GOP to caucus next month
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By STEPHANIE M. PETERS STAFF WRITER - Published: November 12, 2009
The Rutland County Republicans have set Dec. 1 as the date they will caucus to pick their slate of recommendations to the governor for a replacement for Sen. Hull Maynard, who last week announced he will not serve the remaining year in his term.
In the interim, the Rutland County Republican Committee is seeking interested candidates for the seat, according to Bradford Broyles, the committee's chairman.
On Wednesday, Rep. Margaret Flory, a lawyer who's represented Pittsford and Sudbury in the Legislature for the past 11 years, confirmed she'll be among that list of candidates.
Flory said she'd given some thought to a Senate run during the last election cycle, but instead sought reelection. In the past few months, however, she'd resolved to run for a Senate seat in 2010. Then came Maynard's announcement.
"I thought, well, if you're seriously thinking about it, it would be foolish not to put your name in (for consideration)," Flory said during an interview in her Merchants Row law office Wednesday. "I've been encouraged to think about it by a variety of people and I finally thought, OK, the time is right."
Flory said she's informed Broyles that she'd like to be considered.
Her main interest in the position, she said, comes from a desire to serve a wider constituency. Flory has lived in Pittsford since 1974, but works in downtown Rutland and was raised in the city from the age of four months. She also cites strong ties to Wallingford and West Rutland, the towns where her father and mother grew up, respectively.
During her time in the House, she's served two years each on the General and Institutions committees, headed the Judiciary Committee for four years and served as its ranking member for the past three. She has also served as Pittsford's representative to the Rutland Regional Transportation Council for the past 15 years.
The House Judiciary Committee is expected in the coming session to take up the issue of reorganizing the state's court system and that is one of two things that give Flory pause when she considers leaving the House.
The other is the friendship she's formed with colleagues on both sides of the aisle, she said. When her husband of 40 years, Joseph, died unexpectedly in April, Flory found an outpouring of support from her friends in the House.
"It was very moving," she said. "It was like going back to a family."
Flory said she knows of a few people in her district who have expressed interest in her seat should she be selected by Gov. James Douglas to replace Maynard. A replacement to that seat would also need to be appointed by the governor.
Both Broyles and Sen. Kevin Mullin, a Rutland Republican, both said Tuesday that they've spoken to several people who've expressed interest in the seat, but would not say who until those candidates had officially declared their candidacies.
"I'll be curious to see what people are thinking … it could be an interesting election," said Mullin, who himself made the transition from the House to the Senate when he was appointed to fill the seat left by John Crowley when he was appointed commissioner of the state Department of Banking, Insurance, Securities & Health Care Administration.
Broyles is hoping to receive prior notification of all candidates' interest before Dec. 1. That day, members of the county committee and delegates and selected alternates from each town will meet at 6:30 p.m. at the Franklin Conference Center to both listen to prospective candidates and vote for their top choices. The names of the top-three vote-getters will then be submitted to the governor.
As of Tuesday, Douglas had not received a formal resignation from Maynard, according to spokeswoman Dennise Casey. However, she said the administration had been planning to reach out to the county committee this week to ensure a caucus was planned.
Once Douglas receives the names of nominees, he will schedule an interview with each of them before making a decision, Casey said.
"Our goal would be to have someone in place to serve by the start of the legislative session," she said.
stephanie.peters@rutlandherald.com
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