Rodgers Road Rage
, on May 20, 2025
What happens when the second-highest elected official in Vermont — Republican Lieutenant Governor John Rodgers — threatens to sue his own town?
Well, we're watching it happen now.
Earlier this month, John Rodgers threatened his hometown of Glover with a lawsuit unless they gave up a public road that has connected communities for 200 years so that he could convert it into his private accessway.
"If I win," he warned, "I'm going to shut the road down completely. There'll be no access."
This isn't a neighborly disagreement. It's a stunning abuse of political power and personal wealth to intimidate a small Vermont town.
This isn't leadership. It's entitlement.
When the town's road crew showed up to fill potholes and perform maintenance, Rodgers reportedly confronted them with aggressive insults — calling one worker a "moron" — and demanded they leave. And he's made it clear he'll "spend a lot of money on lawyers" to force the town into submission.
And yet, this is who Governor Phil Scott and his GOP supported for Lieutenant Governor. Scott donated thousands of dollars to Rodgers' campaign and supported him without hesitation. Now? Well, we have serious questions about why Vermont's governor would back someone who bullies working-class Vermonters.
This may sound like a one-off story — a rural road dispute taken too far. But it's not. It's a revealing snapshot of how Republicans like John Rodgers think they can use power and wealth to bend local systems to their will.
In a state like Vermont, where communities pride themselves on neighborliness and local problem-solving, it can be easy to overlook these moments or write them off as personal drama. But this behavior is part of a pattern — one we're seeing more and more from GOP officials who treat public institutions like personal property.
The Vermont Democratic Party is paying attention. And when this kind of behavior threatens our towns, our values, or our democracy, we'll show up, speak out, and make sure Vermonters know exactly who's behind it. Stay tuned. This won't be the last time.
# # #
CONTACT
May Hanlon
Executive Director
Vermont Democratic Party
mhanlon@vtdemocrats.org
Well, we're watching it happen now.
Earlier this month, John Rodgers threatened his hometown of Glover with a lawsuit unless they gave up a public road that has connected communities for 200 years so that he could convert it into his private accessway.
"If I win," he warned, "I'm going to shut the road down completely. There'll be no access."
This isn't a neighborly disagreement. It's a stunning abuse of political power and personal wealth to intimidate a small Vermont town.
This isn't leadership. It's entitlement.
When the town's road crew showed up to fill potholes and perform maintenance, Rodgers reportedly confronted them with aggressive insults — calling one worker a "moron" — and demanded they leave. And he's made it clear he'll "spend a lot of money on lawyers" to force the town into submission.
And yet, this is who Governor Phil Scott and his GOP supported for Lieutenant Governor. Scott donated thousands of dollars to Rodgers' campaign and supported him without hesitation. Now? Well, we have serious questions about why Vermont's governor would back someone who bullies working-class Vermonters.
This may sound like a one-off story — a rural road dispute taken too far. But it's not. It's a revealing snapshot of how Republicans like John Rodgers think they can use power and wealth to bend local systems to their will.
In a state like Vermont, where communities pride themselves on neighborliness and local problem-solving, it can be easy to overlook these moments or write them off as personal drama. But this behavior is part of a pattern — one we're seeing more and more from GOP officials who treat public institutions like personal property.
The Vermont Democratic Party is paying attention. And when this kind of behavior threatens our towns, our values, or our democracy, we'll show up, speak out, and make sure Vermonters know exactly who's behind it. Stay tuned. This won't be the last time.
# # #
CONTACT
May Hanlon
Executive Director
Vermont Democratic Party
mhanlon@vtdemocrats.org