[L]awmakers ousted longtime Sergeant-at-Arms Francis Brooks from his job Thursday in the midst of a debate over security policy in Vermont’s open-door Statehouse.
The combined Senate and House voted 128-47 by paper ballot Thursday to elect Janet Miller, who has worked for the Legislative Council since 1999 and has been deputy operations director of the council since 2007. She takes over March 1.
Miller and Brooks, who served in the post for eight years, were the only candidates. Northfield police detective Chuck Satterfield, who told Seven Days he would seek Brooks’ position for a change of pace, was not nominated.
Sen. Ann Cummings, D-Washington, nominated Brooks to keep his position, saying he was well-regarded as one of the best chemistry teachers at Montpelier High School before he retired. Brooks also served as a state representative from 1982-2007.
Rep. Carolyn Branagan, R-Georgia, seconded the motion. Branagan called Brooks “a gentleman, dedicated to the Statehouse and Vermont,” and said “there’s no one who cares more about Vermont and the future of the Statehouse.”
Rep. Alice Emmons, D-Springfield, nominated Miller, citing her experience managing an inn and managing 55 people at the Legislative Council. Sen. Peg Flory, R-Rutland, chair of the Committee on Institutions, seconded the motion.
Flory said in an interview that she supported Miller because of “her basic belief that she works for us and the people who vote for us.” Flory said training lawmakers to handle emergency situations “is a big step.”
“We do it in our schools. We do it in our homes. We ought to be doing it here, too,” she said.
Sen. Dick Mazza, D-Chittenden-Grand Isle, said the Legislature should also move to install cameras at the Statehouse.
“We don’t want to stop anyone from coming in,” Mazza said. “That’s not our intent. It’s the people’s building.”
Brooks said he is still unsure whether internal politics caused him to lose his job. He said Wednesday that no one had come to him with concerns about how he handled the Inauguration Day protests from the Vermont Workers’ Center or a raucous Feb. 11 gun legislation hearing.
“I’ll probably miss having to defend problems like today,” Brooks said, adding that running the eighth-grade legislative page program was one of his favorite responsibilities.
Miller declined to comment on what Brooks might have done wrong while sergeant-at-arms, saying he had a “long history” and “a lot of accomplishments.” She had no immediate opinion on whether to install metal detectors.
“I want the job because I think I can do a good job,” Miller said Thursday. “It’s a lot of things that I already do. The security piece is something that I don’t do. I think I have a lot of common sense, but that might not be enough for the security piece.”
Emmons said other legislators had come to her and asked her to nominate Miller. That caused her to review Miller’s history of being helpful to legislators and experience managing personnel while working for an inn, Emmons said.
“I don’t think Francis (Brooks) did anything wrong,” Emmons said. “I think the feeling was it was just time for a change, time for a new engagement … and just time for a change.”
Brooks’ salary is $63,752. Miller makes $68,723 in her current position, but said she might negotiate.
