The Other Paper - 3-16-23

South Burlington city council looks at expansion, wards

South Burlington’s charter committee, by charge of the city council, has over the past year been exploring new governing models for the city, including possibly expanding the number of council seats, creating a local ward system for council elections, and adding a mayoral seat to city hall.

The conversations, which

began in earnest last spring, were spurred by a city council resolution in late 2021 asking the committee to investigate whether a ward system or more councilors would provide better geographical representation to a city of more than 20,000 residents.

Now, the charter committee is set to begin a public outreach campaign to generate more

See CHARTER on page 12

SoBu school

board appoints new chair, clerk

Creates new role for equity and diversity staffer

Following Town Meeting Day, the newly elected South Burlington school board wasted no time in taking its first actions by dealing first with issues of diversity, equity, inclusion and social-emotional learning.

Alex McHenry was welcomed back to the board for a sixth year

along with new board member Bryan Companion, who ousted school board chair Travia Childs from her seat by just 26 votes. Laura Williams also returns to finish two years of a three-year term.

McHenry, a data analyst with Vermont Medicaid, has been with

See SCHOOL BOARD on page 2

PHOTO BY KYLE AMBUSK / VERMONT PUBLIC

A United Airlines flight made an emergency landing at Burlington International Airport on Sunday after an alleged threat to the aircraft was reported. See full story on page 2.

Emergency landing

COREY MCDONALD STAFF WRITER

LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER

Emergency crews respond to BTV after flight threat

COREY MCDONALD STAFF WRITER

An unspecified threat reported from an inbound flight brought several emergency response teams to the Burlington International Airport on Sunday.

Around 4 p.m., an inbound flight from Newark, N.J., reported a threat to air traffic control, and the plane was directed to an area away from the terminal, according to Nic Longo, the airport’s director of aviation.

The plane was searched but nothing suspicious was found.

Crews from South Burlington, Burlington and the Vermont State Police responded to the scene. There were more than 60 passen-

gers aboard to plane.

One passenger, Vermont Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Baruth, D-Chittenden South, said officials told passengers that a note had been found on the plane saying there was an explosive device aboard.

According to Baruth, bomb-sniffing dogs boarded the plane, which had been parked on the tarmac.

Passengers were eventually allowed off the plane and were directed to a hangar until a security assessment was complete, Baruth said. He said baggage and personal belongings became available around 8 p.m.

According to acting Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad, the

You’ve got Bottles & Cans, We’ve got a Fundraiser!

(We can only collect from Rick Marcotte Central School neighborhoods.)

Fifth graders from Rick Marcotte Central School will be collecting empty, clean, redeemable bottles and cans in this neighborhood on Saturday, March 18, to raise funds for their end-of-year class trip to Smugglers’ Notch. Extra kudos for collecting bottles and cans at work and from nearby friends and family to add to your donation.

– Returnable plastic bottles

– Glass bottles – Aluminum cans

– Check label for redeemable: VT 5¢

– Monetary donations also accepted (cash or check to RMCS)

Bottle and Can Collection

Saturday, March 18, 9:00-11:00 a.m.

*Please have your bottles and cans READY by the curb in a bag/box by 9:00 a.m.

Contact RMCS 5th Grade Teacher Kristen Kavanagh: 802-652-7293

Federal Bureau of Investigation is taking the lead in the investigation because the incident began in federal air space.

SCHOOL BOARD

continued from page 1

the school board since 2017 and was elected as the new board chair following the victory. The board also motioned to reelect Chelsea Tillinghast as board clerk.

McHenry was unable to be reached for comment about his appointment as chair, but he told the Other Paper earlier this month that his career “has taught me so much about how the world works and how to make it better and I’m grateful that I’m able to solve complex problems and that it makes a difference in people’s lives,” he said. “I’m a typical middle-class person, so I have to budget my time and money wisely. I use that sense of budgeting from my personal life with school board work, too.”

Childs’ parting words

After two years on the school board, Childs reflected on her time as board chair positively but said, “If I could do it all over again, I would say no. I’ve been doing this for a year already and it wasn’t worth it. The only ground that I thought was going to help was with me going to the schools all the time. And that’s not going to change.”

She explained that after her first election onto the school board in 2021, her son, Jeremiah Childs, experienced racial harassment by his robotics teacher when the teacher suggested that a 3-D printed object resembling a noose should be hung from a Black Lives Matter flag.

“When I first started, my son was racially harassed by a teacher. So, the first year I was trying to keep it together, trying to figure out what’s right and what’s wrong because I didn’t want the kids following my son to go through the same thing,” Childs said. “Then when I became chair, I was great at the job I was doing, but chair wasn’t the job for me.”

After receiving Town Meeting Day results last week, Childs told the Other Paper, “I lost by 26 votes and that is too close.” Although she considered a recount, she said, “I’ve learned everything I do, even if I asked for the recount, it’s going to be the same thing: ‘She was just so spiteful.’ No, I’m looking out for

Officials did not specify the exact nature of the threat but, Longo said, there’s “no reason to believe that this is anything but an

isolated incident.”

VTDigger contributed to this report.

our kids. I would have rather there had been like 100 or 200 (votes). Then I could deal with it.”

She explained that regardless of her dedication to doing what is best for students, fingers were consistently pointed in her direction, people looking at her every move.

“If I told you the sky was blue, they’d say, ‘How do you know the sky’s blue?’” she said. “Nothing I could do was right, but they never found anything about me because they looked.” She described “they” as some members of the South Burlington community.

Her biggest fear now is the board’s lack of representation for marginalized students.

“If I was running against a person of color, I would be excited. But when we take an older Caucasian man, and now a Caucasian team, they don’t know what to do. They don’t know how it feels.”

“That broke me, all that stuff,” she added. “It showed us now that South Burlington hasn’t changed. I was the first (chair) person of color so that shows us we’re going backward, which is the sad part.”

Equity talks

The district’s executive director of learning, Alysia Backman, said that South Burlington’s academic and social-emotional learning reveals that those with the highest needs have the lowest academic proficiency. The students most impacted are students with disabilities, English language learners, Black/African American and multi-racial students.

“It is valuable information but it’s painful to see,” McHenry said. “I’m incredibly concerned about how traditionally marginalized students are doing in our school district and we need to do more about it.”

Along with the district’s newly adopted equity policy, McHenry

made his first motion as chair to create a position that would be held by a licensed educator who will operate as the district-wide social-emotional learning coordinator. The board emphasized that this decision does not add additional staff, but instead broadens the scope of current positions.

“It is important to note that we are not eliminating any diversity, equity and inclusion programs or policies from the district,” the board said a statement this week. “As a result of their findings, we determined the best course of action was to expand the diversity, equity and inclusion role to include a social-emotional learning component, as the two work hand-in-hand. This is not an add to staff, but rather a modified position utilizing the existing role of executive director of equity.”

The executive director of equity role is currently held by De-Dee Loftin-Davis, who was hired for the position last April.

In the statement, the school board did not directly answer a question regarding whether Loftin-Davis was still in the position.

South Burlington resident Nancy Hellen said at the recent board meeting, “That felt very roundabout, as a community member,” she said. “Putting out the idea of a position and then actually explaining later that it would be replacing the (diversity, equity and inclusion) position. I just want to say that I am hoping that this position would continue the work that De-Dee has done.”

“I feel like it’s a little bit odd to say this person’s position isn’t going to be here while you’re supporting a different position without recognizing the work (Loftin-Davis) has done,” she said.

