Former Agency of Education secretary Rebecca Holcombe is seriously considering a run for Vermont governor as a Democrat in 2020.
“I’m in the exploratory phase,” Holcombe said. “I love the state of Vermont. It has tremendous potential, but it needs a new direction.” She added that she will make a final decision “within the next couple of weeks.”
Democratic governor Peter Shumlin first named Holcombe education secretary in 2014. She continued to serve under Republican Gov. Phil Scott until March 2018, when she suddenly resigned, giving a mere one week’s notice.
Holcombe never directly addressed the reasons for her departure, but Vermont Board of Education chair Krista Huling told Seven Days at the time that there were significant policy differences between Holcombe and the administration. The biggest sticking point was Scott’s insistence on reductions in public school spending after district budgets had been approved by voters at Town Meeting Day.
After her resignation, rumor and speculation began circulating about a possible Holcombe candidacy for governor. She ruled out a run in late May 2018.
But now, Holcombe said Friday, she is actively considering it. She’s been having conversations with Democratic officials, officeholders and donors. Holcombe has also sought advice from EMILY’s List, the national organization that raises money for female Democratic candidates.
Attorney General T.J. Donovan told Seven Days that he is also seriously considering a run for governor. Others pondering a bid include Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman and antipoverty activist Brenda Siegel of Brattleboro, who finished in third place in the 2018 Democratic gubernatorial primary.
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Great. Lets go to her brief resume for those not paying attention.
1. Begin the implementation of the community destroying Act 46. Check.
2. Quit when it gets hard. Check.
3. Pout and hide when asked about quitting on your fellow Vermonters. Check
Campaign slogan. “When the going gets tough, Holcombe gets going… home.”
Hmmm, believe Ms. Holcombe was Education Secretary who said City of Burlington could not spend PILOT funds (payment in lieu of taxes) for its public schools because this would supposedly violate the “equality” provisions of Brigham and Act 60? With zero acknowledgment that City of Burlington has entirely different demographics than the rest of Vermont (apart from perhaps similarly situated Winooski)? Vermont Supreme Court’s decision in Brigham was intended to provide for more equality and Ms. Holcombe used its equality language in most Orwellian manner to instead further inequality, specifically against arguably the most demographically diverse and highest needs school district in the state. Winooski may be even more so. But let’s examine how Ms. Holcombe treated Winooski.
She apparently saw fit to resign from Governor Scott’s administration but had no problem serving Democratic Governor Shumlin, in tacit support of his decision to base Lockheed’s budget-busting F35 fighter jet smack dab in middle of most densely populated area of Vermont. Including an expanded “not suitable for residential use” zone that encompasses homes of thousands of children, not to mention multiple public schools. Chamberlin Elementary School; entire Winooski School District, K-12; several child-care/pre-schools. Would like to hear from Ms. Holcombe directly on whether she thinks 115-120 decibels twice a day, 4 times a week, is good for these children and families?
Youre going to own act 46 Miss Holcombe,
Good luck with that.
I love that the F-35s can be brought up on ANY topic with relative ease by Vermonters.
Gas prices high? Well, they’ll be higher once the F-35s are here using all the gas.
Bears in South Burlington? Yeah, probably driven out of the woods by those loud F-35s!
Baby left in hot car in the Price Chopper parking lot? It probably would have been saved sooner, if anyone could have heard it’s screams over the F-35s!
Running out of beds in the state hospitals for mentally unstable people? Well if we weren’t spending all this state money housing those F-35s!
God, find a new soap box why don’t you?
@OutHereinBurlington, haha, touche! You could expand that over at TheWinooski humor site.
Unfortunately the F-35 is relevant here because Ms. Holcombe served as Education Secretary under Shumlin, and the basing has all too many real impacts on public schools, as the Winooski School Board and South Burlington School Board have both been grappling with for several years. The impact on public education was among many reasons the US Air Force initially ranked Burlington last for the basing before getting overruled by political higher-ups.
That said, certainly Ms. Holcombe deserves the benefit of the doubt and the opportunity to explain her position on the basing and whether she would seek its cancellation.
Oh dear lord!! Democratic gubernatorial candidates….., the gift that keeps giving.
*Unfortunately, the F-35 is relevant here because Ms. Holcombe served as Education Secretary under Shumlin …*
Uh, no. She did not *tacitly support* the F-35s merely because she served as Shumlin*s Education Secretary.
There are lots of reasons why she probably shouldn*t be Governor. The facts that 1) Shumlin supported the F-35s and 2) she was a cabinet secretary under Shumlin, are not among those reasons.
“I’m in the exploratory phase,” Holcombe said. “I love the state of Vermont. It has tremendous potential, but it needs a new direction.”
And what would she bring that would be a new direction? There is only one new direction available and that is towards fiscal responsibility, local control of education, and a smaller, less restrictive governor.
She spearheaded proficiency based learning in VT, the dagger in the heart of public education. She is one of Shumdog Millionaire’s chronies. Taking VT farther left is the exact opposite of what this state needs. Bring Randy Brock back to the race; he seems to be the only one who knows how to count.