattleboro, VT (M.S. in Internet Strategy, 2001). Affiliations: Select person, Wilmington, 12 years, Chair, 3 years; Vermont League of Cities and Towns, Board member, 9 years, President, 1 year; Wilmington Budget Committee; Wilmington Planning Commission, Windham Regional Commission, Wilmington Charter Committee, Chair; Facilities Committee, Twin Valley Schools, Chair (Merged middle and high schools of Wilmington and Whitingham); Brattleboro Area Community Land Trust, Board Member; Mount Snow Valley Chamber of Commerce, Board member. Home Phone: 464-2150. POST OFFICE ADDRESS: PO Box 1089, Wilmington, VT 05363. E-mail: sandbox@sover.net.

JOHN MORAN, State Representative of Dover, Readsboro, Searsburg, Stamford, Somerset and Wardsboro, Windham County, Democrat, was born on May 5, 1940, in Cleveland, Ohio, and became a resident of present town in 1989. He lives in Wardsboro with his wife, Cherie, three Cairn Terriers - Muddy, Wheatie & Kid, and one orange cat - John Doe. His stepdaughters, Emi & Eri, Leland and Gray (Townshend) and Boston University graduates, live in Boston. He was educated at Adelphia University, Garden City, New York (BA, 1980); University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA (MPH, 1994). Home Phone: 896-9408. POST OFFICE ADDRESS: 58 Hi-Hopes Road, Wardsboro, VT 05355.

Legislative update 2012