Friday, December 15, 2017
Councilors were scheduled to approve a $30.8 million purchase and sale agreement with Schurz Communications and ZRF Partners this Monday. Instead, councilors will meet in executive session at the December 18 meeting so they can clarify details of the deal, according to council president Jane Knodell (P-Central District).
Afterwards, the council will release the purchase and sale agreement, which it now expects to vote on at a December 27 meeting. Knodell would not say what questions remain about the bid, though she did say they'd be made public once the proposal is released.
Tags: Miro Weinberger , Todd Schurz , Jane Knodell , Burlington Telecom , Image , Web Only
Tuesday, December 12, 2017
Among the issues not yet resolved, and contributing to the delay, is whether teachers should be paid for the four days they were on strike in September. Teachers asked to be paid but the school board declined.
“We pay people for working or sick days or vacation days, not for just not showing up,” said Mark Porter, chair of the school board.
Tags: Burlington , teachers' strike , Burlington Education Association , Fran Brock , Mark Porter , Image , Web Only
Wednesday, December 6, 2017
Both will stay in the race as independents, running against six-year incumbent Miro Weinberger.
A standing room-only crowd filled the gym at the Sustainability Academy at Lawrence Barnes. The Progs gathered around cafeteria tables for a shared meal and then voted on Progressive candidates for council and mayor.
Tags: Carina Driscoll , Infinite Culcleasure , Max Tracy , Brian Pine , Carter Neubieser , Ali Dieng , Sharon Bushor , Jesse Warren , Charles Simpson , Town Meeting Day , Image , Web Only
Monday, December 4, 2017
The long-unfinished structure at 97 Dunder Road has been a source of controversy. Some consider it an eyesore in a well-kept South End neighborhood.
Tom Walsh purchased the property from the current owners, Don and Carroll Albertson, on November 2 for $350,000, according to city records. His friend Eric Flegenheimer, who is also on the sales deed, helped with the sale and closing, Walsh said.
Walsh, who lives in Charlotte, filed for city permits to renovate the home in early November and said he plans to move in with his family next spring. "It's kind of uneventful," Walsh said. "I bought it and we're going to finish it, and then we're going to live in it."
Tags: 97 Dunder Road , Tom Walsh , Don Albertson , Bill Ward , Image , Web Only
Carina Driscoll, the stepdaughter of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), on Monday announced she'll run for Burlington mayor. Driscoll, who said she'll run as an independent, will challenge incumbent Democrat Miro Weinberger, who's up for reelection in March. Another independent candidate, Infinite Culcleasure, announced on Friday that he'll run.
Tags: Carina Driscoll , Burlington mayor , Miro Weinberger , Infinite Culcleasure , Bernie Sanders , Town Meeting Day , Image , Web Only
Friday, December 1, 2017
Weinberger, a Democrat, plans to seek a third three-year term. Carina Driscoll, Bernie Sanders' stepdaughter, has said she's considering a run.
Culcleasure said he would run on a platform of increasing citizen engagement in city government, building community justice initiatives and protecting vulnerable communities. He would also implement a policy that requires developers to contribute to social and environmental causes.
Tags: Infinite Culcleasure , Carina Driscoll , Miro Weinberger , Burlington mayor , Town Meeting Day , Image , Web Only
Thursday, November 30, 2017
Jim Lockridge, who runs local music incubator Big Heavy World, declared in September that he would run for the seat, which represents downtown Burlington and part of the Old North End.
Moore announced on Facebook Wednesday night that she would not seek a second three-year term, citing the time commitment and career changes. She's currently pursuing her master's degree in social work at the University of Vermont.
Tags: Brian Pine , Sara Moore , James Lockridge , Ward 3 , Image , Web Only
The city has refused to turn over records that concern Councilor Karen Paul's decision to recuse herself last month from voting on a buyer. Paul provided few details about her conflict beyond saying it "has nothing whatsoever to do with the parties interested in purchasing Burlington Telecom."
Seven Days filed a public records request November 1. The paper requested communications between Paul, Mayor Miro Weinberger, City Council President Jane Knodell and city attorney Eileen Blackwood. That same day, Paul announced that she had quit her job as an accountant with the firm McSoley McCoy & Co. to eliminate her conflict of interest.
On November 3, the city provided the paper with a few "heavily redacted" documents, according to Seven Days' lawsuit, but refused to turn over an email between Paul and Weinberger. The city claimed that the record fell under an exemption in the public records act for "interdepartmental communications."
Tags: Seven Days , Burlington , Image , Web Only
Tuesday, November 28, 2017
The Burlington City Council voted 8-2 early Tuesday to select Schurz Communications and ZRF Partners' bid to buy Burlington Telecom — picking an option that was not on the table at the start of a lengthy and at times testy meeting.
The winning bidders negotiated their last-minute offer in a hallway in city hall. Around 11 p.m. Monday, they put forward a Schurz bid of $30.8 million — the company's original offer before it was eliminated as a finalist on October 16.
Eight councilors voted in favor of the Schurz-ZRF proposal. Max Tracy (P-Ward 2) and Ali Dieng (D/P-Ward 7) voted for the co-op Keep BT Local. Councilors Richard Deane (D-East District) and Joan Shannon (D-South District) declined to support either of those bids after their choice, Toronto-based Tucows, was eliminated.
"I have never seen a less transparent offer than bringing in a completely new offer when everybody's asleep," Shannon said, as the session continued past midnight.
Tags: Burlington Telecom , Schurz Communications , ZRF Partners , Image , Web Only
Monday, November 27, 2017
The new flag features blue, white and green stripes, and was chosen from among 138 submissions, according to Burlington City Arts. The public competition was launched in September to replace the city's current flag, which was designed in 1990 and features a coat of arms.
The Marchessault brothers, both seventh graders at Edmunds Middle School, said in their artist statement that the blue represents the sky and the Lake Champlain waterfront; the white stands for snow-covered mountains and the breakwater; and the green represents the Green Mountain State.
Tags: Burlington City Arts , flag , Image , Web Only