NORTHEAST DAIRY COMPACT PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE JULY 28, 2000
FOR  MORE INFORMATION CONTACT MAE SCHMIDLE AT (203) 426-6264


DANIEL SMITH RETURNS AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE
NORTHEAST DAIRY COMPACT

MONTPELIER, VT -- Mae S. Schmidle, acting chairman of the Northeast Dairy Compact, announced today that Daniel Smith, the Commission’s founding executive director, has been hired to serve again as the Commission¹s executive director.

 Mr. Smith’s appointment came after an extensive search process by the Commission’s Committee on Administration. After interviewing a number of otherwise qualified candidates, the Commission determined that Mr. Smith’s unique experience and extraordinary background with the Dairy Compact process was vital to the Commission’s continued success. The Commission then approached Mr. Smith and he agreed to accept the position.

 “We are delighted that Mr. Smith has agreed to return to serve,” commented Acting Chair Mae Schmidle. “Based on his decade-long experience, Mr. Smith has a unique understanding of both the theory and practice of administering the Dairy Compact. He will bring the vision and institutional stability necessary to our Commission as we enter the Congressional reapproval process.”

 In making the decision to rehire Mr. Smith, the Commission was also responding to a call by numerous members of the New England Congressional delegation for his renewed  involvement. In a letter to the Commission dated May 25, 2000, eight US Senators from New England reminded the Commission of the upcoming reapproval process and indicated that the Commission “must be operating at its greatest potential,” they wrote.

 “To make certain that the Compact Commission maintains its stability and reliability, we recommend you enlist the expertise of Daniel Smith, former executive director and Dairy Compact expert to fill in as executive director. Dan would bring critical experience and knowledge to the Commission at a time when the Commission must be dependable and responsive.”

 Powell Cabot, the Commission’s treasurer from New Hampshire, noted the importance of the Congressional communication. “We appreciate the careful attention being paid by the United States Senators from New England to the Commission’s effective operation. We understand that they, too, have determined the vital importance of the Compact to our region and thank our entire Congressional delegation for the substantial time and energy they have all devoted to the Compact’s continued success.”

 Mr. Smith highlighted the combined request of the Commission and the members of Congress in accepting the position and said “The joint request from the new England Congressional delegation and the Commission that I, again, become involved full-time in the Compact process was an ‘offer I could not refuse.’ I accept my responsibility to do my part in assuring the long-term stability of the Dairy Compact.”

 Dan Smith also expressed his willingness to embrace the challenge the Commission will confront in the coming year. “We will devote ourselves between now and the Compact¹s sunset date of Sept. 30, 2001 to document the record indicating the Compact has well-served the interests of the New England consumers, farmers and processors over the course of its five-year lifetime. We will also join with the nineteen other states which have adopted Compact legislation in making the case to Congress that regional compacts are vital to the public interest in maintaining adequate local supplies of milk for the diverse regions of our country.”

 Since resigning  as the Commission’s founding executive director of the Compact Commission in May 1998, Mr. Smith has combined carpentry and legal work. He has also worked as a part-time consultant to the State’s Ratification Commission, which is coordinating the joint effort of the 25 states that have now adopted Compact legislation to obtain Congressional approval.

 Mr. Smith’s work on the Northeast Interstate Dairy Compact dates back to its inception in 1988. Mr. Smith was a member of the Legislative Council for the Vermont Legislature, where the Compact originated in 1988. Mr. Smith served as counsel to the Vermont House and Senate Agriculture Committees, assisted with the initial development of the concept and first drafts of the Compact legislation. Mr. Smith served as executive director of the Northeast Interstate Dairy Compact Committee from 1992 to 1996, and oversaw the original constitutional procedure of interstate adoption and Congressional approval of the Compact.

 Prior to his work for the Vermont Legislature, Mr. Smith served as a law clerk to the Honorable Frederic W. Allen, Chief Justice, Vermont Supreme Court, as the Court’s chief law clerk. Mr. Smith received a BA from Dartmouth College in 1978 and a JD from the University of Wisconsin in 1985. After his graduation from college and before attending law school, Mr. Smith worked as a rough frame and finish carpenter in various locations around the country. Mr. Smith continues to work as a carpenter in complement to his legal work, operating the construction firm of Solid-Built Construction Co. in the Montpelier, VT area.