State Auditor Tom Salmon announced to his 3539 friends on Facebook last night that he won’t seek reelection in 2012 — less than two months after he was sworn into a third term.
“I have enjoyed my service to the state but will not seek re-election as state auditor,” Salmon wrote around 9 p.m. “It has been an honor to serve with such a talented team at the SAO (State Auditor’s Office). Thank you all.”
What’s next for Salmon? He’s not sure: Possibly a run for U.S. Senate, or dropping out of politics entirely and seeking a degree in mediation and conflict resolution.
“I will work where I can make a difference. We have transformed the auditors office and I am very proud of the staff and the work . Politics may not be the future,” wrote Salmon in an email to Seven Days.
In response to his Facebook post, several of his supporters are urging him to run for governor in 2012 against Democrat Peter Shumlin. His father, Thomas Salmon, was elected governor as a Democrat in 1972.
Salmon, first elected as a Democrat in 2006, switched parties in 2009 and became a Republican. He won reelection last fall against Doug Hoffer, a Democrat/Progressive.
For almost a year Salmon has mulled a run against U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT. Earlier this year he said he would announce his decision to run against Sanders by March 5.
Salmon told Seven Days via email the move is, “definately a step for transparency.” He said while the move help align him politically to run against Sanders, it could also end up being a “step out” not a step up.
“We have to evaluate very hard as a family at this stage. Members of the Progressive Party and other anonymous parties inflicted a fair amount of pain on the entire clan last year,” said Salmon.
Salmon is referring to the efforts of John Franco, a Burlington attorney and longtime Progressive and close ally of Sanders, who successfully sued to have a videotape of Salmon’s 2009 DUI stop made public. It was released just days before the November election. Franco was also a supporter of Salmon’s challenger, Doug Hoffer.
Salmon believes Sanders could have done more to thwart Franco’s efforts, and told him so in a letter the day after he won reelection last fall. He said Franco’s release of the DUI tape “helped contribute to one of the most negative campaign seasons of recent history.”
“As the highest ranking Progressive in the State of Vermont, it is incumbent upon you to answer whether you were aware of” Franco’s request, Salmon wrote to Sanders in a November 3 letter. “Was he acting on behalf of you? Could you please clarify your relationship with him because it has been reported to me that the two of you have a strong history and continue regular lunches and meetings.”
Sanders failed to respond to Salmon’s letter.
This article appears in Feb 16-22, 2011.
Got something to say?
Send a letter to the editor and we'll publish your feedback in print!
PS. The fact that Vermonters elected Salmon doesn’t imply they thought Franco was a scumbag. To use your words, that logic is broken and assuming. He could have won for a number of reasons:- you thought he was the lesser of two evils- you thought he deserved a second chance- you disagreed with Franco’s tactics- you didn’t think DUIs were a deciding factor- you voted down the party line- you thought he was qualified
Driving drunk is a scumbag move. And when you commit a crime, especially one as dangerous as that, every part of that crime should be made public record … especially when you’re running for a public office and serving at the pleasure of the very same people whom you put in danger when you drove drunk in the first place. I don’t call that progressive, I call that responsibility.
Having your opponent’s representative sue for the arrest tape and releasing it to the media isn’t a typical consequence of a DUI. You and the handful of remaining Progs will obviously continue to try to defend it, but the stunt Franco pulled was a scumbag move, and given the results of the election, it would seem that a lot of thinking Vermonters agreed.
Salmon took the consequences. He did his time, abstained from drinking and moved on with his life. Franco decided he needed to dig up the tape to embarrass Salmon and try and score political points for his buddy Hoffer. Now, is that Bernie’s fault, no I don’t believe it is unless there is some type of evidence that he was the one who told Franco to do it. Regardless it was a cheap and dirty political move. That’s it, and Franco admitted as much after the election. That said, Salmon can’t beat Sanders, the State republican’s need to find a better candidate then Salmon to put up against our little commie Congressman then Tom. I can’t see anyone other then Douglas beating Sanders. Unless of course he continues his disgusting use of tragic events for poltical game. That will backfire eventually.
jimmy,i think the point is pretty simple: if salmon didn’t drink and drive, he wouldn’t have had all those problems. any other excuse furthers the decline of personal responsibility in society today.he screwed up, therefore he faces the consequences, legal and otherwise.
“Tom Salmon was the one who inflicted pain upon his family when he drove drunk, not the Progressives and ‘other anonymous parties.'”This logic is so broken I don’t know where to start. Was it Salmon who went through extensive legal gyrations to get the tape of his arrest, then released it to the media? On a related note, Franco ensured that his buddy Hoffer will NEVER get Salmon’s job unless he runs uncontested. If the Dems want this seat, they better start looking for a (preferably CPA) candidate now.
good thing he didn’t get his wish for a 10-year auditor term (per the VPR debate this fall), or else he’d be stuck in a job he obviously doesn’t like for a long, long time.
Three things: – Tom Salmon was the one who inflicted pain upon his family when he drove drunk, not the Progressives and “other anonymous parties.”- What happens in a state auditor election is as much Bernie’s responsibility as it is mine. Does that mean I need to tell Salmon whether or not I knew of Franco’s request?- I think Salmon will run for governor or the US senate simply because he likes to play the blame game as much as every other politician. It’s obvious that politics is where he belongs.
If Salmon wants to run for Senate he has to give us a better reason than personal revenge on Bernie.
Sanders is a crook, he isn’t going to respond to anyone, he can’t he has one line and that’s all he knows…1% blah blah control all the wealth blah blah blah. Salmon….maybe a run against Shummy, but not Bernie. For whatever reason Comrade Sanders, despite his overwhelming failure as a Congressman, continues to be too popular for Salmon to be successful. Although, some of that popularity was lost with his despicable attmept to generate money by taking advantage of the AZ tragedy, that will be forgotten by the time 2012 rolls around. Douglas may have a shot at ousting the Mouth but no, not Salmon. Not unless there is a some unforeseen event.