Vincent Illuzzi

Vincent Illuzzi, Jr.[1] (born September 17, 1953) is an American lawyer and politician from Derby, Vermont who formerly served as a Republican member of the Vermont State Senate representing the Essex-Orleans senate district.

Vincent Illuzzi
Member of the Vermont Senate
from the Essex-Orleans district
In office
January 1981 – January 2013
Succeeded byJohn S. Rodgers
Essex County State's Attorney
Assumed office
January 1999
Personal details
Born
Vincent Illuzzi, Jr.

(1953-09-17) September 17, 1953
Montpelier, Vermont, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Other political
affiliations		Progressive
Democratic
Libertarian
Spouse(s)Eileen Maher
ResidenceDerby, Vermont, U.S.
Alma materSaint Michael's College
ProfessionAttorney

Illuzzi was first elected to the Vermont Senate in 1980.[2] At 27, he was the youngest person ever elected to the Vermont Senate. He served from 1981 to 2013. He did not run for reelection in 2012, and was the unsuccessful Republican nominee for Vermont Auditor of Accounts.

Background and personal life

Vincent Illuzzi was born in Montpelier, Vermont, on September 17, 1953. An attorney, he received his A.B. degree from Saint Michael's College in 1975 and a J.D. degree from Vermont Law School in 1978.

Illuzzi is married to Eileen Maher. The couple live in Derby and have one son.

Illuzzi is the son of Vincent Illuzzzi, Sr. (1920-2013), born in Giovinazzo, Italy, who emigrated to the US at the age of 17 and became a granite sculptor. Illuzzi, Sr. carved one of the largest monuments ever shipped from Barre, a granite sculpture depicting a person chained to a wall that is part of the Taras Shevchenko Memorial located near Dupont Circle, Washington DC. He also supported the restoration of the Old Labor Hall and the Vermont Granite Museum in Barre.

As Illuzzi, Jr. summed it up when he delivered his father's eulogy:

Not bad for a 17 year old kid with an eighth grade education who couldn’t speak English who left home and traveled to a faraway place called America to make his mark on life.

Public life

Senate

Illuzzi was first elected to the Senate in 1980 and was re-elected every two years through 2010. [3] [4]

In the Senate, he served as Assistant Minority leader from 1985 to 1988 and Assistant Republican leader from 1991 to 1992 and 1997 to 2005. He served as Republican leader in 2005.[5]

A biographical article "InVinceable, Tactics, 'Tude and Teflon keep Vince Illuzzi in the Senator's Seat," by Paula Routly, in Seven Days in 1999

Legislative Accomplishments

In 2005, Sen. Illuzzi  was appointed chair of the Senate Economic Development, General Affairs & Housing Committee, and served on the Senate Appropriations Committee.

The Economic Development Committee was substantially responsible for the Vermont Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Act 54 of 2009, or H. 313) the purpose of which was “to promote the economic development of the state and the prosperity of its businesses and citizens. In the near-term . . .  to address the immediate economic crisis facing Vermont.” [6]

Six years later, the Farm to Plate initiative, a part of that Act, appeared "to be doing its job and has noticeably helped bolster Vermont’s farm and food economy" according to a report conducted by the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund. [7]

Another major bill introduced by the Economic Development Committee was S. 288, the “Jobs Bill,” which became Act 78 of 2010. This law appropriated $8.665 million to build on the work in Act 54 of 2009. It included funding for: the Vermont Economic Development Authority to buy down interest rates on approved projects; the Vermont Telecommunications Authority for rural broadband deployment; the Vermont Employment Training Program to assist with training Vermont workers; marketing tourism in regional markets; assisting Vermont farmers to restructure and refinance debt and other projects. [8]

The Committee also cleaned up the law regarding the sale and ownership of mobile homes, making clear to municipalities, and to the buyers and sellers of mobile homes, their rights and responsibilities. Mobile homes are the only way that many Vermonters can secure affordable housing, but the law never had been comprehensively updated. Act 140 of 2010, or H. 542 [9]

The committee was also charged with finding cost savings and efficiencies in the Unified Economic Development Budget, which includes regional development corporations, regional planning commissions and workforce development programs. To that end, it implemented "Challenges for Change. Act 146 of 2010, or H. 792 [10]

Governor Howard Dean, whose tenure as governor largely tracked Illuzzi's tenure as chair of Senate Institutions, on December 10, 2002, said at the dedication ceremony of the McFarland House that Illuzzi had been particularly sympathetic to the appropriation requests from Washington County. Dean said if you got Illuzzi's answering machine, you were prompted to push one if you want projects for the Northeast Kingdom and two if you want projects for Barre.

