BELLOWS FALLS — Windham-4 Democrats gathered on Saturday at Village Square Booksellers to nominate Lamont Barnett, Matthew Trieber, and Suzanne Groenewold as potential successors to former state Rep. Michael Obuchowski.
Gov. Peter Shumlin will choose one of the three to fill out the remainder of Obuchowski's term, although Shumlin does have the option to select someone else.
“Whoever gets appointed will have big shoes to fill, but we are delighted in the quality of all three of the nominees,” Shumlin said on Monday. “We will be interviewing all the candidates over the next few days. We will be selecting the most qualified and make the best choice based on that. We need a voice for the empty seat. We want to put them to work as quickly as possible.”
Obuchowski officially resigned his seat on Jan. 6 to become commissioner of the state Department of Buildings and General Services. Shumlin selected Obuchowski for the post late last month.
Saturday's caucus consisted of town Democratic committees from Rockingham, Grafton and Windham, as well as individual Democrats from Athens, Brookline, and North Westminster. In all, 28 registered town committee members, and about 20 other observers from around the district, were in attendance.
Rep. Carolyn Partridge, D-Windham, Windham-4's other lawmaker, and newly elected state Sen. Peter Galbraith, D-Windham, were also present.
The top vote-getter was Barnett, followed by Trieber and Groenewold.
Barnett said he was “deeply honored to be given the nod.”
“I want to thank all the town committee members, especially from other areas,” said Trieber, who currently serves on the Rockingham Selectboard. “Their support means a lot.”
“I'm very excited,” said Groenewold. “I look forward to talking with governor about my plans.”
Voting questions
The evening was bittersweet for all who attended, and some were clearly there to just say thank you and good-bye to Obuchowski.
Several attendees said they came “to see democracy in action,” while others arrived assuming they would be able to vote only to find out that their names were not on the list.
Lamont Barnett, chair of the Windham County Democrats, replied to Ray Massucco's challenge that he should be able to vote, saying his name was “not on the list.” Attending a meeting in the past year would have put his name on the town committee list to be able to vote.
According to Paul Obuchowski, Massucco was listed as attending last in 2009. Massucco declined to pursue it further in the interests of getting the business at hand completed.
As County Chair, Barnett would normally have presided over the caucus, but recused himself because he was putting his name forward to be voted on by the caucus. Michael Obuchowski was named and seconded with no objections to take over as chair of the Caucus.
While dignified and serious, Obuchowski was clearly enjoying his last political event in the Windham-4 district.
He began the meeting with a simple thanks to those who first voted for him 38 years ago, and to those who had kept him there for “almost four decades.”
“This is the moment I've been looking forward to,” he said. “To be looking into the eyes of those who allowed me to serve you …and without whose support I would not have been here for four decades, almost two generations.”
“You asked me to serve. You had the confidence in me,” he went on. “A small boy from a small town showed that things can happen for a small boy from a small town [when] associated with you. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
Not a final decision
Dennis Harty of Rockingham suggested that the voting be opened up to everyone present, but it was noted that the meeting should then be called to end and re-warned for a future date so that all those who wanted to vote, could.
As one member said, “I know several people who aren't attending because they knew they couldn't vote.”
Another member made the point that “the last time this happened 13 years ago, we put names forward and the governor chose someone else.”
Five names were nominated by town committee members: Barnett, Groenewold, Alan Ternes, Trieber, and Reed Webster. Candidates were given three minutes to make their case.
Barnett, business owner and resident of Rockingham, was the first to speak. He listed his years of service and living in the community as Selectboard, Destination Bellows Falls, and Great Falls Chamber of Commerce member, as well as the Chamber's Person of the Year in 2001. He also cited his involvement “from the beginning” in development projects in downtown Bellows Falls, specifically of the Exner Block and the Waypoint Center.
Groenewold spoke next, citing her involvement as president of the board of Falls Area Community Television (FACT-TV), as well as serving as videographer, editor, and producer. She spoke of her long association with Obuchowski on their weekly State House Conversations program that aired on both FACT-TV and WOOL radio. “I now know how the Legislature works, how to introduce a bill,” she said.
Groenewold said having children in the schools and serving as PTO president in the local area gave her a personal perspective on education.
“I will bring a fresh breath of air” to Windham-4, she said. She added that she was a personal friend of Shumlin, whom she has “known for 10 years.” Energy and education were her main focus, as well as creating jobs in the district, and universal health care.
Speaking of his history in the area, Ternes noted that he was most involved with conservation and environmental issues, notably as editorial assistant for the Connecticut River Watershed Council newsletter, Currents and Eddies, as well as working locally to get more trails established. He serves as Justice of the Peace as well.
He stated he was concerned for the working class and the aged, and would “do anything to see that nothing diminishes public services” for them. He said he would work to absorb and respond intelligently to constituents' concerns and needs.
Trieber spoke of his “electability,” citing his recent successful bids for first a one-year seat, then a three-year seat on the Rockingham Selectboard last fall, following spending “hours and hours spent knocking on people's doors hearing their concerns.”
He said he would finish out his term on the board “as other Democrats [such as Toby Young and Partridge] have done,” and spoke of a “less demanding family life” that would not hinder spending the required hours in Montpelier for the seat.
Trieber said he believes that “government operates best with respectful communication.” He pledged to fight to keep the Windham-4 seat a Democratic seat, and would work closely with Partridge to find the best way to tackle the district's concerns and issues.
“There's no way I can hope to fill Obie's shoes,” he said. At 30, Treiber is eight years older than Obuchowski was when he served his first term.
Webster, a heavy equipment operator, read from a prepared statement noting that he had been an activist since 1979 for social justice issues, and was currently involved in the Vermont Workers Center's campaign to bring single-payer health care to Vermont.
However, at the end of the evening, he admitted he was friends with and supported Barnett. Webster said he had put his name forward only to “divide the vote” as “we weren't sure how it was going to play out.”
Partridge noted that she would mentor and counsel the new member as much as needed to get the business and concerns of the district addressed. “They will have my unwavering support,” she assured the members.
Gifts for Obie
Before things wrapped up for the evening, Obuchowski observed, “I thought my last day on the house floor was like attending my own funeral. Here tonight, I feel like I'm presiding over my own funeral.” His words were met with affectionate laughter.
Obuchowski was presented with several gifts. He received a gold wristwatch from the Democratic town committee members for his “almost four decades of service to Windham 4.”
He also received an old photograph that was wrapped for presentation in the pages of the recent front-page feature article on Obuchowski in The Commons.
The portrait was discovered in an antique store by Chris Wallace, vice-chair of the Grafton Democrats.
“I thought he looked just like you,” he said, laughing, as he presented the image.
Obuchowski smiled, slightly abashed. Indeed, the century-old portrait looked strikingly like him, mustache and all.