BELLOWS FALLS — Michael Obuchowski of Bellows Falls, who has represented the Windham 4 House district since 1973, was asked last month by incoming Gov. Peter Shumlin to take the position of commissioner of the state Department of Buildings and General Services.
Obuchowski resigned his House seat last week to take the post, touching off a scramble to succeed the longtime lawmaker.
In a phone interview on Friday, Shumlin said of Obuchowski that “no one is smarter, works harder or has the tenacity of fighting for people without a voice.”
Shumlin added that “Obie was one of my political mentors. Looking historically, he's been a model legislator.”
Obuchowski said he got a crash course on what the Department of Buildings and General Services does during a visit to Montpelier last week.
“I just dropped by and ended up staying all day,” said Obuchowski.
The department manages many state properties, the state's fleet of vehicles, workers' compensation claims, and all of the state's printing and postal services, to name just a few of the tasks that Obuchowski will oversee.
“It's a big agency, and he'll have his plate full,” Shumlin said.
New responsibilities
When Shumlin spoke with Obuchowski initially, he told Obuchowski that he planned to emphasize energy conservation and greater use of renewable energy resources.
“I don't think Vermonters really understand how much Vermont's Legislature has accomplished in this regard,” Obuchowski said.
“Vermont is the state that leads by example in energy use and renewable resources,” Shumlin said by phone.
Obuchowski said that part of Shumlin's emphasis on efficiency and conservation includes making sure that space in state buildings is used in the best way.
“There is a lot of vacant space that taxpayers are paying for,” Shumlin said, adding that he knew to expect “fiscal discipline on the job” from Obuchowski.
This may be one of the biggest reasons Shumlin tapped Obuchowski. Shumlin has said he intends to make fiscal responsibility at all levels of state government a priority for his administration.
With nearly every state agency seeing cutbacks over the past couple of years, Shumlin said that finding more efficient ways of conducting state business will be one of Obuchowski's prime goals.
“Mike has given 100 percent to every assignment he's been given over the years,” said Administration Secretary-Designee Jeb Spaulding. “His background in government, knowledge of finances, and unparalleled work ethic will be valuable in this position."
“We're in the process of putting together the capital bill [of approximately $79 million] that authorizes bonding for projects for the Governor-elect,” Obuchowski said. He said he intends to have that on Shumlin's desk soon after he officially takes office on Jan. 6.
“My job is going to be assuring that Vermonters get the biggest bang for their buck,” Obuchowski said.
Obuchowski said that in discussions with Shumlin, his immediate goals will be communication and management.
“I'll be in a listening period [in the beginning]… trying not to interject my thoughts or preconceived notions without having a basis in fact,” Obuchowski said.
He noted that he intends to have an open door policy that is “…very hard to [actually] accomplish … listening to people and taking in what they have to say seriously and not just going through the motions. I hope to be transparent and inclusive in my management style.”
He said he intends to be clear about what he expects from employees “so they can be corrected if they veer from course.”
A big transition
Obuchowski said that after Spaulding stepped down from his post as state treasurer to become Shumlin's Secretary of Adminstration, he wanted to be Spaulding's successor.
“I put my name in,” Obuchowski said, “but by then, it was a fait accomplit. I just told myself, 'OK, just get on with your work, Obie.'”
Of Shumlin's appointee to replace Spaulding, former Deputy Treasurer Beth Pearson, Obuchowski said, “She's a crackerjack - an exceptionally bright, talented individual. Treasury issues can be pretty esoteric and dry, but Beth has one helluva personality. I think they're going to really enjoy her.”
Shumlin's offer to lead the Department of Buildings and General Services “came out of the blue,” according to Obuchowski. “I was frankly befuddled [at first] by the offer, but now I'm elated and overwhelmed, but mostly elated.”
Obuchowski said that, when he was asked to take the position, he asked Shumlin whether he could have a few days to decide. Because the discussion was highly confidential, Obuchowski was given a list of people he could talk to about the pros and cons of taking on the job.
“I talked to confidantes and people from his list,” he said. “I got their opinions.”