Loftin-Davis did not respond to an email sent to an address listed on the Office of Equity and Anti-Racism website.

“Nothing I could do was right, but they never found anything about me because they looked.”

— Dr. Travia Childs

In South Burlington Program raises dementia awareness

Join the Alzheimer’s Association and members of Faith United Methodist Church for We’re ALZ in this Together: Destigmatizing Dementia in South Burlington, Sunday, March 26, 11 a.m., at 899 Dorset St.

There are more than 13,000 Vermonters over the age of 65 living with Alzheimer’s and over 26,000 unpaid family caregivers. Caring for

Thank You from Paul Engels

I want to express my gratitude to the 1300 people who voted for me, and all the people who posted for me on Front Porch Forum, wrote letters endorsing me to The Other Paper, put out lawn signs for me and picked them up after the election, donated money to my campaign, held up a sign for me for hours in the bitter cold on election day...and probably many more things. I especially thank Andrew Chalnick. Congratulations to him on his victory. I’ve had a great group of people working with me, supporting me and coaching me, thanks to Andrew. I appreciate them all very much.

Lydia Diamond brought new life to the race with her great personality and emphasis on BIPOC participation on the Council.

I’ve also had a chance to talk to Tyler Barnes a bit, too. He is a fine and honorable man with a beautiful young family. I congratulate him on his victory and wish him the best.

someone with dementia is extremely challenging and this program is aimed to raise awareness and to create connections to local services.

A volunteer community educator will outline the 10 warning signs of Alzheimer’s to help you distinguish the difference between normal aging and dementia. Staff and volunteers from the Alzheimer’s Association and other area

service organizations will be present to share the resources they offer and to answer questions.

The program will end with highlights of the work being done by volunteers in support of Vermonters with Alzheimer’s and all other dementia.

Everyone is welcome, including those with dementia. Questions? Call 802-316-3839.

COURTESY PHOTO Alzheimer’s volunteer educators raise awareness in Vermont Statehouse.

Paid for by Paul Engels for South Burlington, 15 Orchard Rd, South Burlington, VT 05403

Alarm: 17

CRIME & COURTS

South Burlington Police Blotter

Agency / public assists: 15

Traffic stops: 14

Disturbance: 12

Welfare check: 11

Larceny from motor vehicle: 10

Suspicious event: 7

Directed patrol: 7

Accident: property damage: 6

Total incidents: 174

Arrests:

Dec. 15 at 11:41 a.m., Mercedes Sweetser, 30 of Burlington, was arrested for false statement as to financial ability, false pretenses, bad checks and uttering a forged instrument on Shelburne Road.

Feb. 4 at 9:24 a.m., Laurie A. Slingerland, 54, of Burlington, was arrested for retail theft on Garden Street.

Feb. 8 at 4 a.m., Justice L. O’Neal, 26, of St. George, was arrested for aggravated assault and lewd and lascivious conduct on Shelburne Road.

March 9 at 2:03 a.m., Tajon A. Lytch, 33, of Winooski, was arrested for driving under the influence, first offense, on Williston Road and Mary

the

Street.

March 9 at 11:22 a.m., Randall Richardson, 46, of Muscle Shoals, Ala., was arrested for disorderly conduct on Dorset Street.

March 9 at 8:47 p.m., Teilya M. Brunet, 34, of Burlington, was arrested for felony retail theft on Dorset Street.

March 11 at 2:36 a.m., Phillippe Burtonboy, 60, of Pittsford, was arrested for driving under the influence, first offense, on Interstate 89, mile market 86.6.

Selected incidents:

March 7 at 8:47 a.m., an accident at Williston Road and East Terrace resulted in injuries.

March 8 at 2:49 p.m., a simple assault took place on Dorset Street.

March 9 at 10:36 a.m., police investigated a larceny from a motor vehicle, one of 10 for the week.

March 10 at 3:51 p.m., police were called to a suspicious event on Fairway Drive.

March 11 at 5:30 p.m., police responded to a report of an overdose on Logwood Street.

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Night Owl Cleaning owner sentenced for pandemic fraud

Dennis Duffy II, 40, of South Burlington, was sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court in Burlington to 12 months and one day following his guilty plea to loan fraud and money laundering.

U.S. District Judge William K. Sessions III ordered Duffy to also serve two years of supervised release following his prison term, pay restitution in the amount of $191,000 and forfeit a Ford truck that he purchased with fraud proceeds.

Duffy was ordered to surrender to the Federal Bureau of Prisons on May 16.

In July 2021, a federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment charging Duffy with fraud and money laundering. The first fraud charge accused Duffy of making false statements and providing forged documents to North Country Federal Credit Union in the summer of 2020 in connection with his application for a $416,000 Paycheck Protection Plan loan for his commercial cleaning business, Night Owl Cleaning, Inc.

Applicants had to certify that the loan proceeds would be used to maintain payroll and pay other business-related expenses.

According to the indictment from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Vermont, in late June 2020 Duffy applied for and received a $416,000 loan for Night Owl Cleaning from North Country Federal Credit Union. As part of the application process, Duffy provided tax records, rent invoices and utility bills that purported to be for Night Owl.

For example, Duffy gave the credit union what purported to be a federal corporate tax return for 2019 that indicated Night Owl had gross revenues that year that exceeded $7.3 million and had taxable income of about $382,000, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

In fact, the actual returns Duffy filed with the IRS that year reported gross revenues of $79,000 and taxable income of only $15,700.

with the loan fraud, Duffy pleaded guilty to credit union fraud and money laundering.

The indictment accused Duffy of committing an unrelated fraud against American Express in 2017. In April 2017, Duffy applied for and obtained an American Express credit card for Night Owl Cleaning. Between May and August 2017, Duffy used the AMEX card to make three fraudulent purchases totaling $125,000 from a business purportedly named Vermont Aerial. In fact, the transactions were fraudulent transfers of AMEX funds to another company Duffy owned named Pet Stop.

Immediately after the AMEX funds were deposited into the Pet Stop account, Duffy retransferred the money to a Night Owl Cleaning account, then used those monies for his own benefit. Among other things, Duffy purchased a truck with proceeds of the AMEX fraud.

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The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act contained many provisions that were intended to address the medical, economic and social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the PPP loan program established by Congress. The loan program was an economic stimulus program intended to help small businesses keep employees on payroll during the pandemic.

According to the indictment, other Night Owl financial information that Duffy submitted to North Country was similarly fraudulent.

In early July 2020, NCFCU funded the PPP loan by depositing the $416,000 into a Night Owl Cleaning account. Instead of using those funds for Night Owl payroll, however, Duffy used more than $390,000 to buy a house in Milton. In connection

Although the charge of wire fraud was dismissed as part of Duffy’s plea agreement, Duffy agreed to forfeit the truck, to pay full restitution to American Express, and that the fraud against AMEX would be included in the loss calculation under the federal sentencing guidelines.

Duffy’s case was the first pandemic-related fraud prosecution to be filed in Vermont federal court. This case was investigated by the Burlington office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Man who sustained life-threatening injuries in December dies in prison

ETHAN WEINSTEIN

A man who suffered life-threatening injuries in an altercation with his cellmate at Northwest State Correctional Facility in December has died, according to Vermont State Police.

