Gov. Phil Scott has appointed Colin Seaman as Orange County state’s attorney, a position Seaman has held on an acting basis since the spring.
“Colin has a wide range of experience that will continue to serve him well as State’s Attorney,” Scott said in a press release. “He has performed the role well as interim, earning the respect of many in Orange County. I’m confident he will continue to put the public first and serve Orange County well.”
Scott appointed Seaman to fill a vacancy left by H. Dickson Corbett, an independent, who Scott named a Vermont Superior Court judge in April. Both Republican and Democratic committees in Orange County submitted Seaman’s name as part of the recommendation process, according to the press release.
Prior to taking on the role of deputy state’s attorney in Orange County this winter, Seaman spent more than 20 years working as a defense attorney.
In an interview Friday, Seaman said that time gave him “insight into the needs of people” charged with crimes.
“Most people who are in the criminal justice system don’t want to be there,” he said. “There are different forms of rehabilitation and different forms of sentencing — if that’s necessary — that should be designed to make sure we don’t have them back in the system at the end of the day.”
Working as a defense attorney also showed Seaman what elements of the system do not work, he said.
“I also have insight into a lot of what’s not helpful in the criminal justice system, having heard it all before from 20 years of clients giving me excuses,” Seaman said, adding that he wants “people to be accountable for their actions, and I want people to realize there’s a victim often times on the other side of crimes.”
Seaman praised the work of Orange County’s law enforcement agencies and the Vermont State Police, who have been handling special investigations in the county. He also encouraged Orange County residents to get in touch with his office.
“People here in Orange County, we have a policy here that if there’s a problem, they should reach out to talk to us, and we’ll talk to them,” Seaman said.
