Both will stay in the race as independents, running against six-year incumbent Miro Weinberger.
A standing room-only crowd filled the gym at the Sustainability Academy at Lawrence Barnes. The Progs gathered around cafeteria tables for a shared meal and then voted on Progressive candidates for council and mayor.
The mantra of the night was affordability and transparency in city government. Culcleasure vowed to “shift power from small elite groups of people to folks who have been ignored.”
Driscoll said that as mayor, she would increase community input on the future of city properties such as the waterfront, the Moran Plant and Memorial Auditorium. “The message of this campaign is clear: Burlington is not for sale,” she declared, to applause.
Candidates also said they hope to mobilize a movement to unseat Weinberger and other Democratic incumbents come Town Meeting Day in March. “We’ve re-energized a movement that needs to happen in Burlington,” Driscoll said.
The meeting started with a vote to endorse Progressive council candidates running in the city’s eight wards.
In one of the two contested races, Brian Pine beat out James Lockridge in Ward 3 in a 42-20 vote. Lockridge will stay in the race as an independent, competing with Pine for a seat vacated by Progressive Sara Moore. Jesse Warren beat Chris Costello for the Ward 5 endorsement, and will run against Democrat Chip Mason.
City Progs also unanimously supported council incumbents Sharon Bushor (I-Ward 1), Ali Dieng (D/P-Ward 7) and Max Tracy (P-Ward 2). New candidates Carter Neubieser, a UVM student running in Ward 8, and Ward 6 resident Charles Simpson were also endorsed. No Progressive candidate came forward in Ward 4.
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So, if Carina Driscoll wants “affordability and transparency” in city government, then we must ask:
Where was the transparency at Burlington College when her Jane Sanders decided to spend tens of thousands of student tuition dollars out of the operating budget to fund Carina’s new for-profit business venture, VT
Woodworking School? In 2007, shortly before funding this venture, Jane herself in a long Q&A in VT Business Magazine didn’t even mention developing a woodworking program at the college. Did the college even put out a Request for Proposals to all woodworking shops in the area to make sure Carina’s was the only viable option and the most affordable – highly unlikely.
How the Board of Trustees approved such nepotism is wrong as it neither helped the finances of the school or provided great “affordability” for the students attending. Interesting that now that Burlington College’s cash spigot has run dry, Carina’s looking for a new source of income. Watch whom you choose to oversee your budget, Burlington, or you may find yourself as bankrupt as Burlington College.
THE PROGRESSIVE PARTY TURNS ITS NOSE UP AT THE DEMOCRATIC PROCESS:
Read the quotes from the above article: “Both (Driscoll and Culcleasure) will stay in the race (for Mayor) as independents”
“Lockridge will stay in the (City Council) race as an independent”
Despite losing by a Democratic process in the primary the Progressive candidates CHOSE to run in, they are running in the general election and blatantly ignoring the will of the people. Progressive candidates have been doing this for years and they are the only party who do it.
Don’t vote for them! Vote for someone who respects democracy!
Did they have to endorse someone now? I see Driscoll very much like Hillary. She’s got bad baggage, and a lot of people, (like me,) will refuse to vote for her. I’d like to see a change in City Hall, but endorsing Driscoll is a mistake.
re: lindamathews64’s comment:
1) It is a caucus, not a primary.
2) Progressive’s are not the only ones to use this legitimate and legal tactic. Just two elections ago Dave Hartnett lost in the Democratic caucus, yet ran (and won) as an Independent.
Oh boy – I can’t wait for reactionary basement people to make this about Burlington College….oh wait.
If these keyboard warriors spent their time studying PILOT funds, TIF districts and other public private partnerships instead of following bread crumbs from Fox News maybe we’d see some more progress – and they’d be smarter for it!
Seven Days: next Dasies, can we vote on Troll of the Year? Adam Salem is bound to win by a landslide giving him that much needed power trip.
You can’t blame people for still being very upset about Burlington College, but the widespread public disdain for Carina Driscoll has more to do with how she took money from her parents to support herself long after she became an adult. There is nothing illegal about that but it shows a lack of character, a lack of willingness to work and earn her positions through merit. That her mother is part of bankrupting a beloved institution does not help her case.
People are angry because many politicians use their position to enrich themselves and their families. Carina Driscoll has already shown she is primed to take advantage of that cesspool of corruption in order to enrich herself and her family. Bernie Sanders is a great man who deserves better than Jane Sanders and Carina Driscoll besmirching his reputation. This unfortunate woman has done nothing substantive that merits voting for her for any public office.
Like I said before, just another crook from the Sanders/O’Meara Sanders family. Carina Driscoll is just following in step daddy and mommy dearest steps as crooks…she must think that being the mayor will get her into the Senate…..lol
Vermont really needs to step up it’s game, New Hampshire has Vermin Supreme and all we get is this batch of sad sacks.