Jeffrey Hall, 55, died March 10 at the University of Vermont Medical Center, state police said in a press release. State police did not specify whether Hall died due to the injuries he sustained in the altercation, noting that an autopsy is pending.

The altercation took place at about 2 p.m. on Dec. 22 at the St. Albans prison. The incident was believed to have taken place in a cell occupied by Hall and Mbyayenge Mafuta, 21, state police said.

In January, an attempted murder charge was filed against Mafuta in Franklin County.

“Following the completion of (an) autopsy, the Franklin County State’s Attorney’s Office will determine whether to file amended charges against the suspect,” state police stated in its press release.

In a press release issued in December, the state Department of

Corrections described the incident as an “assault.” State police later characterized the incident as an altercation.

Mafuta, formerly of South Burlington, was arrested last August after police said he vandalized 33 homes in Burlington, throwing objects through the windows that resulted in thousands of dollars of damage.

Hall had been incarcerated without bail since Nov. 13 on charges of petit larceny, driving a motor vehicle without the owner’s consent, and providing false information to police.

VTDIGGER

OPINION

Senate works on retirement security, child care, gun safety

From the Senate

I hope everyone enjoyed another Town Meeting Day reconnecting with neighbors. This week marks the mid-point of the legislative session that we call crossover when the House must get its priority bills over to the Senate and vice versa so both chambers can fully consider the details. Here are some highlights of what is moving from one body to the other:

• Housing

As chair of Senate Committee on Economic Development, Housing and General Affairs, I am proud of its work on S.100, the Housing Opportunities Made for Everyone (HOME) bill. It was voted out of committee unanimously and is currently in the Senate natural resources committee, expected to advance with consideration for the balance between housing and conservation. Both appropriations committees will also weigh in, as we continue to make historic investments in housing and municipal infrastructure with

recovery funds and new federal dollars.

The HOME bill promotes multi-family housing and streamlines overlapping permitting processes to bring down costs and make more workforce homes available. With 24,000 open jobs and fewer than 1,000 housing listings, we will not meet climate, health care, child care or other policy goals without creating more opportunities for Vermonters to live in safe, warm affordable homes close to where they work.

• Retirement security

The committee is working with the state’s treasurer to advance a new program called VT Saves. Following the lead of 12 other states, we would create an opt-out voluntary retirement savings program for all Vermonters who do not currently have a retirement savings plan, currently about half of working people in Vermont.

• Child care

Another piece of workforce equation is child care. We commissioned a study of the costs to provide early educators with competitive wages and benefits, and we are looking at a roughly $200 million price tag

Require hybrid access to government meetings

During the early months of COVID-19, governors in New England states issued executive orders allowing municipalities to meet online so long as the public could attend remotely. The democratic benefits of this arrangement quickly became evident. According to a public official quoted in a 2020 study, the changes “made it a lot easier for residents who have other things to do, to be heard. People with family obligations, elder care, or child-care issues.”

The executive orders that prompted these changes, however, have long since expired. New England states have resorted to a patchwork of livestreams, short-term remote meeting requirements and, in some cases, reverted to pre-COVID-19 policies and in-person meetings only.

There’s a better way forward.

Permanent changes need to be made to state laws to require both in-person and

remote access to government meetings. People with young children, health issues, disabilities, work commitments or other circumstances that prevent in-person attendance at these meetings are at risk of again being shut out of the democratic process. At the same time, there are benefits to in-person meetings that must continue along with this expanded access.

Now is an ideal time to contact your state representatives and make this need known. Sunshine Week is March 12-18 and is a celebration of open government and freedom of information. The sunshine reference is attributed to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis D. Brandeis who famously wrote that “sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants.”

In other words, an informed citizenry is the best check against government corruption. We should use the occasion to demand the permanent changes necessary for all members of the public to effective-

to support their economic well-being while ensuring most parents pay no more than 10 percent of their income toward child care. A coalition of business leaders are advocating for 1 percent on the payroll tax to meet this critical need.

• Gun safety

We are looking at several commonsense gun safety provisions and hoping to find common ground with the governor. One particularly important to me is closing the loophole that allows someone with an abuse or extreme risk protection order against them to place their guns in the hands of a family member instead of having them stored in a state-sanctioned facility for the duration of the order. Some of the devastating mass shootings in this country involve this kind of retrieval of

guns from a non-secure location.

I hope this helps you stay informed on some of the major work we have ahead of us this session. I look forward to your feedback, even if I’m a little slower to reply. We are likely to adjourn in mid-May, and my due date is May 10, so keep me in your thoughts as the session progresses and I try to finish the people’s work before my baby — and Shelburne’s newest resident — arrives.

Kesha Ram Hinsdale, a Democrat from Shelburne, represents the towns of South Burlington, Shelburne, Charlotte, Hinesburg, Milton, Burlington, St. George, Westford, Underhill, Jericho, Richmond, Winooski, Williston, Essex and Bolton in the Legislature.

All new

for all your Spring Events

Sen. Kesha Ram Hinsdale

Guest Perspective

Justin Silverman

Sen. Kesha Ram Hinsdale

Justin Silverman

Diane Von Furstenberg, Shoshanna, Alice & Olivia, Shona Joy, Trina turk, Halston, Hutch, Julie Vos, Monique L'huillier, Toccin, Mac Duggal, Ted Baker, Joseph ribkoff, soia

dresses

Committee votes out bills on housing, wages

From the House Rep. Emilie Krasnow

The month of March brings with it new beginnings. Daylight saving time returned on March 12 and the first day of spring is Monday, March 20. We also recognize Women’s History Month in March by celebrating the contributions of women in our society.

March also brought Town Meeting Day, a day when members of our communities came together to vote on policy and budgets for local government. The decisions made on Town Meeting Day affect all of us, especially our neighbors in need. Democracy only works when people participate, and town meeting was direct democracy in action.

I joined community members for the South Burlington public information session. The highlight was presenting retiring city clerk Donna Kinville with a certificate from the Vermont Secretary of State’s Office acknowledging her 22 years of dedicated service. During the town meeting break I met with several constituents, returned to my regular volunteer day at South Burlington Food Shelf, joined the Junior League of Champlain Valley’s Diaper Bank distribution day and met with many local business owners in the community.

I want to extend my deepest gratitude to the organizers of the Veteran’s Town Hall, hosted by Nic Thornbro and Jon Turner, the South Burlington Public Library, the Vermont Veterans Outreach Program and the South Burlington Vet Center.

Those of us in attendance were lucky enough to listen to veterans share their stories of service to our country. We must do all we can to ensure those who served are appreciated and have the support and resources they need when back home in their communities. As your state representative, it is my priority to do everything I can to ensure Vermont provides high-quality health care, benefits and housing supports to those who served our country. For more information, please visit bit. ly/3mOI8wf.

Action in committee

The House Committee on General and Housing had a very busy few weeks. We heard from numerous sponsors of the bills assigned to our committee, testimony from those affected by proposed legislation and voted on several key issues.

The committee voted out the following bills:

• H.157, An act relating to the Vermont basic needs budget. This bill proposes to create a technical advisory committee to update the methodology used to calculate the Vermont livable wage. This bill is now in appropriations.

• H.66, An act relating to paid family and medical leave insurance. This bill is now in the ways and means committee.

The committee heard from the lead sponsors of several employment bills:

• H.114 proposes to restrict the use of electronic monitoring of employees and the use of automated decision systems for employment-related decisions.

• H.219 proposes to change laws around miscellaneous employee and collective bargain-

Polling place

ing rights.

