Power of Attorney

Know all by these presents, that the undersigned Michael R. Tuttle, (the
"reporting Person") hereby constitutes and appoints Rosemary Scorse or Janet
Spitler as the Reporting Person's true and lawful attorneys-in-fact to:

(1) execute for and on behalf of the Reporting Person, in the Reporting Person's
capacity as an officer or Director of Merchants Bancshares, Inc. its subsidiary,
Merchants Bank, Forms 3, 4 and 5 in accordance with Section 16(a) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the rules thereunder;

(2) do an perform and all acts for and on behalf of the Reporting Person which
may be necessary or desirable to complete and execute any such Form 3, 4 or 5
and timely file such form with the United States Securities and Exchange
Commission and any stock exchange or similar authority; and

(3) take any other action of any type whatsoever in connection with the
foregoing which, in the opinion of such attorney-in-fact, may be of benefit to,
and in the best interest of, or legally required by, the Reporting Person.

The Reporting Person hereby grants to each such attorney-in-fact full power and
authority to do and perform any and every act and thing whatsoever requisite,
necessary, or proper to be done in the exercise of any of the rights and powers
herein granted, as fully to all intents and purposes as the Reporting Person
might or could do if personally present, with full power of substitution or
revocation, hereby ratifying and confirming all that such attorney-in-fact, or
such attorney-in-facts substitute or substitutes, shall lawfully do or cause to
be done by the virtue of this power of attorney and the rights and powers herein
granted. The Reporting Person acknowledges that the foregoing attorneys-in-fact,
in serving in such capacity at the request of the Reporting Person, are not
assuming, nor is the company assuming any of the Reporting Persons'
responsibilities to comply with Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934.

This Power of attorney shall remain in full force and effect until the Reporting
Person is no longer required to file Forms 3, 4 and 5 with respect to the
Reporting Persons' holdings of and transactions in securities issued by the
Company, unless earlier revoked by the Reporting Person in a signed writing
delivered to the foregoing attorney-in-fact.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Reporting Person has caused this Power of Attorney to be
executed as of this 12th day of May, 2003.



_/s/MICHAEL R. TUTTLE
Signature