Administrative

city government:Burlington

An Eye for an Eye? It s starting to sound like police are involved in a war against the street people. I was having my dinner sandwich in the outside sitting area of the Red Onion sandwich shop, when a few youths came up with tempers flaring. Justine obviously wanted to do damage to something. Justine told me how the police had assaulted their friend with mace. Justine describe a scene where they were playing their drums and hanging out and a few officers walk up and asked the two girls that were with them who they were and how old they were. They told the girls the hippies would probably rape them. When the girl told the cops these guys were her friends, they proceeded to order the kids out of the park. Justine described how his good friend Chris asked  why?  According to Justine, the police would not say why they had to leave, other than  We decided to close the park.  ^popular Click here to read more.

BurlingtonVT Police Department is committed to policing with the citizens of Burlington to achieve a safe, healthy and self-reliant community. We aspire to be the foremost police agency in the nation by embracing community policing in our philosophy, organization and strategy. The BPD advertises that its core values include integrity, service, respect, and creativity. ^popular Click here to read more.

Waterfront Transformations is a plan to transform a parking lot on Burlington's waterfront into a multi-million dollar development. The eight million-dollar proposal for the site, includes an inn, two movie theatres and a restaurant. The developer hopes to create a showcase for the arts, which will draw a lot of foot traffic downtown. Click here to read more.

city government:Burlington:city council

Burlington City Council Blasts FTAA Burlington City council passed a resolution against the FTAA at last night's meeting. I believe this makes Burlington the second city in the U.S. to pass such a resolution. The council vote was 12 to 0 in favor. Democrat Bill Keogh abstained and one member was absent from the meeting. The resolution was sponsored by Progressive council member Philip Fiermonte. Burlington Mayor Peter Clavelle has also been vocally opposed to the FTAA. He's part of a panel discussion scheduled for next Monday 4/16 at 7:00 p.m. at Edmunds Middle School cafeteria to discuss the trade agreement. ^popular Click here to read more.

Not the Co-op?! I'd like to share some numbers with you; 57, 57, 58 71, 51, 52, & 75 .Of course this data is the % favorable for the Shaw's proposal in wards 1 through 7, respectively. The city average was 61.6% favorable. Even though this was only a single-issue ballot 13.4% of the eligible Burlington voters, voted. Before you conclude that voter turn out of 13+% is insignificant, let me share some other information with you. In the spring city elections of 98 with a full slate of issues only 12.8% and 7.7% of the eligible voters in 2 wards voted in the election of the councilors. I don't recall the mayor or any of the councilors ignoring those results or deciding that they were meaningless. Click here to read more.

Say NO to Gross Receipts Tax Increase "The voters of Burlington have already said they do not want to pay more in property taxes. That does not mean they want to pay more for food. Business is not getting any easier. Our largest expenses are going up at an alarming rate. Our payroll expenses are up ten percent over last year. It is very difficult to find people to work. We are offering wages of eight and nine dollars per hour and even this rate is not very effective. People are simply not applying for the jobs. Because of the turnover rate, training is a constant priority." Dave Simendinger set the general tone of most of the people that spoke about the one-half percent increase in the Burlington rooms and meals tax. Most of the speakers on this subject were restaurant owners. Click here to read more.

State of the City Address Clavelle annual adress included

1. a short description of some of the nice things about Burlington,
2. a desire to change the way city government works,
3. a suggested Community Recreation Center for youth,
4. City budget cuts to balance the city budget without the requested two cent raise in the property tax increase that got turned down during the city election, and
5. several changes that are in store for the waterfront this coming year.

UVM Students Petition-City Council Nearly 20 UVM students showed up at the City Council Meeting to protest the party resolution, where the city council site UVM student gatherings and wanted to crack down on private parties in downtown bars. The city council was looking at having UVM develop strict controls on these events. After listening to the student pleas, the council voted to hand the matter over to Mayor Peter Clavelle to discuss with the colleges of the area, especially the University of Vermont (UVM). This was a surprise to me. I expected the City Council to go after the owner of the bar for not following the law of the land. I didn't hear anything in the entire meeting about how they were planning to deal with the bar Sha Na Na's. It seems to me that the bar should have been closed until after this issue was dealt with and the students that were there illegally should have gone to jail for the night and should have been booked for it. Click here to read more.

