Mike Hoyt, a Hartford selectboard member, will fill a vacant House seat representing Barnard, Bridgewater and Pomfret, as well as part of Hartford.
Gov. Phil Scott announced the appointment Tuesday. Hoyt replaces Heather Surprenant, a Barnard Democrat who stepped down in September, according to a press release from Scott’s office.
In an interview on Tuesday, Hoyt, who lives in West Hartford, said he was excited to build on his prior experience working in state government as well as his time on the Hartford selectboard. He hopes that background will ease his learning curve in the new role.
“I’ve worked in state government. I’ve enjoyed my time in state government,” he said, adding that his parents also worked for the state. “It’s part of who I am.”
Hoyt’s mother, the late Kathy Hoyt, was a top adviser to former Govs. Madeleine Kunin and Howard Dean.
As an attorney, Hoyt worked for the Vermont Legislature, staffing a range of committees across six years, and later for the Vermont Department of Labor. He now works at Dartmouth College.
Asked about his legislative priorities, Hoyt named affordability and housing. People travel from as far away as St. Johnsbury to work at the Upper Valley’s largest employers, the college and its hospital, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, he said. While on the selectboard, he said he’s tried to make a dent in those issues by rezoning and keeping municipal budgets in check.
Hoyt’s appointment is effective immediately.
