There’s nothing illegal about this. It happens all the time. But this particular instance has a bit of a stench about it.

I’m talking about Sarah Mearhoff’s departure from VTDigger. Mearhoff has been the Statehouse bureau chief for Digger, the lead author of its “Daily Briefing” newsletter and its top political reporter throughout this campaign season. She announced her departure last Friday on the accursed platform once known as Twitter. She did not reveal her next professional destination.

But now we know. Mearhoff is crossing over to the dark side. She’s been hired as director of advocacy and communications for the Associated General Contractors of Vermont.

Chief lobbyist, in other words. For one of the most powerful and connected interest groups in Montpelier. Until December 14, Mearhoff was reporting on the doings of our representatives under the Dome. In less than three weeks, she’ll be trying to influence those same people on behalf of Vermont’s road builders and construction magnates, a.k.a. Phil Scott’s favorite people in the whole world.

I shall never tire of reminding you that our putatively moderate chief executive formally announced his first gubernatorial campaign at the December 2015 annual conference of the A.G.C. The meeting went on all day; then, at 5:00, Scott launched his run for governor before an approving crowd of his fellow contractors. It was an open display of mutual back-slapping you might expect to see in Texas or Florida, not in little ol’ green ol’ Vermont.

Back to the business at hand. Departing legislators or executive officers could not do what Mearhoff has just done. State law requires that they wait at least one full year before becoming lobbyists. There is no such restriction on members of the media.

I’m not arguing that there should be. It’d be awfully tough, and possibly unconstitutional, to impose these kinds of restrictions on private citizens as opposed to public servants. Mearhoff is almost certainly getting a dramatic increase in pay, and I don’t begrudge her taking advantage of such an opportunity. The life of a reporter is tough. Even in a union shop like Digger, the money is adequate but nothing special. If you’re raising a family or considering it, you’d have a much easier time building college funds and retirement accounts on a lobbyist’s salary than on a reporter’s.

Many members of the press corps have made such a move. Some have taken multiple spins through the revolving door. But I can’t recall such a breathtakingly direct move from covering politics to influencing politics on behalf of a well-heeled industry.

Here’s something to bear in mind. Legislative Republicans are likely to push for the repeal or weakening of climate-related bills passed by Democratic supermajorities in recent years. Where do you think Vermont’s road builders, who own fleets of fossil fuel-powered monster machines, will stand on a climate retreat? They’ll welcome it with open arms. And wallets.

And Mearhoff, who until now was reporting on legislative policy debates and a campaign that featured ardent Republican attacks on climate legislation, will now be carrying water for the industry.

Nice work if you can get it. And you’re willing to put your soul in escrow.