Rep. Malcolm Severance, R-Colchester, cast his last vote Tuesday when the Joint Fiscal and Health Access Oversight committees met jointly to decide whether to give the Douglas administration a green light on an employer sponsored insurance initiative. That's a program that would move about 1,000 Vermonters from public health insurance to private coverage where they work.

Anyway, no one seemed to realize this was it for Severance and he said that was fine with him. He didn't want to wrap up his four terms with any kind of splash.

That doesn't mean he didn't participate. Ever the economics professor, he offered his assessment of the numbers the panels were reviewing -- "iffy." And he suggested the policy of shifting expenses from the state to businesses "is questionable public policy." Still, as a lame duck, he decided he wouldn't stand in the way of the program going forward. He didn't see that as his role. Others had said they shared his concerns and spoke about monitoring the implementation.

With that assurance, Severance headed off into Tuesday's bright sunlight with the noticably lighter step of a former lawmaker no longer carrying the weight of the Green Mountains on his shoulder.

-- Nancy Remsen