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MONTPELIER — For Sue Minter, the destruction of Tropical Storm Irene — and the state’s successful recovery — is a template for the way she would lead the state.
The Democratic gubernatorial candidate was the secretary of the Agency of Transportation in 2011 when the catastrophic storm pounded the state and the subsequent flooding devastated communities from Wilmington to Minter’s home in Waterbury.
“We received 15 inches of rain, and overnight, 500 miles of road was gone, and it was our job to mobilize quickly and effectively,” Minter said.
Sue Minter
“It took an all-in approach with thousands of people involved, neighbor helping neighbor, and it’s really been a transformative experience for me, both in the emergency phase in the first few months, but then to have that responsibility to address 3,500 homeowners whose homes were damaged,” she continued.
Minter points to her experience as the head of the Agency of Transportation, where she oversaw 1,300 employees and a $600 million budget, as both giving her the tools to make government work and proof she is ready to lead the state.
“I don’t think there are other candidates who can claim to have run a state executive agency and make a bureaucracy function and function well,” Minter said. “I think these are really important experiences that the next governor needs, to have to be able to be ready on day one, not only to lead, in terms of goals, but, really, to have that experience of running government effectively, transforming an agency, getting crisis management in place and getting 500 miles of road fixed in less than four months.”
Minter’s interest in public service began at a young age. Her mother was a traveling performer in the Ice Follies — an influence that led her to pursue competitive figure skating in her youth — who met her father while he played piano at a performance in Philadelphia.
Her father was president of Minter’s Candies until the company was sold, prompting the company to relocate to Providence, Rhode Island, where Minter attended Moses Brown School.
Her junior year — her first at the school — was also the first year the school admitted girls. The following year, Minter was elected student president, the first female president in the school’s history.
Minter notes she is the only woman in the race — and one of only two Democratic women nationally running for governor — but says her gender isn’t the reason to vote for her.
“I’m incredibly proud to be a mom and a working mom, and the only working mom in this race,” she said. “But, I’m not running because I’m a woman. I’m running because I am the most qualified and I am committed to the job of moving our state forward.”
Minter’s qualifications include an undergraduate degree from Harvard University, where she majored in sociology, and a master’s degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she studied community economic development, and environmental policy and management.
While living in the Jamaica Plain area of Boston, she was involved in creating the city’s first drop-off recycling center in 1989.
“At the time, there was literally no recycling in all of the city of Boston,” she said.
Within a year — Earth Day 1990 — the entire city had a mandatory curbside recycling ordinance.
A fellowship with an emphasis on pubic service brought Minter to Vermont, where she made her home in Waterbury. She coached soccer for 13 years and also coached figure skaters, while serving on the town’s Planning Commission. Among the accomplishments of the commission during her tenure was the creation of affordable senior housing and the restoration of the town’s train station.
She also noted the restoration of Waterbury following Tropical Storm Irene, in which $19 million in public spending leveraged $45 million in private investment.
“That’s my vision for the future of Vermont,” she said.
In 2005, Minter was elected to the State House as a representative for the town of Waterbury, a post she held for six years, during some the most trying times for the state in recent history.
“I’ve been here. I haven’t taken opportunities to go and work for corporate America,” Minter said. “I’ve been here in our toughest times, including on the House Appropriations Committee during the Great Recession.”
In 2011, Minter was appointed to serve in the Agency of Transportation, first as deputy secretary and then as secretary, just in time for Tropical Storm Irene.
While capable of all manner of work — at one point she was a consultant in the private sector for a transportation engineering firm — Minter is passionate about public service, and work that can be accomplished in the public sector.
“What drives me is a real belief in our democracy, and it’s been a sign of how successful and accessible our democracy is here in Vermont that people really have a voice and that people can create a better future, and that’s what drives me — a belief that change is possible, that we can overcome obstacles that seem impossible,” she said.
“I’ve seen incredible change, and I’m somebody who can bring people together and get things done. Unlike most states, state government and local government is really about people leading change. That’s what keeps me going, an optimism about the future while acknowledging the deep challenges we have,” Minter continued. “I want to be a change agent, especially addressing how we can create greater economic opportunity for the next generation of Vermonters.”
The Vermont Press Bureau also asked Minter to address a number of issues important to Vermonters: taxes, gun control, drug and mental health treatment, school district mergers, renewable energy siting and health care.
To watch a video or listen to a podcast of the interview, visit www.vermontpressbureau.com.
For more information about Minter’s campaign, including in-depth policy statements, visit www.sueminter.com.