VT Gov. Dean Will Not Seek Reelection in 2002

by Paul Olsen

Dean's announcement creates a wideopen field for the state's highest office and leaves members of Vermont's gay and lesbian community wondering whether an equally pro gay Governor will succeed him. photo OITM archives.

     Montpelier, Vt.- In a surprise announcement that will likely alter Vermont’s political landscape for the next decade, Gov. Howard Dean (D) recently announced that he would not seek reelection in 2002. Dean’s announcement creates a wide-open field for the state’s highest office and leaves members of Vermont’s gay and lesbian community wondering whether an equally pro gay Governor will succeed him.
      Dean, 52, has served as Governor since 1991 and has historically sided with Vermont’s gay and lesbian community. He is credited with helping pass and ultimately signed into law legislation prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. He also supported the extension of benefits to the domestic partners of state employees. In 1994, Dean appointed Bill Lippert, an openly gay man, to fill a vacant seat in Vermont’s House of Representatives.
      Shortly after the Vermont Supreme Court’s landmark ruling mandating marriage benefits for gay and lesbian couples Dean publicly stated his support for domestic partnership legislation. At the same time, he also indicated that gay marriage made him “uncomfortable.”
      In announcing his retirement on the lawn of the Vermont Statehouse Dean said that, after 10 years in office, it is time for him to move on. “By the time I leave this job I will have been in state service for 20 years,” he said. “I came into the Legislature on January 1, 1983. I will leave this building in January of 2003. I will not be a candidate for governor in the year 2002.”
      Gay and lesbian activists in Vermont greeted Dean’s announcement with both nostalgia and sadness.
      “It is notable that Governor Dean has been Governor during the most major landmark legal changes for the gay and lesbian community in Vermont,” said state Rep. Bill Lippert (D-Hinesburg). “He will be missed for his steadfast support for the gay and lesbian community.
      “He signed the gay rights bill and he was Governor when second parent adoption was ruled on by the (Vermont Supreme) court and when the legislature codified into law no (adoption) restrictions for gay and lesbian individuals or couples. It was during his administration that Vermont became the first state to provide domestic partner medical benefits to state employees. It is an unprecedented set of achievements for the gay and lesbian community that took place during his terms as Governor.”
      Freedom to marry activists also credit Dean with his strong support of the civil union law throughout the state’s debate over providing marriage-related rights and benefits to gay and lesbian couples.
      “Governor Dean took a great deal of flack for supporting civil unions, and he resisted the temptation to run away from his position in the heat of the subsequent reelection campaign,” said Beth Robinson, a lawyer in the Baker v. Vermont gay marriage lawsuit. “He stood firm against bigotry and exclusion, and his fortitude made a difference.”
      Although Dean announced his plan to retire as Vermont’s chief executive officer, he plans to remain active throughout his remaining 16 months in office. “I do not intend to be a lame duck,” he said. “I intend to use all the powers of the office, and they are considerable, and the powers of personality, and they may or may not be considerable, you’ll have to judge that on your own. But there is work to be done.”
      The campaign to replace Dean as Vermont’s Governor has already begun. Likely Republican candidates include State Treasurer Jim Douglas and former Agency of Human Services Secretary Cornelius Hogan. Democrats expected to enter the race include Lt. Governor Doug Racine and U.S. Rep. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and former Progressive Party gubernatorial nominee Anthony Pollina are also considering the race.