Mayor Miro Weinberger Credit: file: Matthew Thorsen
Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger has raised plenty of cash for his attempt to retain his seat come March.

By the first campaign finance filing deadline on Sunday night, Weinberger had raised more than $80,000 — far outpacing independent Carina Driscoll, who drummed up $32,900. The other candidate, independent Infinite

Infinite Culcleasure Credit: File
 Culcleasure, had not filed as of Monday morning.

Weinberger raised the sum from 361 donors, according to an email his campaign sent out Sunday. He’s spent about $57,000 of that war chest so far, including on the salaries of four people who worked on the campaign, a host of volunteer meals, and about $5,000 on mass media advertising for brochures, postcards and ads in the North Avenue News.

Driscoll, meanwhile, drew support from allies of her stepfather, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), such as longtime Sanders staffer Jeff Weaver. Several people associated with Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign contributed: Tim Tagaris, Sanders’ digital fundraising director; media consultant Julian Mulvey; and Chuck Rocha, another consultant.

Carina Driscoll Credit: Jon Shenton

Driscoll’s mother, Jane O’Meara Sanders, donated $1,000, as did Driscoll’s two siblings, Nicole and David Driscoll.

Carina Driscoll also loaned her campaign $10,000 of her own money.

She also netted smaller donations from Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield of Ben & Jerry’s; Paul Sisson, who served briefly in Weinberger’s administration; and a handful of Burlington Progs including city council president Jane Knodell (P-Central District) and state Sen. Chris Pearson (P-Burlington).

Unlike Weinberger, Driscoll did not have a lengthy list of $1,000 donors.

Among Weinberger’s key supporters were some of the regular pro-development suspects. He received a total of $4,000 in contributions from four members of the Pomerleau family, plus $1,000 checks from developers Erik Hoekstra and Larry Williams, Nedde Real Estate and South Burlington general contractor Dan Morrissey.

He also received contributions from Democratic stalwarts: Bill Lofy, who served as chief of staff for former Vermont governor Peter Shumlin; former gubernatorial candidate Sue Minter; journalist Garrett Graff, who flirted with a run for lieutenant governor; Luke Albee, a former longtime staffer for Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.); former state senator Hinda Miller; and former Vermont House speaker Shap Smith.

With more than a month remaining until Town Meeting Day, Weinberger is on pace to surpass his 2015 fundraising total of about $90,000.

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Katie Jickling is a Seven Days staff writer.

15 replies on “Weinberger Leads Fundraising Pack in Burlington Mayoral Contest”

  1. The Sanders family is literally trying to buy Driscoll the election.

    I wish Bernie would just get Carina a pony and leave our democracy out of it.

  3. As a former School Board member, City Councilor, State Rep, and member of Weinberger’s staff, Carina is one of the most qualified candidates that Burlington has ever seen. The only people trying to buy the election are the developers and corporate interests writting $1,000 checks for Miro.

  5. Miro is the Cash Extraction Class Chamber of Commerce’s boy. He is a typical Neo-liberal Wall Street Democrat who labors under the myth of endless, reckless consumption . He will turn out to be the undertaker for the city of Burlington as it is over-developed with 6 and 7 story buildings that look like corrugated metal shipping containers under the rubric of “smart growth”. The Southern Connector will have to become a 6 lane overpass.

    When archeologists excavate Burlington in 1000 years they will figure out why the city failed. All they will find are restaurants and designer clothing stores of a population that stuffed its face and admired itself in the mirror. They will label this disease as “Miro-itis”.

  6. Thats a lot of money just to run for mayor.

    Its microscopic compared to Hypocrite Bernies $6 million to run for re-election to the Senate with no opponents. It doesnt even register on the scale. Its less than a rounding error on $6 million.

    But Im sure you have a reason why Bernie needs $6 million.

  8. Its microscopic compared to Hypocrite Bernies $6 million to run for re-election to the Senate with no opponents. It doesnt even register on the scale. Its less than a rounding error on $6 million.

    But Im sure you have a reason why Bernie needs $6 million.

    I guess it’s OK when it’s your guy. Have you found the mayor/bribe quotation yet because I suspect you were making things up.

  9. I urge people to go to the Secretary of State’s website and pour through the disclosure statements for both the campaigns that submitted them. It makes for some interesting reading.

    https://campaignfinance.sec.state.vt.us/Pu…

    Choose “2018 Annual Meeting” and in the Registrant Name put in the candidates name.

    Go look for yourself. Come to your own conclusions.

  10. Thanks, critikboy. Miro’s list is a who’s who of Burlington’s elite, real estate investors/developers, and a few large out of state donations for some reason.

  12. Once again from the list i see Miro is using all of his rich friends once again to buy his re election..

  13. Uh, to the guy that mentioned “Infinite” Culdesac’s minor involvement in that 16-year-old that got killed when he came up to VT for the explicit reason to sell blow, for shame.

    People change. Who among us hasn’t gotten a high school kid killed by dealing blow? I ask you.

    The guy’s a visionary. Doesn’t really mention any real plans or anything. But visionary. And I’m sure the mom of that kid that got wasted back in the 90s due to “Super Duper” Culcleasure’s yayo-slinging has gotten over it at this point.

    I mean, you know, what’s one kid? Right? You can always have more. And furthermore, dude’s super sorry.

  14. Well now that I know Culcleasure is super sorry I feel super guilty having brought it up. The 19 people who disliked my comment are correct . After all we must ignore ugly issues especially if it offends our progressive sensibilities . Thank you ksully . I’ll remember to forget uncomfortable facts from now on .

  15. “Who Funds Mayor Weinbergers Campaigns?”

    Who funds Carina Driscoll’s campaigns (and everything else in her life)?

    Mommy (woodworking school) and Daddy (campaign jobs, Our Revolution fundraising). (Or is it Step Daddy? I guess it depends on the day.)

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