Monday, January 27, 2020
The event had been set for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Fletcher Free Library in Burlington.
Critics caught wind of the event and vowed to protest the discussion they considered to be an attack on transgender people and their rights.
"The response of the transgender activist community in Burlington follows a familiar pattern of eroding the principles of free speech and rational discussion," Gender Critical Vermont wrote in an email Monday afternoon announcing the cancelation.
Peggy Luhrs, a Burlington resident and lesbian activist since the 1970s, is one of the founders of the group and was scheduled to speak at the event. She told Seven Days the decision to cancel is only temporary.
"We will reschedule," Luhrs said. "We're going to look for a bigger venue, we're going to look for a place where we can have security. There's just no point in having a screaming match."
Tags: Burlington , Gender Critical Vermont , transgender rights , Web Only , Image
The council voted 10-2 to refer the item to a council subcommittee for further discussion. City Council President Kurt Wright (R-Ward 4) and Councilor Ali Dieng (D/P-Ward 7) voted no.
City Councilor Adam Roof (I-Ward 8), who championed the ballot item, said it became clear "there was a growing level of misunderstanding and confusion" about noncitizen voting. Some people assumed the ballot item would afford voting rights to undocumented residents, Roof said. Instead, it would have allowed those who come to the country legally — but are not citizens — to vote in municipal elections.
"My personal intention with this motion is to put the initiative in a better position to pass," he said, "and given how the public discussion has developed as of late, I don't believe that this time is this coming March."
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Burlington Police Deputy Chief Jan Wright received an eight-day unpaid suspension and must undergo a restorative justice process following an investigation into her inappropriate use of social media, the department said Monday.
Wright has been on paid administrative leave since December 16, when she admitted to anonymously using social media accounts under the pseudonym Lori Spicer. The investigation into her conduct found she also operated an anonymous Facebook account using the name Abby Sykes.
Wright has been reinstated from administrative leave and can now work on restricted duty, interim Chief Jennifer Morrison wrote in a letter dated Monday and released to the media. The deputy chief will lose five vacation days and must serve the other three days of unpaid suspension at Morrison's direction, the letter reads.
To return to full, active duty, Wright must use "restorative justice principles" to "rebuild the trust of those" she interacted with while using the anonymous social media accounts, Morrison wrote. Among those were at least three city councilors, including one Wright lied to directly in a Facebook message.
Tags: Burlington , Brandon del Pozo , Miro Weinberger , Jan Wright , deputy chief , internal investigation , Web Only , Image
Friday, January 24, 2020
Mayor Miro Weinberger placed del Pozo on paid administrative leave at 10:15 a.m. on Monday, July 29. The night before, the chief told the mayor he’d created an anonymous Twitter account to harass department critic Charles Winkleman. He also acknowledged he’d misled a Seven Days reporter when she asked him about it.
The chief surrendered his gun, badge, and city-issued cellphone, and the mayor told him to stay off social media, Weinberger has said in interviews. Human resources director Deanna Paluba met with del Pozo on July 29 and directed him to not work while he was being investigated, she said.
But del Pozo still had access to email and continued to direct some department business for three days, up until August 1, when his paid leave turned into medical leave. He also continued tweeting during those days.
Tags: Burlington police , Brandon del Pozo , Miro Weinberger , administrative leave , Web Only , Image
Wednesday, January 22, 2020
Attorneys for two men who are suing Burlington asked Judge William K. Sessions III last month to slap the city with monetary penalties and decide the case in their clients' favor in light of revelations that del Pozo used an anonymous Twitter persona to harass Charles Winkleman, a citizen critic.
As part of discovery in the civil cases filed by Mabior Jok and a group of brothers, who claimed injuries from their separate downtown arrests in 2018, their attorneys asked del Pozo to provide information about his social media accounts. In responses dated October 30 and November 6, the chief did not disclose the @WinkleWatchers Twitter account he'd used. And the city's attorneys did not disclose information about the internal investigation that had followed del Pozo's private admission last July to Mayor Miro Weinberger.
Tags: City of Burlington , Brandon del Pozo , excessive force , social media , Robb Spensley , Evan Chadwick , Jeremie Meli , Mabior Jok , Pietro Lynn , William K. Sessions , discovery dispute , WinkleWatchers , Web Only , Image
Tuesday, January 21, 2020
“[Kurt] been very steady. He gets along with every member of the council,” said Alex Farrell, a leader of the "Write-in Wright" campaign and a former GOP city council and Vermont Senate candidate. “To lose him, I’m not really sure the city can afford that.”
Wright had intended to run, but his radio gig complicated matters. Federal broadcasting rules require that WVMT must offer equal time on-air to both Wright and any challenger during the campaign. That wasn’t feasible, so station ownership told Wright he’d have to take a 60-day hiatus from the show. Wright chose to stay on air.
This week, Wright said he supports the write-in campaign and would gladly serve if he wins. He said he told organizers that he can’t participate in any way.
Tags: Burlington City Council , Kurt Wright , Sarah Carpenter , politics , Web Only , Image
Friday, January 17, 2020
In an opinion issued Friday, the Vermont Supreme Court ruled against a group of citizens who challenged the sale of Burlington Telecom. The decision effectively ends the years-long litigation in the case.
