BRATTLEBORO — Rory Thibault, a candidate for Vermont attorney general, came to Brattleboro for our July Gallery Walk, and I was privileged to accompany him through our streets.
Fifty years ago, I began my journey in law and politics. During the journey, I was blessed with the opportunity to run for elective office. My service included five terms in the Vermont House of Representatives.
During the journey, and prior thereto, I had the opportunity to know many great lawyers who devoted themselves to public service. Many were from Windham County; three of them were James L. Oakes, Thomas P. Salmon, and Timothy J. O'Connor Jr.
Oakes, Salmon, and O'Connor each had a vital center and concrete idealism, a commitment to liberty and justice for all. Their records demonstrate this value over the long course of their public lives.
It is their spirit I observe in Rory Thibault. I see someone with a certain steady commitment to truth and justice, a person who listens and acts, and a discipline of liberty who has a record of accomplishment of justice for all.
One citizen exclaimed on meeting Rory on Main Street in Brattleboro: “Oh my, he's so young!” Yes, he is. And he is idealistic. But he is experienced. A soldier, an elected state's attorney, a trier of many jury cases, a husband, and a father par excellence. A leader.
In the spirit of Jim Oakes, Tom Salmon, and Tim O'Connor please join me in supporting Rory Thibault in the Democratic Primary on Aug. 9.