Jason Gibbs (Vermont)
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| Jason Gibbs | |
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| Basic facts | |
| Organization: | Phil Scott gubernatorial administration |
| Role: | Chief of staff |
| Location: | Vermont |
| Affiliation: | Republican |
| Education: | University of Massachusetts, Amherst |
Jason Gibbs is a Republican political advisor and former public official in the state of Vermont. As of April 2021, he was the chief of staff for Gov. Phil Scott (R), a position he began after Scott was elected governor of Vermont in November 2016.[1]
Gibbs is the state's former commissioner of forests, parks, and recreation. On April 30, 2010, he announced his candidacy for the statewide office of secretary of state, the seat vacated by Democrat Deborah Markowitz, who left to run for the Democratic nomination in the state's gubernatorial contest.[2]
Career
Early career
After graduating from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Gibbs began working for the Massachusetts Turnpike authority in 1998 as deputy director for public affairs, where he worked on the central artery and tunnel project, which was popularly called the Big Dig. In 2001, Gibbs served as a public relations coordinator for a health company before moving back to Vermont in 2002 to join the administration of Gov. Jim Douglas (R).[3]
Jim Douglas administration
Gibbs first served as a top aide for Republican Governor Jim Douglas before being named as his communications director in 2003; he would remain in the position for five years. In 2008, Douglas appointed him as state commissioner of forest, parks, and recreation, a position he maintained until late-April 2010 when he resigned in order to campaign for secretary of state.[4]
Private sector
In 2012, after serving as the director of marketing for the Vermont Areas Ski Association, Gibbs started his own public relations firm, Jason Gibbs, LLC.[5] He established the business as a firm for small nonprofit organizations and not for politicians, according to VT Digger. He told the site, "I’ve had my experience in the political sphere. It was exciting and engaging and informative, but now I’m really ready to do work in other areas. I think that by defining a business as a political consulting business, you narrow very significantly the scope of opportunities for that business."[6]
Phil Scott chief of staff
On November 23, 2016, after Scott was elected governor, he named Gibbs his incoming chief of staff.[1] In March 2017, he told Seven Days, a Vermont news source, that his job involved managing the information flow in the capitol, saying, "You have to know what needs to go to the governor, because the volume of information that flows through this office is far greater than any one person's ability to manage."[7]
Chief of staff
- See also: Gubernatorial chiefs of staff
In 2017, Ballotpedia identified Jason Gibbs (Vermont) as a gubernatorial chief of staff. A chief of staff is the lead staff member of an administration and is responsible for implementing the governor's agenda.
The role is both a managerial and advisory position, although specific duties vary by administration. The chief of staff typically has the following responsibilities, according to the National Governors Association (NGA):[8]
- Control access to the governor and manage the governor's calendar;
- Monitor the flow of information to the governor on policy issues;
- Oversee gubernatorial Cabinet and staff; and
- Manage and communicate the governor's policy agenda to the state legislature and the public.
In terms of policymaking, the NGA notes that a chief of staff is responsible for bringing policy and communications together: "The chief is responsible for overseeing the development of the governor’s policy agenda. The policy director or advisor is typically responsible for shaping the general concepts and specific details of the agenda with input from the communications director, policy staff and cabinet members. The chief often must take charge and bring the pieces together coherently."[8]
Elections
2010
On November 2, 2010, Jim Condos won election to the office of Secretary of State of Vermont. He defeated Jason Gibbs (R) and Leslie Marmorale (Liberty Union) in the general election.
| Secretary of State of Vermont, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Jim Condos |
53.5% | 122,599 | |
| Republican | Jason Gibbs | 44.1% | 101,144 | |
| Liberty Union | Leslie Marmorale | 2.3% | 5,315 | |
| Write-In | Various | 0.1% | 222 | |
| Total Votes | 229,280 | |||
| Election results via Vermont Secretary of State. | ||||
| 2010 Race for Secretary of State - Republican Primary[9] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote Percentage | |
| Republican Party | 56.3% | ||
| Republican Party | Chris Roy | 42.9% | |
| Write-In | 0.7% | ||
| Total Votes | 25,921 | ||
See also
External links
- Jason Gibbs Twitter account
- Project Vote Smart - Jason Gibbs biography
- Gowithgibbs.com 2010 Campaign website
The Internet Archive's Wayback Machine was used to recall this version of the website from September 24, 2010.
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Office of Gov. Phil Scott, "Governor-elect Scott Announces First Senior Staff Appointments," November 23, 2016
- ↑ The Burlington Free Press, "Gibbs to run for Vermont secretary of state" 30 April, 2010
- ↑ LinkedIn, "Jason Gibbs," accessed September 11, 2017
- ↑ Burlington Free Press, "Jason Gibbs resigning to run for secretary of state" 29 April, 2010
- ↑ Capital Connections, "Jason Gibbs," accessed September 11, 2017
- ↑ VT Digger, "Former Douglas spokesman Jason Gibbs starts own communications firm," December 7, 2012
- ↑ Seven Days, "Gibbs and the Gov: Is Scott's Chief of Staff Running the Show?" March 1, 2017
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 National Governors Association, "The Many Roles of the Governor’s Chief of Staff," accessed April 20, 2021
- ↑ Vermont Secretary of State - 2010 Primary Election Results
