Sheldon Prentice '72 got his first taste of politics when he was president of his student council back in his high school days in Montpelier, Vt.
Now the republican looks like he might challenge incumbent democratic Gov. Howard Dean in the November elections.
"It's still under active consideration," Prentice said in a telephone interview from his office in Burlington, Vt. "I'm in the process of soliciting information on financial support."
Prentice, who is a senior vice president and general counsel at Chittenden Bank, said he needs to have $50,000 locked up before he can run. He estimated campaign costs at $200,000 to $400,000.
He said he expects to make a formal announcement about his candidacy this week.
Although Prentice said he hsd always considered running for governor, he said he expected to do it when he had retired and his three daughters had grown up.
Prentice said he called State Republican Party Chairman Allen Martin about two weeks ago and "asked him who was running because I hadn't heard any formal announcement."
"But he said, 'If they don't come forward, would you be interested?'" Prentice said.
That weekend, one candidate said he was going to run but then pulled out of the race. Martin then called him late at night on June 15, when Prentice began to think seriously about running, Prentice said.
Acting on a tip, an "enterprising reporter" discovered Prentice could be a candidate, hesaid.
Prentice's face was then splashed across the newspapers and television screens.
"It was interesting [to see myself in the media], and I decided maybe it would even help me raise some money -- in fact it did help me raise some money," he said. "It seemed to come off okay."
Prentice has been scrambling to drum up funding in the last week.
"It's difficult you know," he said. "I have three daughters, and one of my daughters is quite upset that she hasn't seen me for three days ... It does take a toll on the family for sure."
Prentice is no stranger to politics. He was a government major at the College, the vice president of Alpha Chi Alpha fraternity and the president of Dragon senior society. He also worked in the admissions office and played rugby and freshman football.
His ties with the College were not broken with graduation. He served as president of his class for the Alumni Council from 1981 to 1986 and is the president of the Dartmouth Club of central Vermont.
"Dartmouth had a very positive impact on me and a strong impact," he said.
Prentice said he thinks he has the necessary characteristics to be governor.
"It takes an understanding of governmental working, the ability to communicate with people and relate to people, a vision of what type of programs government could successfully implement to positively impact people's lives and a tremendous energy level," he said.
After leaving the College, he taught for two years in Germany. He then went to law school at Fordham University in New York.
He worked for a law firm there and then decided to move to Vermont.
Prentice worked in the legal department at National Life of Vermont as staff counsel before moving to the Chittenden Bank in 1985.
Does Prentice think he could sneak off with the prize? "I do. Yes I do," he said. "Whether I could pull it off this time ..." he trailed off and paused for a moment.
"I didn't get much of a start in terms of building a war chest or in terms of developing my position," he said. "It was thrust on me rather suddenly. I have an uphill battle to accomplish. I think I can make a credible showing and maybe even pull off an upset."
"The incumbent governor is a Yalie," Prentice said with a chuckle. "So beat those Yalies."