Tuesday, November 10, 2015
Bowing to concerns voiced by artists and other South End locals about gentrification, both Mayor Miro Weinberger and the entire Burlington City Council in recent weeks declared their opposition to allowing housing in the corridor.
But that didn’t stop the Planning Commission from continuing the debate on Tuesday night.
Commission members Emily Lee, Jennifer Wallace-Brodeur and Lee Buffington called the proposal, which would allow for studios where artists could both live and work, a “win-win.”
“The intent of this proposal is to narrowly focus on strengthening the arts district by increasing studio space and providing affordable housing units for artists,” they wrote in a memo. “It is not intended to introduce or revisit the broader issue of housing of all types or price points.”
Tags: Burlington , South End , artists , Miro Weinberger , Image , Web Only
David Scherr, a 33-year-old former chair of the Chittenden County Democratic Party, emailed friends and supporters to say that he would run for Senate in 2016.
The Burlington attorney, who specializes in juvenile, family and criminal law, says his work defending those struggling to get by has inspired him to seek public office.
Tags: David Scherr , Chittenden County , Vermont Senate , Image , Web Only
A revised design for the Burlington Town Center should be coming soon, and the mayor said he looks forward to a makeover of what "is essentially a suburban mall dropped down on the rest of our downtown."
And one more thing - save the date for Nov. 30. The city is holding a 7 p.m. public meeting on the proposed Champlain Parkway at Champlain School.
These news tidbits came up during Weinberger's constituent coffee klatch in the South End Tuesday morning. About 20 people showed for the 8 a.m. gathering to sip java and nosh bagels (not taxpayer-funded) at Feldman's on Pine Street. Outside, the sun shone on a rush-hour parade of cars, cyclists and school children on foot, while inside the mayor chatted about bike lanes, housing and lead abatement. Opinions flowed with the caffeinated beverages.
UVM sometimes acts as a "bully" in the community, and the mayor should push hard on the University to house more of its students, suggested Keith Pillsbury, a Ward 8 resident and former city school board member. Pillsbury said, "They are not going to do it unless there is political pressure to do it."
Tags: Burlington , politics , development , Mayor Weinberger , Image , Web Only
Sen. David Zuckerman (P/D-Chittenden) joined a growing roster of candidates running for lieutenant governor Tuesday, announcing that he plans to seek the Democratic nomination.
“I bring a lot to the table, having worked with Vermonters on a lot of issues,” Zuckerman said, adding that he wants to promote a strong, rural economy and address climate change. “I have a lot of experience and connections across the state.”
Zuckerman, 44, served 14 years in the Vermont House, representing Burlington. He took a two-year hiatus from politics while moving his organic farm to Hinesburg. Zuckerman won election the Vermont Senate in 2012 and reelection in 2014. He and his wife, Rachel Nevitt, have one daughter, Addie.
The Massachusetts native, a University of Vermont graduate, was an early advocate for same-sex marriage and, in 2013, successfully pushed to require the labeling of genetically modified foods. He is lead sponsor of a bill to legalize marijuana. Earlier this year, he fought unsuccessfully to preserve the state’s philosophical exemption for childhood vaccination.
Tags: cannabis related , David Zuckerman , lieutenant governor , Vermont , Image , Web Only
Sunday, November 8, 2015
The "Curb Your Enthusiasm" star returned to SNL to parody Friday's Democratic candidates forum in South Carolina. As he did three weeks ago, David played an irascible, slightly unhinged Sanders — and, of course, he nailed it.
As of this writing, Sanders' presidential campaign hadn't yet sent a fundraising solicitation asking for "vacuum pennies," but we're confident it will soon.
Watch the sketch below (and skip ahead to 4:04 if even a parody of former Maryland governor Martin O'Malley bores you):
Tags: Senator , Bernie Sanders , Presidential Campaign , Larry David , Saturday Night Live , Image , Recommended Reading , Video , Web Only
Saturday, November 7, 2015
Speaking at the Columbia Conference Center, state Rep. Terry Alexander (D-Florence) hailed Sanders' participation in the civil rights movement and said the candidate had "fought for the African American community" throughout his political career.
"I'm here because it is clear to me — it is clear to me — that Sen. Sanders is the strongest candidate here for African Americans," Alexander said. "And he will bring about change, not only in the African American community, but he will bring about change in this country that the least of these will have the same opportunity as those 1 percent at the top."
