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Sue Minter

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Sue Minter
Secretary of the Vermont Agency of Transportation
In office
January 1, 2015 – September 11, 2015
GovernorPeter Shumlin
Preceded byBrian Searles
Succeeded byChris Cole
Member of the Vermont House of Representatives
from the Washington-Chittenden-1 district
In office
January 5, 2005 – January 5, 2011
Preceded byVal Vincent
Succeeded byRebecca Ellis
Personal details
Born (1961-01-23) January 23, 1961 (age 63)
Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseDavid Goodman
Children2
EducationHarvard University (BA)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MUP)

Sue M. Minter (born January 23, 1961) is an American politician from the state of Vermont. She served in the Vermont House of Representatives from 2005 to 2011, led Vermont's recovery efforts after Tropical Storm Irene, and became secretary of the Vermont Agency of Transportation in 2015. Minter was the Democratic Party nominee in the Vermont gubernatorial election of 2016. She lost to the Republican Party nominee Phil Scott.

Early life and career

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Minter was born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Evelyn and Robert Wilson "Bob" Minter, who managed a candy business, Minter's Candies.[1][2] Her family moved to Providence, Rhode Island, while she was in high school. Minter graduated from Moses Brown School in 1979[3] and from Harvard University with a concentration in sociology in 1983. She then earned a master's degree in urban planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She moved to Vermont in 1991 to become a consultant for Conservation Law Foundation.[4]

Political career

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State representative

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Minter ran for the Vermont House of Representatives in 2004, representing the Washington-Chittenden-1 district (Duxbury, Waterbury, and Huntington). She won, and was reelected for four terms.[4][5] She served on the Transportation and Appropriations committees, in positions which emphasized budgeting over policy-making, and earned a reputation as a "solid" but not "ultra-liberal" Democrat with a good understanding of complex budget issues.[6]

Vermont Agency of Transportation

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Peter Shumlin, the Governor of Vermont, appointed Minter as Deputy Secretary of the Vermont Agency of Transportation in January 2011. Following Tropical Storm Irene, Shumlin appointed Neale Lunderville to lead Vermont's recovery efforts, and four months later named Minter to replace him.[7][8] Minter was praised for her leadership as chief recovery officer.[4] She later served on President Barack Obama's Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience, co-chaired the White House Task Force Subcommittee on Disaster Recovery and Resilience, and led a Vermont team which assisted with Colorado's response to major flooding in 2013.[9][10]

Minter became Secretary of VTrans on January 1, 2015, following the retirement of Brian Searles.[11] In response to an August workplace discrimination lawsuit against VTrans, she boosted employee training in harassment prevention and established an affirmative-action task force.[9][12]

Candidate for governor

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In September 2015, Minter resigned from her position at VTrans to run for governor in the 2016 gubernatorial election.[9] Minter's former House colleagues described her as left-of-center and praised her as a "good Democrat" with a talent for understanding complicated budget issues, but questioned her preparedness for a gubernatorial run.[6] Minter was endorsed by former Vermont Governors Madeleine Kunin, Howard Dean[13] and Phil Hoff; former lieutenant governor Doug Racine; and former state representative Jason Lorber;[14] along with 52 current legislators and 25 more former legislators, as well as the pro-choice Democratic group EMILY's List.[15] Environmentalist Bill McKibben initially supported her rival Matt Dunne, but switched his support to Minter after Dunne revised his position on wind power.[16]

Minter proposed job creation efforts involving strategic investments in infrastructure and housing, as well as industry-government collaboration to promote the technology, energy, and agricultural sectors.[17] Her proposed "Vermont Promise" initiative would have paid for Vermont high school graduates to attend the Community College of Vermont or Vermont Technical College for two years for free, and for half of the current price afterwards.[18]

Minter believes Vermont's pension fund should divest from coal holdings because they are "bad for our economy and bad for our environment."[19] Minter followed her rival Matt Dunne in rejecting campaign contributions from corporations, writing "Whether you are a multimillionaire or a major corporation, you shouldn't be able to buy the governor's office."[20] After the 2015 Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood shooting, she called for universal background checks on gun sales in Vermont, a position later taken up by her rivals. She also supports a ban on assault weapons.[21][22]

On August 9, Minter won the Democratic Party nomination for governor, defeating Dunne and Peter Galbraith in the primary election. She faced Republican Phil Scott, the Lieutenant Governor of Vermont, in the November general election.[23][24] Minter lost to Scott, 52% to 44%.[25]

