Election Decision 2010Santee's background shapes House bidPublished In The October 11, 2010 Edition Of The St. Albans Messenger
By LEON THOMPSON
Messenger Staff Writer
FAIRFAX — Chris Santee claims he is content.
"I'm a happy guy," the 53-year-old Fairfax Republican said last week, over lunch at the Vermont Breakfast Company in Fairfax, where he quietly said a prayer before he dipped into a French dip sandwich.
"I'm always happy," Santee said. "I was happy in the boardroom on Wall Street, and I was happy pumping gas at Nan's."
That would be Nan's Mobil, on Route 104 in Fairfax, where Santee worked for a year after losing his business, his house - with an indoor pool - and his health care.
Now editor and publisher of The Fairfax News, Santee is accustomed to telling other people's stories, but his own has helped shape his views of the issues he discussing while campaigning for a Vermont House seat in Franklin 1, which covers Georgia and Fairfax.
Santee, whose wife Terri, 45, is a former educator and current in-home care provider, is in a five-way race with: Reps. Carolyn Branagan, a Georgia Republican, and Gary Gilbert, a Fairfax Democrat; Georgia Democrat Steve Schlipf; and Fairfax independent Bob Shea.
Rare is the working journalist that can find a balance between strict impartiality and a desire to seek political office, but Santee believes he has reconciled that dilemma and maintained fairness in his monthly newspaper during his campaign.
"I have a responsibility to the people of Fairfax, to present them the news in an unbiased fashion," he said. "That responsibility trumps my campaign."
An Albany, N.Y., native, Santee's father was the headmaster of Albany Academy, a private school. Every summer, the Santees would visit Chris' grandmother at her home on Lake Champlain, in South Hero, and drink the water out of his hands.
Santee said the state is not seeing a return on the investment it has made in cleaning the lake, particularly St. Albans and Missisquoi bays, though he concedes there is "no magic solution" to improving its conditions, especially in the summer.
"We tend to look at it as if we throw money at the' lake, it will clean up the phosphorous," Santee said. "Never just throw money at anything. It is a postponement of the inevitable."
After leaving the U.S. Navy, where he served on the flight deck of a carrier that contained nuclear missiles, Santee became CEO of Wall Street Small Cap, a publication that focused on small but high-performing private companies.
Santee became a registered financial adviser and was raking in nearly seven figures a year, with offices in New York City and California. The business required his attention 24/7, all from his Fairfax home - and then it all came crashing down.
In the late 1990s, Santee was on hole four of Tiger Woods' personally designed golf course when he suddenly became ill. He had contracted a strain of pneumonia that left him hospitalized for a month and in recovery for three months afterward.
Without any ability to oversee his business, he lost it, along with his home and his health care. Santee does not believe a single-payer health care system is best for Vermont, nor that the state's health care system needs an overhaul.
"Insurance companies should be able to practice over state lines," he explained. "But the quality of our health care is tops, compared to the rest of the world. Things aren't really broken there."
Santee smoked before his bout with pneumonia and still does, though much less - about a pack over four days. He acknowledges his cigarette habit is not preventive behavior, but he is also a staunch proponent of letting people make their own choices about their health care.
"To that end," he said, "I am conservative, maybe almost Libertarian."
After Santee lost his business, he went to Nancy Pigeon, owner of Nan's Mobil, and asked if he could pump gas. He said she hesitated, fearing someone on Wall Street would sweep him up after a week at her store, so - to get the work - he verbally committed to working for Pigeon for one year; and he did.
"That's how I met people in town," he recalled. "Before, I felt kind of separated and didn't really know anyone."
After some time, Santee reconnected with friends on Wall Street and became an independent consultant while he pursued a purchase of The Fairfax News.
If elected in November, one of Santee's priorities would be to reduce taxes through cutting spending. Asked how he would cut spending without knowing what the future might hold for some programs, Santee said he would look at consolidation.
"Although I'm not sure where there's room for it yet," he added. "I'm not targeting any specific area right now."
State government is an option for Santee. The state has too many employees, he said, and an early retirement plan and hiring freeze might be necessary during the upcoming session. Otherwise, state employees should expect a major layoff in the next two years, he said.
Santee also said the nine-figure state budget deficit is "not insurmountable." It is realistic to address it while calculating projected revenues based on the 2010 census data, he said.
Another priority for Santee is the ongoing debate regarding the future of high school choice in Georgia, which would require legislative involvement. Santee wants to preserve that choice for Georgia and is a strong proponent of universal school choice.
Santee also believes Vermont has too many superintendents and is a "huge fan" of technology. He hopes his plan to offer early retirement for state employees would help provide funding for an investment in broadband technology statewide.
No matter how Santee's race sugars off in November, he feels fortunate.
"Every decision has led me here, and I have no regrets," he said.