Illuzzi was Chair of the Senate Committee on Economic Development, General and Military Affairs from 2005. In that capacity, March 30, 2012, Illuzzi, along with fellow committee members, Senators Peter Galbraith and Bill Doyle, visited Windham County to be accessible to and to hear testimony from local officials, business owners on the effects of the uncertainty surrounding the possible closure of the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Plant and the region’s recovery from Tropical Storm Irene. Numerous individuals testified, likely even more than listed in the official meeting record[11] A video of the hearing is available, courtesy of Brattleboro Community Television.

After serving in the State Senate for 31 years, the Caledonian Record summed up his career by saying: "His ability to work with both sides of the aisle has been praised by moderates who admire his work ethic and his ability to get things done."

In that article, Illuzzi said by way of summary:

"When I entered the political arena as a Republican almost a third of a century ago, I quickly found myself voting as a moderate Vermont Republican. In those early years, I served with independent-thinking individuals like Senators Arthur Gibb, Robert Gannett and George Little. They too were moderate Vermont Republicans.

"I learned from them that Vermont leaders have a responsibility to act in the best interest of all Vermonters regardless of party affiliation." [12]

Vermont Veterans' Cemetery

An example of how Sen. Illuzzi used the legislative appropriation process to champion Vermont values is his inclusion of the following provision in a 1992 Capital Construction Bill:

The Vermont veterans' memorial cemetery. . . shall allow for freedom of choice by the family of a veteran, a veteran's spouse and a veteran's minor child, who will be interred, of an upright or flat memorialization to mark the grave. Preference shall be given to the use of Vermont granite, Vermont slate, and Vermont marble for all memorialization.   Cf:  20 V.S.A. § 1585 [13]

While the national Veterans' Administration preferred to use markers flush to the ground to make it easier to mow the grass and maintain the grounds, Illuzzi recalled his father’s work as a sculptor in the granite industry and knew that markers flush to the ground are not as visually significant and their use would certainly undercut the Barre granite industry and the West Rutland and Proctor marble industry.

After including that requirement as a condition of the appropriation, the US Department of Veterans Affairs reconsidered its national policy and about six months after the Vermont cemetery opened, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs on Jan. 19, 1994 authorized the nationwide reintroduction of upright granite headstones.[14] [15]

While Sen. Illuzzi was unable to attend on the day of the dedication of the cemetery,[16] [17] as chair of the Senate Institutions Committee, he designated a member of the committee, Senator Julius Canns of St. Johnsbury, Caledonia County, to appear and speak in his  place. Senator Canns was a World War II veteran who served in the Pacific Theatre as a sergeant in the U. S. Marine Corps and he is now buried at that cemetery.[18]

Old Labor Hall In Barre

Sen. Illuzzi led the effort to secure the first state appropriation to save from likely demolition the Socialist Labor Party Hall,  also known as the Old Labor Hall, at 46 Granite Street in Barre.[19] A section of the 1998 Capital Bill provided for the sum of $30,000 to be matched  “when two dollars have been raised from non-state sources, for each dollar appropriated.” The provision specifically stated that “the match from non-state sources may include in-kind contributions,” making the seed money a community endeavor. [20] Later, the building was slated for a foreclosure auction and several Barre residents were concerned it would be torn down.  Illuzzi, as chair of the Senate Institutions Committee (1991-2015), and with support from Washington County Sen. Bill Doyle, a member of that committee, successfully secured a $40,000 appropriation in 2001 to the “Barre Historical Society, Inc., for  restoration and repair of flood damage to Old Labor Hall”,  to stave off the foreclosure and convince the local bank that the Barre Historical Society could raise the necessary funds to pay off the mortgage and restore the building. [21]