Post-political career

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In September 2017, Minter became the president and chief executive officer of Special Olympics Vermont.[26] She resigned from the job in September 2018.[27] In December 2018, Minter became executive director of Capstone Community Action, a community action agency in Vermont that works to meet basic needs, advocate for economic justice and lift low-income people out of poverty.[28] As of 2024, Minter remains in her position at Capstone Community Action. [29]

Personal life

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Minter lives in Waterbury, Vermont, with her husband David Goodman (brother of Amy Goodman, a journalist for Democracy Now!).[30] They have two children.[31]

References

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  1. ^ "Meet Sue". sueminter.com. January 12, 2016.
  2. ^ "Archives - Philly.com". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on September 18, 2015.
  3. ^ "'A Girl in the Race'? Sue Minter Weighs a Run for Governor". Seven Days. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
  4. ^ a b c "Sue Minter is Vermont's Irene Recovery Officer - Harvard Magazine". Harvard Magazine. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
  5. ^ "Representative Sue Minter". Vermont Legislature. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  6. ^ a b Hallenbeck, Terri (September 10, 2015). "Sue Minter to Run for Vermont Governor". Seven Days. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
  7. ^ Panebaker, Alan (December 29, 2011). "Shumlin taps Minter to replace Lunderville for Irene recovery post". VTDigger. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
  8. ^ Costa, Jennifer (December 29, 2011). "Minter replaces Lunderville for Vt Irene recovery efforts". WCAX.COM Local Vermont News, Weather and Sports-. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
  9. ^ a b c Craven, Jasper. "Sue Minter joins the race for governor". VTDigger. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
  10. ^ Johnson, Mark (May 23, 2016). "Minter: Timing, creativity keys to economic development". VTDigger. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  11. ^ "Minter to replace Searles at VTrans". Burlington Free Press. November 18, 2014. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
  12. ^ Hewitt, Elizabeth (August 3, 2015). "Former VTrans employees allege workplace discrimination because of their sexuality". VTDigger. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  13. ^ Heintz, Paul (July 28, 2016). "Howard Dean Endorses Sue Minter for Governor". Seven Days. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
  14. ^ "Sue Minter: Supporters". sueminter.com. Archived from the original on May 15, 2016. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
  15. ^ "EMILY's List Endorses Sue Minter for Governor of Vermont". EMILY's List. February 29, 2016. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
  16. ^ Heintz, Paul (July 31, 2016). "Environmentalist Bill McKibben Dumps Dunne for Minter". Seven Days. Retrieved August 3, 2016.
  17. ^ Minter, Sue (May 31, 2016). "Minter: Spread Barre-style success across Vermont". Bennington Banner. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  18. ^ Neubauer, Kelsey (June 7, 2016). "Minter plans to offer free tuition to state colleges". VTDigger. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
  19. ^ "Protecting Our Environment". Sue Minter. January 12, 2016. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
  20. ^ Heintz, Paul (May 12, 2016). "Facing Pressure From Matt Dunne, Sue Minter Returns Corporate Cash". Seven Days. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
  21. ^ Heintz, Paul (June 15, 2016). "The Gun: How I Bought an AR-15 in a Five Guys Parking Lot". Seven Days. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
  22. ^ Craven, Jasper (June 13, 2016). "Minter takes the lead on gun control in aftermath of Orlando massacre". VTDigger. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
  23. ^ Johnson, Mark; Hewitt, Elizabeth; Faher, Mike (August 9, 2016). "Minter cruises to Democratic nomination for governor". VTDigger. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  24. ^ Aloe, Jess (August 9, 2016). "Sue Minter wins Democratic nomination for governor". Burlington Free Press. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  25. ^ Cross, Caleigh (November 9, 2016). "Sue Minter gracious in defeat". Waterbury Record. Retrieved November 9, 2016.
  26. ^ Goldstein, Sasha. "Sue Minter Named President and CEO of Special Olympics Vermont". sevendaysvt.com.
  27. ^ "Special Olympics Vermont CEO Resigns After A Year". WAMC. Associated Press.
  28. ^ Writer, David Delcore Staff. "Former gubernatorial candidate to lead Capstone". Times Argus. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  29. ^ "Leadership & Board". Capstone Community Action. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  30. ^ "Minter resigns, announces campaign". rutlandherald.com. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
  31. ^ Stewart Ledbetter (September 13, 2015). "Transportation Secretary Sue Minter to resign to run for governor". WPTZ. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
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Party political offices
Preceded by Democratic nominee for Governor of Vermont
2016 		Succeeded by
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