A third candidate has jumped into the race to head the Vermont National Guard.
Lt. Col. David Graham, a retired 30-year veteran, told legislators in a letter received Tuesday that he would seek the post of adjutant general, the senior uniformed commanding officer of the 4,000 member Guard.
Graham, 66, joins two other candidates: Air National Guard Brig. Gen. David Baczewski and Army National Guard Col. Gregory Knight. Graham would be the second candidate from the Army side.
A joint session of the House and Senate will select the next adjutant general on Feb. 21. The current leader, Maj. Gen. Steven Cray, is not seeking another two-year term after being elected in 2013. Vermont is the only state where the Legislature selects the head of the state militia. In every other state, it is a gubernatorial appointment, which Gov. Phil Scott favors. In the District of Columbia, the president makes the appointment.
Lawmakers submit written ballots (which John Bloomer, the Senate secretary, insisted were not “secret” because lawmakers can disclose their vote afterward). The election requires a majority to win even with multiple candidates. This year’s pick comes at a time when Scott and lawmakers want to change the selection process. The Vermont National Guard has also been under scrutiny as a result of an investigative series by VTDigger, which found a culture of sexual harassment and alcohol use which members said leadership did not do enough to stop.
Graham, who lives in Grand Isle, has served in a variety of positions, including assistant chief of staff for Civil Military Operations for the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, New York. There, he helped a program, “Operation Mountain Lamb,” where 26,000 pounds of donated school supplies were sent to Afghanistan.
Graham also volunteered for two tours in Afghanistan as a senior American officer and chief analyst, civil/military operations in Kabul. In addition, he served for six years as an assistant professor of military science at the University of Vermont ROTC program. He was also a staff officer with the Army Reserve Headquarters overseeing reserve units in New England.
“I understand personally the challenges and burdens of the traditional ‘citizen-soldier/airman’ we rely on to fill the ranks of our Air and Army Guard,” Graham said.
On Tuesday, a legislative lawyer and the secretary of the Senate explained to members of the House Committee on General, Housing and Military Affairs how the adjutant general is selected and conditions under which the Vermont National Guard can be called up.
No changes to the selection process will be made for this election, but committee chair Tom Stevens, D-Waterbury, said, like Scott, he supported a vetting process of adjutant general candidates similar to the background review of judicial candidates. Scott wants the selection to then be made by the governor. Stevens said the Legislature might hold onto that selection power. A vetting process would help dampen concerns that the selection process is too political with candidates trying to woo lawmakers.
Efforts to change the selection process have stalled in the last several bienniums, including establishing minimum criteria for the candidates and creating a review and nominating board.
Stevens said the election process this year would help educate lawmakers on how and whether to make changes.
Stevens told fellow committee members that the focus of Tuesday’s “orientation session” would not be on the allegations raised in the VTDigger “Flying Fraternity” series. In an interview before the hearing, Stevens said committee members needed to get up to speed on the powers and duties of the Vermont National Guard before addressing the news site’s findings.
Stevens said he planned to hold legislative hearings on the allegations raised later in the session. The chair was particularly interested in questions about whether a whistleblower was properly protected legally since Stevens said it could have “an intersection” with Vermont laws and protection of employees.
In the series, whistleblower Lt. Col. Jeff Rector said he was retaliated against by the Guard leadership after reporting several improprieties by fellow Guard members, including leadership.
