Douglas R. Hoffer Jr. (born September 3, 1951) is an American policy analyst from

Burlington, Vermont Burlington, officially the City of Burlington, is the List of municipalities in Vermont, most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the county seat, seat of Chittenden County, Vermont, Chittenden County. It is located south of the Can ...

, who is currently serving as the Vermont State Auditor. He took office on January 10, 2013.

Early life and education

Hoffer was born in

New Rochelle, New York New Rochelle ( ; in ) is a Political subdivisions of New York State#City, city in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County, New York (state), New York, United States. It is a suburb of New York City, located approximately from Midtow ...

, and raised in

Norwalk, Connecticut Norwalk is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The city, part of the New York metropolitan area, New York Metropolitan Area, is the List of municipalities of Connecticut by population, sixth-most populous city in Connecticut ...

. He left high school in his junior year, and earned his high school equivalency two years later. He entered

Williams College Williams College is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim ...

in 1981 at age 30, graduated with a B.A. in

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

, and went on to receive a J.D. from the University at Buffalo Law School (

magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

Career

After leaving high school, Hoffer worked and traveled for over a decade. While living in the Berkshires in western Massachusetts, Doug worked as the Mâitre D’ at Alice's (Restaurant) at Avaloch in Lenox. Upon graduation from law school in 1988, he accepted a position with the City of Burlington in the Community and Economic Development Office (CEDO) having learned of the city's innovative approach to community development under then-mayor Bernie Sanders and CEDO Director Peter Clavelle. Hoffer left City Hall in 1993 and worked as a self-employed policy analyst for 19 years until winning election as state auditor in 2012. Some of his clients included the Vermont State Auditor, Peace & Justice Center (for whom he wrote all ten phases of The Job Gap Study), Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund, Vermont State Treasurer, Vermont Employees Association, Yellow Wood Associates, City of Burlington, Burlington Electric Department, and the Public Assets Institute. Hoffer was appointed to the Burlington Electric Commission by the mayor and city council in 1994. The commission oversees the municipal electric department and Hoffer served as chair of the commission for five of his six years, from 1995 to 2000.

Elected office

Hoffer first ran for state auditor in 2010 as the Democratic candidate, with an endorsement from the

Vermont Progressive Party The Vermont Progressive Party, formerly the Progressive Coalition and Independent Coalition, is a political party in the United States that is active in Vermont. It is the third-largest political party in Vermont behind the Democratic and Repub ...

, and lost to Republican incumbent Tom Salmon. In 2012, running as the nominee of the Democrats and Progressives, he defeated Republican

State Senator A state senator is a member of a State legislature (United States), state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. History There are typically fewer state senators than there ...

Vincent Illuzzi and

Liberty Union Party The Green Mountain Peace and Justice Party (GMPJP), formerly known as the Liberty Union Party (LUP) until 2021, is a socialist political party in Vermont, United States. LUP was formed in 1970 by progressives to contest the 1970 Senate election. ...

nominee Jerry Levy (Salmon did not run for re-election). Hoffer ran unopposed in 2014. In 2016, Hoffer defeated Republican Dan Feliciano and

candidate Marina Brown. As in prior campaigns, Hoffer was endorsed by Senator Bernie Sanders. In 2018, Hoffer defeated Republican Richard Kenyon and

candidate Marina Brown. In 2020, Hoffer defeated Progressive Party candidate Cris Ericson. In 2022, Hoffer defeated Republican Richard Morton.

Personal life

Hoffer lives in

. He is in a long-term relationship, and has no children. Hoffer pitched a

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter or no-hit game is a game in which a team does not record a hit (baseball), hit through conventional methods. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in ...

for the VFW Little League team of Norwalk in 1964. He won the men’s club championship at the Williston Golf Club in 2006.

Electoral history

*Hoffer was cross-endorsed by the Vermont Progressive Party. *Hoffer was cross-endorsed by the Vermont Progressive Party. *Hoffer was cross-endorsed by the Vermont Progressive Party. *Hoffer was cross-endorsed by the Vermont Progressive Party. *Hoffer was cross-endorsed by the Vermont Progressive Party.

References

External links

Government websiteCampaign website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoffer, Doug 1951 births 21st-century Vermont politicians Living people Politicians from New Rochelle, New York Politicians from Burlington, Vermont Politicians from Norwalk, Connecticut State auditors of Vermont Williams College alumni University at Buffalo Law School alumni Vermont Democrats Vermont Progressive Party politicians