Runnion’s View of Montpelier

MONTPELIER—The most respected but misused word in the Statehouse is "powerful." As in, "the powerful House Ways & Means Committee," or "the powerful Speaker of the House."

There is another word that refers to just filling up the space in a seat in the Legislature, be it in Montpelier or Washington. It’s "weak," as in the Fish & Game Committee, where House Speakers including the present one, Walter Freed, have assigned people they want to punish for opposing them.

Then there’s the daughter of a friend in Washington who said she had just joined the staff of an inept congressman. "What do you mean inept?" "No one will return his phone calls," she said.

Philip Angell, the former state representative from Randolph, was bemused the other week when we said in this space that state senators and representatives had "power."

"Do you really think we have power?" he asked with a grin. Steve Webster, a current representative, asked much the same thing. Well, the answer is Yes, at least if you compare the clout of the legislative delegation to that of the school board which was begging on its knees the other week for more money from the Legislature. Everything is relative in politics. Fact is, both Phil Angell and Steve Webster held key positions in the legislature, and they had more clout on their committees than a lot of others.

There always have been legislators who go through an entire session with rarely a thought or action in their heads. In the old days many of them played cards most of the day in the "card room" on the second floor, which is now used for public displays of various special interest stuff.

Which brings us to the current Senate delegation from Windsor County. By statehouse standards, it has every appearance of being "powerful." There is Peter Welch of Hartland, who is president pro tem (that is, leader) of the state Senate, a job he held once before. He also was an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for both governor and congressman, and is one of the most knowledgeable people in the building.

Sitting on one side of Welch in the Senate chamber is John F. Campbell of Quechee, a second-termer who is the elected Democratic leader in the Senate which is divided into 18 Democrats and 12 Republicans.

On the other side of Welch is Matt Dunne of Hartland, who is in his first term in the Senate but has years of experience in the House.

What makes the Windsor delegation somewhat unique is its cohesiveness. The three of them sometimes act as a unit on behalf of their constituents. They even issue their own press releases. A recent one was called "A commitment to Windsor County farmers by the Windsor County senate delegation, Senators Peter Welch, John Campbell and Matt Dunne."

It said, "Helping Vermont’s dairy farmers to succeed is a priority for the Windsor County Senate delegation." What followed was a "three part bipartisan plan" designed to help all Vermont dairy farmers, not just those in their county.

"It doesn’t hurt to have three senators in power," said Peter Welch. "We have the opportunity to see that Windsor County issues are fairly considered."

But there’s not too much the three of them can do with specifics, such as making sure money flows into their towns. In Washington, Sens. Patrick Leahy and James Jeffords and Congressmen Bernie Sanders have plenty of opportunities to steer goodies into Vermont, particularly with Leahy’s position on the Senate Appropriations Committee. Then again, even with wars, tax cuts and congressional pork barrel projects, the U.S. Treasury seems like a bottomless pit to Washington politicians.

Not so in Montpelier. "With the budget shortfall, there’s no extra money to be spent," Welch said. "The bottom line reality is that the state doesn’t have much money."

In addition, Welch said, delegation members must balance county interests against state interests, and in this political climate, state interests tend to win out. The thought was echoed by Sen. Campbell.

"All of us can work for the common good," he said. He had particularly high praise for Sen. Dunne’s expertise on economic development.

The delegation is tight knit. "We check in with each other every day," Welch said. "You compete or you cooperate. The challenge in politics is to keep your eye on the prize. That is enhanced by cooperation."

In contrast to Windsor County, which has a large population base, Orange County is much smaller. It has only one senator, Democrat Mark MacDonald of Williamstown, and two representatives. Republican Steven Webster of Randolph and Democrat Patsy French of Randolph.

"We talk things over," MacDonald said. "If you want an explanation, we’ll give you an explanation. We don’t try to surprise one another."

Probably the ultimate in county clout in Montpelier came from Windham County in the early 1970's when in a space of a few years the county had the governor (Tom Salmon of Bellows Falls), the lieutenant governor (John S. Burgess of Brattleboro); the president pro tem of the Senate (Edward Janeway of Londonderry); the Speaker of the House (Timothy O’Connor of Brattleboro) and the attorney general (M. Jerome Diamond of Brattleboro.)

Sometimes, other politicians used to head south to campaign and promise to "look after Windham County’s interests so you won’t feel so isolated down here." "What do you mean, ‘isolated?’" they would be told. "We run the state."

Given the concentration of media influence and financial resources in the north these days, Windham County may never be so blessed again.

Windsor County, again because of its size, usually fields an outstanding delegation. Welch is an example. A lawyer in White River (you sure know it from his television advertising), Welch was first elected to the legislature in 1983, and became Senate president pro tem in 1988. He dropped out of active politics after being defeated in races for governor and congress, but in 2000 Gov. Howard Dean appointed him to fill the vacated seat of Cheryl Rivers. He ran for election on his own in 2002, and was elected by his colleagues as pro tem when the new session started.

Welch is the first senator of either party to serve two separate terms as pro tem. He almost decided against it this time. The job is to speed business along and set direction, and it isn’t easy to be totally partisan in the job. Welch in the past liked partisan politics and liked to speak his mind.

The presiding officer of the Senate is the lieutenant governor, in this case Republican newcomer Brian Dubie who never served in any elective office higher than the Essex School Board. He at times appears lost up on the podium, but Welch really likes him and gives him credit for his energy and willingness to learn.

The fact is, everyone in the Senate would be lost at one point or the other, considering the many legislative rules and protocols, if it weren’t for the steady hand of the fulltime Senate secretary, David Gibson, who brings intelligence, experience and history to the job.

His father, Ernest Gibson, was both a governor of Vermont and a United States Senator. Gibson himself is a former state senator. One brother, Ernest, is a retired justice of the Vermont Supreme Court. Another brother, Robert, was longtime secretary of the Senate. David took over on his brother’s death a few years ago

All Gibsons, by the way, are from Windham County.

By Norman Runnion