WORCESTER – I am writing to let everyone in the Lamoille-Washington House district and others know that I will not be seeking re-election as one of the district’s two State Representatives for the next term which begins in 2025.
This decision was not any easy one. I have thought and rethought this through a number of times to make sure. Although serving in the Legislature is of course challenging, it is truly and deeply rewarding and inspiring. It can of course be frustrating sometimes too. Having spent time at the Statehouse in previous jobs, I knew that before I first ran for office in 2015. My decision is not about that, but because I’ll likely be making some changes in my living situation sometime in the foreseeable future.
As many know, my wife Amy Darley passed away unexpectedly in April 2021. At around that time, some eyesight issues I’ve had also worsened a bit and caused me to give up night driving. So, living up a hill on a back road in Worcester with my dog Hobie became a bit more challenging at times. Starting in 2022, I was fortunate to find a place in Montpelier where Hobie and I could stay weekdays during the session, but it still limited my attending meetings and events at other times, both in Montpelier as well as in the towns in our House district. (And although my eyesight has improved some thanks to modern medicine, I will still have some driving limitations.)
I’ve had lots of advice over the past couple of years about my options. In the end, I knew that I’d want to move to where things are closer, sometimes within walking distance. While I don’t know when all the pieces will fall into place, there’s a good chance that I won’t be living in the Lamoille-Washington District at some point.
My current term as State Representative will continue until the new Legislature begins in January. I will participate in any formal House activities until then, including an expected session to consider whether to override the Governor’s vetoes of certain bills. I will be publishing a wrap-up Report from the State House soon and will continue communicating with constituents in Morristown, Elmore, Woodbury, Worcester and part of Stowe on legislative matters. And I welcome any questions and comments constituents may have as well. Going forward, I expect to continue to be involved in some ways on issues I care about.
Serving our communities in the Legislature has taught me a lot. In my four terms as Representative for our two-member district, I’ve had the honor and privilege of serving together with Shap Smith, Dave Yacovone and Saudia LaMont. I am very pleased that Dave Yacovone’s name will be on the August Democratic Primary ballot for one of our district’s two seats, to be elected in November.
Rep. Avram Patt represents the Lamoille-Washington District that includes Morristown, Elmore, Woodbury, Worcester and northern Stowe.