local issues and opinions

Flanagan Favors Stronger Environmental Protections BURLINGTON – Ed Flanagan, Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, today discussed his environmental priorities at a news conference at the Burlington Community Boathouse. Flanagan said that there is no better example of an issue that requires a national response than the "environment." Forces outside Vermont’s borders, such as Midwestern power plants, are polluting our air and waters, putting our health at risk, and hurting our quality of life. "Vermonters value our environment," Flanagan said. "We believe in clean air and clean water. We are disturbed by the encroachment of sprawl across our state at the same time that many of our downtowns are suffering from neglect and vacant storefronts. We also understand that our state’s economy and our quality of life are inextricably linked to the health of our environment." ^popular Click here to read more.

There was an explosive debate in Vermont over Civil Unions during 2000. The General Assembly was packed with standing room only, as people weighed in and attempted to influence the legislative branch on whether their should be a special law giving rights specifically to homosexuals couples. Many Christians did not want any special bills for homosexuals and homosexuals did not want the rights under this bill to be extended to anyone else. ^popular Click here to read more.

IBM wants Green Mountain Power to cut their electricity costs at everybody else's expense. Meanwhile, our Republican governor, Jim Douglas, allows IBM to get away with anything they want in a one-sided deal that only benefits IBM. All we get out of their deal is the new "IBM Tax" that'll pop up on our monthly electricity bills. IBM's shenanigans at the state level of government reflect what Corporate America is doing on a national and international level. Corporate America has bought out our political system! They are dictating the terms of public policy. Big Business and organized money are using whatever leverage they can to exert pressure over the unorganized public. They are shifting the flow of resources so that they are the sole benefactors. Everyone else is left out of the loop. Click here to read more.

United and Strengthening America (USA) Act Ronald M. Jacobs, of the University of Vermont, sent me an email declaring that Under Senate Bill 1510, now being considered in the Senate as an Anti-terrorism act. The claim is that, "Under the law as now written, you and anyone connected with any organization - 501(c)(3), church, Rotary, any organization - can be snagged under this legislation. Lifting the Statute of Limitations means that you could have your home and other assets seized if you were a member of an organization that supported, for example, Leonard Peltier, or sent food or medicine to Cuba, or even protested against nukes in the '60s" Click here to read more.

local issues and opinions:ftaa

A Free Trade Anecdote From the Green Mountain National Forest In early January, just after the new year, loggers from Claire Lathrop Co., a local logging outfit and lumber mill based in Bristol, VT, cut roughly 180,000 board feet of northern hardwood -- mostly maple -- from the Lincoln Brook II timber sale in the National Forest in Warren, VT. Previous to the cut, Lathrop had negotiated an amendment in their contract with the Forest Service to allow for the first time use of helicopter yarding in our National Forest. Click here to read more.

Burlington City Council Blasts FTAA Burlington City council passed a resolution against the FTAA at last night's meeting. I believe this makes Burlington the second city in the U.S. to pass such a resolution. The council vote was 12 to 0 in favor. Democrat Bill Keogh abstained and one member was absent from the meeting. The resolution was sponsored by Progressive council member Philip Fiermonte. Burlington Mayor Peter Clavelle has also been vocally opposed to the FTAA. He's part of a panel discussion scheduled for next Monday 4/16 at 7:00 p.m. at Edmunds Middle School cafeteria to discuss the trade agreement. Click here to read more.

Eye Witness Account of The Violent Front Lines at Summit of Americas Chemical Agents and Plastic Bullets Click here to read more.

Fast Track Passes in the House WASHINGTON – Congressman Bernie Sanders (I-VT) cast a strong “No” vote against the Fast Track trade bill today which passed by a slim one-vote margin (215-214) on the floor of the House. The Fast Track trade bill transfers constitutionally-mandated powers of Congress to the Executive Branch by giving the President the authority to submit trade agreements to Congress for a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ vote without amendment. Click here to read more.

