Vermonters across region honor Jeffords

Vermonters of all political affiliations paid respect to former U.S. Sen. James Jeffords, who ended his political career as an independent after a decades-long association with the Republican Party, following his death Monday at the age of 80
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2Vermonters across region honor Jeffords Longtime lawmaker remembered for focus on state By Chris Garofolo | Aug 19, 2014 Share on facebook Share on print Share on twitter Share on email More Sharing Services 0 Vermonters of all political affiliations paid respect to former U.S. Sen. James Jeffords, who ended his political career as an independent after a decades-long association with the Republican Party, following his death Monday at the age of 80. A former aide to the senator said Jeffords had recently been in declining health and died in a Washington-based military retirement facility. Known as a man of great courage and principle, the three-term senator is best remembered for his May 2001 decision to move away from his Republican colleagues in the federal executive and legislative branches, cementing his legacy of promoting respect over rhetoric. “His focus was always on Vermont, he cared about the state and never wore his party on his chest. He was a true Vermonter who did what he thought was right,” said Michael Obuchowski, the commissioner of Vermont’s Department of Buildings & General Services and a former state representative from Bellows Falls. Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin called Jeffords “a true gentleman and an independent-minded maverick” who followed his sense of right in all that he did and was “never afraid to seek compromise by reaching across the aisle for the good of our country.” Locally, many Republicans remember Jeffords for his strong dedication to Vermont and his country despite snubbing the Grand Old Party. “It’s a loss to the state, it’s a loss to our party. I have a lot of heartfelt thanks for everything he has done for the state,” said Daniel Churchill, town chairman of the Cavendish Republicans and a longtime friend of the Jeffords family. “He was kind of like the next door neighbor, you might say, when he wasn’t acting like a politician. That’s the way he was, a great guy.” Jeffords first was elected to the U.S. House in 1974, standing out as a moderate within his party. He was a strong advocate for education and the environment, as well as for disabled Americans — views that earned him respect across the political spectrum. “He served really both parties. In other words, he didn’t kick the Democrats out the door or anything like that; if Democrats had a problem, they felt like they could go to him and ask him. That’s the way Jim was,” Churchill said. “It’s a vast loss to the state of Vermont with his passing.” During his tenure on Capitol Hill, Jeffords was instrumental in bringing federal dollars to Vermont for projects to improve the state’s educational systems. Bob Flint, executive director of the Springfield Regional Development Corp., said the late senator secured funding for the Howard Dean Education Center connected to the town’s high school campus. “Sen. Jeffords always was a real Vermonter and was excited to find ways to help projects that improved the lives of Vermonters. He was an early believer in what became the Dean Center and it was through his support that the facility received a $3 million federal grant to advance the educational innovations at the center,” Flint told the Eagle Times. During the presidency of George W. Bush, Jeffords grumbled that leaders in his party were setting an agenda that did not fit with the average American and publicly declared in May 2001 he would leave the GOP and caucus with Democrats. When he did so, he referred to Ralph Flanders, a former Vermont senator from Springfield. William Kuch, chairman of the Windsor County Democratic Committee, said Jeffords was the embodiment of what “Republicans used to be” before the Bush administration. “Even in Vermont, he was like an archetypal conservative Republican — fiscally conservative with a social conscience. There are still some Republicans like him in Vermont, but very few outside Vermont,” Kuch said. “There are some people, even Democrats in Vermont right now, who think there should be more of a balance in state government ... and I got to believe they are thinking about people like Jim Jeffords.” A Rutland native from a prominent Republican family, Jeffords went on to Yale University and Harvard Law School before returning home to run for office. He rose through the ranks of state government before moving on to the national level. “The story of Vermont politics cannot be told without Jim Jeffords,” said Lt. Gov. Phil Scott, the highest ranking Republican in state office. “He served in the most honorable way a person can serve: Selflessly, and always with the best interests of others at heart. He did what he felt was right, not what he felt would make him popular.” His funeral is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. this Friday, Aug. 22 at the Grace Congregational United Church of Christ in his hometown of Rutland..