Sophomore Carter Neubieser, 20, declared his candidacy on the steps of UVM’s Bailey/Howe library, a backward baseball cap snugged over his shaggy blond hair.
“Our generation has been handed quite the mess,” he said, citing high tuition, low wages, climate change and a growing drug epidemic. About 15 students turned out for the announcement, as did Isaac Grimm, the political engagement director of Rights and Democracy, and, briefly, city Councilor Max Tracy (P-Ward 2).
Neubieser, of New Britain, Conn., said that if elected, he would work for increased affordable housing, including co-op housing for students on campus, and improved walking and biking routes across the city.
Neubieser will seek the endorsement of the Progressive Party. He’s never served in government, he said, but did volunteer for Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign.
He jabbed at Roof for supporting Tucows, a private Toronto company, over the co-op Keep BT Local as a buyer for Burlington Telecom.
On Facebook, Roof congratulated Neubieser on the announcement. “I’ve always believed that competitive elections are healthy for democracy,” he wrote. Roof, 28, also attended UVM.
Environmental activist James Ehlers, who has said he will run against Gov. Phil Scott in 2018, introduced Neubieser. “About 20 years ago, we could only dream about having young people involved,” Ehlers said of the Progressive Party. “People of my generation, we’re here to support you.”
Ehlers solicited help from students for his own campaign, saying he would be seeking volunteers — but only after Neubieser’s victory on Town Meeting Day.
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Why stop at having 20-year old college sophomores from Connecticut who’ve never held office, run our city? Let’s elect high schoolers, middle schoolers, elementary schoolers, kindergarten kids, and pre-schoolers. Heck, let’s elect babies. As Ehlers said, we need the youth perspective. So what if they know virtually nothing and have virtually no life experience? So what if they don’t actually know where City Hall is? So what if they can’t even talk yet? We need them!
Never was the meaning of the term sophomore more accurate than in this arrogant instance.
knowyourassumptions – would you rather restrict who is eligible to run, or let the process work and have voters choose who they want to represent them from multiple candidates? Isn’t this the basis of democracy?
Carter will bring a young, critical, progressive and enthusiastic perspective to the City Council. A lot of Vermonters including myself want more young people to come to this state and I think that starts with putting some of them in positions of power. Despite what the above commenters might say, Carter knows where City Hall is and he’s probably there more frequently than you.
Vermont has gone crazy 1st a 13 year old has announced he is running for governor and now some flatlander kid that is not even a resident of the state is running to run the nut house that is Burlington. What will the crazies think of next. This kid needs to go back to UConn and take his crazy ideas with him or at least start with student council before he tries to run a real campaign.
Ethan Allen was from Connecticut, and look how venerated he is in Vermont!
But on a more serious note: students’ voices are crucial in our local government, since students make up nearly a third of Burlington’s population for most of the year. I am excited to see this revolution take place, considering the man who sits at the head of our country. A lot of students have woken up in light of this, and I think Carter will make this city a much better place to live, breathe, study, and work. Congrats !
So excited to see this announcement! It’s frustrating to see people routinely lament the lack of young people in Vermont, then turn around and criticize young people for getting involved. Our political system can only benefit from new faces, young voices, and fresh perspectives. Cheers to you, Carter, and hopefully you inspire more intelligent, thoughtful, progressive-minded young people to run for office!
As I said in the article, I welcome Carter to the race and look forward to a positive election season focused on issues and details. There is no good that comes from discouragement or personal attacks. I’m expecting Carter to run a respectable campaign, and even if you don’t think he has the relevant experience he should be afforded respect throughout this democratic process. It takes conviction to put yourself out there, especially in a community such as Burlington. Also, student participation in campaigns are nothing new to Burlington (two ran for City Council in 2015). Students are more involved in local government than most think, Just one example – I have a dozen of students playing a role directing my sexual assault prevention policy initiative at this very moment.
Considering that the marketing forces have challenged small grassroots democracy in Vermont for a long time, people who come forward to fight for those who don’t treat our city like a monopoly board are well needed. Considering that a Brooklyn kid many years ago become involved in local democracy and now lives up in Ward 7 as our US senator, is a good sign.
Not sure if he is considered an out of state student by UVM, If he is congrats and good luck.
If not, I do not understand why anyone paying out of state tuition would or could be considered eligible to vote here.
If you are paying out of state tuition you should not be able to vote here let alone hold elected office.
Curious- luckily we have strong voting rights here in Vermont and I like many other out-of-state students across the country was able to vote in the town I lived in for 10 months a year for issues that impacted me directly. I dont see why anyone would discourage people from voting, especially from young college students who may soon be a part of the community.
