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The Governor of Vermont is the governor (chief executive, head of
government) of the U.S. state of Vermont. The governor is elected biennially in
even numbered years by direct voting for a term of two
years; Vermont and bordering New Hampshire are the only states to hold
gubernatorial elections every two years, instead of every four.
There is no limit on the number of terms a governor can serve.[1]
The incumbent governor is Jim Douglas. He is the eightieth governor
of the State of Vermont. (Two others, Thomas Chittenden and Moses Robinson,
served as governor of the Vermont Republic before Vermont's
admission to the Union in 1791.)
The governor's working offices are located in The
Pavilion in the state capital of
Montpelier, Vermont. The governor's
ceremonial office, used during the legislative session of the General Assembly, is located
in the Vermont State House, also in
Montpelier.
The Constitution of Vermont details
the powers of the governor:
- To commission or appoint all officers ("except where provision
is, or shall be, otherwise made by law or this Frame of
Government")
- To fill all vacancies in office until the office can be filled
in the manner directed by state
constitution or by state
law
- To correspond with other States
- To "transact business with officers of government, civil and
military"
- To "prepare such business as may appear necessary, to lay
before the General Assembly.
- To grant pardons and remit
fines, except
for cases of treason, in
which the Governor may only grant reprieves until the end of the
next session of the General Assembly, and for
cases of impeachment, in which the Governor cannot
grant either reprieves or pardons
- To "take care that the laws be faithfully executed" and
"expedite the execution of such measures as may be resolved upon by
the General Assembly"
- To "draw upon the Treasury for such sums as may be appropriated by the General
Assembly"
- To "lay embargoes, or
prohibit the exportation of
any commodity" for up to
30 days during a recess of the General Assembly
- To "grant such licenses as shall be directed by law"
- To call special sessions of the General
Assembly when necessary
- To be the "Captain-General and Commander-in-Chief" of the "forces
of the State" (the Vermont State Guard and Vermont National Guard),
although the Governor cannot "command in person, in time of war, or
insurrection, unless by the advice and
consent of the Senate, and no longer than they shall
approve thereof"
There is a separately-elected Lieutenant Governor of Vermont, who assumes
the powers of the Governor in case there is a vacancy in the office
of Governor or the Governor was unable to serve. The Lieutenant
Governor is also the Lieutenant-General of the "forces of
the State."
References
- Doyle, William T. "The Vermont Political Tradition and Those
Who Helped Make It." Doyle Publisher: 1987. ISBN
0-9615486-1-4.
- Duffy, John J., et al. The Vermont Encyclopedia.
University Press of New England: 2003. ISBN 1-58465-086-9.
- Potash, P. Jeffrey, et al. Freedom and Unity: A History of
Vermont. Vermont Historical Society: 2004. ISBN
0-934720-49-5.
See also
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