Ed Flanagan, a former state senator and state auditor who was in a debilitating car accident in 2005 died Friday, according to Rep. Mary Sullivan (D-Burlington), a longtime friend.
Flanagan, 66, had been living in recent years in a New Hampshire nursing home.
As a Democratic state senator representing Chittenden County from 2005-2011 and as state auditor from 1993-2001, Flanagan was known for his ardent liberal views. He was the first openly gay statewide elected official in the country. He ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate in 2000 against incumbent Jim Jeffords, who was then a Republican.
Sullivan, who met Flanagan when they were in their 20s, said she remembered him as a loyal friend who was good at telling jokes. She was on her way to visit Flanagan, who she knew was failing, when he died, she said.
Flanagan suffered from a traumatic brain injury and physical ailments as the result of the November 2005 crash. He had been on his way home from Montpelier wh
en his car slid off Interstate 89 in Richmond and into a ravine. He hung upside down in subfreezing temperatures for 18 hours before being rescued. He spent three weeks in a coma.
At the time, his older brother, Robert, called his recovery “miraculous.” Flanagan returned to the legislature in 2006 and was twice reelected to serve two-year terms.
Though Flanagan functioned well at times, he also struggled physically and mentally.
In 2009, he was accused of masturbating in the Greater Burlington YMCA men’s wellness center. No criminal charges were filed, but Flanagan did not seek reelection to the Senate in 2010.
In recent months, Flanagan had been using a wheelchair and his health was in decline, Sullivan said. He is survived by his partner, Isaac Lustgarten. His family plans to hold a memorial service in Burlington, Sullivan said.
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Being inside the men’s wellness at the Y is like being in the back of a giant windowless van. The place is scuzzy and gross and has plenty of old naked men to go around.
This seems to be a way to un-gay Ed Flanagan.
He should have died. 18 hours, unattended. It was a miracle that there was anything at all left. And what was left? Well by all accounts, the combination of his formidable will, and his fierce intellect. But really, people, he was not the same.
The incident at the Burlington Y was no reason for embarrassment or shame. He was doing his best. His brain and body belied his better sense.
There is something rather homophobic about the effort to erase this chapter in his life. He was startlingly vulnerable, and we don’t have to try so hard to wish it away.
There’s actually a larger issue that hasn’t been touched upon just yet.
First off, condolences to the family and friends of Ed Flanagan. He seemed like a decent guy whose life was tragically cut short by a freak accident that could have happened to anyone.
What’s more important is that his TBI clearly made him unfit for public service. Where were his friends and colleagues after his accident? Why didn’t they tell him “hey, you need to deal with your TBI and not burn yourself out at the statehouse”.
Why didn’t we know that a guy with an unfortunate medical condition that clearly impacted his thinking was involved in major decisions at the state level?
If your brain tells you, for whatever reason, that a YMCA bathroom “stress break” is appropriate, you shouldn’t be involved in legislation. It’s that simple.
Why were the taxpayers of VT in the dark about an elected official being unfit for office due to his health issues?
Again, condolences to the friends and loved ones of Flanagan. His situation was a shame and it’s too bad things ended that way.
You can debate whether or not 7D should have included the “incident” in this article but a simple Google search would have brought it up anyway.
A more positive way to look at it is that it promotes awareness of traumatic brain injuries and their very serious side effects. Personally, I don’t think 7D was “dumping” on Flanagan by referencing something that pretty much everyone was thinking about to begin with.
Tasteless and heartless. Thanks Seven Days for reaching low.
Thanks for responding Andrea. A few thoughts.
First, you said the article led with a summary of his political legacy. By my count, there are 54 words in the one (and only) paragraph about his political legacy. That is the entirety of the discussion of Eds life work. Other than his good friend Mary, no former colleagues were interviewed, so many readers would have no idea what he actually did.
Second, 147 of the 312 words in the article were about the accident and its aftermath. Thats 47% about the accident and 17% about his political legacy.
That Ed was a public figure at the time of the YMCA incident might be newsworthy if it had never been reported. But by your own admission, it was widely reported. So what’s the point?
You also said that it influenced state politics. I dont think theres any evidence to support that statement.
Finally, you said that leaving it out would be deceptive to our readers. Really? Ed is no longer running for office or seeking employment. The article is an obituary. Where is the risk of deception?
I remain disappointed in the article.
Just because you can say something doesn’t mean that you have to. The whole masturbating topic was completely unnecessary. As mentioned in another post – tasteless. Just hoping that when you reach your end that your life’s work is not summarized in a similar manner.
Could you not have left out the masturbating topic for god’s sake? Let this wonderful dedicated man RIP…..
People should remember Ed Flanagan had a life and friends before his public life. He was smart, funny and a good athlete. He was in my circle of close friends from grade school through high school in Washington, DC. I am sad to hear of his passing.
Thank you to everyone who’s weighed in on this article.
We carefully considered what to include in this news story about Ed Flanagan, and we led with a summary of his political legacy. However, Flanagan was a sitting state Senator and thus a public figure when the details of the incident at the YMCA emerged. It was reported widely and influenced state politics, and was therefore a matter of public record. We felt that leaving it out would be deceptive to our readers.
It’s clear many of you disagree with that choice, though. We invite you to submit a letter to the editor, which you can do right here: https://posting.sevendaysvt.com/vermont/Le…
Shame on you Seven Days….to minimize a life of extraordinary public service to a single incident related to a chronic condition known as a traumatic brain injury. Why did you feel it necessary to mention this? Read the Valley News for an example of how it should be done.