Friends and neighbors against the overlay district re-zoning
COURTESY OF BURLINGTON CITY HALL
Weinberger Apologizes for City Role in Donovan Endorsement Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger apologized after a member of his administration organized and promoted a press conference, using a city hall email account, endorsing Democrat T.J. Donovan for attorney general. Last Friday, Weinberger and four other members of the Vermont Mayors Coalition convened in Barre to unveil their support for Donovan, who currently serves as Chittenden The mayors with T.J. Donovan County state’s attorney. (third from left) Asked later that day whether it was appropriate for him to engage in partisan political activities using municipal resources, Weinberger apologized and called it a “mistake.” “We have always tried to very carefully separate political activity from the duties of the mayor’s office, and that did ’t happen here,” he said. “It hasn’t happened before, and it won’t happen again. It was an honest mistake.” The ma or’s communications and projects coordinator, Katie Vane, announced the endorsement using her city email address. According to Weinberger, the press release Vane sent the media was written not by her but by Donovan’s campaign. Weinberger said the eight-member Vermont Mayors Coalition is “not an official enti y” but an informal group of city leaders who typically work together on policy issues affecting their respective municipalities. Weinberger conceded that the group is financed y small contributions from member cities, but he said those totaled no more than “in the hundreds of dollars.” “It was totally appropriate for the mayors to endorse,” he said. “The problem was the advisory and the press release should not have been sent out from a government address.”
PAUL HEINTZ
Ballot Battle « P.15
Kathy Olwell, Ward 1 School Commissioner • J.J. Vandette, O.N.E. Homeowner • Brian Tokar, institute for Social Ecology • Jennie Kristel, therapist • Joanne Hunt, nurse practitioner • Nancy Kirby, downtown retail business owner • xxxxxxxxxxx, Licensed Mental Health Counselor • Sandy Baird, lawyer • Frank DeAngelis, local business owner/artist • Doug & Marty French, Cherry Street business owners • Kevin Stone, resident • xxxxxxxxxxxxx, downtown property owner • Louis Mannie Lionni, local businessman • xxxxxxxxx, , Affordable Housing expert • Louise Andrews, retired human resource specialist • Diane Gayer, ecological designer • Al Larsen, local resident • Ruby Perry, Save Open Space • Karen Hewitt, business owner • Reba Porter, resident • Becky Rabin, resident • Debbie Landauer, resident • Martha Molpus, social worker • Jay Vos, local business owner • Nicole C. Twohig, small business owner • xxxxxxxxxxxx, downtown business • xxxxxxxxxxx, Sustainability expert • Joyce Oetgen, resident • Helen Hossly, environmentalist • David W. Curtis, Jr., educator • Jeffrey Severson, Burlington Conservation Board • Colin Bradley, ReTribe School Director • Jared Carter, Lawyer • Alex Prolman, Rising Tide Vermont member • *To protect the privacy of those fearing recrimination for speaking their minds, some names have been blacked out.
VOTE NO ON BALLOT ITEMS #3 & 4
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Shannon. It was hosted by Together for Progress, a group created by the Burlington Business Association. Backers know what Weinberger’s up against. The coalition — members of it, anyway — have foiled and needled Weinberger before. Grill and others vigorously protested a proposal to allow new housing in the South End Enterprise Zone, a section of Pine Street animated by numerous artist studios. Weinberger eventually dropped his support of that change but admitted to being frustrated. “What are we going to do about the fact that we have a real serious housing challenge?” he asked last year. South End artists used satirical works to ridicule the administration’s housing proposal, building a cardboard “Miroville” along Pine Street. This time around, mocking postcards have surfaced accusing Weinberger and his supporters of “drinking the Kool-Aid” by backing the mall plan. Pressing now for another project that would add housing stock, Weinberger has one more big chance to sway voters.
He’s planned a “telephone town hall meeting” for November 6 — the Sunday before Election Day. Weinberger will dial up all the landline numbers in the city simultaneously, and residents can opt to participate as if they were on a giant conference call. It’s unclear if the mayor’s message is connecting. Even after his community discussion at Nunyuns last month, several attendees said they still haven’t made up their minds. Jean Waltz, an art teacher at Rock Point School, said she’s leery of major projects after the Moran Plant redevelopment and the Champlain Parkway both stalled. She intends to do more research before casting her vote. “How come the mall isn’t a supersuccess the way it is right now?” Waltz asked, noting there’s no guarantee that a new, improved version will be “this amazing thing that generates all these tax dollars.” She added, “Just because you build it doesn’t mean they’re gonna come.” m
We believe that ZA 16-14 betrays the planning principles outlined in Plan BTV. We believe that people, not developers, should determine the future of our city. We urge you: VOTE NO ON BALLOT ITEMS #3 & #4, for a more democratic, more affordable, more beautiful, more livable city.*