“I encouraged him, but I knew no one was going to tell him what to do,” Shumlin said. “He thinks for himself. He has put heart and soul into working for the people of Rockingham, Athens, and Windham. It was a tough decision.”
But Shumlin also said that his being the first governor in 40 years from southern Vermont meant that he wanted as many people from the area around him as possible “so we don't forget where we came from. Vermont doesn't end south of Route 4,” he quipped.
Obuchowski said that he considers his Windham-4 constituents family.
“Over the years, you get to know people,” he said. “People trusted me with some pretty personal information, talking to me as if I were part of their family.”
That perspective will just broaden, he said, to include his new employees and the several hundred thousand Vermonters he is sure he will be hearing from in his new position.
He is clear that ties to his constituents will not be completely severed. He is confidant that his former district mate, Rep. Carolyn Partridge, D-Windham, is more than up to the job of covering any gaps he leaves behind.
“She is a competent legislator, and constituents should have no hesitation in relying on her for the same things they relied on me for,” Obuchowski said.
“I'm going to miss him very much,” said Partridge on Friday. “He and I have worked together for 12 years. He has been a colleague, a mentor, and a very good friend, so I am definitely going to miss him as my district mate.”
“That being said,” Partridge continued, “I am really delighted for him and his own personal situation that this job sort of fell into his lap. He did not pursue it. Shumlin recognized what a great worker he is. He now has a wife [Clare Buckley, whom he married this summer] and two-month-old twins [Nora and Jack, who were born in November] who live in Montpelier, so it fits beautifully.”
Partridge said that Obuchowski has offered to help with any constituent issues that he started and that she will have to take over.
“I suspect we will maintain our friendship,” Partridge said. “We've talked about exercising in the morning and maybe having breakfast. He'll be working just across the street.”
“Essentially, I would not have the opportunity I have chosen to take on without the support [of the voters]. I wouldn't be where I am today without them,” Obuchowski said.
Shumlin said he understood moving to Montpelier for Obuchowski was a big decision but “working there 365 days a year” meant getting home to Bellows Falls on weekends would be tough.
Obuchowski said that “the ability to be together more as a family” had something to do with his decision.
“The money side of the ledger, honestly no,” he said, adding that “the responsibilities did,” referring to both his new post and his family.
Obuchowski said he will be “gradually” moving to Montpelier over the next few months.
Asked if he shed any tears once he had made his decision, he said unabashedly, “Sure.”
Filling his seat
According to Obuchowski and Windham County Democratic Chairman Lamont Barnett of Rockingham, Shumlin asked for three names he can pick from to fill Obuchowski's vacated seat. Obuchowski and Partridge easily won re-election last November to represent the district.
Barnett, owner of the Rock and Hammer Jewelry store in Bellows Falls, said that he is considering putting forward his own name.
Anne DiBernardo, who is currently serving on the Rockingham Selectboard, said that she was also considering putting her name forward.
Other names have been floated and all may be discussed in a meeting scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 8, in Rockingham.
Details are still being worked out, Barnett said. “Nothing is for sure yet.”
Barnett said that his years of public service and work in the community qualify him for the position. He said that his focus would be on jobs, taking a look at more friendly tax codes for businesses, highway signage to promote the local businesses, and bolstering the infrastructure of the region. He specifically wants to see the Vilas Bridge project put on the fast track with “maybe some sort of cooperative Vermont-New Hampshire legislative committee, since [New Hampshire] owns the bridge.”
He also said he is a “huge single-payer health care supporter” and would be “excited to be involved in the process of helping to shepherd that into law.”
DiBernardo said that serving on the Selectboard qualified her for the position as well, but admitted that she thought that “Monty would be a good candidate for the seat.”
But her concerns and involvement in issues of homelessness and child care give her application legitimacy as well, she said.
“There's just a difference between the sexes on what our focuses are,” she added.
Partridge, Obuchowski, and Reed Webster will chair the caucus of 30 to 40 members, discuss names put forward, vote on three, and send them on to the Shumlin administration following their Jan. 8 meeting at a time and place to be announced, Barnett said.