This commentary is by Bob Stannard of Manchester Center. He is an author, musician and former state legislator and lobbyist.
“Fill my cup, Lord
Run it over
Give me love, give me joy
Give me peace (ooh, ooh, ooh)
Fill my cup, Lord
Run it over
I am Your child in need (ooh, ooh, ooh)
Lord, I need You (to fill my cup)”
— Andrew Ripp
I was elected to the Vermont House of Representatives in November of 1982. I walked into the House Chambers in 1983 and was immediately struck by the beauty of the place. It was like walking into a museum. It was hard to believe that this was going to be a place where I would work for six years. I had great reverence and respect for the building and those who were chosen by their peers to join me. That doesn’t necessarily mean that I was going to agree with all of these folks, and there may very well be some that I don’t particularly care for, but I did respect them for being there, because it’s a true honor to serve.
Like anywhere else in the world, there are some good people who serve in the House and Senate and there are some not-so-good people. There are some who are humorous (most of them) and a few who are rather dour. The session prior to my arrival witnessed a dead man win his race for re-election. Nine days prior to the election Rep. Sergio Pasetto of Barre passed away. The voters reelected him just the same. Yeah, Vermont is a quirky state mostly because of its people. Some are quirkier than others.
A recent story in Seven Days about two Bennington lawmakers was a real eye-opener.
Now Bennington has had some truly colorful characters that the voters have sent to Montpelier, not the least of which was Tim Corcoran, Sr. (his son is currently serving in the House). Tim was a master prankster and those who knew him were careful not to rankle him for fear of some goofy, harmless prank.
My first winter in office we were confirming judges which required a joint session of both the House and the Senate. There was a lot of downtime, which usually would lead to something innocent like sending a note to a freshman saying that the governor wanted to see him. Sure enough a new, naive House member got a note and went to see the governor who didn’t even know who he was. Moments later the glass doors flew open and we were treated to a very red face; eyes darting left and right trying to determine who wrote the note. We all looked at the floor. He had been pranked.
Pranks are fine when there’s no real harm done. However, Rep. Mary Morrissey, R-Bennington, has crossed the line from pulling a prank to doing something that was quite mean. She allegedly repeatedly poured water into a travel bag full of clothes belonging to her district-mate, Rep. Jim Carroll, D-Bennington. (Morrissey confirmed to VTDigger that she had done so.) I know Jim and he’s a good man. Like the rest of us he’s not infallible.
I read the Seven Days story and wondered aloud, “What the heck has gotten into Mary Morrissey.” This is not a prank, but a rather nasty and ridiculous thing to do. What was the point? Clearly, she doesn’t much care for Rep. Carroll. She never seemed to care much for me, either, until I became the director of the Better Bennington Corporation. During my time in Bennington I could count on her to show up at each and every event that we put on — sometimes to volunteer, but most of the time to make sure that she was in the front row when the press cameras went off.
Now I had no problem with that. I’ve often told folks that the most dangerous place for them to be is between me and a TV camera, so I did understand and appreciate her desire for recognition. What I don’t get is why someone who has spent nearly three decades in the Statehouse would think that it’s a good idea to repeatedly pour water on a colleague’s clothes. If it wasn’t meant to be funny, what was the point? In her mind did she decide that she so disliked Rep. Carroll that it was appropriate to saturate the items in his bag? What kind of person purposely and repeatedly secretly saturates someone’s bag of clothes?
There are at least two videos of her doing what is alleged. Why would Rep. Morrissey seek out Rep. Carroll? Did she enjoy tormenting a colleague knowing he’s had some recent troubles? This is not normal behavior. The people of Bennington should expect more from their representatives than hurtful and infantile antics. Most people would find this display of poor judgment unacceptable.
Maybe this is what happens when you spend too much time in that building. It’s sad that she would throw away an otherwise impressive career over some misguided dislike for a fellow Bennington representative.
Could be that there’s something in the water. Who knows?
Read the story on VTDigger here: Bob Stannard: Rep. Mary Morrissey — drip, drip, drip.