Democratic lawmakers argued that, given their smaller numbers following the disastrous November election, it was more important than ever for them to unify behind Krowinski.
“Jill understands the challenges that we face today,” Rep. Theresa Wood (D-Waterbury) said. “The experience and the skill that Jill brings to this role are unmatched in this building.”
House Democrats lost 18 seats in last election, shattering their 105-member supermajority and leaving them with just 87 members in the 150-seat chamber. Senate Democrats lost six of their 22 seats, leaving them with the slimmest of majorities: 16 of 30 seats.
The sting of those losses was still evident at the event in the Statehouse cafeteria, as a handful of Democrats said they would back Sibilia for the top post even though she was an independent. The formal speaker vote goes to the full House on January 8.
“We have become the party who raised property taxes 14 percent,” he said. “We’ve become the party that is synonymous with unaffordability.”
Democrats weren’t solely responsible for their losses, O’Brien said. Gov. Phil Scott is, “contrary to public opinion, not a nice guy,” he said, and was behind the negative advertisements targeting Democrats with messages like “Vote Them Out.”
One of those ads was reposted on Tunbridge’s Facebook site with the comment
“I just wanted people to know who fucked us,” he said.
“So we’ve become ‘The Party Who Fucked Us,’” O’Brien intoned to the hushed room.
O’Brien outlined details of Sibilia’s personal story, noting that she was the eldest of 12 children and is now an economic development professional and hard-working legislator. It didn’t matter that she wasn’t a Democrat, he said.
“We didn’t come here to serve the Democratic Party,” he said. “We came here to serve Vermonters.”
Many Democrats, however, balked at the idea of nominating someone who was not a D.
“We’re not here to choose the next speaker of the House,” Rep. Larry Satcowitz (D-Randolph) said. “We’re here to choose the next Democratic nominee for speaker of the House.”
“Laura Sibilia is not a Democrat. Laura Sibilia is not one of us,” Satcowitz said.
That sentiment was repeated by Rep. Mike Mrowicki (D-Putney) who said that much like unions, political parties draw their power and influence from members standing together.
“I am here because I’m a Democrat, and I’m here to nominate a Democrat for speaker of the House,” he said.
Rep. Emily Long (D-Newfane), the past majority leader, said it was unprecedented for a non-Democrat to be nominated to a leadership post, and the caucus needed to vote whether to allow it. They voted by secret ballot 60-18 to disallow non-Democrats from being nominated for leadership posts. That killed Sibilia’s chances for consideration.
That was significant because if the vote between two candidates had gone forward, it would have been done by secret ballot, and the number of lawmakers who support Sibilia today would have become clear. Since Sibilia was not considered, Krowinski’s nomination was uncontested.
The vote was done by voice, and only one person voted against her — Rep. Jay Hooper (D-Randolph).
Hooper had tried to organize a debate between Krowinski and Sibilia at Chandler Center for the Arts on December 14, but it fell apart. Sibilia said she was open to such a forum, but Krowinski said she will be out of town on that date. She has clarified since that she won’t participate in any debate, though her team has said she’s open to some kind of forum before January 8.
Before the vote, Sibilia said she was feeling confident and expected to be able to get enough Democrats, Republicans, Progressives and independents to reach the 76 votes needed to prevail in January.
A number of Democrats had privately told her that they would support Krowinski as their nominee but planned to vote against her in January, Sibilia said.
“Our count right now for January is really good, and we feel pretty good about multiple paths forward,” Sibilia said.
Several Krowinski supporters said they doubted Sibilia has anything more than a smattering of disgruntled Democrats supporting her.
In accepting the nomination, Krowinski acknowledged it “had not been an easy journey” to go through the recent election, but she nevertheless felt “a sense of hope and optimism.”
“It is about the next generation and the world we leave them,” she said. “Our work here today is about their tomorrow.”
While Democrats stuck with Krowinski, they elected a new majority leader, Rep. Lori Houghton (D-Essex Junction).
Got something to say?
Send a letter to the editor and we'll publish your feedback in print!
