Montpelier
The former lieutenant governor, the only Republican holding statewide office, pledged to continue fighting the opiate epidemic in Vermont, overhaul economic development efforts and transform the education system.
Some Democrats and Progressives panned his inaugural speech as unrealistic and lacking in detail, while others said they would wait until Scott unveils his proposed budget in three weeks before criticizing his plans.
Scott told lawmakers and observers packed in the House chambers that the state faces a budget deficit of at least $70 million and Vermonters are tapped out. He repeated what he told voters on the campaign trail: that he would not support a budget that grew more than the Vermont economy or people’s wages.
“The process will be difficult, but we are in this together. Vermonters need us to pass budgets that help them get ahead,” Scott said after being sworn in at 1:58 p.m. by Chief Justice Paul Reiber.
Scott, who did not support Donald Trump for president, acknowledged the political divide nationally, which he said “feels as deep and as personal as it ever has, a time when uncertainty and anxiety cloud our view of the future.”
The new governor’s vow of fiscal restraint extended to the cleanup of Lake Champlain, for which he and lawmakers must find tens of millions of dollars each year. Scott said the state’s share would be paid for through “existing resources” and that taxes and fees would not be raised to fill the gap.
“Vermonters do not have the capacity to pay more,” he said.
The state’s estimated share of the cleanup has been put at $68 million a year. Lawmakers passed a temporary increase in the property transfer tax, but that increase is set to expire.
Scott signed an executive order on Thursday instructing all departments to focus on policies that strengthen the economy, make Vermont more affordable and protect the vulnerable. He also said he would establish a modernization and efficiency team and ask state workers to suggest savings ideas.
As he had on the campaign trail, Scott promised again to appoint an official to lead the efforts against opiate addiction and said he would call for a statewide summit on the issue this year.
The governor said he would outline in several days how he wants to change the way the state does economic development. After his speech, he said some departments would be consolidated. He promised to provide options for affordable health insurance when he gives his budget address on Jan. 26.
Reaction was mixed.
Sen. Philip Baruth, D-Chittenden, said the speech lacked detail.
“I thought it was relatively substance-free. I think he’s been very successful in moving up the middle of Vermont’s path to the governorship by being relatively light on specifics,” Baruth said. “I was hoping for more.”
Progressive/Democrat Anthony Pollina, of Washington County, also spoke of a lack of specifics but criticized the speech for being “darker than I would have preferred.”
Pollina said Scott talked about making Vermont “a place to be proud to live. I’m already proud to live in Vermont, painting a picture a bit bleaker than I would have liked it to have been. I’m a little more optimistic and have a more positive view than what I heard.”
Republican Rep. Kurt Wright, of Burlington, applauded Scott for his “refreshing honesty” and for “telling it like it is.”
“Affordability in my district is by far what I hear repeatedly over and over,” Wright said. “I’m glad he’s focused like a laser on that issue.”
“The contrast from what we heard today and yesterday was striking,” Wright said, alluding to Democratic Gov. Peter Shumlin’s farewell address on Wednesday.