Sunday, June 6, 2021
The change happened only after a Seven Days reporter informed the party of its mistake.
The Burlington Democratic Committee had planned to caucus on Tuesday, June 22 — a day after candidate petitions are due to the city clerk's office — for the August 17 Ward 3 special election. With a June 22 caucus, the Democrats' chosen candidate wouldn't have been able to run at all.
Seven Days notified party chair Adam Roof, a former city councilor, of the scheduling snafu on Friday afternoon. Roof said he thought the petition deadline was June 23 and has since rescheduled the caucus to June 18. Voting will be conducted online between June 18 and 20, Roof said.
Tags: Burlington , Burlington Democratic Committee , Vermont Progressive Party , Adam Roof , Josh Wronski , election , Ward 3 , Web Only , Image
Wednesday, June 2, 2021
From the Statehouse steps, Senate President Pro Tempore Becca Balint (D-Windham) confirmed that lawmakers did not intend to let Scott stand in the way of key legislation passed by the General Assembly.
“You can bet we’ll be back for a veto session,” Balint vowed.
She stressed that she still needed to confirm details with House Speaker Jill Krowinski (D-Burlington), but a spokesperson for Krowinski removed any doubt that the battle lines were being fortified.
“These vetoes sealed the deal,” Conor Kennedy, Krowinski’s chief of staff, confirmed.
Tags: phil scott , becca balint , vermont legislature , noncitizen voting , override , veto , Web Only , Image
Monday, May 24, 2021
Also Monday, councilors approved new water rates, appointed a city department head and passed a resolution encouraging young Burlingtonians to serve on city boards and commissions.
Burlington Electric Department general manager Darren Springer said the rate increase — which the state's Public Utility Commission also must approve — will make up for revenue lost during the coronavirus pandemic. The department brought in $2.1 million less in sales than was budgeted for during the current fiscal year and is owed more than $1.3 million in unpaid customer bills. Expenses next year are expected to be 8.5 percent more than the current year, according to Springer.
The average residential customer’s bill will go up $4.92 per month; low- to moderate-income customers are expected to pay an additional $4.27 a month.
Customers will see the new charges on their August bills.
"We understand the challenge of the moment for the community, and we definitely view a rate increase as a last resort," Springer said.
Tags: Burlington Electric Department , electric rates , water rates , business , Burlington , Burlington City Council , CEDO , Brian Pine , Web Only , Image
Wednesday, May 19, 2021
Mayor Miro Weinberger has picked City Councilor Brian Pine (P-Ward 3) to be the next director of the city's Community and Economic Development Office.
The mayor and Pine announced the decision at a virtual COVID-19 briefing on Wednesday.
Pine is no stranger to CEDO, having worked as the department's housing director for close to 18 years, including nearly three under Weinberger. He left the post in 2015 and has since held various consulting gigs in the private sector. Pine is currently the interim coordinator of the Vermont Affordable Housing Coalition.
Tags: Brian Pine , CEDO , Community and Economic Development Office , Burlington , City of Burlington , Mayor Miro Weinberger , Web Only , Image
Monday, May 17, 2021
City councilors decided at a special meeting on Monday to postpone until June 7 a vote to rescind the city's masking order, effectively keeping the rule in place for another three weeks. Only independent councilors Ali Dieng (Ward 7) and Mark Barlow (North District) voted against postponing the action. Councilor Chip Mason (D-Ward 5) was absent from the virtual meeting.
Several councilors expressed concern that retail workers — many of whom are younger and were in the last group to sign up for a vaccine — won't be fully vaccinated until June.
"I don't understand why we're exposing people who haven't even had the chance to be fully vaccinated yet," Councilor Zoraya Hightower (P-Ward 1) said. "I don't feel like that is leading with our values."
Tags: mask mandate , masking , coronavirus , Burlington City Council , Mayor Miro Weinberger , Web Only , Image
Friday, May 14, 2021
“We need structural and cultural transformation of law enforcement in this country and in Burlington, and to forge a new consensus on the future of public safety here,” Mayor Miro Weinberger said in a Friday press release. “Our new Police Chief will play an essential leadership role in that work.”
Weinberger pledged to involve residents in the hiring process. This month, the mayor will host a series of "stakeholder meetings" to help determine the chief's priorities in the first year on the job. He'll also visit each Neighborhood Planning Assembly meeting; consult with leaders in education, social services and business; and meet with organizations led by Black, Indigenous and other people of color, according to the press release.
Tags: Burlington Police Department , police chief , Burlington , Mayor Miro Weinberger , police chief search , Web Only , Image
Monday, May 10, 2021
The council voted Monday night to ask its Charter Change Committee to study an "appropriate level of compensation" for councilors, who are currently paid a $5,000 annual stipend. If a councilor works 12 hours per week — a low estimate, some councilors say — the pay rate amounts to about $8 an hour, or $3.75 less than the state's minimum wage.
"Stepping up into a public-facing, high-exposure, time-consuming position is already not for everyone. But then, not really compensating those that do make it hardly a job for anyone," said Councilor Jane Stromberg (P-Ward 8), who co-sponsored the resolution with councilors Ali Dieng (I-Ward 7) and Jack Hanson (P-East District).
In addition to twice-monthly meetings — which frequently stretch on for three or more hours — councilors also serve on subcommittees, attend Neighborhood Planning Assembly meetings and respond to constituent concerns. The resolution asks the charter committee to consider extending cost of living increases and benefits, such as health insurance, to the elected officials.
Several councilors said that people with lower incomes or who have children often can't run for council because of the high workload and low pay.
"No matter how you slice it, it's an enormous amount of work, and I'm bringing this up because I want systems of government to be reformed," Stromberg said.
Tags: Burlington City Council , pay , minimum wage , Dog Task Force , mandatory weatherization , housing , livable wage , Web Only , Image
Hightower, who starts on May 20, will replace Rachel Siegel, a former Burlington city councilor who has led the nonprofit since 2013. The center announced Hightower's hiring in a press release Monday morning.
“It's just a position that fits me really well,” Hightower told Seven Days. “I’m really excited to support and help the Peace & Justice Center … figure out what it wants to be and help it grow.”
Tags: Zoraya Hightower , Burlington City Council , Peace & Justice Center , Burlington , nonprofit , Web Only , Image
Sunday, May 9, 2021
The move comes just days after landlords of the North End Studios' two primary locations, in Winooski and Burlington, said that they were terminating their leases with the organization. Most of the nonprofit's board of directors and staff has also resigned.
In a Sunday press release, an interim board of directors said that it has formed with the sole purpose of dissolving the organization and consulting the community on how to "best allocate its resources and continue the essential work that VPAL has performed over the last forty-eight years."
Tags: Vermont Performing Arts League , North End Studios , Dissolving , Nonprofit , Ben Bergstein , Web Only , Image
Friday, May 7, 2021
On Friday, Greenride Bikeshare announced that it had completed its long-awaited goal of replacing its 105 pedal bikes with 200 electric-assist ones in an effort to make the pay-as-you-go system easier and more convenient. The company also plans to double its locations in Burlington, South Burlington and Winooski — up to an eventual 30 — to ensure riders have some extra power as they traverse the hilly local landscape.
"We've doubled the fleet, made it more fun to ride and easier to get around," said Bryan Davis, senior transportation planner at the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission, one of numerous organizations that helped launch the bike-share system three years ago.
Tags: E-Bike , Bike-Share , Greenride Bikeshare , Burlington , Miro Weinberger , Web Only , Image