BRATTLEBORO — The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (USCCR) last week appointed 15 people to its Vermont State Advisory Committee (SAC).
However, its one-time chairman was not one of them.
Curtiss Reed Jr. of Brattleboro, the executive director of the Vermont Partnership for Fairness and Diversity who had chaired the SAC since it had resumed its operations in 2008, was ousted on a 5-0 vote by the bipartisan USCCR late last year after a conservative majority objected to Reed's commentary about the racial undertones of a political slogan in the November election.
The commentary, “'Pure Vermont' is pure invalidation,” appeared in the Brattleboro Reformer and on VTDigger.com, a state government news and commentary website, as well as in other media prior to the state election.
In the piece, Reed described Republican gubernatorial candidate Brian Dubie's campaign slogan, “Pure Vermont,” as an example of “cross-cultural blundering,” and wrote that “for many Vermonters, the words denote racial, religious, and cultural oppression.”
A commission staffer who spoke on condition of anonymity last fall said that staff members of two conservative commissioners found links to Reed's commentary on several right-wing websites and listservs, resulting in a request to Reed that he apologize for intemperate remarks or step down from the state committee.
Reed neither apologized, nor offered to resign, and was removed.
The unprecedented move, made hours before two of the commissioners' terms expired, left the SAC without a chair and the panel in a state of political limbo for more than three months.
Two Brattleboro residents were reappointed to the Vermont SAC: Tara O'Brien, a member of the Vermont Partnership's board of directors, and Terry Martin, a former Brattleboro Police, Vermont State Police, and Windham County Sheriff's Department officer.
The other members appointed to the panel were Francine T. Bazluke of Essex Junction, John H. Bloomer of Wallingford, Luther M. Brown of Rutland, Ellen Mercer Fallon of Middlebury, Leslie Ann Holman of Burlington, Marion C. Milne of West Topsham, Cheryl W. Mitchell of New Haven, Eric D. Sakai of Randolph, Stephanie L. Sidortsova of Westford, Diane B. Snelling of Hinesburg, Tracey H. Tsugawa of Williston, and Stewart R. Wood of Quechee.
The USCCR appointed Snelling as the Vermont SAC chair. All the appointments are for two years.
SACs receive reports, suggestions and recommendations from individuals, public and private organizations and public officials, and forward advice and recommendations to the commission. Members serve without compensation, conduct civil rights reviews and investigations and report to the commission.