Dick Mazza, icon of the Vermont Senate, dies at 84

Updated at 11:56 p.m.

Richard T. Mazza, a Colchester grocer who rose from humble origins to become the most influential member of the Vermont Senate, died Saturday. He was 84 years old.

His daughter, Melissa Mazza-Paquette, confirmed the news Sunday evening. “Our family is so grateful to all who have reached out to our family over the past several months and to the amazing staff and volunteers at the McClure Miller Respite House,” she said. An obituary prepared by the family said the cause was pancreatic cancer and that he had died with his family by his side.

Known to customers, constituents and friends as “Dick” or “Richie,” the affable business owner and politician was sometimes said to have run the state of Vermont from behind the deli counter at Dick Mazza’s General Store. Since his parents founded the rambling lakeside market near the shores of Malletts Bay in 1954, Mazza lived next door and spent most every day working there. He was immensely proud to have celebrated its 70th anniversary this month, according to Mazza-Paquette.

In a wide-ranging interview with VTDigger in January, Mazza said that his work in the Senate had always been informed by his work in the store. It kept him grounded and informed about the role state government was playing in his constituents’ lives.

“Every day I’m here with the public in the store, so I hear a lot of comments,” Mazza said at the time. “They know they can reach me.”

A moderate Democrat, Mazza was first elected to the Vermont House in 1972, succeeding his father, Joseph Mazza, Sr., in representing the blue-collar town of Colchester. He took a break from the Legislature after two terms but returned to Montpelier in 1985 to represent the Grand Isle district in the Vermont Senate.

Mazza held the Senate seat for nearly four decades, making him the second-longest-serving member in the institution’s history. He spent decades at the helm of the Senate Transportation Committee and as one of three members of the powerful Committee on Committees.

Mazza was never the most voluble member of the Senate, nor its most prolific policymaker. But, as U.S. Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., said in a February interview, “When Dick Mazza spoke, we listened.”

That was especially true when it came to the decorum and traditions of the chamber. Mazza expressed great pride in his work to keep the Vermont Senate a civil institution and avoid the partisan gridlock that has hobbled the U.S. Congress.

“I think it’s the Vermont style,” he said in the January interview. “People in Vermont — you may disagree on an issue, but as far as friendships and relationships, it’s never nose to nose.”

Mazza resigned from the Senate on April 8, explaining in a letter to Gov. Phil Scott that health challenges were preventing him from providing “the quality of service and dedication” he had long given his constituents and the state. He had been diagnosed with cancer last fall and suffered other ailments, including a broken hip, and rarely made it to the Statehouse in the months before his resignation.

In his letter to Scott, Mazza said that representing Colchester and Grand Isle had been “the privilege of a lifetime.”

Even after he left the Senate, Mazza continued to play a role in Vermont politics. In the decades since they first served together in the chamber, Scott had become almost a surrogate son to Mazza. And when Scott announced this month that he would seek a fifth term as governor, he insisted on doing so by Mazza’s side.

In a statement Sunday night, Scott said, “I am heartbroken at the loss of my very dear friend, mentor and long-time colleague, Senator Dick Mazza.” The governor said that Mazza had “left a mark on everyone he met” and that he “deserved every word and every bit of credit” for what he had done for the state.

“In a world that has become so politically divided and full of hate, Dick Mazza stood out like a shining star — an icon of decency, hope and humor,” Scott said. “His impact will be felt for generations to come, and he will be greatly missed.”

Scott said that he had ordered flags in the state to be flown at half-staff on the day of Mazza’s funeral service, which is scheduled for May 30 .

“The loss of Senator Dick Mazza is a loss to everyone who knew him,” Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Baruth, D/P-Chittenden Central, said in a statement Sunday night. “We in the Vermont Senate will remember him as our elder statesman, always collected, always compassionate, always generous with the fruits of his own hard labor.”

In addition to his political and professional accomplishments, Baruth said, Mazza “always brought kindness, generosity, good humor and a collaborative mindset to the Senate. He will be very sorely missed.”

Tributes to Mazza arrived well before his death. Last winter, the town of Colchester renamed the road to its new recreation center “Dick Mazza Drive.” Selectboard member Charlie Papillo, a close friend of Mazza’s, said in February that it was the town’s way of thanking the senator for delivering for Colchester over the years.

“So many people are honored when they’re not alive and they don’t get to see it,” Papillo said. “We wanted to make sure he could see it.”

Similarly, the Senate and House passed a resolution earlier this month honoring Mazza for decades of “conscientious legislative service. His former colleagues described him in the resolution as “a passionate promoter of civility and mutual respect.”

In interviews last winter, several of the governors with whom Mazza served heaped praise on the longtime legislator.

“He’s been one of the greatest senators in the history of the state, in terms of what he’s been able to deliver for his constituency,” former Gov. Howard Dean said in January. “He’s incredible and relentless.”

Said former Gov. Peter Shumlin, “He cared more about dignity, honesty, fighting for the little guy and ensuring that the decency of Vermont public service always came first, and I think that’s what Vermont will miss most about him.”

Mazza remained humble in spite of his success. Asked in the January interview whether he had ever considered running for higher office, Mazza noted that he hadn’t attended college — having turned down the opportunity in order to help his father run the store.

“You know, it’s funny. I never had the desire. I never felt qualified to do that,” he said of serving as governor. “Just being a high school graduate, I was so pleased to be elected to the Senate.”

Mazza worked so hard, according to his family, that he never took on any hobbies — other than collecting classic cars. He did not take vacations and he rarely left the state. For many years, he opened the store at 6 a.m. and closed it at 10 p.m.

But Mazza always made time for his family, according to Mazza-Paquette, his daughter, and Mike Mazza, his son.

“Family is first,” Mazza-Paquette said in a February interview. “He’s always talked about how he can have all the success in the world, but what matters most is family.”

Mazza is survived by his wife of 58 years, Dorothy “Dolly” Mazza; his two children, Mike and Melissa; two grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and one of his four brothers, John Mazza.

In the January interview, Mazza hesitated to discuss his legacy, saying he preferred to “plow ahead and see what happens.”

“Take it one day at a time,” he said. “None of us know what we’re gonna do. So.”

Serving in the Senate, he said, had been, “A lot of fun. A lot of fun.”

“I’m very pleased,” he said. “I’ve got no complaints.”

Read the story on VTDigger here: Dick Mazza, icon of the Vermont Senate, dies at 84 .