By Katy Savage
Brian Collamore of Rutland is the only incumbent for the Rutland county Senate race as Sens. Joshua Terenzini and Cheryl Hooker aren’t seeking reelection.
Collamore is running for one of three seats against Republicans Terry Williams of Poultney and Dave Weeks of Proctor as well as Democrats Bridgette Remington of Rutland town and Anna Tadio of Rutland city.
Collamore, 71, has served in the Legislature for eight years. He said usually 4-5 senators decide not to come back. This year, 10 senators aren’t seeking reelection.
Collamore said U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy’s decision to not run again has caused a ripple effect in local politics. He also said the pay and time commitment required to be a senator may have also deterred some candidates from seeking reelection.
While all Rutland Senate candidates will move forward from the primary election on Aug. 9, the turnover will be felt when the new legislative session starts. In the past, Collamore has served on the Senate agriculture committee and government operations committee — both of which are losing most of its committee members.
“If I remain in those committees, (the turnover) will make a big difference,” he said.
Terry Williams
Williams, 70, has twice run unsuccessflly for Senator. In 2020, he finished in fourth place and was about 1,100 votes shy of securing a seat.
Williams is currently the vice chair of the Poultney Select Board and the owner of Slate Hill Farm, LLC in Poultney. Williams has 22 years of active military expereince and is retired from the Vermont Army National Guard as a lieutenant colonel.
“I have the time, energy and expertise to contribute to this wonderful state of ours,” said Williams. “I believe that my leadership ability and varied technical expertise with logistics, personnel and budget make me uniquely qualified.”
Anna Tadio
Tadio, a Democrat of Rutland city, was elected in March to serve on the Board of Aldermen after a close race. Tadio, 31, is also an immigration lawyer in Rutland. She said she’ll continue to serve both the Board of Aldermen and Senate if elected.
“A lot of issues we are running into on the Board of Aldermen are solutions that need to be implemented at the statewide level,” she said, mentioning affordable housing, childcare and climate change.
Tadio, a Rutland native, is part of Rutland Forward, a progressive group of candidates.
Bridgette Remington
Remington, 45, a Democrat of Rutland town, has a background working in accounting and project management. She is also an attorney with Pratt Vreeland Kennelly Martin & White in Rutland, focusing on environmental law, utilities, energy, income tax, estates, property development, personal injury and insurance.
Remington has served as Rutland town auditor and been on the planning commission. She was also a hearing officer for the Vermont Public Utility Commission.
“I am running to put my experience in business, non-profits and government to work for Rutland county,” she said.
Dave Weeks
Weeks, 61, said he’s running to “solve Vermont’s 90-year-old economic slump.”
“The most important steps to this recovery include investment in highways/broadband infrastructure, tourism rebranding, lowering bureaucracy, addressing our energy dependencies, and working much closer with our New York/New Hampshire/Massachusetts/Canadian neighbors,” Weeks said.
Weeks, a Republican, has never sought election, but his mother Gerry Weeks was a legislator. Weeks has a military background and has worked with business leaders, describing himself as a “chaos manager,” capable of tackling “difficult projects with sensitive customers.”
Weeks said he has a collaborative leadership style and “I thrive on calming chaos and delivering solid results that benefit all parties,” he said.
