Sarah E. Buxton (born September 7, 1978) is an American lawyer and politician from Vermont. She was a member of the Vermont House of Representatives from Tunbridge.

Sarah E. Buxton
Director of the Workforce Development Division, Vermont Department of Labor
Assumed office
April 2019[1]
Appointed byLindsay Kurrle
Preceded byDavid Lahr[2]
Director of Workforce Policy and Performance, Vermont Department of Labor
In office
November 2017 – April 2019
Appointed byPhil Scott
Member of the Vermont House of Representatives from the Windsor-Orange-1 district
In office
January 2011 – January 2017
Preceded byDavid M. Ainsworth
Succeeded byDavid M. Ainsworth
Personal details
Born (1978-09-07) September 7, 1978 (age 45)
Orwell, Vermont, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationUniversity of Vermont (BA)
Vermont Law School (JD)

Biography edit

Sarah Buxton was born on September 7, 1978, in Orwell. She graduated from Fair Haven Union High School in 1996. She attended the University of Vermont, graduating in 2000 with a degree in Political Science. She worked in Howard Dean's office when he was Governor, and later worked on his 2004 campaign for President.[3]

She later worked for the Children’s Defense Fund, managed the 2006 reelection campaign for United States Representative Marcy Kaptur, and worked on Kaptur's Congressional staff.[4]

In 2007 Buxton returned to Vermont to attend Vermont Law School. She received her J.D. (cum laude) in 2010 and was President of her class.[5]

In 2010 Buxton was a successful Democratic candidate for the Vermont House of Representatives, representing the district which includes the towns of Royalton and her hometown of Tunbridge, and she was elected to a second term in 2012.[6]

As a member of the Vermont House of Representatives, Buxton served on the House Education Committee and was an advocate for issues related to women's rights, children, and education. She was the lead sponsor of Act 166, which provides publicly funded Pre-K education for Vermont's children, and co-sponsored Vermont's Equal Pay Act.[7][8]

Buxton worked full-time at Vermont Law School as assistant director of community relations and alumni affairs until the summer of 2013.[9] She is a member of the Vermont Bar Association, the Gifford Hospital Auxiliary, and the Tunbridge Church. She is a former member of the University of Vermont Board of Trustees,[10] having resigned on February 20, 2014, citing concerns about a potential conflict of interest when the University of Vermont partnered with Vermont Law School.[11]

Buxton ran unsuccessfully for reelection in 2016: she was defeated by her House predecessor, Republican David M. Ainsworth.[12] In 2010, she defeated Ainsworth by one vote.[13] In 2016, Ainsworth defeated Buxton by one vote, 1,004 to 1,003.[13] Confirming the results took two recounts.[13] After the first, Buxton and Ainsworth were tied at 1,000 votes each. After physical inspection of the ballots to determine voter intent, seven that had not been counted were determined to have clear voter intent, and were included in the totals.[13] Four ballots were awarded to Ainsworth, and three to Buxton.[13]

In March 2017, Buxton began work at the Vermont Department of Labor.[14] In November 2017, Governor Phil Scott announced that Buxton would become the department's director of workforce policy and performance.[14][15]

In April 2019 she became the director of the Workforce Development Division of the Vermont Department of Labor.

References edit

  1. ^ LinkedIn Profile
  2. ^ Lahr: ‘Serve the employer and the employee’
  3. ^ Vermont Secretary of State, Biographical Sketches of Federal and State Officers and Members of the General Assembly of 2011-2012, 2012, page 74
  4. ^ Vermont Biz.com, Five New Members Named to UVM Board of Trustees Cioffi Re-elected Chair, March 12, 2013
  5. ^ Vermont Law School, From the Bell Tower staff newsletter New Staff members: Sarah Buxton Archived 2014-01-16 at the Wayback Machine, Sunner 2011, page 2
  6. ^ Vermont Secretary of State, Biographical Sketches of Federal and State Officers and Members of the General Assembly of 2013-2014, 2013, page 73
  7. ^ "Bill Status H.270 (Act 166)". legislature.vermont.gov. Retrieved 2020-09-21.
  8. ^ "Bill Status H.99 (Act 31)". legislature.vermont.gov. Retrieved 2020-09-21.
  9. ^ Alicia Freese, VT Digger, Vermont Law School Makes More Cuts as Class Size Drops, June 27, 2013
  10. ^ University of Vermont, Board of Trustees Biographies: Sarah E. Buxton Archived 2014-01-16 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved January 14, 2014
  11. ^ Burlington Free Press, Legislator resigns from UVM board
  12. ^ Hallenbeck, Terri (December 14, 2016). "After Second Recount, Ainsworth Defeats Buxton by One Vote". Seven Days. Burlington, VT.
  13. ^ a b c d e "After Second Recount, Ainsworth Defeats Buxton by One Vote".
  14. ^ a b "Franklin County Senator to join Scott administration". WCAX-TV. Burlington, VT. November 15, 2017.
  15. ^ GOVERNOR PHIL SCOTT APPOINTS DEGREE AND BUXTON TO LEAD WORKFORCE GROWTH INITIATIVES (November 14, 2017)

External links edit

  • Vote Buxton, campaign web site, retrieved January 15, 2014