Vermont Business Magazine After 14 years of service in the Vermont Legislature, Senator Brian Campion (D-Bennington) announced he will not seek re-election. Campion was first elected to the Vermont House of Representatives in 2010, where he served two terms, and then to the Vermont Senate in 2014.
“Serving in the legislature for the last 14 years has been the honor of my life,” says Campion. “I’m proud to have made a real difference for the people from Bennington County and look forward to continuing to be involved in my community.”
“I will miss his drive, his passion for the issues, and his friendship and sense of humor when things look dark,” says Senate President Pro Tem Phil Baruth.
Campion has served as chair of the Senate Committee on Education since 2021. During his tenure, he has also served as chair of the Senate Committee on Ethics, vice chair of the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and as a member of the Senate Committees on Finance and on Agriculture.
“Being an effective legislator requires working well with all of your colleagues, no matter their party, and I'm proud of having a reputation for doing this,” says Campion.
Campion is perhaps best known now as supporting the appointment of Zoie Saunders as secretary of education. He was chair of the Education Committee and was the only Democrat to support her appointment and he spoke at length in her support before the final Senate vote. While the Senate ultimately rejected confirming her, and Governor Scott subsequently appointed her interim secretary anyway, Campion was one of only three Democrats to vote to confirm. He joined fellow Bennington County Senator Dick Sears and Bobby Starr from Caledonia County.
During his tenure, he helped advance legislation to improve education infrastructure and policy statewide and to protect the health of Vermonters and the environment. Among his accomplishments on a wide range of environmental fronts, Campion served during Bennington’s crisis with PFAS contamination.
In 2017, he received the Vermont Conservation Voters (VCV) Environmental Rising Star Award for his leadership on environmental issues including climate change, clean water, healthy forests, and protecting people from toxic chemicals.
"Working to address PFAS in our drinking water is something I am particularly proud of," says Campion. "Additionally, I’ve prioritized making schools safe for kids and teachers by addressing lead, radon and PCBs, improving literacy rates through the passage of ACT 28 and expanding access to higher education. I believe all of these efforts are making a big difference throughout the state.”
"Senator Campion is known now mostly for education issues, but for me his name will always be synonymous with the work to maintain a cleaner environment,” says Baruth. “I happened to be with him when test results came back showing serious chemical contamination in Bennington's drinking water. Brian rushed out of the room – and he and his district-mate Dick Sears didn't slow down until the state of Vermont had helped connect affected well owners to the municipal water system. And mandated testing of private wells for contaminants. And pushed for the strictest lead standard for school drinking water in the nation – now Vermont law.”
In addition to serving in the legislature, Campion is the Director of Public Policy at the Elizabeth Coleman Center for the Advancement of Public Action (CAPA) at Bennington College and a trustee of the Bennington Museum.
Source: 5.20.2024. Office of the President Pro Tempore