Elizabeth Mary "Liz" Ready (pronounced "reedy") (born October 7, 1953) is a

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

non-profit director and elected official who is most notable for her advocacy for Vermonters with lower incomes, especially the housing insecure. She served in the

Vermont Senate The Vermont Senate is the upper house of the Vermont General Assembly, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The senate consists of 30 members elected from multi-member districts. Each senator repre ...

from 1989 to 2001 on the Senate Finance, Appropriations, Agriculture and Natural Resources and Energy (including a stint as chair). She also served as

Vermont Auditor of Accounts The auditor of accounts of Vermont, informally referred to as "the state auditor", is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of government of the U.S. state of Vermont. Twenty-nine individuals have occupied the office of state auditor si ...

from 2001 to 2005.

Early life

Ready was born in Burlington on October 7, 1953, and became a resident of

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the 16th president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincoln (na ...

in 1976. Ready was educated in Burlington and graduated from

Rice Memorial High School Rice Memorial High School is a coeducational Roman Catholic secondary and college preparatory school in South Burlington, Vermont. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington. The student body is mostly drawn from Northern and Centr ...

. She attended the

University of Vermont The University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, commonly referred to as the University of Vermont (UVM), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont, United States. Foun ...

and

Burlington College Burlington College was a private college in Burlington, Vermont. It offered associate, bachelor's, and master's degrees, as well as several professional certificates. Although regionally accredited by the New England Association of Schools and ...

, from which she received a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree in education. Ready later attended

Norwich University Norwich University is a private university in Northfield, Vermont, United States. The university was founded in 1819 as the "American Literary, Scientific and Military Academy". It is the oldest of six senior military college, senior militar ...

, where she studied

Public Administration Public administration, or public policy and administration refers to "the management of public programs", or the "translation of politics into the reality that citizens see every day",Kettl, Donald and James Fessler. 2009. ''The Politics of the ...

.Vermont Executive Branch Biographies
published by Vermont Secretary of State, 2003, page 351

Start of career

For several years Ready taught basic literacy skills to adults in rural

Addison County Addison County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 37,363. Its shire town (county seat) is the town of Middlebury (town), Vermont, Middle ...

. She then became a consultant to the Vermont Department of Education, where she was credited with founding the Adult Diploma Program and working with vocational centers throughout Vermont to design programs for adult students. In 1986, Ready joined Governor Madeleine M. Kunin's Office of Policy Research and Coordination. In 1988, Ready founded the Addison County Community Trust, an organization which works to develop affordable housing, protect farmland, and preserve natural resources. She served as the Trust's Director for 12 years.

Early political career

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

, Ready served in several local offices, including

auditor An auditor is a person or a firm appointed by a company to execute an audit.Practical Auditing, Kul Narsingh Shrestha, 2012, Nabin Prakashan, Nepal To act as an auditor, a person should be certified by the regulatory authority of accounting an ...

, planning commissioner and

selectman The select board or board of selectmen is commonly the executive arm of the government of New England towns in the United States. The board typically consists of three or five members, with or without staggered terms. Three is the most common numb ...

and as a member of the Addison County Regional Planning Commission. In 1988, Ready was elected to the

. She won re-election five times and served from 1989 to 2001. During her Senate service she was on the Natural Resources Committee for twelve years and served as chairperson for four. In addition, she served on the Agriculture Committee for eight years, the Finance Committee for six, and the Appropriations Committee for six. For six years she also served as a member of the Joint Fiscal Committee.

Service as Auditor

In 2000, Ready was the successful Democratic nominee for Auditor of Accounts, defeating Republican John S. Hall of

St. Johnsbury St. Johnsbury (known locally as "St. J") is the shire town (county seat) of Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,364. St. Johnsbury is situated on the Passumpsic River and is located approximatel ...

and two minor candidates. Ready won re-election in 2002, defeating Republican Bruce Hyde of Fayston and three minor candidates.

Defeat for third term

In 2004, Ready ran for re-election.

Randy Brock Randolph D. "Randy" Brock III (born September 28, 1943) is an American politician from the state of Vermont and a member of the Republican Party. He currently serves in the Vermont Senate and is the first African American caucus leader in Vermo ...

of Swanton was chosen as the Republican nominee. During this campaign, Brock accused Ready of having false information in her biography, with her State Senate biographical sketch and commercial publications including ''

Marquis Who's Who Marquis Who's Who, also known as A.N. Marquis Company ( or ), is an American publisher of a number of directories containing short biographies. The books usually are entitled ''Who's Who in...'' followed by some subject, such as ''Who's Who in A ...

in American Politics'' and the ''State Yellow Book'' incorrectly indicating that she had received a bachelor's degree from the University of Vermont rather than Burlington College, and that she had completed a master's degree from Norwich University. In the 2004 general election, Brock defeated Ready 52% to 42%, with 6% going to the candidate of the

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. ...

. Ready's defeat was largely attributed to questions about her integrity that were raised as the result of her incorrect biography.

Post political career

After leaving office, Ready became executive director of the John W. Graham Emergency Shelter in Vergennes.Contact page
, John W. Graham Emergency Shelter, accessed November 12, 2011

References

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Ready, Elizabeth M. 1953 births Living people State auditors of Vermont Politicians from Burlington, Vermont People from Addison County, Vermont Women state legislators in Vermont Democratic Party Vermont state senators Norwich University alumni American people who fabricated academic degrees 21st-century American women Rice Memorial High School alumni 20th-century members of the Vermont General Assembly 20th-century American women politicians