Friday, February 3, 2017
Why would that be cause for alarm for green card holders? For one thing, it's illegal for non-citizens to vote. And doing so could lead to deportation.
At a time of heightened anxiety in immigrant and non-citizen communities — not to mention President Donald Trump's obsession with voter fraud — the mystery mailings inspired some justifiable conspiracy theorizing on social media. Is this a plot by Trump agents looking to set up non-Americans for voter fraud?
Tags: green card , automatic voter registration , Jim Condos , Chris Winters , Image , Web Only
Monday, January 30, 2017
The candidates filed their petitions before the 5 p.m. deadline Monday. The election is on March 7.
Two candidates have stepped up to run against South District Democrat Joan Shannon: Progressive Charles Simpson, a retired professor, and independent Abdullah Sall.
Tags: Jane Knodell , Genese Grill , Dave Hartnett , Charles Simpson , Charles Winkleman , Abdullah Sall , Joan Shannon , Selene Colburn , Richard Deane , Town Meeting Day 2017 , Image , Web Only
Monday, January 23, 2017
A new panel — the Committee on Campaign Finance Education, Compliance and Reform — is designed to bring more people into compliance and recommend ways to improve the law, according to Secretary of State Jim Condos and newly sworn-in Attorney General T.J. Donovan.
Simply making it clear to candidates and contributors what the rules are is part of the goal, Condos said. “Print off a copy of the candidates for 2016 election, go down the list and see who filed campaign finance reports,” he said. “How do we get more people to do compliance?”
Tags: campaign finance reform , T.J. Donovan , Brady Toensing , Bill Sorrell , Josh Wronski , Jake Perkinson , Natalie Silver , Image , Web Only
Friday, January 20, 2017
The blue velvet dress and matching wool coat that Ivanka Trump’s daughter wore at a pre-inauguration event Thursday is one of 11 pieces that former Charlotte resident and Saint Michael’s College grad Kate Bowen designed for the festivities.
Accompanying her parents and grandfather, Donald Trump, 5-year-old Arabella Kushner wore the blue ensemble to the wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery Thursday. Seeing the outfit on TV was a thrill, said Bowen, in a telephone interview with Seven Days.
“Oh my gosh, I, like, couldn’t breathe for a minute. I was so excited.”
It’s possible that little Arabella will wear another Bowen-designed outfit to the post-inaugural prayer service at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. Saturday.
Bowen founded her company, Petit Peony, when she and her husband were living on a dirt road in Charlotte, having moved to the town in 2013. Two of Bowen’s three young children had been born and it seemed like a good time to pick up a needle and thread.
“I was staying at home and that’s when I took up sewing, sewing my daughter’s clothing and it turned into a business,” Bowen said.
One of the investors in Petit Peony knew Ivanka Trump, herself a clothing designer, and she became a customer, said Bowen.
Bowen lived in Charlotte for three years before moving with her family to Duxbury, Mass., last June.
When Ivanka Trump called to see if Bowen was interested in designing outfits for the inauguration, she jumped at the chance. She flew to New York three times for fittings with Arabella and also designed inaugural rompers and pint-sized coats for her little brothers, ages 3 and 9 months.
In all cases, Ivanka Trump wanted “traditional, classic, tailored pieces,” said Bowen, who declined to say how much the garments cost.
The former Vermont resident, who grew up outside of Albany, N.Y., says she chooses not to mix fashion with politics. Bowen wouldn’t say whether she voted for Ivanka Trump’s dad, newly-sworn-in President Donald Trump.
“I don’t discuss my political views,” said Bowen, but added that she likes what Ivanka Trump stands for.
“I think her taking a leap of faith and reaching out to a small designer says something about her.”
Tags: Donald Trump , Vermont , Ivanka Trump , Petit Peony , Image , Web Only
Thursday, January 12, 2017
One decision came with its fair share of detractors. Applause waned and at least one person booed when Mayor Miro Weinberger asked party members to nominate the incumbent Knodell for the Central District seat after no Democrat volunteered to run for the post.
“In the face of a hijacking of her party, she has stood firm in the belief that expanding economic opportunity [leads to] expanding equity,” he told the crowd, which included 2016 Democratic gubernatorial nominee Sue Minter, Vermont Democratic Party executive director Conor Casey and state representatives.
Tags: Jane Knodell , Joan Shannon , Dave Hartnett , Miro Weinberger , Richard Deane , Burlington Democratic Party , Burlington Progressive Party , Sue Minter , Alan Bjerke , Town Meeting Day 2017 , Image , Web Only
Tuesday, January 10, 2017
Knodell, a Progressive, broke with some members of her party when she voiced her support for the downtown mall redevelopment. That’s put a target on her back for members of the CLC.
Tags: Jane Knodell , Genese Grill , Town Meeting Day , coalition for a livable city , burlington city council , Town Meeting Day 2017 , Image , Web Only
Sunday, January 8, 2017
The victory earns Winkleman the Prog slot on the ballot and the chance to face Democratic and Republican contenders on Town Meeting Day in March.
Winkleman seeks the seat to be vacated by fellow Progressive Selene Colburn, who has served three years as a councilor. Colburn decided recently to step down from the council after she was elected to the state legislature in November.
Tags: Selene Colburn , Charles Winkleman , Samantha Tilton , Progressive Party , Image , Web Only
Wednesday, January 4, 2017
The court was unanimous in its ruling Wednesday afternoon that the state constitution does not give the governor authority to appoint an official to a seat that won’t be vacated until after the governor leaves office.
“Both the attorney general and I don’t read the law the way they interpreted it but obviously I’m going to live by the court decision,” Shumlin told reporters after his speech and the unveiling of his official portrait.
Rep. Don Turner (R-Milton) and Sen. Joe Benning (R-Caledonia) sued the governor in late December in a last ditch effort to prevent him from appointing Dooley’s successor. Dooley made it clear in September that he would retire in April.
Tags: Vermont Supreme Court , Peter Shumlin , John Dooley , Image , Web Only
Friday, December 23, 2016
Dooley announced in September that he would retire when his term ends on March 31. Shumlin raised some Republican hackles by promptly declaring that he would pick Dooley’s successor. Now, the outgoing governor will spend his final days in office defending his decision in court — a hearing is scheduled for January 3.
“By looking to make a consequential executive decision that should rightly be made in April 2017, at a time well past his gubernatorial tenure, Gov. Shumlin is setting a troubling precedent of overreach,” Turner said in a statement announcing his legal challenge.
Reached Friday, Turner said he’s “very pleased” with the court order and is confident he’ll prevail. “When I look up vacancy in the dictionary, it means no one is in the position,” Turner said.
Tags: Vermont Supreme Court , Peter Shumlin , Phil Scott , Don Turner , Image , Web Only
Monday, December 12, 2016
The Central District councilor easily defeated Tony Redington by a 21-6 tally to win the Prog endorsement for the March election. But the opposition served as a not-so-subtle reminder that members of the party are divided on some major issues.
“I decided to basically stand up to let her know that we’re very disappointed in her positions [supporting] the F-35s ... and the leadership position she’s taken [in favor of] the Sinex mall,” Redington said.
Redington is a member of the Coalition for a Livable City, a group opposed to developer Don Sinex’s towering $250 million mall makeover proposal. The group unsuccessfully lobbied against a zoning change on the November 8 ballot that will allow for buildings up to 14 stories in a sliver of downtown.
Tags: Jane Knodell , Burlington Progressive Party , Charles Winkleman , Selene Colburn , Dave Hartnett , Tony Redington , Charles Simpson , Don Sinex , Burlington Town Center , Image , Web Only