Vermont Granite Museum

The Vermont Granite Museum of Barre, incorporated in 1995, [22] was another project spearheaded by Illuzzi, when he was chair of the Senate Institutions Com

mittee. [23] From 1895  to 1975,  the Jones Brothers Company had operated two granite sheds on North Main Street in Barre. [24] The remaining shed was falling into a state of disrepair.  Washington County Senators Bill Doyle, Matt Krauss and other Washington County legislators approached Illuzzi to help Barre residents secure state funding to preserve the building before it collapsed. In a 2001 Capital Bill, at Illuzzi's recommendation, a $200,000 State appropriation was included as well as a provision encouraging the Cities of Bare and Montpelier and the Towns of Barre and Berlin authorize their own appropriations "for the purpose of contributing to the acquisition, development, and improvement" of the Museum. [25]

Haskell Free Library and Opera House

From 1993 to 1997, the opera house was closed due to government requirements involving handicapped access and fire safety. After a year of construction, and the addition of sprinklers, an elevator, and a fire escape tower – all respecting the historic character of the building – the opera house was reopened amid much fanfare.[26]

The project to make safety and accessibility improvements required bipartisan in the Vermont legislature as well as international support. The improvements were required by the State of Vermont, and the Province of Quebec through its cultural ministry agreed to pay 40 percent of certain renovations. The Vermont Legislature’s intent was that an appropriation would enable the facility to be reopened and operated, in accordance with the original will of its donor, as a cultural resource benefiting all members of the unique American and Canadian community.[27][28] The renovations themselves entailed bi-national cooperation.[29]

Indigenous Peoples in Vermont

At the behest of the Abenaki Indians, the State of Vermont is planning to buy property in the nearby town of Highgate where an ancient Abenaki burial ground was disturbed 21 years ago, when a house was built on the site. The purchase will allow the remains to be reburied at the site, where they had been undisturbed for dozens of centuries until 1974. [30]

This reparation was made possible under Sen. Illuzzi’s leadership  by the inclusion of a $200,000 appropriation  in a Capital Bill for “purchase of a parcel of land, including buildings and improvements, in Highgate, which is recognized as a significant Native American burial ground dating as far back as circa 885 B.C. to 100 B.C.” [31]

In 2011, Sen. Illuzzi as Chair of the Senate Committee on Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs reported favorably [32] on several bills which became law recognizing  the Nulhegan Band of the Coosuk Abenaki Nation and the Elnu Abenaki tribe as Native American Indian tribes by the state of Vermont. [33] [34]

During the same biennium, he successfully sponsored a bill which legally recognized the Koasek Abenaki as a tribe. [35]

Responding to criticism of his support of these bills, Sen. Illuzzi said at the time that “critics have been unable to explain to him why it would hurt the state to recognize what he described as tribes ‘that have existed here for generations but have been required to go underground because of the eugenics movement and other anti-Indian sentiments of the past. Until they convince me otherwise I'm on board.’” [36]

Resolutions

Illuzzi was also instrumental in using the March 2012 meeting to honor former State Senator Robert Gannett in what would turn out to be his last public appearance.[37] State Representative Sarah Edwards read the Senate Concurrent Resolution honoring Gannett.[38]

In 1992, Illuzzi authored what became a Joint Resolution ordering that the new Addison County courthouse in Middlebury, Vermont be named the Judge Frank Mahady Courthouse.[39]

Illuzzi led the effort to name the courthouse in Chittenden County after Judge Edward Costello, who served as chief trial judge from 1967 to 1980. The resolution is quoted as stating that "...during all of those years, Judge Costello was known as a fair, efficient and impartial judge…" [40]

During his tenure in the Senate, Illuzzi either led or otherwise guided the effort to rename a number of other State facilities, including: the Asa Bloomer State Office Building in Rutland; the Robert H. Wood, Jr. Criminal Justice and Fire Service Training Center of Vermont in Pittsford; the Edgar M. Weed State Fish Hatchery in Grand Isle; the John J. Zampieri State Office Building in Burlington; the Emory A. Hebard State Office Building and the adjacent Warren "Jersey" Drown Parking Facility in Newport.[41]

Other government service

Illuzzi holds the office of Essex County State's Attorney, to which he was first elected in 1998. He has uniquely been endorsed by and accepted the nomination of all Parties to serve in this office.

