Vincent Illuzzi

Illuzzi is the son of Vincent Illuzzzi, Sr. (1920-2013), born in Giovinazzo, Italy, who emigrated to the US at the age of 17 and became a granite sculptor.

Illuzzi, Sr. carved one of the largest monuments ever shipped from Barre, a granite sculpture depicting a person chained to a wall that is part of the Taras Shevchenko Memorial located near Dupont Circle, Washington DC.

He also supported the restoration of the Old Labor Hall and the Vermont Granite Museum in Barre.

Noble v. Sec’y of State, No. 48-9-10 Excv (Manley, J., Oct. 21, 2010)

Vincent Illuzzi, Jr. (born September 17, 1953) is an American lawyer and politician from Derby, Vermont who formerly served as a Republican member of the Vermont State Senate representing the Essex-Orleans senate district.

Vincent Illuzzi was born in Montpelier, Vermont, on September 17, 1953.

An attorney, he received his A.B. degree from Saint Michael's College in 1975 and a J.D. degree from Vermont Law School in 1978.

Illuzzi is married to Eileen Maher.

The couple live in Derby and have one son.

From 1976 to 1979, he was a correspondent for the Burlington Free Press.

In 1978, he interviewed Peter Galbraith when he was chair of the Vermont Democratic Party; some 40 years later, they served together in the Senate.

At 27, Illuzzi was the youngest person ever elected to the Vermont Senate.

Illuzzi was first elected to the Vermont Senate in 1980.

He served from 1981 to 2013.

He did not run for reelection in 2012, and was the unsuccessful Republican nominee for Vermont Auditor of Accounts.

He currently serves as the State's Attorney for Essex County, although a resident of neighboring Orleans Co.

The question of residency was the subject of a State Superior Court case: Arguably, there is an equally compelling policy reason for allowing voters to elect officials who do not reside in the voters’ county: it increases the pool of eligible candidates to fill those positions.

Such a consideration may be important for small counties like Essex which may have few lawyers or law enforcement officers willing to run for state’s attorney or sheriff.

Without a residency requirement, voters may be better assured that they are electing the most competent and qualified person willing to hold the office.

If the framers had intended county officials to be county residents, they would have specifically mandated that in the constitution.

In 2012, the newspaper Seven Days published a tribute to the elder Vincent Illuzzi, titled, "Rock Star."

As Illuzzi, Jr. summed it up when he delivered his father's eulogy: Not bad for a 17 year old kid with an eighth grade education who couldn’t speak English who left home and traveled to a faraway place called America to make his mark on life.

Vincent Illuzzi provided me with the following

Vincent Illuzzi Eulogy

I would like to begin by thanking those who took care of our father as he marched on in age.

Joe was always there for him.

And our father was doing fairly until he developed difficulty

walking several weeks ago.

Even then, he was doing well, but moved to an assisted care facility.

The last few days of his life were difficult after falling and hitting his head reaching for a

newspaper.

Joe was there every morning and night to make sure he was being taken care of.

Thanks to Joe’s friends in the Barre Montpelier area who often visited with my father and

brought him lunch or treats.

Paul Sayers, Sue Fowler.

Elaine Ojala.

Thanks to the pallbearers.

Scott Mears, Jeff Poitras, Rick Dente, Jack Franks, Guy Larmache

and Greg Larson.

Thanks to Evelyn Berglund of Berlin, who was my father’s companion for the past ten to 15