The Franklin County Democratic Party voted Wednesday night to support Mark Lauer’s write-in campaign for sheriff, meaning the candidate now enjoys backing from two major parties as he faces John Grismore — plus another write-in candidate — this fall.
Grismore, who is under criminal investigation after he was caught on video last month kicking a suspect in police custody, is set to be the only candidate for sheriff whose name appears on the general election ballot. A captain at the time, he was placed on administrative leave and then fired from the department 11 days after the incident.
Lauer is a lieutenant in the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and has said that he identifies as an independent.
But the contest has evolved into a three-way race: In addition to Lauer, Gale Messier — who ran unsuccessfully for Franklin County sheriff in 2010 as a Republican — also is asking voters to write in his name.
Messier has positioned himself as a stronger candidate than Lauer because he lives in St. Albans in Franklin County, whereas Lauer lives in Colchester in Chittenden County.
On the question of residency requirements for sheriffs, the Vermont Secretary of State’s Office earlier this year referred VTDigger to a 2010 ruling from the Essex County Superior Court that said “the plain language” of the state Constitution does not clearly require sheriffs to be residents of the counties they were elected to serve.
When a question was raised about Lauer’s eligibility to be Franklin County sheriff during a meeting of local Republicans, he also referenced the same case as evidence that he could hold the office despite residing in Colchester.
After the video of Grismore surfaced, both parties asked him not to run — to no avail — and have been searching for a way to make sure he does not win the seat.
In Wednesday’s meeting at St. Albans City Hall, the Franklin County Democrats voted 14-8 “to encourage Democrats across Franklin County to support Mark Lauer in his write-in candidacy,” per a motion by Rep. Mike McCarthy, D-St. Albans.
The decision came two weeks after the Democratic committee deadlocked 8-8 — with three abstentions — on whether to “endorse” Lauer’s bid at a meeting Aug. 30. Some members expressed concerns about Lauer’s social media posts, including one from 2018 in which the candidate wrote a “protest to the protesters.”
A day later, members of the Franklin County GOP unanimously voted to endorse Lauer’s write-in bid.
Two members of the county Democrats — Jack McCarthy and Lauren Dees-Erickson — met with Lauer earlier this month to ask him questions raised by committee members. Jack McCarthy said at the meeting this week he was impressed by the lieutenant’s credentials, and he’s confident Lauer would pursue more training for his deputies.
“He is obviously very experienced. I was convinced that if he did win the election, he would be a very skilled manager,” Jack McCarthy said at the meeting Wednesday.
Dees-Erickson — who is running to represent parts of St. Albans City and Town in the Vermont House this fall — said she was heartened by the conversation with Lauer because he is open to discussing progressive policies for policing in the county.
Still, Dees-Erickson said she does not feel Lauer’s beliefs are closely aligned enough with the values of the state Democratic party for the party to lend him its support.
Others argued — as they had in previous meetings — that a lack of action by the county Democrats would strengthen Grismore’s chances of winning the seat.
Member Ed Ballantyne noted even though Grismore ran in the Republican primary, he garnered enough write-in votes from Democrats to win that party’s primary — meaning he’s set to be listed both as a Republican and a Democrat on the November ballot.
“We have to say something so that people don’t just say, ‘Oh, well he’s the Democratic candidate, so I’m gonna vote for him,’” Ballantyne said. “That’s a danger.”
Local Democratic and Republican party leaders have acknowledged that, even with the endorsement of both committees, Lauer’s write-in bid will be challenging. That’s especially true because Messier could split off more votes, Democratic committee member Marty Manahan said at Wednesday’s meeting.
Messier sought the endorsement of the Franklin County GOP at its meeting late last month, but the party threw its weight behind Lauer because they felt he had more experience, then-committee Chair Joe Luneau said.
Messier worked for the Chittenden County Sheriff’s Office for more than two decades and before that served in the U.S. Army. He said that while he ran for sheriff in 2010 as a Republican, he is a registered Democrat and considers himself an independent.
In an interview Thursday, Messier said he believes that he has better name recognition than Lauer in Franklin County outside “the law enforcement circle.”
Messier also dismissed the notion that his write-in bid could only splinter the write-in effort against Grismore.
“I feel that I can beat ‘em both,” he said.