Like Alexander, most of those who stood with Sanders at Saturday's press conference were black. The message was clear: Just because the independent Vermonter represents a state in which 19 out of 20 residents are white does not mean he's incapable of representing the black community.
Tags: Senator , Bernie Sanders , Presidential Campaign , Columbia , South Carolina , race , Recommended Reading , Image , Web Only
Friday, November 6, 2015
Sanders made his case during a friendly, 27-minute exchange with MSNBC's Rachel Maddow onstage at Winthrop University's Byrnes Auditorium in Rock Hill, S.C. Billed as the "First in the South Democratic Forum," the event bore little resemblance to the food fights that have characterized the three Republican presidential debates. Rather, Maddow interviewed the three Democratic candidates — former Maryland governor Martin O'Malley, Sanders and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton — sequentially, posing cerebral, policy-focused questions.
Sanders, who has struggled to gain traction in South Carolina, had a lot to prove. Maddow noted that just 8 percent of the state's African American voters supported his candidacy, according to the latest Winthrop Poll, leading her to question whether a senator who represented an overwhelmingly white state could "carry the flag" for black South Carolinians.
"I believe I can," Sanders said. "If you check out my record, you'll find that there are very few members of the Congress who have a stronger record on civil rights than Bernie Sanders has."
Tags: Senator , Bernie Sanders , Presidential Campaign , MSNBC forum , Rock Hill , South Carolina , race , campaign trail , gun control , Image , Recommended Reading , Web Only
Garrett Graff, a Vermont native who's spent the past decade in Washington, D.C., says he's "exploring the option of running for lieutenant governor" in his home state.
Graff, 34, announced last week that he was leaving his job as editor of Politico Magazine and moving back to Vermont. On Friday, he told Seven Days he's planning to leave journalism for politics. If he runs, he would do so as a Democrat.
"I believe Vermont is at a critical point right now where it has to make some very critical decisions about what kind of state it's going to be over the next generation, and I believe I have something to bring to that conversation," Graff says.
A graduate of Montpelier High School and Harvard College, Graff served as deputy national press secretary for former governor Howard Dean’s 2004 presidential campaign. Later, he founded a digital strategy firm, cofounded media website FishbowlDC and edited Washingtonian magazine. Graff has worked at Politico since July 2014, the last 10 months as editor of its magazine. His father, Chris Graff, served as the Associated Press’ Montpelier bureau chief for more than 25 years.
Despite his Vermont roots, the younger Graff’s residency could pose a challenge. He last lived in the Green Mountains during the Dean campaign in 2003 and early 2004, after which he moved to D.C. He and his wife, Katherine, recently bought a house in Burlington and are moving to the state later this week.
Tags: Garrett Graff , lieutenant governor , Vermont , Politico Magazine , Image , Web Only
Thursday, November 5, 2015
Families and children gathered outside the Allen Street school that houses the program and shared stories about what it has meant to them.
Those who run it learned October 1 that its application for close to a half million dollars through the federal New Pathways for Fathers and Families "Dads" grant — a grant they've gotten for nine years — was turned down. The Family Room has since cut three veteran workers and reduced its programs. The Family Room is part of the Visiting Nurse Association of Chittenden and Grand Isle Counties.
The Family Room's parent advisory council has organized three public meetings to discuss raising funds to restore the staff and programs.
Tags: Family Room , VNA , Visiting Nurse Association , Image , Web Only
Sunday, November 1, 2015
The 60-second ad, titled "Real Change," is a classic biographical spot, introducing voters to his immigrant roots, his participation in the civil rights movement, his tenure as mayor of Burlington and his role as a family man.
"Husband, father, grandfather," the ad's narrator says as images of Sanders' family fill the screen.
According to Sanders spokesman Michael Briggs, the campaign expects to spend more than $2 million airing the ad in Iowa and New Hampshire. NBC's "Meet the Press," which debuted the spot Sunday morning, reported that it will first appear on Tuesday. The Washington Post reported that the $2 million price tag covers a 10-day ad schedule.
"Thousands of Americans have come out to see Bernie speak and we've seen a great response to his message," campaign manager Jeff Weaver said in a written statement. "This ad marks the next phase of this campaign. We're bringing that message directly to the voters of Iowa and New Hampshire."
Tags: Senator , Bernie Sanders , Presidential Campaign , television ads , Hillary Clinton , Recommended Reading , Image , Video , Web Only