Posted By Katie Jickling on Thu, Nov 30, 2017 at 4:27 PM

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Brian Pine

Old North End resident Brian Pine announced Thursday that he will run for Burlington City Council, competing for the Ward 3 seat that Progressive Sara Moore plans to relinquish. Pine, who served as a Ward 3 city councilor from 1991 to 1995, said he will seek both Progressive and Democratic support.

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

Posted By Molly Walsh on Thu, Jul 27, 2017 at 4:07 PM

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File: Oliver Parini

Rebels banners at South Burlington High School

Two supporters of the controversial Rebels nickname who both ran unsuccessfully for the South Burlington School Board have each been fined $250 for campaign finance violations.

In addition to paying the fines, Danial Emmons and Marcy Brigham agreed in a July 17 settlement with the Vermont Attorney General's Office to refile their campaign finance reports.

The AG office's investigation found that the two had violated several state statutes during their write-in campaigns for the March 7 election. Both decided to run after the school board voted in February to drop the Rebels nickname over concerns that it has racist associations with the Confederacy.

Tags: Danial Emmons , Marcy Brigham , South Burlington School Board , Rebels , election , campaign finance violation , Image , Web Only

Posted By Katie Jickling on Tue, Apr 4, 2017 at 8:55 PM

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Andrew Champagne spent 12 hours in Burlington's Old North End campaigning in the rain Tuesday — and his persistence paid off.

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

Posted By Sasha Goldstein on Thu, Mar 16, 2017 at 5:47 PM

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Courtesy HBO

Chris Louras

The show’s over for Chris Louras.

“VICE News Tonight” followed the former Rutland mayor Monday as he prepared for his last day in office. He lost his reelection bid March 7 to David Allaire by a big margin: some 776 votes.

The HBO show captured Louras packing up his things inside city hall, exchanging a hug with a colleague and driving off into the sunset in his Smart car (which bears an “I Love Rutland, VT!” bumper sticker).

Much of what he told Vice News during the four-minute clip echoed what he told Seven Days reporter Mark Davis. His loss was a referendum on his decision to relocate refugees to Rutland, he said, and he never saw it coming.

Tags: Chris Louras , Rutland , mayor , refugees , resettlement , immigration , Image , Web Only , Video

Posted By Sasha Goldstein on Wed, Mar 8, 2017 at 5:34 PM

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File: Matthew Thorsen

Thirty-eight towns voted Tuesday to create six new unified school districts across Vermont in the latest round of Act 46 mergers, according to unofficial results provided by the Agency of Education.

A record total of 57 towns voted on mergers on Town Meeting Day, with 62 percent of residents voting in favor of the proposals, according to statistics the Agency of Education compiled. Bloomfield had yet to report its results, while a revote was needed in Plymouth.

In Wells, a one-vote difference stalled mergers involving schools in the Rutland Central and Rutland Southwest supervisory unions. Town residents can petition for a revote within 30 days of Town Meeting Day.

Tags: Act 46 , Town Meeting Day , education , mergers , Image , Web Only

Posted By Katie Jickling on Wed, Mar 8, 2017 at 12:08 AM

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Matthew Thorsen

Jane Knodell

Burlington City Council President Jane Knodell eked out an 81-vote victory on Tuesday over independent challenger Genese Grill en route to securing a ninth term on the council.

Knodell will retain her Central District seat after a hard fought campaign by Grill, an activist who made her mark during the debate last year surrounding the Burlington Town Center redevelopment.

The Progressive Knodell told two dozen well-wishers who celebrated at Butch + Babe's in the Old North End that she had her doubts about the race's outcome. "I think I've lost," she said she confided in fellow councilor Sara Giannoni in the final hours before polls closed.

In the end, though, her supporters came through, giving her the victory by a 6-point margin. For the celebration, Knodell donned a T-shirt emblazoned with a quote that referred to Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.): "She was warned, she was given an explanation. Nevertheless, she persisted."

"It was a great team effort," Knodell said to cheers.

Tags: Town Meeting Day , Jane Knodell , Genese Grill , Richard Deane , Charles Winkleman , Joan Shannon , Abdullah Sall , Charles Simpson , Dave Hartnett , Selene Colburn , Miro Weinberger , Image , Web Only

Posted By Molly Walsh on Tue, Mar 7, 2017 at 11:22 PM

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Pat Nowak

Thomas Chittenden and Pat Nowak survived vigorous election challenges for their South Burlington City Council seats Tuesday.

Nowak beat Jimmy Leas 1,811 to 1,512 in a contest in which Leas claimed the incumbent did little to protect city residents from airport noise and home demolitions.

Nowak thanked her supporters after the victory, saying via email that she was "very happy to be continuing on the SB City Council and very appreciative of the support I received from so very many residents."

Chittenden defeated Katie Langrock 1,843 votes to 1,584 in a race that also touched on the Burlington International Airport. Chittenden pushed for possible new governance over the the Burlington-owned commercial and military airport.

Tags: Jimmy Leas , Pat Nowack , Thomas Chittenden , Katie Langrock , South Burlington City Council , Image , Web Only

Posted By Mark Davis on Tue, Mar 7, 2017 at 8:25 PM

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Caleb Kenna

Rutland Mayor Chris Louras

Rutland Mayor Chris Louras, who endured months of withering criticism for his plan to bring Syrian refugees to the city, lost his reelection bid on Tuesday.

In unofficial voting results, David Allaire, a city alderman and leading critic of the resettlement, trounced Louras, a 10-year mayoral incumbent, by a 776-vote margin, according to results cited by the Rutland Herald and WCAX-TV.

"I'm simply wishing him luck and I'm moving on," Louras told Seven Days Tuesday night. He declined further comment, saying he would "not hazard a guess" as to what the election results say about Rutland's support for refugees.

Allaire did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

Tags: Rutland , refugees , Chris Louras , David Allaire , Town Meeting Day , Image

Posted By Andrea Suozzo on Tue, Mar 7, 2017 at 7:18 PM

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This Town Meeting Day, Vermonters came together for town and school budget discussions, heated debates and, of course, potlucks.

In Royalton, Tunbridge, Sharon and Strafford, residents voted to oppose the planned NewVistas settlement.

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Posted By Molly Walsh on Tue, Mar 7, 2017 at 4:33 PM

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Molly Walsh

Mike Foote

Richmond voters passed a resolution Tuesday at Town Meeting declaring it a community that welcomes all people, regardless of their nationality or religion.

It also welcomes people regardless of their color, ethnicity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status and gender identity.

Longtime resident Jeff Forward introduced the non-binding resolution and explained to the crowd of about 180 people that he began by researching a sanctuary city resolution proposed in Burlington. Numerous other towns around Vermont planned to discuss similar proposals at Town Meeting in the wake of President Donald Trump's efforts to restrict entry of immigrants and refugees from six majority Muslim countries, including war-torn Syria.

Forward decided not to include any reference to sanctuary status after he concluded that Richmond has already adopted a fair and impartial policing policy. But, Forward said, he wanted the town to respond to national trends that he sees as worrisome.

Tags: Town Meeting Day , Richmond , Donald Trump , tax returns , town forest , sanctuary city , Image , Web Only