Daryl Pillsbury has what he's called the best of two worlds. During State Legislature session, he's in a suit in Montpelier, making sense of policy and politics. For the rest of the year, he's one of the Maintenance team at BMH, keeping the hospital orderly. Amongst his two jobs and his family, his weekly appearance with Steve West on WKVT and his many additional ties to local happenings, he's not an easy guy to catch up with. But here and there, you can grab some moments, and so as I do, I'll pass em on in a short series of chats with Daryl.
- Daryl, with your time in the State Chambers, what do you think are the biggest obstacles to real progress up there?
I think the biggest obstacle to real progress in Montpelier is the two-party system. It is like two different teams, always competing against each other, and in my opinion, Vermonters always get left behind through this process.
- What do you think of Jim Douglas' administration?
As far as the Douglas administration, I think that they are very good at public relations. I don't agree with a lot of his policies. We've had a lot of changes in his administration since he has been there which makes it difficult for the Legislature to maintain any continuity with his administration.
- How do you all live up there during session? Do you have apartments that you share?
During the session, most of the legislators who live outside of the 50 mile limit do stay in Montpelier. Some share apartments, some stay in motels. For me, my first 2 years I shared an apartment with Don Webster, another rep from Brattleboro. The next 2 years, I stayed in the apartment alone, and it became too expensive. After that, I started staying at an inexpensive motel.
Next week: a few more moments with Daryl, as I pick his brain a little more in-depth.