He also served on the Governor's Committee on Children and Youth and the Governor's Commission on the Administration of Justice.

Statewide office

In 2007, Illuzzi was mentioned by then State Senator Peter Shumlin (a Democrat) as a potential independent candidate for governor.[42]

In 2012, Illuzzi chose to run for State Auditor, as Republican incumbent Tom Salmon was retiring. Illuzzi had reportedly considered running as an independent. He had some endorsements from labor unions, and had hoped that would make voters not see him as a typical Republican. The Caledonian-Record endorsed his candidacy, saying:

The Republican candidate, Senator Vince Illuzzi of Newport, has served 32 years in the Senate, and also for many years as Essex County state's attorney. A liberal Republican who has been elected on both party tickets, he has earned high marks from both sides for his mastery of the legislative process and his knowledge of the workings of state government.[43]

Iluzzi lost in the general election to Democratic and Progressive candidate Doug Hoffer. He said after the election, "It was a tsunami for Democrats... I can sense that running as a Republican was a real liability."[44]

Controversy

In 1993, Illuzzi received a six-month suspension of his law license for filing three complaints to the Judicial Conduct Board against Vermont Judge David Suntag. The complaints related to Suntag's scheduling Essex County cases in other courtrooms. During the fifth month of his suspension, the Vermont Supreme Court and the Vermont Professional Conduct Board found that Illuzzi had made unfounded complaints against a trial judge, and his law license suspension was continued. His license was restored in 1998.[45]

The Vermont Supreme Court, over the years, has attempted to close some of the more rural courthouses. Essex County has always been on the list. In 1992, responding to appeals from Essex County's assistant judges that Judge David Suntag was hearing Essex County family court cases as far away as Chelsea, over 100 miles (160 km) away, Illuzzi inserted a provision in that year's Capital Construction Bill[46] that read included the sentence: "No Essex Family Court cases shall be heard at any other location, except Guildhall."[47][48]

Suntag subsequently scheduled cases elsewhere. Illuzzi, on his senate letterhead, then filed complaints against Suntag with the Judicial Conduct Board. The leading complaints related to Suntag's continued refusal to hold family court hearings in Essex County at the court house in Guildhall. Illuzzi was not involved in those cases as an attorney.

The Judicial Conduct Board of the Vermont Supreme Court dismissed the complaints against Suntag and filed a complaint against Illuzzi for filing them. Since Illuzzi was a lawyer, the Supreme Court had jurisdiction over his law license.

The Professional Conduct Board, which is appointed by the Supreme Court, investigated the Court's complaint and recommended Illuzzi be disbarred for filing the complaint in his capacity as a state senator against Suntag. Suntag's wife, the Bar Counsel, prosecuted Illuzzi. The charges were that Illuzzi violated the Vermont Bar's Disciplinary Rule DR 8-101(A)(2) (a lawyer who holds public office shall not use position to influence tribunal to act in favor of himself or client); DR 1-102(A)(5) (a lawyer shall not engage in conduct prejudicial to administration of justice); and DR 1 -102(A)(7) (lawyer shall not engage in conduct that adversely reflects on fitness to practice law). Illuzzi stipulated to an 18-month suspension with the expectation that his stipulations would mitigate the Supreme Court's complaint, but the Professional Conduct Board recommended disbarment.

