Rep. Jim Harrison, R-Chittenden, listens as the House Appropriations takes testimony at the Statehouse in Montpelier on March 30, 2023. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger Rep. Jim Harrison, R-Chittenden, plans to step down as representative of the Rutland-11 district —  comprising Killington, Ch ittenden, Mendon and Pittsfield — according to an announcement last week.  Harrison was appointed to the seat by Phil Scott in 2017, after his predecessor, former Rep. Job Tate, resigned for overseas Navy deployment. Harrison has since been elected to the post for four consecutive terms and served as vice chair for the House Committee on Appropriations last session. Harrison’s resignation is the fifth in a string of apparently unrelated departures from the state Legislature since June. Harrison was considered among his peers as a moderate and influential member.  “I just tried to bring a pragmatic sense to each and every issue that was before us,” the representative said.   Killington Republican chair Chuck Hughes said that members of the four towns in the district will gather on Dec. 17 to discuss potential candidates to put forward to Gov. Phil Scott for appointment to replace Harrison.  “It’s a big loss for our area, because he was very active,” Hughes said. “He would listen to people, you know, that was one of his strong features of being a representative. He was there to represent the people.” Before his tenure as a representative, Harrison led the organization now-called the Vermont Retail and Grocers Association for 29 years, lobbying for retailers interests in the statehouse.  After 19 years living in Chittenden, Harrison said he and his wife plan to move to New Hampshire to be closer to family, necessitating his departure from his political post.  Harrison said he will close out his tenure at noon on the first day of the session, Jan. 6, so he can say goodbye to long-time colleagues and still ensure his successor has time to step into the role.  Focused on affordability and lower taxes for Vermonters living in his district and the state, Harrison said that he worked with the House Committee on Appropriations to trim the budget last year and come to consensus on funding priorities. In a Monday statement, Gov. Phil Scott expressed appreciation for Harrison’s years of work, “especially on the House Appropriations committee, to make Vermont more affordable.” Along with advocating for a frugal state budget, Harrison aimed to foster bipartisanship in Montpelier as the self-appointed tournament organizer of a statehouse-wide March Madness bracket.  “It’s all about having some fun and building bridges,” Harrison said. Read the story on VTDigger here: Rutland County Rep. Jim Harrison resigns. ...read more read less