Gov. Peter Shumlin, recently elected chair of the Democratic Governors Association (DGA), flies to Rome next week for his first speaking gig.
Italy’s Democratic Party is flying Shumlin out to deliver a keynote speech to an assembly of Democratic leaders in Europe.
“I thought it was a good opportunity to hear more about what they’re doing in terms of their economic crisis,” Shumlin said. The governor said he will also use the opportunity to extend his visit for a five-day vacation.
Shumlin said Vermont stands to gain from the increased leverage the DGA chairmanship will give him in the public and private sectors.
“What it does for our little state is give us a larger voice than we would otherwise have,” Shumlin said.
Shumlin pointed to Hewlett-Packard’s recent agreement to refund $8.37 million for a botched IT deal with the state as an example of the sorts of perks Vermont has already reaped from his involvement with the DGA.
“In my capacity as a member of the DGA, I developed a close relationship with the folks who run HP. … It is through those relationships that we succeeded in getting that refund.”
And with the DGA chairmanship will come greater clout, Shumlin said.
“I’ll have an even bigger voice,” he said. “You develop relationships in both the public and the private sector that are really helpful to you, and if you’re the chair of the DGA, they certainly work closely with you.”
Shumlin was officially voted into the DGA position last Tuesday in Los Angeles. Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper will serve as vice chair and prior DGA chair Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley will stay on as finance chair. Next year, the DGA will look to run strong Democrat candidates in gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia and in 2014, they will contend for 36 open governorships.