• H.218 proposes changes to fair employment practices; good cause termination of employment laws.

• H.116 proposes changes around transparency of wages and prior employment pay inquiries.

• H.196 proposes to amend the prevailing wage requirements for state construction projects. The committee took testimony from the lead sponsors of housing

related bills:

• H.201 proposes to require all new and existing single-family dwellings to have fire blocking installed before they are sold.

• H.276 proposes to create a registration requirement and registry for rental housing.

• H.135 would cap annual rent increases and security deposits.

• H.111 proposes to make changes related to housing investment and regulatory reform.

• H.301 protects against no-cause eviction.

• H. 332 would build an energy code study committee. The committee received reports from Vermont Land Access and Opportunity Board and Support and Services at Home (SASH) and heard testimony from several disability rights activists regarding Disability Awareness Day in Vermont.

Budget adjustments

The budget adjustment act that emerged out of conference added $9 million to support Vermont Housing Finance Agency’s “missing middle” homeownership pilot program. This appropriation ensures that all applications that have been received can be funded.

It reduced the one-time appropriation to Vermont Housing and Conservation Board for housing $50 million to $27.5 million — 2.5 million of which is intended to support emergency shelter expansion.

It also maintained the House extension of emergency vouchers for specific populations through June 30 ($13.8 million), and extended vouchers for households not included in those groups but only through May 31 ($5 million).

I am excited that my first bill, H.393, was introduced

COURTESY PHOTO

Legislators like South Burlington’s Emilie Krasnow were back in their communities last week to attend town meeting and meet with constituents.

ly engage with the government and stay informed.

The 2020 study — published in the Journal of Civic Information and authored by Jodie Gil and Jonathan L. Wharton — involved nearly 100 municipalities in Connecticut following the state’s COVID19 emergency orders. It found that most of these municipalities experienced the same or increased participation during their public budget deliberations as they had previously.

While these towns also experienced learning curves and other unexpected challenges, the authors’ findings reinforce what many of us have come to believe during the last three years: the public is more likely to participate in meetings when given multiple ways to do so.

Massachusetts lawmakers recently recognized this reality with legislation that could serve as a model for other states. The bill would apply to all executive branch agencies and municipal bodies subject to the state’s open meeting law. It phases in over seven years a requirement that they meet in person and also provide remote access and participation but demands swift compliance by state agencies and elected municipal bodies.

attend in person. At the very least, open meeting laws should be changed to incorporate:

• Hybrid access: The public needs in-person access to government meetings along with the ability to attend and participate remotely. Both forms of access are critical. While remote meetings will make government accessible to those who cannot otherwise attend, citizens still need face-to-face time with their representatives without their commentary being muted or disconnected from a Zoom line.

• Hard deadline: The goal is to have all public bodies meeting in a hybrid form. The ease of reaching this goal will vary from one government agency to the next. States should set a clear and hard deadline for all government bodies to comply, taking into consideration challenges such as staffing, funding and logistics.

States should earmark funding specifically for the purpose of hybrid meetings and help those municipalities that genuinely need the assistance. Consider it an investment in democracy.

Non-elected municipal bodies with logistical or budgetary concerns can apply for hardship waivers. The legislation even creates a trust fund that will financially support those needing assistance. The waivers, however, are available only until 2030. There must be universal compliance by that time.

While each state has its own local considerations, there’s no reason why other open meeting laws cannot ultimately require hybrid access. Don’t know what legislation is introduced in your state? Use the legislation trackers at nefac.org/ foiguide.

Remote meeting technology is becoming more prevalent, less expensive and greatly needed by citizens unable to

KRASNOW

continued from page 6

and referred to the House Committee on Human Services.

The bill would direct the Vermont Department of Health, in partnership with the Governor’s Commission on Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders, the Department of Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living, and the Alzheimer’s Association-Vermont Chapter, to incorporate in its existing, relevant public health outreach programs information on Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias and the importance of brain health in risk reduction.

• Funding: A common argument against hybrid meetings is the cost of the required equipment and technology. While these costs have decreased significantly, they can still impose a burden on small towns with limited funding and staffing. States should earmark funding specifically for the purpose of hybrid meetings and help those municipalities that genuinely need the assistance. Consider it an investment in democracy.

There have been few silver linings to emerge from COVID-19. Remote access to government meetings is one of them. It provides equity and engagement in our democracy that many members of our communities would not otherwise enjoy. We need to change our open meeting laws now to make sure this access is available long after the pandemic has run its course.

Justin Silverman is the executive director of the New England First Amendment Coalition. The non-profit non-partisan organization is the region’s leading advocate for First Amendment freedoms and the public’s right to know about government. Learn more at nefac.org.

It was wonderful to have this break during town meeting week to reconnect with the organizations and people I care about so deeply. Thank you to all who have taken the time to meet, call and email me with your thoughts and questions on the bills pending in the Statehouse.

Please reach out anytime with ideas, questions and concerns ekrasnow@leg. state.vt.us.

Emilie Krasnow, a Democrat from South Burlington, serves the Chittenden-9 House district.

Getting sorted Community Notes

SB City Hall hosts ventriloquist Al Getler

South Burlington City Hall Auditorium will host an all-ages night of fun on Friday, March 31, by comedian and ventriloquist Al Getler.

Featured in a range of newspapers and television programs as well as performing in Las Vegas and Atlantic City, Getler will play two shows, one at 6 p.m. and another at 8 p.m. Tickets are $5 each.

Church holds rummage sale for mission outreach

Williston Federated Church, 44 North Williston Road, is holding a rummage on Friday, March 31, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on Saturday, April 1, 9 a.m. to noon. Shop for gently worn clothing for all ages. On Saturday fill a 30-gallon trash bag for $5. Proceeds from the clothing sale are used in support of mission outreach. For more information contact Carol Bouchard at 802- 862-7400. More information at steeple.org.

Program features history of Black trailblazers

On Sunday, March 19 at 2 p.m. at the Ethan Allen Homestead, Dr. Elise Guyette introduces the lives and work of Black trailblazers in early Burlington history whose stories have been absent from the historical narratives as the town changed from village to the Queen City.

Attend in person at the Homestead Museum, register remotely at bit.ly/4204db8, or by email at ethanallenhomestead@gmail.com or phone at 802-865-4556.

Chittenden County legislators meet at library

Meet your legislators on Monday, March 27, 4 to 5:30 p.m., in the Shelburne Pierson Library community room.

Representatives Jessica Brumsted and Kate Lalley, along with senators Thomas Chittenden, Virginia Lyons and Kesha Ram Hinsdale, meet the fourth Monday of every month at the Pierson library.

Build a rain barrel, help Lake Champlain

Ready for spring? Then join the Rethink Runoff stream team in a rain barrel workshop and build and paint a rain barrel in preparation for warmer weather.

By installing a rain barrel you can save water and money and help local streams at the same time. The stream team is hosting a workshop to teach you how to build, paint, install and maintain your own rain barrel.

When it rains, stormwater moves quickly over impervious surfaces such as buildings and roads, picking up pollutants like nutrients, sediment, oil, chemicals, road salt and metals. By capturing stormwater before it flows over roads urban residents can help decrease the amount of pollutants entering Lake Champlain.

Student Milestones

The water you save in a rain barrel can be used for watering lawns and flower gardens and washing your car or tools. Rain barrels help decrease runoff to Lake Champlain by capturing and holding rain water during a storm, and that means cleaner water for everyone.

