Wednesday, February 14, 2018
It's the first time "in a very long time" that the local chapter of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees has endorsed a candidate for mayor, union president Karl LaBounty said at a press conference Wednesday.
"This year we felt that it was a time to stand up again," LaBounty said.
The AFSCME Local 1343, Council 93 union includes more than 200 workers from the Burlington Parks, Recreation & Waterfront Department; the Department of Public Works; the library; the airport; the city clerk and treasurer's office; the Community and Economic Development Office; as well as staff from the Burlington school district.
Tags: Carina Driscoll , Miro Weinberger , Infinite Culcleasure , Burlington mayor , AFSCME Local 1343 , Council 93 , endorsements , Image , Web Only
Tuesday, February 13, 2018
Members of the BHS Social Justice Union wept with joy and cried "We did it!" after the school board voted unanimously Tuesday night to approve their request to raise the flag.
A ceremony and flag raising is tentatively planned for Monday.
"I'm overwhelmed, honestly. I'm just so happy that they did the right thing and we're finally heading in the right direction," said Eliza Abedi, a 17-year-old senior and cofounder of the Social Justice Union.
"This is so beautiful," said Binti Malawia, a 16-year-old sophomore. "We're finally being heard."
The two were among about a half dozen students who appeared before the board. The students read a resolution saying that people of color make up 35 percent of the school district and want to be recognized. "Flying the BLM flag not only recognizes students of color, but it also creates a welcoming ethos and helps to bridge Burlington communities together," the student resolution stated.
Some critics of the Black Lives Matter movement feel it unfairly stereotypes police and creates racial division with talk of white privilege.
Although students mentioned the possibility of a backlash for flying the flag, there was none during the meeting at Lyman C. Hunt Middle School. The board members briefly debated the details but were supportive. There was no public comment before the vote.
The school board did get a legal opinion, though, from school district general counsel Joe McNeil on the free speech implications of saying yes to the Black Lives Matter flag. A yes to the resolution would not turn the flagpole into a "public forum" that would force the board to approve all flag requests, even ones for highly controversial symbols such as swastikas, McNeil said.
The Burlington students were inspired by a similar effort at Montpelier High School, which raised a Black Lives Matter flag on February 1 at the start of black history month.
The Burlington students were interested in flying the flag every February, but the motion that passed covers just 2018. Acting board chair Stephanie Seguino suggested it might be better for students to return next year to make a fresh request. Mark Porter, the former board chair, supported the resolution and suggested the district offer equal treatment to similar requests from other populations of students in the district, be they Asian American or members of the LGBT community.
Tags: Burlington , Black Lives Matter , Burlington School Board , Mark Porter , Stephanie Seguino , Burlington High School Social Justice Union , Image , Web Only
Monday, February 12, 2018
Porter made his decision partly in response to criticism over his late-night remarks about alleged racial bias and potential conflicts of interest at a recent school board meeting, he told Seven Days on Monday.
"I'm obviously not impartial, which is really something that the board chair has to be, because you have to represent 11 other people," Porter said. He added: "I just felt it best to step back and be fair and let everybody else have their say also." But Porter said he will continue to express his opinions. "I don’t want to be quiet anymore," he said.
Tags: Burlington , school board , Town Meeting Day , Mark Porter , Stephanie Seguino , Jeff Wick , Image , Web Only
Saturday, February 10, 2018
In the end, the hate group never showed.
The crowd of approximately 150 people instead held a rally of its own, waving signs declaring support for minorities and immigrants while denouncing the alt-right Patriot Front group.
On Friday, word spread on social media that Patriot Front members planned to assemble Saturday at the Staples Plaza near the Burlington-South Burlington city line. Widely shared posts blamed the group for racist flyers posted around Burlington. Patriot Front claims credit on the internet for posters and banners hung in communities around the country.
A group of counter-protesters began circulating a call to arms, encouraging a peaceful rally of their own.
By 10:30 a.m., the large crowd, armed with signs, banners and even a sousaphone, lined the busy road at the plaza, not far from Interstate 89. Cars honked in support as the crowd waved. Several South Burlington police officers surveyed the scene from nearby.
Click below to see pictures of the crowd:
Tags: Anti-fascist , Burlington , rally , photos , Image , Slideshow , Web Only
Friday, February 9, 2018
The political newcomer posted a campaign update on his website Thursday under the headline "Message from Infinite: We're Stronger Than Ever." The post appeared days after Culcleasure and the two other mayoral candidates, Carina Driscoll and Miro Weinberger, participated in a televised forum about the issues.
