[G]ov. Phil Scott said Friday he was “concerned” about published reports of excessive drinking, sexual harassment of women and inflating troop numbers within the Vermont National Guard. At the same time, the governor announced the head of the Guard is leaving.
Reacting to a six-month investigation by VTDigger, the governor said he planned to meet soon with Guard leaders. He said they assured his administration all proper procedures had been followed.
At a meeting with reporters outside the Statehouse, Scott announced that Maj. Gen. Steven Cray would not seek another term next year as the state’s adjutant general. The governor also reiterated he’d rather have the adjutant general, the senior uniformed officer in Vermont and leader of the Guard, be selected by the governor, not the Vermont Legislature. The governor is the commander of the Vermont National Guard.
Scott also called for the immediate shutdown of the Afterburner Club, a drinking site fighter pilots set up on the Air Guard base at the Burlington International Airport. The club was discussed in a multi-part series by VTDigger.
“I’ve certainly been reading the articles and concerned. It’s embarrassing for the Guard. But there’s always two sides. I want to hear from the Guard, I’ll be meeting with them, to bring them in, to make sure all of the processes were followed,” Scott said.
Scott’s chief of staff, Jason Gibbs, spoke with Guard leaders before the VTDigger series started when the governor’s office was contacted about the allegations. When Gibbs asked Guard leaders, “Is there anything you need to tell me?” Scott said he was assured there was not.
“I’m listening with interest,” Scott said of the unfolding allegations. He said the report of Wing Commander Thomas Jackman losing his post after taking his fighter jet to meet a paramour was “embarrassing.” He said his office did not ask about allegations that the Vermont National Guard has inflated its numbers through delayed discharges. There are approximately 3,500 members in the Vermont National Guard, which is comprised of the Air Guard and the Army Guard.
The governor said his legal counsel met during Scott’s first month in office with an Air Guard member who thought he had been improperly punished by Guard leaders. Administration officials did not identify the Guard member.
Jaye Johnson, Scott’s general counsel, said she followed up with the Guard member and his attorney and determined that proper procedures had been followed and the Guard member had been treated fairly. VTDigger has spoken with the dismissed Guard member, who contends he was unfairly treated.
Scott praised the service of Guard members.
“Everyday I’m thankful for those who serve and step up to protect us and they’ve done so day in and day out,” Scott told reporters. “Should there be some improvements? Probably, and we’ll wait to see what improvements we can put forth. But for those who are on the lines every day who are deployed right now, I have a deep amount of respect for them.”
Scott spoke of the need to change the selection process when asked about his confidence in the Guard leadership. The governor said adjutant general candidates should be vetted like judicial nominees and the choice made by the governor. Having candidates appeal to lawmakers, Scott said, is the wrong way to go. Vermont is the only state where the Legislature selects the head of the local National Guard.
“To have it like a campaign, you don’t get to know them as well as we should,” Scott said.
Cray was selected adjutant general in March 2013. The Legislature elects the post every biennium.
A Guard spokesperson confirmed Cray would not seek another term.
“Maj. Gen. Cray has planned for retirement for quite some time,” Guard spokesperson 1st Lt. Mikel R. Arcovitch said in an email on Friday.
In August, Arcovitch told VTDigger: “Maj. Gen. Cray is not discussing retirement at this time.”