The state's highest court unanimously affirmed the Vermont Public Utility Commission's February 2019 decision to approve the $30.8 million sale of the city-owned telecom to Indiana-based Schurz Communications, which does business locally as Champlain Broadband.
Six citizen intervenors — Sandra Baird, Jared Carter, Dean Corren, Steven Goodkind, Solveig Overby and Shay Totten — had argued that the deal failed to recoup the $16.9 million in taxpayer funds that city officials improperly spent to keep the telecom afloat. The group appealed the PUC's ruling last October, asking the Supreme Court to either undo the sale or to require Champlain Broadband to reimburse the city the lost $16.9 million.
The court's 13-page ruling said either of those options "would be tantamount to rewriting and effectively unwinding the sale agreement that the PUC determined would promote public good." If the court forced Champlain Broadband to pay up, that would significantly reduce the "city's portion of the net proceeds of any future sale," according to the order.
Tags: Burlington Telecom , Schurz Communications , Champlain Broadband , Vermont Supreme Court , lawsuit , Burlington , Web Only , Image
Sunday, January 12, 2020
Jillian Scannell, 22, won the majority of votes during Sunday night’s caucus at Edmunds Elementary School. With 27 of 51 votes cast, she beat independent incumbent Councilor Sharon Bushor (14 votes) and newcomer Zoraya Hightower (10 votes).
“It was really exciting to be a part of the grassroots democratic process,” Scannell said. “I’m just really looking forward to the race ahead.”
Of eight council spots up for election in March, only the Ward 1 seat was contested during Sunday's caucus. The same was true during the Progressive Party caucus last month, when Hightower earned the nomination over Bushor. The Progs had previously backed Bushor during each of her campaigns since her first in 1987.
On Sunday, each candidate was given five minutes for a stump speech. Scannell, who is the UVM student body president, said her relationship with UVM trustees would help in conversations about student housing, long a point of contention between the city and university. She also promised to be more engaged than current councilors, some of whom she criticized for using their cellphones during meetings.
Tags: Burlington City Council , democratic caucus , Miro Weinberger , mayor , Brandon del Pozo , Jan Wright , Charles Winkleman , FaRied Munarsyah , Jillian Scannell , Web Only , Image
Friday, January 10, 2020
BTC Mall Associates and Devonwood Investors argue in a December 30 court filing that the opponents — Barbara McGrew, Lynn Martin, Michael Long and Steve Goodkind, along with their attorney, John Franco — violated a prior settlement in an ongoing lawsuit involving the project.
As a result, the developers say, they incurred "substantial costs" and are asking a judge to award them attorney fees. They also want the court to nullify a provision in the settlement that the developers donate $500,000 to a charitable fund.
Franco said he's disappointed in the turn of events, particularly since he had cheered CityPlace progress in recent months. Developers presented a scaled-down version of the downtown project in October 2019, at which time Franco said he was optimistic that the lawsuit could be resolved. Any goodwill he felt has now evaporated.
"Lynn, Steve, Barb and Michael are all retirees on Social Security — that’s who Brookfield, a multibillion-dollar company, has sued," Franco said, referring to Brookfield Asset Management, BTC's majority owner. "You have a bit of an idea of what that does to the atmosphere of this case."
The counterclaim stems from a June 2017 settlement that required the developer to include more parking spaces in the project design, to not lease housing to college students and to contribute $500,000 to a charitable fund, among other agreements.
The developers argue that Franco and his clients violated that settlement by continuing to pursue a separate public records claim. The Vermont Supreme Court ruled in the developer's favor on that claim in September 2018.
The counterclaim says the opponents' litigation "constitutes a breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing" and "interfered with BTC's ability to perform its obligations under the Settlement Agreement."
As such, the developers argue, they should not have to make the charitable donation. A message seeking comment left for Jonathan Rose, a Burlington attorney representing the developers, was not immediately returned.
Franco called the counterclaim "frivolous" and plans to file a response by month's end.
Brookfield is scheduled to appear before the city's development review board in February to discuss its latest proposal. But Jeff Glassberg, who is working as a liaison between the developers and the city, wants more from the developer. He says Brookfield has reneged on an earlier promise to schedule community meetings about the project.
"Despite weekly requests for an update on that, we've seen no progress," he told the Burlington City Council on Monday.
The recent developments leave a sour taste in Franco's mouth.
"[I was] really supportive of the scaled-down project," he said. "This is a serious kick in the shins."
Read the filing below:
Tags: CityPlace , Brookfield Asset Management , BTC Mall Associates , Devonwood Investors , Burlington , Burlington City Council , John Franco , Web Only , Image
"I think it's the right time to transition to the next generation of leadership," Daigle told Seven Days on Friday.
At a meeting Monday, the UVM governance committee nominated board vice chair Ron Lumbra to be chair.
The full board of trustees must confirm the nomination at the March meeting.
In a letter to the UVM community, Daigle wrote that after 10 years on the board and four as chair, he'll step down at the end of February. His term was supposed to last until March of 2022.
Tags: University of Vermont , board of trustees , David Daigle , Ron Lumbra , Cynthia Barnhardt , Suresh Garimella , Web Only , Image