Illuzzi appealed the Board's recommendation to the Vermont Supreme Court and he asked that Justices Gibson, Dooley, Johnson and Morse recuse themselves because they filed the complaint and would be sitting in judgment of the resolution of the complaint, and other reasons. When Dooley, Johnson and Morse refused, he sued them in U.S. District Court. The presiding federal district court judge delayed ruling on the case until Dooley, Johnson and Morse recused themselves (164 VT 623). A substitute Supreme Court then agreed to a negotiated 18-month suspension of Illuzzi's law license (165 VT 598). In ratifying the suspension, the Supreme Court noted that Illuzzi had been guilty of five prior disciplinary offenses.[49]

As of February 9, 1998, Illuzzi had completed all requirements for reinstatement of his license to practice law, including successful completion of an ethics course and support from other lawyers and judges. However, the Court refused to sign the two-sentence reinstatement order until July 28, 1998.[50] Three days later, the state's largest newspaper, The Burlington Free Press, editorialized that Illuzzi was being unfairly treated by the Supreme Court. The editorial was titled "Disorder in the court: Vermont's Supreme Court behaved in far too political and personal a fashion in the case of state Sen. Vincent Illuzzi". The editorial criticized the Court for its handling of the case and commented: "The court restored Illuzzi's license to practice law this week, but that is no more remedy than a bank robber's returning the cash. Illuzzi, who never deserved to lose his license in the first place, should have had it back six months ago."

However, the General Assembly came close to not reelecting Suntag for another six-year term of office. (Vermont judges are reelected by the General Assembly every six years.)[51]

Illuzzi was profiled in a Boston Globe article by Jon Margolis shortly after he was reinstated to practice.[52]

Non-governmental service

Illuzzi is a member of the Assembly of Overseers of Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, and serves on the National Advisory Board of the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation.[53]

While in Vermont Law School, he served as a student member on the board.

Post-Senate career

After losing the 2012 election for auditor, Illuzzi resumed practicing law full-time. He also advises clients on legislation and government relations.[54]

