HARTLAND — State Rep. Zachariah Ralph, D-Hartland, said he will be getting married this summer and moving to Montpelier, so he will not seek a second term in the Windsor-1 District representing Windsor, West Windsor and Hartland.
In a statement released Friday, Ralph said he is endorsing Elizabeth Burrows for the seat.
Burrows, of West Windsor, served five years on the West Windsor School Board and now serves on the Mount Ascutney School District Board following the merging of the Windsor and West Windsor school districts.
Ralph ran as Progressive/Democrat in the 2018 election and defeated Rep. Paul Belaksi, D-Windsor, who is currently a member of the Windsor Selectboard. State Rep. John Bartholomew, D-Hartland, holds the other seat in the district.
Ralph, who grew up in Woodstock, said when the 2019 session began, he met Anne Watson, of Montpelier, and they began dating.
“I joined the Legislature to help the environment and ended up falling in love,” Ralph said in his statement.
Ralph said the couple will marry in July and live in Montpelier, where Watson is a physics teacher, Ultimate coach and was elected in 2018.
Ralph said in a phone interview that despite only serving one term, he is pleased he could help support raising the minimum wage and paid family leave, though the Legislature did not succeed in overriding a veto by Republican Gov. Phil Scott on the latter measure.
“I put a lot of time and work into the Climate Solutions Caucus to help pass the (Vermont) Global Warming Solutions Act,” Ralph said. “I am still working to pass the Transportation and Climate Initiative for more weatherization and get the state to 100% renewable energy.”
Ralph, 32, said it is too early to comment on whether he would seek a seat in the Vermont House when he moves to Montpelier.
“Right now my primary objective is to support Anne so that she can continue to build her career as we hopefully grow our family,” Ralph said in his statement.
Ralph, who has been the program director for Sustainable Woodstock the last six years, said his time in Montpelier was an enjoyable experience.
“I really enjoyed working with my colleagues, and I learned a lot about the process,” Ralph said.
In a brief email, Burrow summarized her ideas if elected.
“I am interested in working hard on behalf of both ends of our state’s age spectrum, in matters pertaining to education as well as advocating on behalf of our state’s aging population,” Burrows said. “Both of these areas hit home for me, personally, but I also see them as two ends of a spectrum in which many uncontextualized decisions are made that affect the lives of people who may be vulnerable, but certainly no less significant.”
Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com.
