North Hero resident Andy Julow tapped to finish Dick Mazza's VT Senate term

Dick Mazza's seat in the Vermont Senate — left vacant last month after the state's longest-serving senator resigned due to health challenges — now has a new occupant.

Gov. Phil Scott appointed North Hero resident Andy Julow, a Democrat, to fill the Grand Isle District seat on Monday, May 21, effective immediately. Julow, who serves as the director of the Lake Champlain Islands Economic Development Corp., will finish out the remainder of Mazza's term, which ends in January.

Before his resignation in early April, Mazza, also a Democrat, had represented Grand Isle County and Colchester in the Statehouse for over 42 years, serving in the Senate from 1985 to 2024 and in the House from 1973 to 1976.

"Andy is a lifelong Vermonter with experience serving his community and promoting economic development in the islands," Scott said in a press release on Tuesday. "The constituents of the Grand Isle district deserve a voice in Montpelier, and I am appreciative of Andy's willingness to serve."

Described in Scott's press release as an "active member" of the Grand Isle County community, Julow served as the chairman of his local School Board for almost a decade and on the Development Review Board for five years. Additionally, he ran two unsuccessful campaigns for the Vermont House of Representatives in 2016 and 2020.

Julow is married with two adult daughters, who, like their father, attended Grand Isle schools.

"Many across the state knew Dick Mazza as a powerful Senator, but to the people of Colchester and the islands, he was a neighbor who genuinely cared about the well-being of others and to who no matter was too small," Julow said in the press release.

What's next for Julow?

The Vermont legislative session had already concluded for the summer by the time Julow was appointed to fill Mazza's seat — save for the veto session scheduled for June 17 — but Julow said he still has work to do.

Since his appointment, Julow said he has been attending to the pressing constituent services "backlog" that occurred as a result of the Senate seat's month-long vacancy. He will also join the other legislators for the veto session next month.

In the meantime, Julow is also weighing whether to launch a bid to extend his time in the Statehouse. Julow's seat, along with all other Vermont House and Senate seats, is up for election on Nov. 5.

Just a week before the major party filing deadline for the August primary, Julow — who said he hadn't even considered filling Mazza's seat until requested by the Grand Isle Democrats — remained uncertain about whether he would attempt a run for a full term.

However, Julow said that if he does decide to enter the race, he will prioritize finding solutions for recent statewide school budgetary issues.

"That's something we really need to fix," he said.

Megan Stewart is a government accountability reporter for the Burlington Free Press. Contact her at mstewartyounger@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Andy Julow to fill Dick Mazza's Vermont Senate seat for Colvhester