See also

References
  1. R.I.P., Vincent Illuzzi Sr., Granite Sculptor, 1920-2013
  2. Bromage, Andy. "With Illuzzi's Defeat in Auditor's Race, a Political Era Ends". Seven Days. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
  3. Bromage, Andy. "With Illuzzi's Defeat in Auditor's Race, a Political Era Ends". Seven Days. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
  4. "Vincent Illuzzi". www.coolidgefoundation.org. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
  5. Calvin Coolidge Memorial Foundation, Advisory Board Member biography, Vincent Illuzzi, 2013
  6. Vermont, Legislature (Sep 10, 2020). "Microsoft Word - GENERAL-#247920-v1-H_313_-_2009_-_Act_No__54_-_The" (PDF). legislature.vermont.gov. Retrieved Sep 10, 2020.
  7. "More agriculture, more jobs". Barton Chronicle Newspaper. 2015-05-06. Retrieved 2020-09-10.
  8. "Bill Status S.288 (Act 78)". legislature.vermont.gov. Retrieved 2020-09-15.
  9. "Bill Status H.542 (Act 140)". legislature.vermont.gov. Retrieved 2020-09-26.
  10. "Bill Status H.792 (Act 146)". legislature.vermont.gov. Retrieved 2020-09-26.
  11. Weiss-Tisman, Howard (April 2, 2012). "Planning for a post-VY economy - Senate committee hears local concerns, ideas". Brattleboro Reformer (VT). Retrieved August 26, 2020.
  12. "Illuzzi Makes It Official". Caledonian Record. Retrieved 2020-09-11.
  13. Act 256,  enacted by the adjourned session of the 1991 Vermont General Assembly, cf.:
  14. Administration, National Cemetery. "History of Government Furnished Headstones and Markers - National Cemetery Administration". www.cem.va.gov. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
  15. Administration, National Cemetery. "Types of Headstones, Markers and Medallions Available - National Cemetery Administration". www.cem.va.gov. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
  16. "25 Jul 1993, 3 - Rutland Daily Herald at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
  17. "25 Jul 1993, Page 9 - The Burlington Free Press at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
  18. "Julius Daly Canns (1923-2005) - Find A Grave..." www.findagrave.com. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
  19. Registration, National Historic Landmark (Sep 18, 2020). "98001267.pdf" (PDF). Retrieved Sep 18, 2020.
  20. Act 148, 1998, sec. 19 (d)(3) http://www.leg.state.vt.us/DOCS/1998/ACTS/ACT148.HTM
  21. Act 61, 2001, sec. 17 (2) (B) http://www.leg.state.vt.us/DOCS/2002/ACTS/ACT061.HTM
  22. Vermont Secretary of State, Corporations Division https://bizfilings.vermont.gov/online/BusinessInquire/BusinessInformation?businessID=52841
  23. "16 Jan 1991, 3 - The Brattleboro Reformer at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2020-09-11.
  24. National Register of Historic Places - Registration Form https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/eb07eb97-10c9-45ab-9906-df21788cd581/
  25. Act 61, 2001, sec. 18  http://www.leg.state.vt.us/DOCS/2002/ACTS/ACT061.HTM
  26. "The Haskell Free Library and Opera House History". haskellopera.com. Retrieved 2020-10-26.
  27. "Acts of the 1995-1996 Vermont Legislature Act 62, 1995, Sec 21 c". Vermont Legislature. Retrieved 2020-10-26.
  28. "Capital Construction Bill Now Features 116 Amendments". Rutland Daily Herald. 11 Apr 1996. p. 9. Retrieved 2020-10-26 – via Newspapers.com.
  29. "Opera upgrade a borderline scramble". The Burlington Free Press. 29 Sep 1996. p. 11. Retrieved 2020-10-26 – via Newspapers.com.
  30. "Vermont to Rebury Ancient Remains". timesmachine.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2020-11-05.
  31. cf sec. 20, H. 350, Act 62, 1995. "ACTS OF THE 1995-1996 VERMONT LEGISLATURE". www.leg.state.vt.us. Retrieved 2020-11-05.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  32. "Journal of the Senate, p. 328" (PDF).
  33. "Bill Status H.85 (Act 8)". legislature.vermont.gov. Retrieved 2020-11-05.
  34. "Bill Status H.86 (Act 9)". legislature.vermont.gov. Retrieved 2020-11-05.
  35. "Bill Status S.129 (Act 106)". legislature.vermont.gov. Retrieved 2020-11-05.
  36. Rathke, Lisa (2011-04-22). "Vermont recognizes 2 Abenaki tribes". Boston.com. Retrieved 2020-11-05.
  37. Smallheer, Susan (August 28, 2012). "Senator Gannett recalled as 'legislator's legislator'". Rutland Herald (VT). Retrieved August 26, 2020.
  38. Senate Concurrent Resolution honoring Sen. Gannett
  39. Mahady, Frank (September 3, 2020). "Frank Gordon Mahady" (PDF). Dartmouth Alumni. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  40. Ramsey, Connie Cain. "History Space: Life and times of Judge Edward Costello". The Burlington Free Press. Retrieved 2020-09-03.
  41. 29 V.S.A. § 821
  42. "Perspective Check on Illuzzi".
  43. "Vote For Vince - Editorial Comment". The Caledonian-Record (VT). 2012-10-20. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
  44. Hallenbeck, Terri. "Hoffer's win surprising to many: 'Forgotten man' to become Vt. auditor" Burlington Free Press November 7, 2012
  45. Jon Margolis, VTDigger, "Will Illuzzi’s past hurt his chances – and should it?", June 28, 2012
  46. Act 256 of 1992, Sec. 31g
  47. jvwalt, Green Mountain Daily, "Illuzzi Whitewash Streak over: Mark Johnson FTW", March 12, 2012
  48. Paul Lefebvre, Barton Chronicle, "A day in Vince Illuzzi’s quest for statewide office", October 23, 2012
  49. "Supreme Court Docket No. 95-346 June Term, 1996". Retrieved 2010-10-24.
  50. "In re Illuzzi". Justia Law. Retrieved 2020-09-03.
  51. USLegal, State-by-State Summary of Judicial Selection, accessed April 6, 2013
  52. "Rascal King of the North". The Boston Globe.
  53. National Advisory Board of the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation
  54. Terri Hallenbeck, Burlington Free Press, VSEA hires Howard, Illuzzi, January 2, 2013
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