The kid has a pretty good chance of winning. Burlington has a history of electing vapid, entitled progressives with no experience or record of accomplishment. It would be funny if it weren’t so pathetic. Hopefully the voters will send this Bernie Sanders wanna be packing back where he came from. We need serious people to help solve serious problems, not just another empty progressive suit.
Cynics are questioning why a naive youngster – and one from out of state to boot – should have a right to participatory democracy in Vermont’s largest city.
Judging from the high taxes, as well as growing crime, and increasing problems with homeless-by-choice thugs terrorizing good, law-abiding local taxpayers in Burlington, why not let a kid from Connecticut see whether he can help straighten out the Queen City?
And oh, did we forget the city council’s incompetent handling so-called of Burlington Telecom, the locally owned cable franchise that is trying to find a way to repay taxpayers the $17 million they lost due to the city’s mismanagement?
The incumbent says in the piece that he “always believed that competitive elections are healthy for democracy.”
That’s what those being challenged think they have to say to sound politically correct. Wouldn’t it be refreshing if the incumbent said, “Who the hell does this kid think he is anyway?”
After all, we know that’s what the incumbent is thinking.
In this age, in this welfare capital of the eastern seaboard where cops have been forced to become social workers, political honestly has yielded to comfort words designed to kowtow to the liberal left, the crowd now coded as “progressives” who arguably have given Burlington taxpayers the government they deserve.
Those same alleged progressives profess to adore the rules of democratic engagement – until their jobs are threatened by some of the alleged practitioners.
Not only can out-of-state college students vote in Burlington, there is no verification to ensure that they don’t also vote in their home state. The federal government leaves such check and balance to the states and states don’t uniformly do it. I’ve discussed with councilors other than Adam Roof and they confirmed there is no verification.
So he’s running for elected office in Vermont. Has he informed the city clerk in New Britain, CT to cancel his voter registration there? Or did he never even register to vote in his hometown?
So he’s running for elected office in Vermont. Has he informed the city clerk in New Britain, CT to cancel his voter registration there? Or did he never even register to vote in his hometown?
What does it honestly matter to you? So what he is running for office. Don’t vote for him. You have that right just as he has the right to run. Maybe your time posting on here would be better spent at the mall telling the kids lined up to see Santa that he is not real.
I had the chance to meet Carter last weekend at the Progressive Convention in Montpelier, where a lively discussion was had. He’s a very thoughtful, engaged young man who has much to offer the staid people of Burlington on the council. It’s never to early to start getting involved in the political process, and young blood is needed in pointing the way to the future, where we are all, willy-nilly, headed.
Sure elect a young progressive from New Britain, Connecticut. Go down there and see what the progressive democrats did to that city, it’s not pretty. Perhaps Burlington and New Britain will become sister cities.
So excited to see a young white man with no experience putting himself forward for a job that he is not qualified for! Thankfully, we at least know he is taking it seriously because he dressed with a backwards baseball cap and t-shirt to show voters how seriously he takes the responsibilities of the city council and elective democracy.
Its funny how a few folks are concerned about experience. Ive always wondered, where does one begin to attain experience in this arena if theyre being discouraged from even entering the parking lot? These knee jerk reactions from cynical people – who probably spend way more time on the internet rather than knocking on doors or volunteering for candidates that they resonate with – are extremely toxic and such a road block for progress.
Experience needs to begin somewhere. And I would much rather vote for someone with a strong, mindful and compassionate platform with little experience, than vote for someone whos been doing this for a while and still sides with special interests over their own constituents!
Ive worked with Carter on a grassroots outreach campaign, and I can confidently say that he is a very hard worker, a great listener, and has a strong moral compass that will never be altered by special interests. And thats something I believe that most of our state and federal legislators cannot truly claim for themselves.
Nick Wahlers – there are lots of ways to gain relevant experience (in management, in financial administration, in politics, in government, and so on) prior to running for elected office. There are even other elected positions – in zoning, planning, and various other commissions and committees – that are a step or two removed from the city council of the state’s largest locality. I appreciate that you and your fellow students want to learn and get involved, but make sure the learning doesn’t come at the expense of residents with less privilege than you.
Here are all of the many ways that a 20-year old college sophomore at UVM could be of service to the City of Burlington and gain relevant experience:
https://www.burlingtonvt.gov/Public-Boards
The city has 42 boards, agencies, and commissions. According to the current issue of Seven Days, the city is looking to fill positions on several of them.
Ward 8 was so completely gerrymandered to act as a student ward that even Redstone campus, firmly in the south end, is part of ward 8. When you make a student ward, shouldnt one expect students to then run for office? Just take a look at how silly the ward looks. https://www.burlingtonvt.gov/sites/default…