It’s been a hell of a day under the Golden Dome. The House had a full agenda, with plenty of bills trying to beat crossover deadline. And there were a bunch of resolutions honoring, among other things, Athletic Trainers’ Month, the Month of the Military Child, McNeil & Reedy’s 70th year as a clothing retailer, the Vermont athletes who competed in the 2025 National Senior Games, and East Haven Selectboard member Kirwin Flanders, plus the designation of October 5 as Italian-American Day in Vermont, presumably a sop to those who still bemoan the loss of Columbus Day.

Anyway. It was going to be a big day… and then all hell broke loose.

First came a letter from Speaker Jill Krowinski to House members announcing that Rep. Bob Hooper of Burlington had relinquished his seat on the House Government Operations & MIlitary Affairs Committee because of an unspecified violation of the House Sexual Harassment Prevention Policy. Krowinski further said that Hooper would not be given any other committee assignment in the current biennium, which is as close as a House member can get to Siberian exile.

Then we got a press release signed by almost everyone in the House Democratic caucus* urging Hooper to resign from his seat in the House after “a thorough and diligent investigation… substantiated a claim of sexual harassment against another member.”

*There were 84 signatories out of 87 Democratic House members, including Krowinski**. By my count, the three who didn’t sign were Hooper himself, Mollie Burke, and Saudia LaMont. Burke, for what it’s worth, chairs the House Sexual Harassment Prevention Panel. You know, the folks responsible for that “diligent and thorough investigation.”

*Intentionally or not, the House Dems made it hard to find out who didn’t sign. The 84 members were listed in alphabetical order BY FIRST NAME, which meant I spent a lot of time identifying the three non-signers.

Finally, Vermont Public reported late Friday afternoon that Hooper plans to resign from the House, but not until Monday “so that he could consult with his lawyer and let his constituents know first.”

And thus ended, within a few short hours, a seven-year-long legislative career.

Continue reading →