In his post, Culcleasure decried a Seven Days cover story that examined whether Weinberger, a two-term incumbent with plenty of campaign cash, could lose the contest. Driscoll, a Progressive Party-backed independent candidate, has political experience and is the stepdaughter of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a connection she's touted on the campaign trail.
Culcleasure lamented "being marginalized based on such superficial grounds as how we look and our lack of campaign resources," which he referred to as a "practice of white normative politics in Burlington and Vermont."
Tags: Infinite Culcleasure , Miro Weinberger , Carina Driscoll , Image , Web Only
He was 100.
The Burlington real estate mogul's name graces several city buildings, including the police department headquarters on North Avenue and the YMCA on College Street. Among his bigger pledges to local nonprofits, Pomerleau gave $1 million to the Boys & Girls Club of Burlington in 2014, and donated to the new Lake Champlain Community Sailing Center building. He also pitched in $500,000 for the redesign of Burlington's City Hall Park. As recently as November, Pomerleau donated $1,000 to Mayor Miro Weinberger's reelection campaign.
Pomerleau was known for throwing an annual holiday party that provided gifts to low-income children and attracted the state's top politicians.
Tags: Pomerleau , Senator , Patrick Leahy , Bernie Sanders , Peter Welch , Phil Scott , Image , Web Only
Tuesday, February 6, 2018
Our Revolution sent out an email Tuesday seeking $5 donations. The solicitation by the national organization could open the floodgates for Driscoll, who lags behind incumbent Mayor Miro Weinberger in dollars raised. Campaign finance reports filed this week show that Driscoll drummed up $32,000, a figure that includes $10,000 she loaned her campaign. Weinberger, a Democrat, amassed an $80,000 war chest while independent Infinite Culcleasure raised $5,000.
Driscoll applied for — and received — an Our Revolution endorsement last month. At the time, Driscoll said that she would accept fundraising help if the organization offered.
Tags: Carina Driscoll , Bernie Sanders , Senator , Infinite Culcleasure , Miro Weinberger , mayor , Our Revolution , Burlington , Image , Web Only
Inside a packed Burlington City Hall Auditorium on Monday evening, the two independents took jabs at Democratic Mayor Miro Weinberger, criticizing the incumbent for his management of the Burlington Telecom sale process, the long-languishing Moran Plant and the diminished power of Neighborhood Planning Assemblies.
Weinberger defended his record. "This administration believes that nothing is more important than the public trust," he said.
More than 300 people turned out for the forum, which was sponsored by Seven Days, Channel 17/Town Meeting Television and the League of Women Voters of Champlain Valley. Supporters of all three contenders stood along the walls and filtered up into the balcony, holding yard signs and cheering when their chosen candidate hit home a point.
Tags: Miro Weinberger , Infinite Culcleasure , Carina Driscoll , Burlington , Town Meeting Day , mayor , mayoral race , F-35 , Burlington Telecom , Image , Web Only , Video
Monday, February 5, 2018
By the first campaign finance filing deadline on Sunday night, Weinberger had raised more than $80,000 — far outpacing independent Carina Driscoll, who drummed up $32,900. The other candidate, independent Infinite Culcleasure, had not filed as of Monday morning.
Weinberger raised the sum from 361 donors, according to an email his campaign sent out Sunday. He's spent about $57,000 of that war chest so far, including on the salaries of four people who worked on the campaign, a host of volunteer meals, and about $5,000 on mass media advertising for brochures, postcards and ads in the North Avenue News.
Tags: Miro Weinberger , Carina Driscoll , Infinite Culcleasure , Bernie Sanders , Senator , Image , Web Only
Wednesday, January 31, 2018
Driscoll posted paid campaign ads on Facebook and Instagram featuring a black-and-white photo of her with Sanders. The ads refer to her as Sanders' "daughter" rather than "stepdaughter," as she has previously referred to herself.
"I am Bernie's daughter, and am one of the thousands of people across this country inspired by Bernie to lead during this challenging time," the ad reads. It lists Driscoll's political experience on the Burlington School Board, on the city council and in the Vermont legislature. "I am also a candidate in my own right," it says.
Tags: Senator , Carina Driscoll , Miro Weinberger , Bernie Sanders , Infinite Culcleasure , Town Meeting Day , Image , Web Only