Krowinski vs. Sibilia for Speaker
Just ugh.
It makes perfect sense that someone would challenge the current Speaker of the House, Jill Krowinski (D-Burlington), after the election debacle the Vermont Democrats just suffered as the result of her leadership. As Speaker, Krowinski sets the agenda in the House, and as party leader demands lockstep loyalty to that agenda from the Democrat House caucus. The caucus obliged over the past biennium, voting for Krowinski’s priority legislation such as the Clean Heat Standard, the Renewable Energy Standard, and a number of other climate alarmist policies – overriding veto after veto -- while ignoring rising crime, a housing crisis, and the property tax time bomb that exploded in 2024.
That loyalty given to Krowinski – born of fear or fealty or genuine agreement -- did not end well as voters handed Vermont Republicans at least an eighteen-seat gain in the House (with two races still to be determined), the most decisive victory for any party in over a quarter century.
Krowinski is a typical denizen of the Leftist Burlington Bubble. Her entire adult life has been spent as a political actor/activist with a resume that includes one job at Planned Parenthood and a bunch of board positions for organizations like Emerge Vermont (the leftwing women’s candidate recruitment outfit), the Vermont Poverty Council, and delegate for the American Council of Young Political Leaders in the Philippines…. Exactly zero private sector experience.
So, yes, get rid of her. Fine by me. But replace her with Laura Sibilia (I-Dover)?
Now, over the past nearly two years since starting Behind the Lines, I have written often about Laura Sibilia. It’s not because I have any particular animosity toward her – every personal interaction I’ve had with her has been pleasant enough – but almost every time I see a really bad idea percolating under the Golden Dome and rush to investigate who’s behind it, well, guess who I inevitably find right there in the thick of things. And not in a good way!
Here are Laura Sibilia’s Greatest Legislative Hits from the past three or four years:
The Clean Heat Standard. Next to maybe property taxes, the biggest reason Democrats got the poop kicked out them on November 5th was their support for The Clean Heat Standard carbon tax on home heating fuels. Who was the lead advocate for this bill in the House, shepherded it through the Energy & Environment Committee, squashed any discussion of what the costs and impact of the bill would be, and even served as lead presenter of the bill on the floor and as its chief defender during the successful override of Governor Scott’s veto? Laura Sibilia.
Act 127 – An act relating to improving student equity. Speaking of Property Taxes, perhaps the largest contributing factor under the control of the legislature that led to the unprecedented explosion of cost to taxpayers was Act 127, the pupil weighting bill. Not only did this bill inherently jack up school spending, but it was also so poorly thought out and badly crafted that it required an emergency revision, removing a major tax-cap provision that encouraged some towns to spend even more. The panicked need to change the law during the local budgeting process led to chaos as well as increased costs and corresponding property taxes. Who was this bill’s biggest cheerleader in the House? Laura Sibilia.
The Renewable Energy Standard. This is the law, again passed over Governor Scott’s veto, that will raise Vermonters electric bills over the next ten years by an additional and unnecessary $450 million to $1 billion depending upon whose numbers you believe. It forces Vermont utilities to buy electricity from renewable energy companies owned or controlled by big political donors to Vermont political causes. Watching this bill move through its summer study committee, through the house and senate, and into law was among the most nauseating, corrupt instances of sausage making I’ve witnessed in over twenty years of carful observation of Vermont politics. Who was the lead sponsor of the bill? Laura Sibilia.
Broadband. Back in 2021, when schools were closed due to Covid and many students had to resort to things like driving to the local McDonalds parking lot to access WIFI to “attend” class and do their work, the Vermont legislature had an opportunity to quickly and efficiently get high speed internet to tens of thousands or rural Vermont households by utilizing Starlink technology. (The same Starlink technology that successfully provided internet service to war torn Ukraine and was just utilized by North Carolina in the emergencies following Hurricane Hellene.) But when this opportunity came before her committee, Laura Sibilia put her foot down, saying, “I have less than zero interest in facilitating or seeing the state facilitate that.” (VTDigger, 3/7/21). Instead, she preferred a heavily bureaucratic solution that would cost multiple times more money and take – best case scenario – the better part of a decade to complete. It’s been a disaster.
School Choice. Vermont has, where it exists, the most dynamic and successful school choice system in the nation via our “tuitioning” policy. It has given rise to the most respected and effective schools in the state, such as St. Johnsbury Academy, Burr & Burton, Sharon Academy, and The Long Trail School to name but a few. We need more of this, especially as we face crises in both cost and quality of our k-12 education system. Who is a leading opponent of school choice in the State House? Laura Sibila.
This year, Sibila sponsored H.634 - An act relating to school closures and the designation of a public school to serve as the public school of the district. I wrote about it at length in “My Constituents Want School Choice and Must Be Stopped!” Beyond the policy disagreement here, the really offensive aspect of this is she is actively opposing the desires of the people she is supposed to be representing. (Check out the video in the article.)
This is a record of bad ideas even more poorly executed. And one last point I’ll make about Sibilia is that she gives Kamala Harris a run for her money on who can create the wildest word salads. She will provide non-answers to straightforward questions by spewing streams of hollow jargon and buzzwords, or in some cases just words. (For a good example, please see, “House Passes Renewable Energy Standard Amidst Cloud of Baloney.”) These verbal smokescreens are employed to the detriment of clarity and transparency, which is ironic given that she is running for Speaker on the basis of her being a “prolific communicator.” Prolific maybe.
So, free advice to Republicans House members here…. Run your own candidate for Speaker. Don’t back either of these two. Put forward a candidate who will run on and articulate the agenda that just propelled you all to a historic victory: No Clean Heat Standard (plus repeal the lawsuit provision and unrealistic target dates in the Global Warming Solutions Act), and cut property taxes (ALL taxes) now. Even if that candidate loses, you will have made your case — lived up to your promises — to the voters.
Don’t put your stamp of approval on any Speaker who does not clearly and publicly agree with your agenda. You would only be providing cover for moving forward with policies you opposed in your campaigns. If the Democrats want to re-elect Krowinski, let them live with day-to-day reality and public relations nightmare that come with that decision. If they want to tear apart their caucus to elect the Independent Sibilia, let them do it. From a policy perspective, there not a bit of difference between the two. I know there’s going to be a lot of backroom horse-trading involved here regarding committee assignments, etc., but please, watch out for the wagon you hitch those horses to.
Rob Roper is a freelance writer with 20 years of experience in Vermont politics including three years service as chair of the Vermont Republican Party and nine years as President of the Ethan Allen Institute, Vermont’s free market think tank.
Media Note: Rob Roper will be a guest on WVMT’s Morning Drive on Tuesday, November 26th, 8-9 am.
I shook the hand of someone back in February of this year before I knew who she wa, at a coffee hour. Many of you will poopoo what I'm about to say. But here goes. My experience in that moment of the handshake was of a noticeable but subtle push of bad energy up my arm. Almost like I touched a live wire, without the pain. A jangling. She didn't crush my hand or grab it forcefully. But I felt my spirit respond with repulsion.
And then I heard her name. And understood with a fundamental and intrinsic certitude that this was an evil person.
That has no bearing for most of you. For me it was profoundly disturbing.l
They both dangerous legislators. Sibilia jumping into the news weeks back was supposed to fake out the uninformed. The current Speaker seems only to control and direct the House where the most Liberal legislators want to go. Sbilia is the same or could be worse. Rob's recollections are correct.