Members of the Burlington Republican Party elected a new leader last week who is likely the youngest director of a local party in the state.
The Burlington Republican Committee unanimously tapped Kolby LaMarche, a 17-year-old student at the Community College of Vermont, and an active volunteer on Republican campaigns, as its chair.
LaMarche’s appointment comes after Burlington Republicans have been without a party chair for nearly a year, after previous leader Paco DeFrancis stepped down to run for Burlington City Council last December.
Lamarche, who has been an active member of the city’s party for three years, and was elected in an uncontested race last week, said that his age won’t prevent him for energizing Republicans in the Queen City.
He has worked on Republican campaigns including Vince Dober’s run for city council in 2017, Dana Maxfield’s run for the Senate in 2018, and Gov. Phil Scott’s campaign, and says he has the experience to organize the party.
“That was the main idea on coming into this—let’s get organized, let’s get motivated and let’s start attempting to run some Republicans, even in low offices, in Burlington,” LaMarche said Wednesday.
Burlington has become a stronghold for Democrats and Progressives in recent decades, with a weak Republican party.
Kurt Wright, the president of the Burlington’s City Council, is the only Republican on the 12-member panel.
And after Wright lost his seat in Vermont House last year, the city no longer has any Republican representation in the legislature.
Michael Donohue, the chair of the Chittenden County Republican Party said that after getting to know LaMarche over the years, he always knew he would become a “future leader of the party.”
After lacking a leader for months, he said the city’s party needs to become active again, and believes LaMarche’s age will serve as an advantage.
“Hopefully with youth goes the enthusiasm that will get them though some tough elections where they’re not necessarily going to win, or they’re going to be in the minority,” Donohue said.
Wright said it was “a little unusual” LaMarche is so young. But Wright said that he seems bright, energetic and that he’s“certainly got a lot of enthusiasm.”
LaMarche, who was recently a student at Burlington High School, decided to begin college early this year after earning enough credits to graduate.
While a student at the high school, he was petitioned and criticized by students for using a Hindu swastika image as the profile picture for his school email. He told the Burlington Register in May of 2017, that he posted the image to teach students about its history.
Before the swastika was appropriated by the Nazis, the Hindu swastika had been used for thousands of years as an image of well-being and good fortune.
LaMarche said that he posted the image while he was in Middle school to have a conversation “about that symbol and about those issues.”
“It’s nothing that I regret,” he said Wednesday. “I have talked to the people who were affected I have apologized to the many of them, and I think everyone in Burlington was ready to move on.”
While LaMarche may be the youngest party chair in the state, his predecessors weren’t much older. DeFrancis and Alex Farrell were both in their mid- twenties when they served in the position. Sam Donnelly, the chair of the Burlington Democrats, is 22.
Donnelly applauded LaMarche on his election.
“Any time that a young person, especially someone as young as 17 is willing to put themselves out there and get involved in a political way, I admire that courage,” he said.
In a statement Wednesday, Deb Billado, the chair of the Vermont Republican Party said that Lamarche “brings a fresh voice and a renewed, vibrant focus as Chair in Vermont’s largest city.”
“I’m excited by his passion, and look forward to working with him to elect Republican candidates in Chittenden County,” she wrote.
