Gov. Peter Shumlin has appointed Tommy Walz, a former teacher from Barre, to fill the vacancy left by Rep. Tess Taylor.
Taylor, a three-term Democrat, left the house in March to become executive director of Vermont’s Coalition for Universal Reform. The group advocates in the state legislature for single-payer health care.
According to a release from Shumlin’s office, Walz started teaching English and German at Spaulding High School in 1967 and has moved away and back a few times since.
The retired teacher now sits on the Barre Supervisory Union Board and the Spaulding High School Board.
“I am proud to be joining the Barre contingent in the Vermont House of Representatives,” Walz said in a release. “Barre has given us much and Leslie and I have had the chance to return some small measure through volunteering and serving on local school boards. Representing the people of Barre City in the Vermont House provides yet one more way for me to serve my community.”
According to the release, Walz “will be sworn in for service promptly.”
