Vermont’s newest state Senate district comprising the northernmost towns of Chittenden County — and a sliver of Franklin County — has its first contestants vying for a seat in Montpelier.
Republican Leland Morgan has represented Milton in the Vermont House since 2019. Now he’s seeking a seat in the upper chamber. Given that the Senate has just 30 members, compared to 150 in the House, Morgan told VTDigger, he’s hoping to forge closer relationships and wield greater influence, should he prevail in November.
From the other side of the aisle, longtime local activist Irene Wrenner of Essex is stepping into the ring as a Democrat. She will be most familiar to voters in her hometown, where she served on the Selectboard from 2007 to 2019 and made headlines for her unique methods of activism.
This year’s election will be the first for the newly created Chittenden North district, thanks to Vermont’s recently redrawn legislative district maps. Compared to other portions of Chittenden County, such as Burlington’s progressive hub, the area is rural and politically moderate.
The Legislature in 2019 passed a law prohibiting Senate districts with more than three members, forcing themselves this year to break up Chittenden County’s current, unique six-member district. Thus, the new Chittenden North district was born, and the communities it includes — Milton, Westford, a portion of Essex and the Franklin County town of Fairfax — will have a seat in the Senate previously overshadowed by more populous municipalities.
Chittenden County had not elected a Republican to its six-member Senate delegation since 2014, but political observers expect the Chittenden North district to be fertile ground for Republican candidates.
Asked what work he is most proud of from his time in the House, and how he would build on it should he move into the Senate, Morgan pointed to his service on the Natural Resources, Fish and Wildlife Committee. He cited the committee’s work on Act 250 reforms and its efforts to secure millions in funding for lake and pond cleanup efforts statewide.
“I think that that’s important, and I’m very happy to see that we’ve been able to do that. I think it will make cleanup of the waters of the state of Vermont that much quicker,” he said. “It’s going to take a while, but at least now we have money to get something done.”
Asked why she thinks she’s the person for the seat, Wrenner pointed to her “tenacity” — “I just don’t give up.” She said she previously swore to never enter the realm of state politics and to stay local. But now, she said, she sees her status as a newcomer as an asset, not a liability.
“Maybe I, as a newer person who hasn’t even spent time in the House, can come at this with a fresh perspective and say, ‘Why not?’ after saying, ‘Why?’” she said. “And then work just doggedly to make sure that … change for the greater good happens, because there are things that cross party lines.”
As of Thursday, Morgan and Wrenner were the only two known candidates for the seat. If more Democrats or Republicans enter the fray before the May 26 filing deadline, they would compete in the August primary before the winners faced off in the November election.
Clarification: This story has been updated to make clear that Fairfax, though part of the Chittenden North district, is in Franklin County.
