(Host) Governor Jim Douglas is headed to Colorado this weekend to take part in a special seminar to give practical advice to 29 new governors who were elected earlier this month.
One of Douglas’s "students" at the gathering will be governor elect Peter Shumlin.
Douglas says he attended a similar school when he was elected in 2002 and he thinks experienced governors have a lot to share with their new counterparts.
(Douglas) "These are the folks that have done the job, who have actually been there, who’ve had four or eight or in a couple of cases ten years experience on the job. And I think listening to how they have done it – the priorities they’ve established, the practices they’ve put in place – have been very helpful indeed."
(Host) Douglas will be leading the discussion in three areas: identifying services of the National Governors Association, developing strong time management skills, and outlining the work of the Council of Governors’ Homeland Security committee.
Douglas, who will be teaching a class at Middlebury College when he leaves office in January, says he’s looking forward to having Shumlin in the seminar:
(Douglas) "Well, unlike my students at Middlebury College I guess I won’t have the privilege of giving a grade to the governors elect at the new governors seminar but…I certainly will do all I can and have over the last couple of weeks to make sure the governor elect and his team have everything they need to get ready to assume responsibility in January."
(Host) Douglas says the seminar is also a great way for new governors to build personal relationships with their gubernatorial colleagues around the country.