Sen. Brian Campion, D-Bennington, speaks on the Senate floor in the Statehouse on Tuesday, April 30. Photo by Natalie Williams/VTDigger
Sen. Brian Campion, D-Bennington, won’t seek reelection.
The chair of the Vermont Senate Education Committee has spent 14 years in the Legislature, first in the House before being elected to the Senate in 2014.
“I’m proud to have made a real difference for the people from Bennington County and look forward to continuing to be involved in my community,” Campion said in a press release announcing his decision. “Being an effective legislator requires working well with all of your colleagues, no matter their party, and I’m proud of having a reputation for doing this.”
“I will miss his drive, his passion for the issues, and his friendship and sense of humor when things look dark,” Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Baruth, D/P-Chittenden Central, said in a written statement.
Campion cited his work to address PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a harmful class of chemicals that have affected drinking water in Bennington County, as one of his proudest accomplishments.
In addition to serving in the Legislature, Campion is the director of public policy at the Elizabeth Coleman Center for the Advancement of Public Action at Bennington College.
Campion’s decision opens up a fifth seat in the 30-member Vermont Senate. Earlier this year, longtime Democratic Sen. Dick Mazza resigned. Sen. Jane Kitchel, D-Caledonia, Sen. Dick McCormack, D-Windsor, and Sen. Bobby Starr, D-Orleans, are also retiring.
Read the story on VTDigger here: Brian Campion, Bennington state senator, won’t seek reelection.