A veteran and newcomer announced Monday they will not be seeking re-election to the Vermont House.
Reps. Johannah “Joey” Donovan, D-Burlington, and Nader Hashim, D-Dummerston, notified constituents Monday that neither will seek another two-year term in November.
Donovan, 75, who has served as a state representative for 20 years, made the announcement on Facebook Monday afternoon.
“I am so proud and humbled that the people of my community gave me the honor of representing them for two decades,” Donovan said.
During her tenure in the Statehouse, Donovan, a retired teacher who is Attorney General TJ Donovan’s mother, spent years as the chair of the House Committee on Education. More recently, she served as the ranking member in the powerful House Committee on Ways and Means.
In her Facebook post, Donovan said she is most proud of her work as chair of the education committee to establish a dual enrollment program and the expansion of pre-K education. She also cited her work serving on Vermont’s Commission to study gay marriage and vote in favor of legalizing it.
“I felt privileged to stand on the House floor to unequivocally support the rights of the LGBTQ community,” Donovan said.
Donovan’s decision comes weeks after her district mate Rep. Mary Sullivan, D-Chittenden, said she would not return to the Statehouse.
With both Donovan and Sullivan bowing out, it leaves the Chittenden-6-5 district up for grabs and two candidates, Scott Pavek and Jesse Paul Warren and Gabrielle Stebbins have already started vying for the two vacant seats.
While Donovan leaves the Vermont Legislature after first being elected in 2001, Hashim, 31, leaves the Statehouse after just one term.
Hashim, who made history in 2018 as the first active Vermont state trooper elected to the House, sent an email to constituents Monday telling them he had decided against seeking reelection in 2020.
“Over the last few months the writing on the wall became clearer for me that I will not be able to run for reelection with the hopes of continuing to represent the Windham-4 district,” Hashim wrote in the email.
Hashim cited family concerns along with the Covid-19 crisis and “new financial hardships” as the reasons behind his decision to step away from elected office.
“I’m faced with the decision of either running for reelection, or continuing to pay my bills on time and putting food on the table,” he said. “For me, family will always be my top priority; therefore, I will not be seeking reelection and will revert back to either working multiple jobs or a full-time job in order to continue providing for my family.”
Hashim moved to Vermont in 2011 with his daughter — who is now 10 — and began his career with the Vermont State Police until he resigned in May 2019. Last year, Hashim began reading the law at Costello, Valente and Gentry, a Brattleboro law firm and began a four-year process of shadowing an attorney to try to become a lawyer himself.
Hashim is now at another Brattleboro firm, Chadwick and Spensley, and in an interview said he is looking for a second job “to pay the bills,” but that he hasn’t found one yet.
“Just trying to stay afloat,” he said.
In 2018, Hashim won the Democratic primary and went unopposed in the general election, with both he and incumbent Rep. Michael Mrowicki, D-Putney, claiming House seats.
During his two years as a state representative, Hashim has served on the House Judiciary Committee and has advocated for criminal justice reform.
“Although I’m announcing that I won’t be seeking reelection, I will continue working hard for this district until I am officially no longer your representative,” he said.
