Richard Thomas Mazza (born September 4, 1939) is an American businessman and politician from

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

. A

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, he has served as a member of the

Vermont Senate The Vermont Senate is the upper house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The senate consists of 30 members. Senate districting divides the 30 members into three single-member districts, six two-m ...

since 1985, making him the body's dean, or longest-serving member. Mazza represents the Chittenden-Grand Isle district, which includes the town of

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in Essex, in the East of England. It had a population of 122,000 in 2011. The demonym is Colcestrian. Colchester occupies the site of Camulodunum, the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital. Colches ...

in Chittenden County and all of

Grand Isle County Grand Isle County is a county in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,293, making it Vermont's second-least populous county. Its shire town (county seat) is North Hero. The county was created in 1802 and organi ...

Biography

Mazza was born in on September 4, 1939, and is a lifelong resident of Colchester. He was educated in the public schools of Colchester and graduated from Winooski High School. Mazza is the owner and operator of Dick Mazza's General Store in Colchester. His civic memberships have included member of the Champlain Valley Fair board of directors and president of the Colchester Senior Citizens Housing Project. Mazza served in the

Vermont House of Representatives The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4,100 citizens. Representatives ar ...

from 1973 to 1977 and was a member of the Transportation Committee and the Legislative Council Committee. In 1984, Mazza was elected to the Vermont Senate and he has served continuously since taking his seat in 1985. Since 1991 he has served on the Transportation Committee, including terms as chairman. He has also served on the Institutions Committee since 1991, including terms as vice chairman. Mazza has been a member of the legislature's Joint Transportation Oversight Committee, including terms as chairman. Since 1997 he has been the third member of the Senate's Committee on Committees. The Committee on Committees included the

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

, the

senate president President of the Senate is a title often given to the presiding officer of a senate. It corresponds to the speaker in some other assemblies. The senate president often ranks high in a jurisdiction's succession for its top executive office: for ex ...

, and a third member chosen by the full senate. The Committee on Committees makes committee assignments, and assigns chairpersons, vice chairpersons, and committee clerks. Mazza is married to the former Dorothy D. Hinds. They are the parents of one son and one daughter, and the grandparents of four.

References

1939 births Living people 21st-century American legislators Democratic Party members of the Vermont House of Representatives Democratic Party Vermont state senators People from Colchester, Vermont {{Vermont-politician-stub