Hartford treasurer launches campaign for Windsor County Senate seat

WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — Hartford Treasurer Joe Major plans to run for the state Senate seat representing Windsor County currently held by Dick McCormack, who plans to retire next January after more than 30 years of service. 

Major, 59, is executive director of the Upper Valley Aquatic Center and serves on several boards and committees, including those of the Upper Valley Haven, Headrest of the Upper Valley, the Vermont League of Cities and Towns and the Governor’s Committee of the Employment of People with Disabilities. He has served as town treasurer since 2022 and was a Hartford Selectboard member from 2020 to 2022. 

“The Upper Valley community has given me a lot and my father always said to give back to the community that has given to you,” Major, a Democrat, said in a phone interview. “Hopefully I will be able to do that in Montpelier.” 

If elected, Major, a graduate of Howard University in Washington, D.C., would be the fourth African American to serve on the state Senate in Vermont and the first from Windsor County. 

McCormack, 76, a Democrat from Bethel, was first elected to the Senate in 1989 and served until 2003, when he took a hiatus. He returned to the Senate in 2007 and has served since. 

Filing for public office in Vermont begins April 22. The deadline to submit paperwork to the Secretary of State’s office is May 30. State primaries will be held on Aug. 13 and the general election is on Nov. 5.