Caledonia County Sen. Jane Kitchel has been named to a powerful panel that determines committee assignments in the Vermont Senate.
When Grand Isle Sen. Dick Mazza resigned earlier this month due to health reasons, he left a vacancy on what’s known as the Committee on Committees.
The three-person panel, which also includes the senate president pro tem and the lieutenant governor, wields influence over Senate operations, because its members decide who gets assigned to each Senate committee.
Senate President Pro Tem Phil Baruth told Vermont Public earlier this month that members of the Committee on Committees enjoy considerable authority in Montpelier.
“It has the power to put people on the committee they want, or to exile them for two years to the committee they don’t,” Baruth said.
Kitchel, the chair of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, previously served as the secretary of human services under Gov. Howard Dean and Gov. Jim Douglas.
Washington County Sen. Andrew Perchlik said Kitchel’s decades of experience in both the executive and legislative branches have given her the experience needed for the role.
Windsor County Sen. Alison Clarkson said Kitchel’s “quiet authority” would serve her well in the new role.
“I am in gratitude for her service,” Clarkson said Tuesday. “And I think we would all benefit enormously by having the first woman serve as the third member of the committee on committees.”
The full Senate voted unanimously Tuesday to appoint Kitchel to the position.
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