The general election hasn’t even happened yet, but Laura Sibilia is already looking ahead to the next one.
The longtime independent lawmaker from Dover announced on Tuesday that she plans to challenge House Speaker Jill Krowinski (D-Burlington) for the post next session.
Sibilia, who was first elected in 2014, told colleagues in a note shared with the media that she wanted to lead the chamber next biennium to help tackle unaddressed issues such as affordability, housing, health care and education.
“Too many voices are going unheard, both of Vermonters and of legislators, and important work remains unfinished, even with a supermajority,” Sibilia wrote.
It is unusual for a lawmaker to publicly announce plans to pursue a leadership role before an election, but Sibilia is running unopposed in her rural district, which includes Dover, Jamaica, Somerset, Stratton and Wardsboro.
Krowinski doesn’t face a challenger for her Burlington seat, either.
In an interview, Sibilia said she had spoken to House leadership and dozens of fellow lawmakers about her frustrations and made the decision that a leadership change was needed for the 150-member chamber.
“I don’t want to take anything away from any of my colleagues, but we just aren’t getting the work that must be done, done,” she said.
The state’s education system, for example, “has never been so fragile,” she said. And yet instead of addressing myriad pressing issues — from workforce challenges to new school construction to PCB removal — lawmakers are merely “tinkering” with school funding formulas, she said.
“The whole system needs structural overhaul,” she said.
The reform needed in the education system will take several years, and Sibilia said she doesn’t see House leaders laying out a plan for how to tackle the work. The same for health care and the affordability crisis, she said.
“I think a lot of members feel vulnerable because that work has not been done and they are unable to communicate to Vermonters about those things,” she said.
Sibilia is known as one of the hardest-working lawmakers in the House and is well regarded by people on both sides of the aisle. She was a strong supporter of the Global Warming Solutions Act and the subsequent Clean Heat Standard.
Sibilia floated the idea of trying to tackle fewer issues, with more focus on the most consequential ones.
“I definitely think we have a tendency to do too many things and not do them as well as we could if we did fewer things,” she said.
Krowinski was first elected in 2012 and has been speaker of the House since 2021.
In a statement, Krowinski said she planned to run for reelection to the post and has been connecting with voters in all 14 counties about what can be improved.
“It’s been a privilege to campaign in all corners of the state from Wilmington to Lyndon, Ludlow to St. Albans,” she said. “Knocking on doors and connecting with Vermonters has only solidified my belief that we can, and must, continue to take on the big issues we have ahead of us this biennium.”
These include ensuring a quality public education system that Vermonters can afford, increasing access to affordable housing, and reining in rising health care and health insurance costs, all while recovering from flooding, Krowinski said.
“Ensuring that all Vermonters can thrive and have access to the quality of life that our beautiful state has to give, is my greatest priority,” she said.
Sibilia said she “is no fool” and understands that her bid may be a long shot with the Democratic Party firmly in power. But she said she has talked to enough lawmakers to believe her election is “not out of the question.”
Sibilia said she did not time her announcement to sully the record of Democrats ahead of the election. Rather, as an independent without a party apparatus, Sibilia said she needed additional time to be in contact with all House members and to “to make sure we’re ready to go on day one should we succeed.”
The election of House speaker typically takes place in the early days of the legislative session in January once members are sworn in to office.
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