Anthony Pollina
Anthony Pollina (born February 17, 1952) is an American politician who has served as Chair of the Vermont Progressive Party since 2017, and was as a member of the Vermont Senate from 2011 to 2023.
Anthony Pollina
Office established
Marrisa S. Caldwell
Martha Abbott
February 17, 1952
Ridgewood, New Jersey, U.S.
Democratic (1984–1988)
Deborah Wolf
Biography[edit]
Anthony Pollina was born in Ridgewood, New Jersey on February 17, 1952, the son of Salvatore Pollina and Matilda (Corbo) Pollina.[1][2] In 1977, he graduated from Johnson State College with a bachelor's degree in political science and environmental studies.[3][4] At Johnson State, his professors included Bill Doyle, with whom he later served in the State Senate.
Pollina's career includes working as a teacher and the headmaster for an alternative school.[3] In addition, he has taught at Johnson State College, the Community College of Vermont and Vermont College.[3]
In addition to serving in the legislature, Pollina is head of the Vermont Democracy Fund.[3]
Political activism and platform[edit]
Pollina served as a Senior Policy Advisor for then Congressman Bernie Sanders from 1991 to 1996.[3]
He worked as policy director and executive director for the Vermont Public Interest Research Group in the late 1990s and early 2000s.[3]
During the 1997 and 1998 sessions of the Vermont Legislature, Pollina advocated for campaign finance legislation that established public funding for statewide political campaigns. In 2002, when his campaign for lieutenant governor failed to qualify for public funding, he filed suit in federal court to overturn the law.
In 2003, Pollina started Equal Time Radio, a political and current events radio show broadcast on Waterbury's WDEV.[3] He quit the radio program in 2007 in order to run for governor.
Pollina was a founding board member of the Vermont Milk Company, a farmer owned and operated dairy in Hardwick, Vermont. The company was established in 2006 with a focus on paying farmers a higher than average price for milk and marketing the products locally. Pollina resigned in 2008 to focus on his campaign for governor.
Electoral history[edit]
1984 U.S. congressional election[edit]
In 1984, Pollina won a Democratic Party primary for Congress against Paul Forlenza and John Tatro. Pollina received 44% of the vote, Forlenza received 24% and Tatro received 27%. Pollina was defeated in the general election by incumbent Republican Jim Jeffords, winning 27% of the vote to Jeffords' 65%.[5]
Health[edit]
Pollina was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease after first noticing the symptoms during his 2008 campaign for governor.[31] His condition worsened until he underwent surgery following his 2016 reelection.[32] In a media interview, Pollina reported that post-surgery his symptoms had regressed significantly, though he did not know his future prognosis.[32]