Governor's race: "Skip" Vallee ponders GOP bid
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By Louis Porter Vermont Press Bureau - Published: November 21, 2009
MONTPELIER – It's possible that Lt. Gov. Brian Dubie will face a primary in his race for governor after all.
Native Vermonter, businessman and former ambassador Rodolphe "Skip" Vallee said Friday he is thinking about running to replace Gov. James Douglas.
"A lot of people have asked me about it," Vallee said. "I don't want to foreclose any options."
In response to questions Vallee said he is some distance from a decision, but he has begun considering the possibility of running for the state's top political job recently as people asked him to do so.
"It is just something I am thinking about," he said.
"I think the state is at a real crossroads. This is a time the state needs real leadership," Vallee said. Vermont needs "fiscal stability" and "the kind of business environment where we can keep our children in the state."
Vallee was appointed ambassador to the Slovak Republic by President George Bush, a spot he served in for two-and-a-half years.
Since then he has been helping his brother run the family business, RL Vallee Inc., a convenience store and fuel company, Vallee said.
Vallee said being ambassador "is the best job you could ever have. It is the confluence of economics, politics, reaching out to people, representing your country."
"The countries of Central Europe are recently free so there is a lot of chances to have an impact. It was a great experience," said Vallee, who has run unsuccessfully for a state Senate seat representing Chittenden County.
It had been widely assumed that Dubie, a pilot who has served four terms as lieutenant governor, will not face a primary as he seeks the GOP nomination.
"I know Brian Dubie, I like Brian Dubie, I respect Brian Dubie," Vallee said. But, he added, "I learned a long time ago that elections are not anointments. My view, whether it is people reaching out to me or to anybody else, is that Vermonters really need to have a full range of choices both within their party and certainly in a general election."
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