Labor Is Mobilizing Across Borders to Stop the FTAA APRIL 6, 2001 -- Opposition to the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) is deepening within the labor movement, both within the US and throughout the Western Hemisphere. As FTAA negotiators met in Buenos Aires this week to iron out the details of their plan, Argentine police patrolled a barricaded perimeter to keep out labor union groups concerned about the impacts the proposed agreement. More than 100 organizations from Argentina and other Latin American countries participated in large nonviolent protests during the planning session. Click here to read more.

Northeast U.S. Gears Up To Protest FTAA Summit April 15, 2001 --- As trade ministers from 34 countries from the western hemisphere prepare to negotiate the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) in Quebec City next weekend, anti-corporate globalization activists from the Northeast U.S. are making contingency plans if thousands of protesters are not allowed entry into Canada Click here to read more.

ThinkTwice about Trade Promotion Authority Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) legislation (also known as "fast track") would give the President (through his appointed negotiators) authority to negotiate the terms of international trade agreements without significant input from outside of the administration. Under the currect TPA proposal, Congress would have no ability to alter the terms of a trade agreement; only a "yes" or "no" vote would be possible. There are no real provisions for consultation and democratic debate about trade policy, even though these issues affect every U.S. citizen and resident. The TPA bill outlines specific business protection provisions which are required to be part of any negotiated trade agreement. However, there are no required provisions for worker or "environmental" protection. ... It is clear that TPA legislation is aimed at the interests of large corporations, not the American people at large. (permanent link) Click here to read more.

Vermont Prepares As Anti-Globalization Activists Head For Major Trade Prote March 13, 2001 - The Vermont Mobilization for Global Justice (VT MGJ), a newly formed coalition which includes more than 15 statewide groups, will hold a press conference this Thursday, March 15 at 11 AM in Burlington's City Hall Contois Auditorium. This press conference will announce the VT MGJ's plans to open a Convergence Center and Independent Media Center in Burlington in preparation for thousands of anti-economic globalization activists traveling through Vermont on their way to Quebec City, PQ, Canada for mass actions against the upcoming Summit of the Americas. Click here to read more.

VT Senator Jeffords Opposes Fast Track On Saturday, January 12, in front of a crowd of 30 Vermonters rallying against Fast Track (now called Trade Promotion Authority), Senator James Jeffords (Vermont, Independent) declared that he would not support Fast Track. When asked later for confirmation that this was, in fact, the Senator's stance on the issue, he reiterated, "I will not vote for Fast Track." This pronouncement came as a welcome surprise to anti-Fast Track activists whose request for the Senator's position on Fast Track had previously been eluded by his staff members. Click here to read more.

local issues and opinions:x:civil unions

Advocates for Traditional Marriage vow to Take It To The People in November Vermonters for Traditional Marriage, the political action committee of Take It To The People, is vowing to continue in their effort to preserve traditional marriage through the elections in November. This comes in response to today's vote in the Vermont House to accept the so-called "civil unions" bill as passed by the Senate last week. ^popular Click here to read more.

Governor Dean Signs H.847 A moment infamy at Vermont's State House today as Gov. Howard Dean signed H.847 into law behind closed doors and without a signing ceremony at 1:30 PM. On April 25, 2000. Questioned hard by the press of the unusual signing, the governor indicated it was to begin the process of healing by minimizing the appearance of "triumphalism". ^popular Click here to read more.

As president, Dean would recognize same sex unions. Dean said he would not propose a federal law to give gay and lesbian couples the right to get married, but he would advocate that the federal government recognize state laws that granted gays and lesbians the rights and benefits of marriage. As president of the United States, I will recognize civil unions, which will then allow full equality under the law as far as the federal government is concerned," Dean said in a speech to the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association convention in Philadelphia. Vermont is the only state in the country that formally recognizes relationships of gay and lesbian couples. Through a pact known as civil unions, passed by the Legislature in 2000, the state grants same-sex couples all the rights and benefits of marriage that are conferred by state government. Dean made a point of saying that Vermont has not passed what is commonly referred to as gay marriage, emphasizing that civil unions are a parallel, but separate, institution. Click here to read more.

Burlington Area Election Results 2000 Here are the election Results for all Representatives that the Burlington Vermont area voted on, as of November 8th, 2000 at 7:24 PM. My source is the Burlington Free Press. Most of the candidate photos are from WPTZ Channel 5 News. Click here to read more.