Wednesday, April 19, 2017
Ali Dieng, 35, will run as an independent. He's seeking to replace Democrat Tom Ayres, who plans to resign from his Ward 7 seat in June. Dieng, who said he'll seek endorsements from the Progressive and Democratic parties, will face Vince Dober, a Republican who announced earlier this month.
City officials said Tuesday that a special election to fill the vacancy will be held on June 27, the day after Ayres steps down.
If elected, Dieng would be the only New American — and the only nonwhite member — of the city council. He said he wants to engage more diverse voices in city politics. "We need representation from the communities the city serves," he said.
Tags: Ali Dieng , Tom Ayres , New North End , Vince Dober , Max Tracy , Image , Web Only
Monday, April 17, 2017
Lead sponsor Max Tracy (P-Ward 2) called the 200-page document "a world class vision for walking and biking." At the Wards 2 and 3 Neighborhood Planning Assembly last Thursday, he urged residents to come to Monday's meeting to voice their support. "I'm really, really excited about this," he said.
PlanBTV Walk Bike is part of a Queen City effort to achieve a "Gold Level" designation as a bike-friendly municipality, which requires that 65 percent of its roads have bike lanes. Currently, 12 percent of Burlington streets — 11.9 miles — have bike lanes.
Tags: Max Tracy , Dave Hartnett , Chapin Spencer , PlanBTV Walk Bike , bike lanes , Image , Web Only
Wednesday, April 12, 2017
Dennis Moynihan will relocate from London to take the helm of the three-year-old organization, the city announced at a news conference Wednesday. He'll replace Mike Schirling, a former Burlington police chief whom Gov. Phil Scott chose in December to serve as Vermont's commerce secretary.
"We live in an ever more rapidly changing world that's not only benefiting from technology, but being really disrupted by it," Moynihan said. "My job ... is to help Burlington, Chittenden County and Vermont thrive in this 21st century digital world."
Moynihan comes to Vermont after 11 years working across the Atlantic, most recently as the London node director of EIT Digital, a branch of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology. He led an "innovation accelerator" that invested in digital technologies to integrate education, research and businesses.
Tags: BTV Ignite , Mayor Miro Weinberger , Mike Schirling , Dennis Moynihan , Image , Web Only
Tuesday, April 11, 2017
Sinex's company Devonwood Investors, LLC is set to enter into a joint venture agreement with Rouse Properties, a New York City-based company that owns and operates malls around the country.
The newly announced partnership means the project is on track to break ground in "June or July," Sinex told Seven Days on Tuesday.
"The important thing to announce to the community is the funds are in hand," Sinex said.
Tags: Don Sinex , Burlington Town Center , Coalition for a Livable City , Rouse Properties , Image , Web Only
Monday, April 10, 2017
Dober, 53, served as a councilor from 2009 to 2013. Dober, who was formerly with the Vermont Air National Guard, decided not to run for reelection so he could spend more time building up his business, Backstage Pub and Restaurant in Essex Junction. "This was sort of just a little break," Dober said. "I bought a business and that business has stabilized."
Burlington will hold a special election in June, Ayres told Seven Days last week. The winning candidate would need to run again next Town Meeting Day to keep the seat; Ayres' term expires in March 2018.
Tags: Alex Farrell , Vince Dober , Dave Hartnett , Kurt Wright , Tom Ayres , Burlington City Council , Image , Web Only
Thursday, April 6, 2017
The Ward 7 Democrat likely won't step down until June, at which time the city will hold a special election to fill his seat, he said.
Ayres has accepted a position as executive director of the Chandler Center for the Arts and plans to move to Randolph, some 60 miles south of Burlington. He left a job as executive director of First Night Burlington.
Ayres had not formally announced his resignation, but said he planned to submit a letter on Thursday evening to the Bob Rusten, the city's chief administrative officer.
The announcement comes a month after Town Meeting Day, when three Democrats won election to give the party six of the council's 12 seats. The city must hold a special election within 90 days to fill his seat, according to Ayres.
Tags: Tom Ayres , Chandler Center for the Arts , Jane Knodell , Burlington City Council , Image , Web Only
Tuesday, April 4, 2017
The incumbent Ward 2 inspector of elections kept his seat by edging challenger Adrian Burnett in a special election. The two men tied in a Town Meeting Day vote, but on Tuesday, Champagne won in a runaway: 150-50.
When the poll workers at the Integrated Arts Academy at H.O. Wheeler finished counting the ballots around 7:15 p.m. and announced the unofficial results, Champagne let out a whoop.
The 53-year-old incumbent praised the "pride people have in the Old North End, and the amount of respect people have for voting."
Tags: Andrew Champagne , Adrian Burnett , inspector of elections , Image , Web Only
Monday, April 3, 2017
During his State of the City address Monday, he said Burlington will welcome just 15 refugees by September. "For more than 30 years, Burlington has welcomed approximately 300 New Americans each year — immigration that has made us much more diverse and culturally rich, and has been part of Chittenden County's economic success," Weinberger told the city council and about 100 residents who filled the seats at Burlington City Hall Auditorium.
He blamed the policies of President Donald Trump for the change. But Weinberger vowed to keep Burlington advancing forward. He introduced a young Sudanese couple, Samya and Salah, who were reunited in February when Samya was able to come to America and join Salah, after Trump's travel ban was lifted.
"At a time when the federal government is trying to close doors and turn its back on our most pressing challenges, we here in Burlington must continue to work harder than ever to keep our doors open, and to keep advancing," he said.
Tags: Miro Weinberger , Jane Knodell , Sharon Bushor , Image , Web Only
Saturday, April 1, 2017
"I've heard that I have the votes of all the council members," she said.
The day following Knodell's Town Meeting Day victory against independent Genese Grill in the Central District, Knodell sent out an email announcing that she would seek the council presidency, said Councilor Tom Ayres (D-Ward 7).
Councilor Karen Paul (D-Ward 6) had expressed interest and was "definitely considering a run," Ayres said. In the end, Ayres said, Paul never formally announced a challenge to Knodell. Paul did not respond to request for comment.
Tags: Jane Knodell , Dave Hartnett , Kurt Wright , Karen Paul , Tom Ayres , Mayor Miro Weinberger , Image , Web Only
Wednesday, March 29, 2017
Louis Fortier, 36, surrendered to police at the scene after allegedly stabbing Richard Medina, 43, multiple times in the neck at the corner of Church and Cherry streets, police said. Police described both men as transients.
Medina was pronounced dead at the University of Vermont Medical Center at 2:20 p.m., shortly after he was stabbed.
Tags: Burlington , police , Church Street , Louis Fortier , Richard Medina , Image , Web Only