Two workshops will be held on Friday, April 14, at the Public Works Facility, 291 Avenue A, Williston, 10 a.m.-noon and 1-3 p.m.

To sign up, visit bit. ly/3T7q24L.

Priority will be given to Shelburne residents, but residents of other towns (see list below) can register, and their names will be added to a wait list. The cost is $40, which covers the cost of supplies.

Email Adelaide Dumm with questions at adelaide@winooskinrcd. org.

Rethink Runoff, a program managed by the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission, is an ongoing public outreach effort to reduce dirt and pollutants in stormwater runoff in the Lake Champlain Basin.

The Stream Team is a project to engage citizens across a nine-municipality area — Burlington, Essex, Essex Junction, Milton, Shelburne, South Burlington, Williston, Colchester and Winooski — to implement projects that reduce nonpoint source pollution and stormwater volume at the local level. The program is coordinated by the Winooski Natural Resources Conservation District.

South Burlington students Joe Balkan and Nadia La made the fall 2022 semester dean’s list at Tufts University.

Emerson College student

George Karnedy of South Burlington earned dean’s list honors for the fall semester. George Karnedy is majoring in media arts production.

The following St. Lawrence University students from South Burlington were named to the dean’s list for the fall semester: Brooklyn Beamish; Caitlin Erb; Kristen Varin; and Regan

MacKay

Olivia Crocker of South Burlington has been named to the fall dean’s list at Roger Williams University.

The following students from South Burlington were named to the president’s list at Northern Vermont for the fall semester: Snow Leopard Magister, Vipon Kasongo and Arlie White

The following students from South Burlington made the fall semester dean’s list at Clark University: Isabella M. Herrera, first honors; Amanda H. Petten-

gill, first honors; and Lauren E. Bostwick, second honors.

Daniel Thurber of South Burlington made the dean’s list for the fall semester at Vermont Tech.

Ishir Agarwal of South Burlington achieved president’s list honors at Vermont Tech for the fall semester.

Henry Geffert of South Burlington was named to the St. Olaf College dean’s list for the fall semester.

Thomas P. Sweeny of South Burlington received dean’s list honors for the fall semester from

Fairfield University.

Ethan Popick of South Burlington has been named to the fall semester dean’s list at Florida Institute of Technology.

The following students from South Burlington were named to the fall student honors list at the Community College of Vermont:

Faith Baker; Nicolas Duval; Sohayla Mahmoud; Shannon

Mahoney; Maribeth Nichols; Rosalie Phillips; and Jody Rand

The following students from South Burlington were named to the fall president’s list at Commu-

nity College of Vermont: Fathima Babu; Levi Glenney; and Julia Sides

The following students, all from South Burlington were named to the fall dean’s list at Community College of Vermont: Musa Khan; Victoria Morgan; and Stacey Savage

Kristen Precourt of South Burlington was named to the dean’s list at Endicott College for the fall semester. She is the daugh-

COURTESY PHOTO

Members of the Faith United Methodist Church of South Burlington teamed up to identify and sort and hundreds of pieces of children’s clothing so that the Department of Children and Families would be better able to share donated clothing with clients.

COURTESY PHOTO Al Getler

official

Dermatology, ophthalmology to relocate to Tilley Drive

The University of Vermont Medical Center is relocating and consolidating its existing outpatient dermatology and ophthalmology practices at its Tilley Drive campus in South Burlington.

The project, estimated to cost $35 million, will allow the medical center to address longstanding access challenges to these services, based on historical demand and highlighted by a 2021 state assessment.

The Green Mountain Care Board issued a certificate of need in February.

“This facility will allow us to make progress on keeping pace with current patient demand, meet the growing need due to our region’s aging population, and free up space on our hospital’s main campus for other vital needs,” Dr. Stephen Leffler, president and CEO of the medical center, said.

The plan brings together four existing dermatology and ophthalmology sites, two of the busiest specialty practices on the hospital’s main campus, which currently have limited physical space and cannot expand to meet demand. The new facility will make more efficient use of space and resources and offer patients a location easily reached by car or public transportation,

including the free shuttle, which brings patients from the downtown Burlington transportation hub to all the clinical sites at Tilley Drive.

In the new facility, dermatology will add 14 additional clinical spaces, including exam rooms, spaces for Mohs procedures, phototherapy, laser treatment and suture removal.

Ophthalmology will add five additional spaces, including exam and testing rooms. The UVM Medical Center’s ophthalmology department will retain the use of two exam rooms and one procedure room on the main campus in Burlington for use in treating hospital inpatients, emergency cases.

All dermatology and ophthalmology providers and support staff will transition to the new facility. The plan includes recruiting additional staff, including new providers.

The hospital is not increasing rates to fund the project.

“We are reviewing every project based on financial feasibility and patient need. While we will see financial losses early on with this facility, we are taking it on because we know how vital it is to improve access for our patients now and into the future,” Leffler said.

Vermont Brain Bee

Local students earn top spots

A group of 22 students representing six Vermont high schools participated in the 14th annual Vermont Brain Bee at the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine on Feb. 11.

Competitors in the event are tested on their knowledge about the brain, nervous system and how people function.

Skylar Foster, a student at Burlington Technical Center who is also a senior at Mount Mansfield Union High School, captured first place. She will go on to compete in the national Brain Bee Championship at the University of California

Ascension church nets Energy Saver award

SARAH PAULOS CONTRIBUTOR

Ascension Lutheran Church in South Burlington has won a Vermont Interfaith Power and Light Energy Saver award for a years-long project that has cut 40 tons of annual carbon emissions.

Over 17 years the church has reduced its carbon footprint by 60 percent through energy-saving measures — upgrading lighting, heating and cooling and ventilation systems, insulating the buildings and purchasing solar from a community solar farm.

“The New England Synod is delighted that Ascension Lutheran Church has been selected as a cool congregation,” Rev. Steven Wilco, associate to the bishop, New England Synod, said. “The people of Ascension have long been leaders among Lutheran congregations in matters of environmental action and advocacy.”

Ascension Lutheran, a 120-member congregation, was built in the 1960s and was in serious need of energy upgrades. It was poorly insulated and weather-sealed and had inefficient heating and lighting systems.

Beginning in 2005, the Caring for Creation Committee started a process of energy audits, applying for utility and Vermont Interfaith Power and Light grants and embarked on a 17-year progression of energy improvements. This process raised their members’ consciousness regarding climate change and the need to reduce their carbon footprint at the church and in their daily lives.

Ascension’s first step was to get an energy efficiency assessment from Interfaith Power & Light, followed by a variety of measures including replacing incandescent lightbulbs with energy efficient fluorescent and

LED bulbs and replacing two aging refrigerators.

In 2011, Ascension was awarded a $11,100 Vermont Community Climate Change Grant from the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, and then committed $16,000 of its own funds and another $2,750 in incentives from Vermont Gas and Efficiency Vermont to renovate the inefficient existing gas heating system. This work included replacing the 40-year-old boiler system with a high efficiency system and other upgrades.

The church recently installed a state-of-the-art air handling system to meet COVID-19 requirements, insulated all water and heating pipes and purchased 20 solar panels from a community solar project. Altogether, the church’s upgrades are annually preventing 40 tons of carbon emissions, saving approximately $2,500 a year on energy bills.

Irvine in April.

