(This story was updated June 29, 2017, at 3 p.m.)
[G]ov. Phil Scott has appointed a state representative who is co-owner of Sugarbush Resort to be his top budget writer.
Scott appointed Rep. Adam Greshin, I-Warren, to be commissioner of the Department of Finance and Management, which is within the Agency of Administration.
The department is responsible for writing the governor’s budget proposal each year, and the commissioner testifies regularly in front of the Legislature.
Greshin, 56, has served since 2009 representing Warren, Waitsfield, Fayston, Moretown and Duxbury. He replaces Andy Pallito, who started a new job this week at the Green Mountain Care Board.
Greshin sat for seven years on the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee and for one year on the House Health Care Committee. After unsuccessfully running for speaker of the House, Greshin sat on the House Education Committee.
He is the first finance and management commissioner in at least 10 years to come from the private sector. His predecessors, Jim Reardon and Pallito, both served in state government for at least 20 years, including as commissioner.
Greshin has held various management roles at Sugarbush Resort since 2002. Before that, he was a portfolio manager, mutual fund manager, and researcher at Scudder Stevens & Clark (now Zurich Scudder Investments) for 16 years.
In a news release, Scott praised Greshin’s business and legislative experience and said he “brings a wealth of knowledge and understanding of the needs of Vermonters, as well as the critical need for fiscal responsibility, to the position.”
“His experience on House Education and Health committees also give him important insight into the state’s largest expenditures as we look to make the best use of taxpayer dollars in those areas and beyond,” Scott said.
Greshin said Scott’s staff called him about the opportunity a few weeks ago, and he’s been considering the job ever since. He said he would need some time to get up to speed before saying what his priorities are.
“I think it’s an opportunity to get directly involved with the budgeting process,” Greshin said. “I know and support the governor, and I think he will be a terrific person to work for and to work with.”
“As someone who has been involved with the private sector, it’s clear to me that the budget is a key policy instrument,” he said. “Governments, like private-sector companies, first and foremost need to decide how they deploy resources.”
Greshin said he would step back from his work at Sugarbush while serving as commissioner, and the current management team will continue in his absence. “The resort is not for sale. My partner Win Smith and our team is perfectly capable of operating the resort,” he said.
According to Greshin, Scott’s staff is working on finding a replacement for him in the House. Traditionally, the governor appoints someone from the same party. In this case, the person would need to be unaffiliated with a political party.
Greshin starts July 10.
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