Mary A. Morrissey

American politician

Mary A. Morrissey

Member of the Vermont House of Representatives from the Bennington 5 district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 4, 2023 Serving with Jim Carroll
Preceded by	None (district created)
Member of the Vermont House of Representatives from the Bennington 2-2 district
In office January 8, 2003 – January 4, 2023
Preceded by	Betty Bolognani
Succeeded by	None (district eliminated)
Member of the Vermont House of Representatives from the Bennington 2-3 district
In office January 8, 1997 – January 8, 2003
Preceded by	Mary Madkour
Succeeded by	None (district eliminated)

Personal details
Born	Mary Ann Morrissey (1957-03-26) March 26, 1957 (age 67) Bennington, Vermont, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Residence(s)	Bennington, Vermont, U.S.

Mary Ann Morrissey (born March 26, 1957) is a Republican politician who was elected and currently serves in the Vermont House of Representatives.^[1] She represents the Bennington 5 Representative District.

2024 harassment incident

For five months during 2024, Morrissey secretly poured cups of water into a tote bag owned by Democratic lawmaker Jim Carroll, who also represents Bennington and who serves with her on Vermont's House Committee on Commerce and Economic Development.^[2] Carroll suspected Morrissey to be pouring water in his bag, but had no evidence to prove the theory. He then used a hidden video camera to record footage of his bag in order to find what was happening.^[3]

On June 7, 2024, Carroll told Seven Days, an independent Vermont news publication, that he had captured footage of Morrissey pouring cups of water into his bag on two separate days.^[2] On June 11, 2024, the footage was released.^[2] Carroll has stated that Morrissey had been "nasty" to him for months^[3] and that she had "verbally harassed" him on several occasions regarding his policy decisions.^[4]

On June 17, Morrissey apologized in front of the Vermont House of Representatives. She did not state a motivation for her actions, and claimed, "I don't know why I did it. I was not meaning to hurt him ... It is something very out of character for me and I am ashamed."^[5] As a result of the incident, a formal investigation was opened by the House's ethics panel. As of June 18, 2024, Carroll has not yet decided whether to pursue charges against Morrissey.^[3]

References

^ "List of Representatives in the Vermont House of Representatives from the state legislators database -- Adam Brown, BYU Political Science". adambrown.info. February 2011. Archived from the original on October 25, 2021. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
^ ^a ^b ^c McCallum, Kevin (June 7, 2024). "A Lawmaker's Bag Was Repeatedly Drenched, and Now a Colleague Faces a Probe". Seven Days. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
^ ^a ^b ^c Oladipo, Gloria (June 18, 2024). "Vermont Republican secretly poured water into colleague's bag over months". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
^ McCallum, Kevin (June 17, 2024). "Lawmaker Apologizes to House Colleague for Harassment". Seven Days. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
^ McCallum, Kevin (June 12, 2024). "Lawmaker Offers an Apology, but No Explanation, for Soaking a Rival's Stuff". Seven Days. Retrieved June 18, 2024.

External links

Profile at Vote Smart

Offices and distinctions

Vermont House of Representatives
Preceded by Mary Madkour	Vermont Representative from the Bennington 2-3 District 1997–2003 Served alongside: Peter J. Brady, Albert Krawczyk	Succeeded by None
Preceded by Betty Bolognani	Vermont Representative from the Bennington 2-2 District 2003–present Served alongside: Albert Krawczyk, Anne Lamy Mook, Kiah Morris, Jim Carroll	Succeeded by Incumbent