Her teammates, Corey Wemple, a senior at Champlain Valley Union High School and Vaughn Larkin, a senior at South Burlington High School, tied for second place.

Emma Blanchard, a junior representing South Burlington High School, took third.

The Team Award went to Burlington Technical Center.

In addition to Burlington Technical Center, participating schools included CVU, Rice Memorial High School, St. Johnsbury Academy, South Burlington High

School and Windham Regional Tech Center/Brattleboro.

The daylong event featured written and practical examinations — including real brain specimens — and case presentations by neuropsychologists Sharon Leach, Ph.D. and Abigail Ryan Ph.D.

“The cases presented this year involved developmental issues of autism, attention, anxiety and dementia,” Leach said. “Many of the students showed they were learning to think clinically by generating questions about the possible differential diagnoses presented in the cases.”

Participants in the 2023 Vermont Brain Bee from South Burlington High School, from left, Emma Blanchard, Elizabeth Nahstoll, Paige Poirier, Lisa Bernardin, and coordinator Sophie Kellogg.

“This facility will allow us to make progress on keeping pace with current patient demand.”

— Dr. Stephen Leffler

Vermont Sports Hall of Fame

SoBu, Shelburne residents inducted

One Shelburne business owner and two South Burlington residents will be inducted into the Vermont Sports Hall of Fame along with 10 other inductees from around the state in April for their contributions to sports in the Green Mountain State.

Thomas Dunkley

Thomas Dunkley of South Burlington is the 2023 David Hakins Inductee for exceptional promotion and development of sports and athletics.

Labeled the “Father of Vermont Gymnastics” by the U.S. Gymnastics Association in 1991, Dunkley’s passion and dedication for the sport gave it strong roots in Vermont nearly six decades ago when he started and coached the first varsity men’s gymnastics team at the University of Vermont in 1966.

“I think that he had a passion for getting kids to be involved in moving,” said his oldest daughter Ruth Dunkley McGowan. “So, he went on to teach in first the YMCA and then in public schools, and then said that Vermont looks like a great place to bring gymnastics to because he and a few people had been working in gymnastics in New Jersey, so he went up to the University of Vermont and started the first men’s gymnastics team.

“Vermont really didn’t know a lot about gymnastics at that point,” she added.

Just one year later, Dunkley established gymnastics as a sport at the Vermont high school level with the first sanctioned state championships in 1967. He also organized and coached the gymnastics teams for the Burlington International Games during this era while serving on the board of directors.

McGowan explained that for most of his life, Dunkley had a passion for conservation, the environment and, of course, gymnastics. So, in 1973 he incorporated all of these into the creation of Dunkley’s Gymnastics Camp, the longest-running of its kind in the state.

“He decided he would run his own camp. So, he found this place up on Keeler’s Bay in South Hero.

It was an old fishing camp where there was a great big rec hall, which we converted into a gym,” McGowan said. “My dad bought it in 1972 and in 1973, that spring, we opened up Dunkley’s Gymnastics Camp.”

McGowan said that her dad’s love of movement and gymnastics was a tribute that was passed down to most of his children and he even included them in some of his most memorable performances.

“In 1957 his agent called him up and said, ‘Can you make an engagement later on in Washington at the White House to perform for the president?’ So, we went down and we did the show.”

Later, he received a command performance for the King of Arabia in Riyad, Saudi Arabia where he performed with his daughters and wife.

Dunkley died on Aug. 1, 2012, but his family continues to run his summer camp, which remains active to this day.

“I would say other than his passion for getting kids moving and for the environment, his love of his family was right up there,” said McGowan. “He put his family first in all that he did and really had a love for his family.”

John Koerner

Shelburne resident and local business owner John Koerner is a high-scoring soccer player who was the all-time leading scorer at Champlain Valley Union High School and the University of Vermont. During his high school career, he also excelled in ice hockey, tennis and track before graduating in 1974. He led the high school to two trips to the state soccer title game, winning the 1971 Division I championship.

Koerner said his love for sports was something that was passed down through his family.

“My love of sports came from watching my older brothers play along with the support of my parents and the fact that I didn’t like going to school,” he said.

Koerner also reigned as the high school boys’ state tennis champion and was the Northern New England champion. In 1972, Koerner was ranked third in New England in age 16 and under singles tennis. He also

won several Vermont State Junior Boys championships in various singles and doubles age divisions during that era.

At the University of Vermont, where he was inducted into the hall of fame in 1988, Koerner played center forward in men’s soccer for four seasons and wore jersey number 12. As a powerful offensive force, he scored 45 goals — still the most by any University of Vermont player — while his 26 assists and 116 points are also career records.

He was New England’s leading scorer in 1975 with 15 goals and eight assists for a conference-record 38 points. All were University of Vermont single-season records. The University of Vermont was 38-13-4 during Koerner’s career, winning a league title in 1975 when they went 11-2-0 and made their first trip to the NCAAs.

“Our team’s biggest wins were against the University of Connecticut and the University of Rhode Island as they were always ranked in the top ten nationally so beating that team always got the program lots of recognition and allowed us to play in the NCAA tournament,” he said.

After college, his passion for sports never died. “I continued to play golf and qualified for two Vermont amateur tournaments,” he said. “And I played for 30 years in a men’s hockey group.”

In 2004, Koerner founded 52 Kids, a nonprofit foundation that advances sustainable progress and enterprise for children in the

Kamuli district of Uganda.

Just eight years later, he began a new endeavor by opening Folino’s Pizza in Shelburne — a venture that he says sports taught him a lot about. “Sports taught me in busi-

ness that you need good leaders at the top and to work as a team,” he said.

LIBERTY DARR STAFF WRITER

COURTESY PHOTOS

Above and below, John Koerner, a gymnast, was inducted into the Vermont Sports Hall of Fame.

continued from page 10

Andy Gardiner

Andy Gardiner of South Burlington is the 2023 Mal Boright Media Inductee for serving over 25 years as a leading sportswriter in the state and beyond.

The Tennessee native and Florida State graduate came to Vermont in the 1970s to earn his master’s degree at the University of Vermont while beginning his sports writing career at the Burlington Free Press in 1975.

Gardiner, who was unavailable for comment at press time, was named the Vermont Sportswriter of the Year in 1977 and 1981 by the state’s chapter of the National Sports Media Association. In 198283 he was recruited as an inaugural staff member of USA Today but later returned to Vermont with the Burlington Free Press where he was named the state’s sportswriter of the year again in 1987 and 1988.

“He had a remarkable career at the Free Press,” said Jim Welch, Gardiner’s colleague and close

friend of 50 years. “I’d say one of the high points I’m sure for him was covering the University of Vermont’s men’s basketball. I think it was 2005 when they won a firstround NCAA game against Syracuse.”

During his time at USA Today, he covered national college sports, pro golf and 11 Olympic Games beginning with the Winter Games in Calgary in 1988.

“I would say the thing that we most did together was cover the Olympics,” Welch, former deputy managing editor in sports at USA Today, said. “We covered nine Olympics; he actually did 11 himself.”

After retiring from Gannett and USA Today, in 2012 he returned to Vermont and remained involved in the state’s sports media as a freelancer and a contributor to Vermont Public Radio.

“He was much admired by his colleagues at USA Today. He was always somebody who was

a good friend of everybody there and certainly well respected by those whom he covered,” Welch said. “He could be a tough reporter, but he was always fair and always honest and polite about his job. He’s so deserving of this honor from the Sports Hall of Fame.”

