Updated on September 5, 2023.

Gov. Phil Scott has appointed veteran prosecutor — and now priest — Bram Kranichfeld as interim state’s attorney of Franklin County to succeed John Lavoie, who resigned last month in the face of an impeachment probe.

Kranichfeld spent time in the Chittenden County State's Attorney's Office and in the Vermont Attorney General's Office. He also served as a Burlington city councilor and ran unsuccessfully, in 2011, to be the Democratic nominee for mayor.

In 2019, Kranichfeld left the AG's Office to attend divinity school. He is now priest-in-charge at All Saints Episcopal Church in South Burlington and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Vergennes.



The man of the cloth will head an office that's been in the spotlight ever since Lavoie was publicly accused of using crass and sexist language in the workplace.
“Given the difficult nature of this vacancy at the state’s attorney’s office, I believe it’s important to provide stability and certainty through this transition until a permanent replacement is identified,” Scott said in a statement. “Bram has demonstrated his commitment to community, and his significant experience practicing law makes him a good fit to serve in this interim role.”

Kranichfeld moved to Vermont in 2006 to take a judicial clerkship in St. Albans and soon joined the Chittenden County State’s Attorney’s Office as a deputy state’s attorney.

In 2010, he won a seat representing the Old North End on the Burlington City Council and, a year later, sought the Democratic nomination for mayor of the Queen City. He came in third behind current Mayor Miro Weinberger and former state Senate president pro tempore Tim Ashe.

Kranichfeld resigned from the council in 2013 to become executive director of the Department of State's Attorneys and Sheriffs, which coordinates the work of Vermont's 28 county law-enforcement offices.
He left his position as chief of the criminal division of the AG’s Office to pursue a master of divinity program at the Montréal Diocesan Theological College; he received the degree in 2022. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the University of Chicago and a law degree from Cornell Law School.

“I am truly honored and humbled to be called to this important service. I look forward to beginning the hard work of starting the healing process and restoring confidence in this office,” Kranichfeld said in a statement.

John Campbell, executive director of the Department of State’s Attorneys and Sheriffs, said he was pleased with Gov. Scott’s choice and felt Kranichfeld would have a "healing effect" on the office.

"I believe the people of Franklin County will be well-served by this appointment, and the Department of State’s Attorneys and Sheriffs remains committed to assisting with a smooth and successful transition,” Campbell said in a statement.