Sarah George takes the oath of office as Chittenden County state’s attorney Friday. Photo by Elizabeth Hewitt/VTDigger
Gov. Phil Scott announced Thursday that he would appoint George to fill the seat vacated by TJ Donovan, who was sworn in as the state’s attorney general earlier this month.
Speaking after taking the oath of office Friday, George said she believes opiate addiction needs to be approached both as a public health and public safety issue.
“I think it’s a crisis that the whole state’s dealing with and that we need to work on together to all come together and figure out what we can do,” George said.
The biggest challenge facing the justice system is funding, she said.
Shortage of money going to the county state’s attorneys offices means that prosecutors lose deputies to higher-paying jobs with lower caseloads, she said. She also said long waiting lists for drug treatment are an issue.
George said she plans to run for election when her term expires in two years.
George began working as a deputy state’s attorney in the Burlington-based office in 2011. She lives in Monkton, in Addison County, but said she is looking to move to Chittenden County.
With the new position, George said she will not need to continue to work a part-time weekend job she has held for some time as a waitress at Simon Pearce, but she may continue to work there.
“I think being a waitress makes me a better lawyer,” she said.
In that job, where she works about 20 hours a week, she meets people from all over the country who have a wide range of perspectives.
“It’s always helpful to have that information that I wouldn’t get just hanging out on weekends and not having those interactions with people,” George said.
Scott said her weekend gig impressed him and that she has a “tremendous work ethic.”
“I think that that is a testament to the experience she’ll bring to the office,” Scott said.
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