Other inductees include Olympic alpine skiers Suzi Chaffee of Rutland and Doug Lewis of Middlebury; three-time Olympic snowboard medalist Kelly Clark of West Dover; two-time Olympic mountain biker Lea Davison from Jericho; three-sport star and college football standout Jake Eaton of Rutland; legendary high school basketball coach David Fredrickson of Bennington; record-setting basketball players Jasmyn Huntington Fletcher of Bradford and Morgan Valley of Colchester; four-sport standout and high scoring soccer player John Koerner of Shelburne; and Bob Molinatti from Colchester, the hall’s first para-athlete.

PHOTO BY DAVE PRIGANC

South Burlington High School junior, Paige Poirier, finished in the Girls Division I top 10 for both the freestyle and classic races at the Vermont State Nordic Ski Championships in February. Poirier will race against top New England skiers in the Eastern High School Championships this weekend at Rikert.

HALL OF FAME

continued from page 1

conversation around how citizens want to be represented.

“Five city councilors are representing 20,000 people. Is that enough city councilors to represent all the residents of a big city?” city manager Jessie Baker said. “In all the conversations I heard with the council, it wasn’t that they said, ‘We want to have X,’ it was that we should have a conversation in our community about governance and what we might want in the future.”

South Burlington is currently governed by a city manager and council chair form of government, with five councilors elected at-large to represent the city’s population and the city manager appointed by the council.

Andrew Chalnick and Tyler Barnes were this month elected to three- and two-year terms on the board, respectively, replacing Vermont Sen. Thomas Chittenden and Matt Cota. They join current councilors Tim Barritt, Meaghan Emery and Helen Riehle.

Five individuals, meanwhile, are elected to the city’s school board.

But over the years, concerns have arisen about whether this provides equitable representation. Chittenden, who recently stepped

down as city councilor, wrote in The Other Paper in 2018 asking whether the town should expand the size of the city council.

“It seems to me that our current (South Burlington) constituency ratio dilutes the quality of relationships with our citizens,” he wrote.

“If South Burlington increased the number of councilors to seven, that would be two more people to make connections throughout South Burlington and two more people to bring those connections into city hall.”

“Alternative models with a mix of ward and at-large seats could mitigate this by keeping our local elections ‘local,’” he continued.

Of South Burlington’s five city councilors, four live in the city’s southeast quadrant, a more rural and affluent area of town. Both Cota and Chittenden also lived in the southeast district.

“One of the other things that spurred this conversation was just a general conversation about equity in society, and equity in governance,” Baker said. “There was potentially a perception that when you have four counselors that are all from the same area of the city, are we equitably providing representation for all?”

Report shows Barnes’s election campaign raised nearly $6,000

COREY MCDONALD STAFF WRITER

Newly elected city councilor Tyler Barnes reported nearly $6,000 in contributions to his campaign, disclosed last week prior to South Burlington’s council election where he beat his two opponents by just over 200 votes.

Barnes reported $5,817 in total contributions, including a $3,100 loan he took out himself for his campaign. He received a total of $630 from small contributions totaling under $100.

He garnered donations from Frank and Michele von Turkovich to the tune of $193.73 and $200, respectively; William Cimonetti donated $193.73; John Illick donated $1,000; and John Wilking donated $500.

He spent his cash on adver-

Residents in the southeast quadrant may have their own set of issues separate from issues present in the Chamberlain neighborhood, for example, said Paul Engels, a member of the charter committee and former city councilor who this month lost in his bid for reelection.

“It’s a question of equal representation,” he said.

The question of campaign and election financing is also present. This year’s city council election saw more than $20,000 in campaign contributions for the five candidates. Four of the five candidates, Engels included, raised at least $3,000.

“As more money is becoming part of the city council election, people who live in the southeast quadrant, who have money or have access to money ... are the people who are candidates,” Engels said. “That’s the way it’s evolved.”

Creating a ward system, he said, would be a “solution to the cost of running citywide elections” and would ensure a more equitable representation on the council. He said in meeting minutes that it was the most important thing the committee could do.

Emery, the only sitting councilor not from the southeast quadrant, said she first ran in 2008 to ensure that her part of town did have representation.

“Elections are expensive, and increasingly so because there are wealth disparities between the different candidates,” she said.

“There are some real moneyed interests here that can throw their weight behind candidates. By

tising, media and a campaign website.

This year’s council election turned out to be an expensive event, with more than $20,000 in cash raised in total. Each candidate raised at least $3,000, aside from Lydia Diamond, who has not reported any contributions or spending.

The Vermont Secretary of State sets several deadlines for candidates who raise or spend at least $500 to file contributions and expenses: 30 days, 10 days, and four days before an election, and then two weeks after.

Andrew Chalnick, who beat James Leas to replace Vermont Sen. Thomas Chittenden on the council, was the only candidate to file at the 30-day deadline. He has to date reported more than $8,400 in ontributions — $1,200 of which he contributed to

having a ward system, I could see perhaps more obstacles to that kind of uneven playing field. That would be a benefit.”

But she cautioned against thinking “that a councilor from a specific ward is only responsible to that ward.”

“I think that opens up the kind of faction building, ‘I’ll do this for you if you do this for my district’ thinking,’” she said. “We really have to think of the city as a whole and let people’s strength of their arguments and the strength of the public’s arguments really be the persuading factor.”

There’s also long been calls from the public to elect a mayor, Emery said. “I can’t say that this is a broad call, and I think that’s what the charter review committee is going to actually be able to measure.”

It’s these pros and cons that the charter committee has been weighing, having spent the last nine months researching the various governing models in Vermont.

Since May 2021, the charter committee has interviewed Montpelier city manager Bill Fraser, Winooski mayor Kristine Lott, and Rutland City mayor David Allaire, exploring the “pros and cons” of each form of government.

The city council, in its 2021 resolution, asked that the committee finish its work by July 2023.

The committee has, as a result, created a public document exploring several governing models: a “strong mayor” system, like Burlington’s; a “weak mayor” system where the mayor who would serve

himself and $1,000 he loaned to himself. He spent nearly $8,200.

Leas, meanwhile, reported total contributions of more than $3,700, most of which was out of his own pocket.

Barnes won over Paul Engels and Diamond to replace Matt Cota for a two-year term on the council. He sat on the council dais for the first time on Thursday during the council’s reorganization meeting.

“I’m very excited, I’m honored and I’m incredibly enthusiastic to be here,” Barnes said at the meeting.

Engels to date has reported $3,040 in campaign contributions. He contributed $125 to himself and raised $415 from anonymous donations of less than $100, while receiving several contributions from various residents and other city officials.

as city council chair but has no executive function, similar to Winooski; and the city’s current city manager and council chair model — as well as an expansion of seats on the board and a wardbased electoral system.

Any change to the city’s charter is still months, or years, out. The committee will shape its recommendation based on public feedback. Members plan on sending out a survey to residents and will have several forums to take feedback and solicit ideas from residents based on their pros and cons list.

“If 90 percent of people say they like wards, it could drive us in that direction, regardless of what any of us might feel about it,” Peter Taylor, chair of the charter committee, said. “That’s what the council wanted, for us to get this out to the public and get feedback.”

The committee hopes to formulate a recommendation by the fall and would present it to the city council, who would then have to have its own set of public hearings and then approve a measure to be voted on by residents. Officials have tentatively suggested a possible vote in either March or November 2024.

