WESTMINSTER — As primary season comes to a close, I want to urge everyone to get out and vote for Jeanette White on or before Tuesday, Aug. 14.
I have had the opportunity to watch her up close in her Senate work, as I have been in the House for her entire tenure as senator. She has served us well.
She exercises leadership in the Senate through her role as chair of the Senate Committee on Government Operations - or, as she likes to call it, the “Everything Vermont Committee,” because elections, the structure and functions of government, government staff and pay levels, legislative and executive study committees, legislative review of executive-branch actions, legislative redistricting, and you name it has gone through her committee.
Jeanette is down-home easy to work with, both across the political aisle and between the two bodies, House and Senate. While others are flapping about, excited over lesser matters, Jeanette keeps her eyes on the real issues and keeps her colleagues on track. On the flip side, I know she has stopped some bad ideas from becoming law.
The last time we had a Democratic primary here in the Westminster-Putney-Dummerston House district was when Michael Mrowicki joined me to become the two Democratic candidates for the Vermont House from Windham-4.
Actually, the district was Windham-1 back then, before the Legislature changed its identifier, but having served with Michael for the past 12 years, I can tell voters that he has not changed from the compassionate, hard-working person he was back then.
He is easy and productive to work with, and he remains committed to protecting our most vulnerable Vermonters. He serves on the Human Services Committee and is reaching senior status there, so he is influential beyond his single vote within the committee and exercises leadership and influence in these issue areas within our Democratic caucus.
Michael serves on the sexual-harassment prevention panel for the House. Along with hearing any complaints concerning House members or our employees, the panel is responsible for educating the full body on our responsibilities to prevent sexual harassment in all its forms.
He is my first choice as representative from this district, not only for his individual qualities of compassion, experience, and smarts, but also because, with my retirement, our towns deserve a senior member of the House up in Montpelier representing us.
I urge anyone voting in the Democratic primary to vote for Senator Jeanette White and Representative Mike Mrowicki.