Here’s the expanded version of the brief diary I posted earlier today.

At Governor Shumlin’s weekly press conference today, the “big announcement” was a progress report on the health care reform process: Hey, we’re on track! Lots of work to do, but we’re getting there! First in the nation! Etc., etc.  

And yes, the progress does seem to be substantial. Indeed, listening back to my recording of the presser, I was struck by a feeling of optimism. This was the first time the reform process seemed tangible to me — something that would actually happen, and not that far in the future. On Monday, the Administration will unveil the proposed insurance plans and their costs. And the new insurance exchange, Vermont Health Connect, will go online in a mere six months. Starting October 1, Vermonters will be able to shop for insurance and get answers to their questions on a single website. And the exchange is gearing up to serve more than 100,000 Vermonters in 2014 alone.

It’s a big f’n deal, as Joe Biden would say.

But there wasn’t really a specific trigger — a reason why this should be The Big Story today. (Monday’s insurance-plan unveil will be the big story, actually.) I suspect today’s presser had a health care theme because of the secondary announcement: Anya Rader Wallack is stepping down as chair of the Green Mountain Care Board, effective in September. By bubble-wrapping that news in several layers of good tidings, I think Shumlin was hoping to soften the blow of her departure.

And maybe softpedal his choice of a replacement: GMCB member Al Gobeille.

Wallack has spent most of her adult life working on health care reform, and is a nationally-known expert. Gobeille is a businessman whose health care experience consists of his tenure on GMCB. His company runs three Burlington restaurants (Shanty on the Shore, Burlington Bay Market and Cafe, Breakwater Cafe and Grill) plus the Northern Lights cruises.

Hm.

You know the Governor has made an unconventional choice when his first description of the nominee is that he’s a “quick learner.”  That’s the most positive way of saying he doesn’t have relevant expertise. Well, he’d better be a quick learner; assuming his nomination is approved, in six months’ time he’ll be driving the health care reform bus.  

Shumlin and other officials sought to stress Gobeille’s credentials, and emphasized how lots of people in the Administration and the Legislature believe that Gobeille is perfect for the job.

Even though, Shumlin acknowledged, Gobeille will need an associate with the expertise he lacks.

One of the things that Al said to me in our conversations about this, is that he would take this job on the condition that he had someone of Anya’s caliber to help advise the Board.

(Minor annoyance of today’s presser. Everybody — the Governor, her colleagues, even the reporters — referred to her as “Anya.” Maybe she likes the familiarity. But it struck me that if she were a man, there wouldn’t be such presumption. In professional settings, women are called by their first names far more often than men. I occasionally find the same tendency slipping into my own writing, and I think it’s wrong.)

Shumlin went on to say that he hoped to convince Rader Wallack to provide part-time consultancy after she steps down. She was noncommittal.

Rader Wallack, by the way, is leaving for family reasons. When she took the job two years ago, she lived in Rhode Island. She hoped to relocate her family to Vermont, but it didn’t work out. They’re back in Rhode Island, and she can’t indefinitely continue to work so far away from home. Especially with the incredibly demanding nature of the job.

When asked further about the choice of Gobeille, the Governor indirectly acknowledged a political dimension:

…as we move forward to a single payer health care system that’s affordable for both Vermonters and for business, it’s great to have a businessperson who has the respect of the business community leading the charge.

Especially since, as he did not add, the business community is the primary source of reform skepticism.

Well, I guess if you basically trust the Governor’s approach to health care reform, you can accept his reasoning on Gobeille. If the Burlington businessman really is committed to reform — and he has said that he is — then he can be a huge asset to the effort, as someone with strong ties to the business community.

If you’re skeptical of Shumlin, then you see Gobeille as one more piece of evidence that the Governor is a DINO, a pro-business toady, who’s preparing to sell out on health care reform.

Myself, I lean toward the former interpretation; I think Shumlin has staked much of his political reputation to the success of this reform effort. But time will tell.