This commentary is by native Vermonter Howard Fairman of Putney, a political independent who does not know any of the people he mentions in this commentary.
Sen. Patrick Leahy has decided to retire in January 2023 after completing his eighth term: 48 years ably representing fellow Vermonters in the U.S. Senate — eventually as the most senior senator.
Since direct popular election of U.S. senators began (17th Amendment, 1913), Vermonters have elected 13 senators: five to the seat now held by Sen. Leahy (21.6-year average tenure 1915–2023); eight to the seat now held by Sen. Bernie Sanders (13.5-year average tenure 1917–2025).
Senatorial seniority benefits Vermonters regardless of which party holds the Senate majority, as each of them will during a senator’s tenure. Senatorial seniority is power best earned beginning when one was young: Sen. Leahy was age 34 when he became a senator (who must be at least 30 years old) in January 1975.
U.S. Rep. Peter Welch, now age 74, would be starting over at age 76 in January 2023 as a newest member of the U.S. Senate, and could never earn significant senatorial seniority.
“House seniority does not transfer into the Senate, to the extent that the first basis of seniority is length of service in the Senate. House service plays a role as a tie-breaker between two senators when they begin their service on the same date. Other tie-breakers are previous service as a senator, vice president, House member, cabinet secretary, governor, and then by state population, taken in that order.” (U.S. Senate Historical Office, personal communication)
Rep. Welch could best serve Vermonters if he ably remained our sole member of the U.S. House of Representatives, where he now has earned nearly 15 years of seniority, until he decides to retire.
Although Vermonters have never elected a woman to Congress, and it is high time, she can and must win nomination and election versus her rivals for a likely once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Some women who are new to Vermont legislative leadership are expected to run, whose experience of acquiring and exercising governing power is limited to casting their collectively-decisive votes in the part-time, 150-member Vermont House of Representatives or 30-member Vermont Senate.
Women (and men) who have successfully acquired and exercised personally-decisive, full-time governing power are much better-qualified to acquire and exercise power in the U.S. Senate.
As a grassroots Vermonter, I am unacquainted with such proven-powerful women, but am thinking of someone like Mary Powell, former CEO of Green Mountain Power, Vermont’s exemplary B-corporation electric utility, which she revolutionized as an outsider who reportedly said that, knowing she could never become an insider, she didn’t bother to try.
Mary Powell has successfully acquired and exercised personally-decisive, full-time governing power as a CEO reporting to powerful international owners and subject to state and federal regulators while advancing Vermonters’ environmental goals.
Let’s elect a proven-powerful woman like Mary Powell to be our next U.S. senator from Vermont. Fellow Vermonters, who are the others? Shall we also elect a second woman to be our next U.S. representative from Vermont?
Footnote: GMP is Canadian-owned, principally by Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (Québec Deposit and Investment Fund; no official name in English). CDPQ is a $390-billion public-pension fund owned by Gouvernement du Québec (no official name in English; owner of Hydro-Québec). CDPQ’s GMP ownership share is increasing from 40 to 65 percent.