“We could very well say, from the committee’s perspective, we’re going to advise that you keep it the way it is, and then the council could say, well, we disagree,” Taylor said. “So, it really goes back to the council, and then they determine the direction of how it goes forward.”

“When you have four counselors that are all from the same area of the city, are we equitably providing representation?”

— Jessie Baker, city manager

Obituary

Beverly A. Prindle

Beverly Prindle, 85, died unexpectedly at her home in South Burlington on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023.

Bev was born Oct. 15, 1937, the daughter of Leon and Barbara (White) Safford of Jeffersonville. After graduating in the Class of 1955 from Cambridge High School, Bev moved to Burlington and was employed at Radio Service Laboratory, where she met Robert H. Prindle. They were married and had two children.

Bev also worked at the Chittenden Bank and Olin Mills Photography. She later became a volunteer for more than 25 years at the University of Vermont Medical Center. She was a “sunshine girl” and delivered flowers to the patients. She always had a bright

MILESTONES

continued from page 8

ter of Susan Precourt and Steven Precourt.

Lucas Gales and Catherine Davis, both of South Burlington, were named to the dean’s list at the University of Tampa for the fall semester.

Eastern Connecticut State University student Zelie Condon-Layman of South Burlington made the fall dean’s list.

Liam J. Clancy of South Burlington, a member of the Saint Michael’s College Class of 2021, was among 26 students

smile and happy words for everyone. Bev always took the time to visit with everyone she met, no matter where she was.

Bev will be greatly missed by her family and friends, and by the

very special classmates who have kept in touch throughout the years. Survivors include her daughter, Laurie Prindle and her partner, Bill Cripe; her sisters, Leona Bombard, Marion Safford and Muriel Shipman; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Bev was predeceased by her husband, Robert Prindle; son, Richard Alan (Ricky); her parents; brothers-in-law, Rhy Bombard and Stanley Shipman; a nephew, Stuart Bombard; and her second husband, William Demo.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory may be made to a charity of your choice.

There will not be a service at this time. A graveside service will be held in the spring at the convenience of the family, with a date to be determined.

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and alumni listed as authors of a peer-reviewed paper on neurodegenerative diseases published by The Journal of Comparative Neurology in December 2022. The paper was the result of research funded by a grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences at the National Institutes of Health.

The following South Burlington students were named to the University of Rhode Island’s dean list for the fall: Marin Edmunds; Maddie Gallagher-Strauss;

Emma Kelley; Courtney Coffman; Seamus Mcgrath; Olivia Prue; and Natalie Straw

Ashton Matthews of South Burlington was named to the dean’s list for the fall semester at Quinnipiac University.

Caitlin Cournoyer of South Burlington has been named to the dean’s list for the fall semester at the University of New England.

South Burlington’s John Ambrosino was named to College of the Holy Cross’s fall dean’s list.

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Beverly A. Prindle

A stunning 18-hole golf course nestled in Shelburne,

ANTIQUES WANTED

The week-long bait drop is a coopera tive effort between Vermont and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services to stop the spread of the potentially fatal

Rabies is a deadly viral disease of the brain that infects mammals. It is most often seen in raccoons, skunks, foxes, and bats, but unvaccinated pets and livestock can also get rabies.The virus is spread through the bite of an infected animal or contact with its

ways fatal in humans and animals. However, treatment with the rabies vaccine is nearly 100 percent effective when given soon after

So far this year, 23 animals in Vermont have tested positive for rabies, and 14 of

According to wildlife officials, rabid animals often show a change in their normal behavior, but you cannot tell whether an animal has rabies simply by looking at it. People should not touch or pick up wild animals or strays – even baby animals.

lead

ARIES

March 21 - April 20

So many things are moving your way, Aries. As the week progresses, your energy level could rise and you will get much more done. Leave time for meaningful encounters.

TAURUS

April 21 - May 21

Taurus, connect with nature this week. Go hiking at a national park or visit a zoo and take in the exotic animals. Fresh outdoor air is just what you need.

GEMINI

May 22 - June 21

Gemini, this week marks a new cycle for you. This means you should focus your energy on your ideas and try to narrow down prospects as much as possible.

CANCER

June 22 - July 22

You may need a little inspiration to get moving this week, Cancer. While it’s alright to take it easy on Monday or Tuesday, by Wednesday you need to shake away what’s holding you back.

LEO

July 23 - Aug. 23

Your brain is lled with many thoughts, Leo. With so much buzzing around in your head, it may be challenging to focus. Consult with a friend to help you out.

VIRGO

Aug. 24 - Sept. 22

Virgo, enjoy the calm while you can because later in the week the pace may become frenzied. Emotions may run high as everyone is rushing around.

SAGITTARIUS

Nov. 23 - Dec. 21

Exercise caution when you speak about other people at work, Sagittarius. Not everyone will share your views and you need to work peacefully with others.

CAPRICORN

Dec. 22 - Jan. 20

You may want to remain in an easygoing state, Capricorn, but others are not letting you just hang around. You need to get some things accomplished this week.

LIBRA

Sept. 23 - Oct. 23

People are drawn to you more so than usual, Libra. All this newfound attention may feel a little overwhelming. Find some quiet time to ground yourself and refocus.

SCORPIO

Oct. 24 - Nov. 22

Scorpio, you have many ideas for the future, but you need to get moving. Is something or someone holding you back? Have an honest conversation about what you need.

AQUARIUS

Jan. 21 - Feb. 18

You may be feeling like you are moving a little slow, Aquarius. But if you write down all you have gotten done, then you’re likely to discover you’ve been quite busy.

PISCES

Feb. 19 - March 20

Be on the lookout for a catalyst that can put you on the path for big changes, Pisces. You can use some fresh inspiration.

CLUES ACROSS

1. Belonging to a thing

4. Pass or go by

10. Partner to cheese

11. Subjects

12. U.S. State (abbr.)

14. Bits per inch

15. Forest-dwelling deer

16. Illinois city

18. A salt or ester of acetic acid

22. Wholly unharmed

23. Cuddled

24. Bane

26. Global investment bank (abbr.)

27. Oh my gosh!

28. Arrive

30. Famed Spanish artist

31. Home of “Frontline”

CROSSWORD SUDOKU

40. Pole with at blade

41. Football play

42. Makes unhappy

48. Island in Hawaii

50. Back in business

51. Of an individual

52. Painful chest condition

53. Tropical American monkey

54. Matchstick game

55. For instance

56. Even again

58. Popular beverage

59. Evaluate

60. Time units (abbr.)

CLUES DOWN

1. Stain one’s hands

2. Nocturnal hoofed animals

3. Back condition

4. Popular movie alien

Here’s How It Works:

Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must ll each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can gure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!

34. Group of quill feathers

36. Keyboard key

37. Army training group

39. Detail

5. City of Angels

6. Peaks

7. Infantry weapons

8. Left

9. Atomic #99

ANSWERS

12. Told a good yarn

13. Vale

17. Resistance unit

19. Aquatic plant

20. Bluish greens

21. About some Norse poems

25. Reinforces

29. Egyptian mythological goddess

31. Supportive material

32. Subatomic particle

33. Expired bread 35. Cereal grain 38. Goes against 41. Walkie __ 43. One who does not accept 44. Beliefs 45. Indicates near

Brazilian NBA star

Grab quickly

Romantic poet

College dorm worker 57. Set of data