Sen. Leahy plans local visits in October

Sept. 24, 2022  |  By Waterbury Roundabout 

Sen. Patrick Leahy speaks with Waterbury Town Manager Bill Shepuluk in Waterbury last August. Photo by Gordon Miller

U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., is heading into the final months of his career in public service and his calendar has stops in Waterbury and Duxbury coming up. 

On Oct. 4, Leahy will visit Crossett Brook Middle School for a Farm to School Month celebration and press conference. The gathering will include Farm to School Network members, U.S. Department of Agriculture officials for lunch and a student-led project fair.

On Oct. 10, Leahy will be the guest of honor at an event held in Rusty Parker Memorial Park celebrating Vermont downtowns. Organized by the Vermont League of Cities and Towns, the free event will be open to the public from 1 to 5 p.m. 

Organizers plan for music, food and a cash bar. A registration link is online to help gauge attendance. 

At age 82, Leahy has served eight terms in the U.S. Senate since 1974. For the first time in decades, he is not running for re-election this year and Vermonters will choose his successor in the Nov. 8 general election.

Vermont’s at-large Congressman Rep. Peter Welch, also a Democrat, is on the ballot running for the seat Leahy will vacate along with Republican Gerald Malloy of Weathersfield and several independent candidates. 

Leahy’s seniority earned him the position of Senate President Pro Tempore making him the fourth-highest ranking member of the U.S. government below the president, vice president, and speaker of the House.

Leahy’s Vermont home is in Middlesex.