(Host) Public attention may be focused on the gubernatorial campaign between Brian Dubie and Peter Shumlin. But some are already beginning to honor the man who’s preparing to leave the governor’s office after nearly 40 years in public life.
Last week, the Vermont Chamber of Commerce named Jim Douglas Vermonter of the Year, and over the weekend the Poultney Rotary Club weighed in with a roast in his honor.
VPR’s Nina Keck was there and has this report.
(Keck) Governor Douglas and his wife Dorothy sat amidst well wishers at Green Mountain College in Poultney. Many in the room were political colleagues who’d worked with Douglas for years – including Rutland Senator Peg Flory. Like many, she remarked on the governor’s uncanny memory.
(Flory) "He not only remembers your name two years later – he remembers where he met you, he remembers what you discussed – he’ll say when I talked to you two years ago – your sister-in-law’s cousin’s husband was going in to the hospital for surgery – how’s he doing? A lot of us have tried to figure out how he did it because we all tried to emulate it. And we finally figured out that’s why he wears his tie all the way down to the top of his legs – because he has notes written on the tie so you’ll notice that he just kind of flips it up when he meet you." (laughter)
(Keck) Republican Senate candidate Len Britton added to the legend, recalling the Lake Champlain International fishing derby this summer, where he says the organizers of the event had just had a baby.
(Britton)"Their baby was crying off in the distance as the governor was talking. And he says "will somebody get – I can’t remember the girl’s name at this point."
(Douglas) "Lillian." (laughter)
(Britton)"What we didn’t know at the time was that the Ellers hadn’t named the child yet." (laughter and groans)
(Keck) Most of the guests, which included Green Mountain College President Paul Fonteyn, did more toasting than roasting. And the governor seemed to enjoy the gentle teasing while getting in some good one liners of his own.
(Douglas) "It’s great to be here at Green Mountain College one of our outstanding institutions of higher learning that’s really flourished under your leadership Paul and congratulations on your recent designation as the "greenest college" in America – course you made all those plastic banners to tout it." (laughter)
(Douglas) "But there’s a lot more to do – I look forward to turning the keys of the office over to a successor in a few months. Of course, they don’t really give me keys – kind of a figurative statement – I’m glad they let me in the office." (laughter)
(Keck) Since so many people have asked him what his plans are once he leaves office, Douglas took a few moments to mention some options. He said the manager of a local McDonalds had told him he showed excellent managerial potential.
(Douglas) "And I’m weighing that against the opportunity to be a greeter at Wal-Mart. But then I thought at Cosco you get free food samples so I might try that instead." (laughter)
(Keck) Not having to campaign for the first time in forty years, Douglas has plenty of time to consider his options.
For VPR news, I’m Nina Keck in Poultney.