Flory sworn in as Rutland County senator
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Margaret "Peg" Flory |
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By DANIEL BARLOW Vermont Press Bureau - Published: January 6, 2010
MONTPELIER – Margaret "Peg" Flory entered the Statehouse Tuesday as a state representative. When she left the building that day, she was a senator.
Flory of Pittsford officially became Rutland County's newest senator as she took the oath of office Tuesday morning in front of 29 of her new colleagues in the Vermont Senate.
"You can still call me Peg," she said when a reporter referred to her as Sen. Flory after the Senate adjourned late Tuesday morning.
Lawmakers returned to Montpelier for the second half of the legislative session Tuesday and one of the first orders of business was to say goodbye to two lawmakers who died in the months between the 2009 session and the start of the new one.
And as they said goodbye to some old friends, they also welcomed some new ones, including the swearing in of Flory, who replaced retired Sen. Hull Maynard, R-Rutland. Maynard watched from the Senate seats as Flory took her oath of office and joined the legislative body.
Missing from the Statehouse Tuesday were Rep. Rick Hube, R-Londonderry, and Rep. Ira Trombley, D-Grand Isle. The two men – well-respected by lawmakers from all political parties – died in the weeks before the new session.
Trombley, 57, died on Dec. 20 of natural causes. Hube, 61, died on Dec. 21 of an aortic aneurism while visiting family in Florida. Replacements for both lawmakers had not yet been chosen before the start of the legislative session.
"Today is a new beginning where we look forward to a new session, which we will take part in with great energy but also with a tremendous sense of loss," said House Speaker Shap Smith on the floor of the House Tuesday morning.
"Two good friends and esteemed members of this body have been lost to us. We will miss their generosity, their warmth, and the spirit they brought to the House," Smith added.
Flory remarked that she had both men in mind – she was especially close to Hube, who was also a Republican – when she took her oath in the Senate, leaving her days in the 150-member House behind. At one moment, she brushed away a tear from her eye as she took the oath.
"I had thought about running for the Senate," said Flory, who was appointed to fill out the last year of Maynard's seat by Gov. James Douglas. "But with Hull's retirement, this just made sense."
Flory said it is too early to say how the Senate will be different than the House. She was appointed to two committees Tuesday: Senate Education and Senate Natural Resources. That is one clear difference, she said, as a House member she only served on one committee, House Judiciary.
"In the House you can really dig into an issue," she said. "I think that may be a lot different in the Senate."
Sen. Kevin Mullin, R-Rutland, is a former member of the House who was elected the same year as Flory. He said Tuesday that he is thrilled to have Flory join the Senate, saying the Rutland Republican will "bring a fresh perspective."
"Peg will shake things up a little bit in a good way," Mullin said. "She has a certain point of view that will really add to the debate in the body."
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