[C]lerk of the House of Representatives Don Milne resigned Saturday after more than half a century of work in the Statehouse.
Bill MaGill, who currently serves as first assistant clerk, was elected to assume Milne’s position.
The House accepted Milne’s resignation, effective Oct. 31, on the final day of the 2015 legislative session. He has served in the post since 1993.
Lawmakers and onlookers greeted Milne’s retirement with a standing ovation. Milne joked later that during the minute and half of applause he kept thinking, “Sit down” — perhaps an unsurprising reaction given that as the clerk, he is tasked with knowing and enforcing the rules of the chamber.
Shortly after returning to his home state after completing law school in New York, Milne started working in the Statehouse in 1961 as the second assistant clerk of the House. For a period in the 1960s he served as a member of the House of Representatives for Washington, and he later worked on staff in the Senate, before returning to the House in 1993.
The House passed a resolution honoring Milne and his career.
Rep. Susan Davis, P-West Topsham, celebrated Milne as “a consistent voice of reason” in the House.
“You will be an extraordinarily tough act to follow,” Davis said.
The clerk is a silent but powerful force in the House Chamber. Part-parliamentarian, part records keeper, the clerk keeps order and makes sure that representatives are following the arcane rules and procedures that characterize the debate on the floor of the House.
MaGill, 39, says Milne has generously taught him the complicated House rules, but his encyclopedic knowledge is irreplacable. “I don’t think there’s any way to fill his shoes,” MaGill said.
Milne’s family was on hand for the veteran clerk’s resignation. His son, Scott, recalled spending time in the Statehouse as a child visiting his father at work.
Scott Milne contested the 2014 gubernatorial election against Gov. Peter Shumlin as the Republican candidate. Scott said that he hasn’t decided if he’s going to contest the next election, but if he does, he is certain his father will be helping him with the campaign.
Editor’s note: Anne Galloway contributed to this report.
