Diane Snelling, the lone Republican representing Chittenden County in the Vermont Senate, is leaving the legislature to become chair of the state Natural Resources Board.
Snelling, who has held the Senate seat since 2002, will be replaced for the remaining weeks of the legislative session by former senator Helen Riehle, a Republican who chairs the South Burlington city council.
Gov. Peter Shumlin announced the two appointments Tuesday morning in his ceremonial Statehouse office. Snelling’s resignation took effect shortly thereafter. Though governors often wait for party committees to recommend replacements to fill vacant legislative seats, Shumlin said he acted swiftly because the session is winding down.
Snelling, 64, of Hinesburg, said that when former board chair Jon Groveman announced his departure in February, she was immediately interested.
“I love Act 250,” she said of the state’s land-use law, which the board administers. “I like that it has really protected the landscape of Vermont.”
Snelling, the daughter of former governor Richard Snelling and former lieutenant governor Barbara Snelling, had been serving on the Committee on Appropriations and the Committee on Natural Resources and Energy.
Riehle, 65, served in the House from 1983 to 1992 and then in the Senate until 2000. She said she would fill in for Snelling for the rest of the year but will not run for election in November. Riehle, like Snelling, is known as a moderate Republican.
Riehle is expected to be sworn in Wednesday, the same day the Senate takes up a controversial energy siting bill. She said she’s ready for the debate, which centers on giving towns more say in siting renewable energy projects.
“I am in favor of a certain amount of input on the local level,” said Riehle, who also noted she has solar power at her house.
Snelling’s departure from the Senate leaves at least two openings in the six-seat district. Sen. David Zuckerman (P/D-Chittenden) is running for lieutenant governor. Interest has already been strong among candidates.
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Yay! Good time for the Progressives to get a candidate to run. Chittenden could very well be represented by zero Repulblicans next year. It’d be nice to get the Dems out, too.
The inequity of the Chittenden mega-district again reveals itself. Democrats need only retain a 51% majority of the electorate in order to theoretically hold all 6 seats. Such at-large mega-districts were a favored tool of whites looking to marginalize African Americans in the South, and aren’t allowed under the Voting Rights Act for that reason. Since Vermont Republicans aren’t a protected class under the Act, however, the Democrats are free to use the same discriminatory and inequitable technique to stack the electoral deck. It would be easy to create Senate districts across Vermont with only two or three members everywhere. In Chittenden County, if Colchester were included, Burlington could have 2 Senators, the northern suburbs could have 3, and the southern suburbs could have 2. Such districts would be equitable and equivalent, bringing voters closer to their Senators. Of course, such a fair apportionment would likely end the Democrats’ stranglehold in the county, so we continue with the discriminatory mega-district instead.
Chris Roy, senate seats have ALWAYS been county based. There is no conspiracy.. Do yo think a MIlton/ Westford /Essex Republican candidate would win in those towns, vs county wide? Interesting theory. Have you looked at results from those town in past elections to come to this conclusion? Have you advocated for these changes? This is the first I’ve heard anyone complain about the “discriminatory mega-district.” Chittenden Co has nearly 25% of the state’s population, so the county should get that many senate seats. Breaking up the county’s senate seats would certainly be an interesting proposition. I’d love to hear more about your ideas.
Every ten years, there are complaints about the Chittenden District. Predictably, the Democratic majority doesn’t see it as a problem For instance, see: http://www.governing.com/blogs/politics/Th…. A six-member district makes running for office inordinately expensive and results in such a large number of candidates from all over the county that it ends up being primarily a matter of incumbent protection and name recognition. See: http://vtdigger.org/2016/01/13/rama-schnei…
Chris Roy’s claim that Chittenden County’s six seat district and corresponding population size causes State Senate races to be too expensive suffers from the problem that the facts simply show otherwise. In fact, if you want to predict who is about to lose the race for a Chittenden Senate seat? Simply look at who is spending the most money. Skip Vallee spent more than $150,000 – Loser. Jack Barry spent less than $1,000 – easily elected. Remember Burr Vail? The Republican spent more than anyone ever had and lost, meanwhile R’s Barbara and Diane Snelling won their seats without breaking a sweat. I’m not suggesting that Chittenden County consistently elects the best candidates to the State Senate – but money is not the determining factor. Being a television personality or the family of a former Governor – that’s a different matter . .