[S]hap Smith, a Democrat, is running for governor.
The longtime Speaker of the House formally launched his campaign Wednesday in his hometown, Morrisville. He is the first candidate among a large field of maybes — two other Democrats, a Republican and an independent — to declare a bid for governor.
Smith used the former Arthur’s Department Store, which has been transformed into affordable housing units and retail space, as the venue for his kick-off speech about a new “state of opportunity.”
It was a tidy, but unpretentious backdrop for a speech that was notable for its lack of rhetoric and high oratory. Smith, who is notably short in stature and self-deprecating by nature, is not a flashy politician, and his announcement event was tasteful, but humble pie. With his wire-rimmed glasses, close-cropped hair, and simple shirt and tie, it could have been any day at the Statehouse, except that the event was outside, the day was sweltering and his blue shirt and tie were soon speckled with sweat spots.
Smith’s speech was direct and delivered in his typical restrained, even flat speaking style. He talked about his experience growing up in Wolcott, a nearby town, where his family moved in the early 1970s and raised sheep and sugared. He recalled how as a young man he worked for a few years at a prestigious law firm in Manhattan and realized that city life wasn’t for him. So, Smith returned to Vermont, met his wife, Melissa Volansky, in Stowe and they moved a few years later to Morrisville.
Now, instead of working at a white-shoe law firm in New York City, Smith is an insurance litigator for Dinse Knapp McAndrew in Burlington. He commutes from his home in Morrisville every day.
Volansky, a family physician, introduced him as “the hardest working man politics.”
Smith told the friendly audience of about 100 lawmakers, well-wishers and family members that he understands the struggles of Vermonters who are trying to make a living; as governor, he promised, he would work together with communities to “reinvest and reinvigorate” the state’s economy.
Morrisville, he said, is “a great example of a town investing in itself, moving from the past to the future.”
That transformation is “no accident,” he said. Townspeople and businesses have made a conscious effort to invest in the downtown. Smith ticked off a list of companies that have made a commitment to the community, including Concept 2, Green Mountain Distillery and Butternut Farm.
The same kind of investments must be made in cities and towns across the state, he said, “because we know that strengthening local economies will be what attracts young people and keeps them here.”
Smith, 49, has presided over the House of Representatives since 2009, and he bills himself as a “pragmatic progressive” who “gets things done.”
Over the past six years, Smith has made his mark as Speaker by building solidarity among lawmakers across the political spectrum and moving socially progressive and fiscally moderate legislation through the House. While bills have teetered on the edge of failure, Smith has never brought legislation to the floor that didn’t pass.
Smith is a deliberate and cautious decision maker who leads by consensus, and his fans in the Statehouse are very loyal.
That loyalty was evident on Wednesday. Chairs of key committees — Reps. Tony Klein, Janet Ancel, Donna Sweaney, Helen Head, Alice Emmons, Ann Pugh, David Sharpe — all turned out for the announcement.
Liz Miller, the former chief of staff for the Shumlin administration and a colleague of Smith’s at Dinse Knapp McAndrew, was also present.
Klein, who represents East Montpelier, said he is supporting Smith over the two other potential Democratic candidates — Transportation Secretary Sue Minter and Google executive Matt Dunne — because he knows firsthand “what Smith stands for, how he works and how effective he can be.”
“He has progressive values, but he is a pragmatist, a realist,” Klein said. “He sees what he can and cannot get done and rather than jeopardizing a big issue he takes small steps forward rather than letting it die.”
“Smith understands the economic issues the state faces, especially the tax burden and the budget problems that have been ongoing, Klein said, and he is an effective leader and manager who can move the state forward. “He knows what’s working and what’s not working,” he said.
Sweaney, a Democrat from Springfield, said Smith understands “the issues and problems we have and he is deeply invested in the state.” Sweaney never puts bumper stickers on her car, she said, but “Shap Smith will be all over my car.” Smith’s integrity is what drew her to him in 2009 when he first ran for Speaker. Immediately after he won the leadership role he went to Sweaney and said they had to talk. Smith talked to her about a potential conflict of interest he had between his work at the law firm and her district.
“He brings people together, and he’ll do a wonderful job,” Sweaney said. “He’s a real person and he’s a good guy.”
In response to people who question whether Smith has the charisma to win, Klein says: “He’s not a politician.”
And in his view, that’s a good thing.
Rep. Kate Webb, D-Shelburne, said Smith knows how to negotiate with gun rights advocates and gun control activists, labor groups and businesses. “He finds solutions to seemingly impossible issues,” Webb said. “He has the right blend of vision and ability to implement that vision.”
The support of rank-and-file lawmakers like Klein, Sweaney and Webb could be a game changer for Smith, who is not well known outside of Montpelier. Representatives said they will wage a grassroots campaign for Smith as they knock on doors for their own legislative campaigns across the state.
While Smith has a loyal base in the Legislature, his long record in the Statehouse is widely seen as a potential minefield for his campaign.
Smith has overseen the development of a series of very tough state budgets. Every year since 2009 when he became Speaker, lawmakers and the Shumlin administration have grappled with slow economic growth in the aftermath of the Great Recession. The state has faced an ongoing 2 percent gap between state spending and tax receipts that have yet to fully recover. State officials have struggled to trim spending increases and last year raised taxes on soda, eliminated a tax exemption and set a new threshold for itemized deductions.
While the state’s unemployment rate is low (3.5 percent) and the state has kept the lid on health care spending (the increase is 3.7 percent this year), some sectors of the state’s economy have stalled, and there are intractable issues, such as fewer and fewer high paying jobs, lack of economic investment in communities and high property taxes, that have lingered for more than a decade.
Over the course of his tenure in the Speaker’s office the state has passed a higher minimum wage, new labor laws that expand unions and an education reform program that may prove difficult to implement.
But Smith says he is “pleased with his record” and he believes it speaks for itself.
Dunne and Minter are expected to announce whether they will run for governor in the next few weeks. Lt. Gov. Phil Scott, a Republican, will decide after Labor Day. It’s not clear when Bruce Lisman, a native Vermonter and former Wall Street executive, might make his move, but he has been publicly mulling his run in Facebook posts.
Videos from Smith’s announcement
Introduction by Smith’s wife, Melissa Volansky
Tracy Patnoe, a Morrisville daycare operator, on Smith
Smith answers questions about his run