By Alan J. Keays, VTDigger
RUTLAND–The selection of the next state senator from Rutland County is now in the hands of Gov. Phil Scott.
The county Republican Party held a caucus Thursday night to vet the three GOP candidates who hope to replace Sen. Kevin Mullin, R-Rutland, who resigned after he was appointed to lead the Green Mountain Care Board.
Rutland City Alderman Tom DePoy, Rutland Town Selectboard Chair Josh Terenzini, and David Soucy, general manager of Green Mountain National Golf Course in Killington, were nominated to fill Mullin’s vacant Senate seat and serve out the remainder of his two-year term.
They were the only three Republicans who publicly announced they would seek the appointment.
The caucus had planned to submit a list of three names to the governor for consideration, and all three hopefuls — DePoy, Soucy and Terenzini — will be on the list forwarded to the governor.
In three-minute speeches, each of the Senate hopefuls hit on similar themes of promoting economic development, reining in spending and the importance of keeping the Senate seat in GOP hands for the next election in November 2018.
Rutland County has three seats in the Vermont Senate. The other two from Rutland County are also both held by Republicans, Sen. Peg Flory and Sen. Brian Collamore, who is also the minority leader in the state Senate.
