Vermont Governor Phil Scott Appoints Burlington Rep. Kevin Scully, Bypassing Democratic Party’s Recommended Candidates
Why It Matters
Vermont Governor Phil Scott’s appointment of a new state House representative to fill a vacant Burlington seat has sparked a political dispute over executive authority and party influence in the legislative appointment process. The decision, which bypassed the local Democratic committee’s three recommended candidates, raises questions about how gubernatorial appointment powers are exercised in the Green Mountain State.
The controversy also follows the forced resignation of the seat’s previous occupant over a legislative sexual harassment finding — a matter that drew significant public attention in Vermont’s political community.
What Happened
Governor Phil Scott appointed Kevin Scully on Thursday to fill the Burlington House seat vacated by former Democratic Rep. Bob Hooper, who resigned in March after the House’s Sexual Harassment Prevention Panel found he had violated the Legislature’s sexual harassment rules. Multiple women, including two Vermont legislators, subsequently detailed sexual harassment allegations against Hooper in a published report. Hooper acknowledged his actions were inappropriate but denied they constituted sexual harassment.
Scully, who will represent Burlington’s New North End alongside Democratic Rep. Carol Ode, was not among the three candidates recommended by the local Democratic district committee. According to House Democrats, Scott did not interview any of the three committee-recommended candidates before selecting Scully.
“The local district committee did their job, meeting and putting forward three qualified members of the community in a timely manner,” said Liam O’Sullivan, House campaign director for the Vermont Democratic Party. “The Governor chose to ignore them.”
The Governor’s Reasoning
The governor’s office offered a specific rationale for bypassing the committee’s list. Dustin Degree, the governor’s director of communications, said the three candidates proposed by the local committee had each indicated an interest in running for reelection in the upcoming Democratic primary.
“Rep. Scully has indicated his intentions are to serve out the term, allowing the other three candidates a fair playing field in this summer’s Democratic primary,” Degree said in an emailed statement.
The governor’s office also pushed back on broader Democratic criticism, calling their claims a “manufactured political narrative,” though it did not directly address allegations that Scott had delayed filling vacant Democratic seats compared to Republican ones.
By the Numbers
- 1 Burlington House seat left vacant following Hooper’s March resignation
- 3 candidates recommended by the local Democratic committee — none selected by Scott
- 12 years — the approximate period Scully directed abuse prevention programs for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington (2005–2017)
- 12 years — Scully’s tenure as Burlington Police Chief, from 1986 to 1998
- Approximately 4 months — the time elapsed between former Rep. Mari Cordes’s announced intent to resign in June 2025 and the appointment of her replacement in mid-October 2025, which Democrats cited as an example of Scott’s slower pace filling Democratic vacancies
Zoom Out
Gubernatorial authority to fill legislative vacancies is a well-established executive power in most states, including Vermont. Traditionally, governors fill vacancies with members of the same party as the departing lawmaker and often — though not always — choose from a list provided by the local party committee. Vermont law does not legally require either practice.
Disputes between governors and opposition parties over appointment timelines and candidate selection are not unique to Vermont. In states where the governor is of a different party than the legislative majority, such procedural disagreements are common and often intensify during election years when vacant seats can carry strategic weight heading into primaries.
Vermont’s broader political landscape has seen its share of legal and institutional controversies recently. Vermont’s top court pulled an Addison County prosecutor’s law license following a DUI conviction, and six suspects charged in a Vermont kidnapping case remain in custody, reflecting ongoing pressures on the state’s legal and legislative institutions.
What’s Next
Scully will serve the remainder of Hooper’s two-year term representing Burlington’s New North End. He noted in his appointment statement that several important issues remain before the House in the coming weeks. The three candidates originally recommended by the local Democratic committee are expected to remain eligible to compete in this summer’s Democratic primary for the seat. Vermont Democrats have indicated they intend to continue pressing their concerns about the governor’s appointment timeline and process for filling vacant legislative seats.