Sirotkin wants to take his wife’s seat in the Vermont Senate

by Anne Galloway vtdigger.org Michael Sirotkin, the widower of Senator Sally Fox, has asked the Chittenden County Democratic Committee to consider him for his wife’s seat in the state Senate. Fox died on January 10.
Sirotkin, founder of Sirotkin and Necrason and a longtime lobbyist in the Vermont Statehouse, sent an email to committee members Tuesday night. The story was first reported Wednesday morning in Seven Days. The committee is set to make a decision Wednesday evening about who to recommend for the seat.
Sirotkin told the committee that Fox had wanted him to take her seat.
‘After much soul searching and encouragement from others, I decided I would welcome the opportunity if given such honor by your Committee and the Governor,’ Sirotkin wrote. ‘It is hard to imagine anyone filling Sally’s shoes with the grace, dignity and enthusiasm she displayed throughout her lifetime.’
He apologized for the ‘lateness of this request.’
‘As I am sure you can imagine, the last 3 weeks have been extremely difficult for those closest to Sally,’ Sirotkin wrote.
Six candidates were vying for the committee’s recommendation to the governor.
As of Wednesday morning, two of the candidates had dropped out ‘ Shelburne philanthropist Crea Lintilhac and Jake Perkinson, the former chair of the Vermont Democratic Party.
In an email, Perkinson encouraged the committee to unanimously endorse Sirotkin ‘as the single choice of the committee.’
Sirotkin started practicing law in Vermont in the mid-1970s when he took a job with Vermont Legal Aid, specializing in legal issues that have an effect on senior citizens. Over the last 30 years, he has developed a lobbying practice focused on labor issues, civil justice, affordable housing, land conservation and consumer issues.
He and Adam Necrason founded Sirotkin and Necrason in 1998.
According to the lobbying firm’s website, Sirotkin has been an advocate for ‘hundreds of affirmative legislative changes.’ He cites the creation of the ‘nation’s first’ health care ombudsman, the nation’s first statewide clean indoor air act and a constitutional amendment barring age discrimination against judges.