The group, Partnership for Burlington’s Future, spent nearly $3,000 on mailers and online advertising to encourage voters to approve initiatives to expand the downtown improvement district, approve the budget, agree to permit reform, and eliminate the business personal property tax. That’s according to campaign finance reports that were due on Saturday, the last deadline before the March 5 vote.
Two real estate developers, Dave Farrington and Ernie Pomerleau, each contributed $1,000 to the effort. Branding and marketing company Select Design gave $1,500.
Another PAC, Neighbors 4 a Better BTV, is also advocating for a ‘yes’ vote. Their efforts were not as well financed; the group spent $260.
In Burlington City Council races, longtime incumbents Joan Shannon (D-South District) and Jane Knodell (P-Central District), racked up the most cash of any candidate. (Knodell lost the Progressive nomination but is running as an independent.)
Shannon has raised the most with more than $6,900. Much of the $2,300 she raised since February 3 was in anonymous donations under $100. Among her larger contributions was $300 from Weinberger’s Miro for Mayor campaign account.
Her opponent, Mohamed Jafar, raised $2,900 since February 3, for a total of $4,800. That’s in spite of misogynistic tweets that surfaced in mid-February. The third South District candidate, independent Paco DeFrancis, did not file a report.
Knodell raised $6,700. Longtime Progs donated, including former mayor Peter Clavelle ($200), his son Luke ($200), renewable energy tycoon David Blittersdorf ($200), and Councilor Brian Pine (P-Ward 3) ($120).
Knodell’s two opponents, Progressive Perri Freeman and Democrat Jared Carter, did not file campaign finance reports.
The third incumbent, Richard Deane (D-East District), who’s been in office for two years, raised just $1,800. He was outpaced by his opponent, Progressive Jack Hanson, who raised $5,000.
In the North District, Democrat Franklin Paulino racked up $4,930, and independent Kienan Christianson tallied $2,940. Independent Ericka Bundy Redic did not file a report.
Down the ballot, University of Vermont student Sam Donnelly, who’s worked on the campaigns of various Democratic candidates, raked in more than $1,600 for his run for inspector of elections. That includes donations from former state party chair Faisal Gill ($250), Pomerleau ($250) and Deane ($100).
Correction, February 26, 2019: A previous version of this story miscalculated the total amount of money spent by Weinberger’s PAC. Due to a filing error, the position Donnelly is seeking was incorrectly identified.
Correction, March 4, 2019: A previous version of this story misstated the stance of Neighbors for a Better BTV.
Related Stories
Got something to say?
Send a letter to the editor and we'll publish your feedback in print!
Oh my god, I hope Jane wins. We can’t possibly do without Jane. It would be a travesty if anyone else in the world were to represent us. Please, please, please, please, please.
The slime that has always been Miro’s administration is finally coming to the surface. That our Real Estate Huckster boss should use campaign funds to push for his own ego-fed projects is no surprise, or the fact that he is funding a toadie like Shannon.
Perhaps we should just build a 120 foot statue on the waterfront, like the Colossus of Rhodes, with our enlightened mayor’s face on it, raising his right arm over his head, holding a globe with lightening bolts coming out of it. On the plaque it will read ,” Look upon all that I have created and bow down in amazement , for behold, I AM a GOD”.
@NorthOldEnder
Time to take a chill pill!
Ufff, it looks like the Grownassman is going to have to get off the couch on this on. Hi, North Oldender, what Miro is doing with PAC money is perfectly legal and probably necessary to counter the Progressive/Left Leaning energy and effort being put into defeating all of his policy proposals. Hes not committing the crimes of hubris and ego driven vanity projects you accuse him of doing. Outside of Burlington Miro would be considered a left of center Democrat. The left in Burlington is trying to make him some sort of Trump on overdrive. Its sad and shows how lost and bitter the left has become in Burlington. Miros actually trying to get things done and move the city forward. Now that direction hes moving towards may not be to your liking but unless you have the votes to win the day at the council or at the city wide referendum level it sounds like you, like a lot people on the left in this town want to have minority veto power over the majority, which essentially means nothing can get done. Democracy, its messy sometimes, not everyone wins or even gets their ideas incorporated in but if you have a better, more representative system of making collective decisions thats fairer and more efficient than 50% plus one please propose it or at least admit youre unreasonable and cant be pleased.
Jafar still hasn’t dropped out? I suppose Trump really did lay out a perfect roadmap for sexist a-holes to run on.
Miro told me at the Ward 2/3 NPA that the plans for the DID are not finalized yet. So what he’s asking for on #4 is a blank check. Anybody else have a problem with giving our development crazed mayor a blank check? This is the guy who bought Sinex’s lies and changed our zoning laws to accommodate him. This is the guy who had $$ in his eyes when he said KBTL couldn’t handle BT, even though KBTL would have given the city an income stream for the foreseeable future.
So sure, he’s using his PAC gelt to fund the blank check. There is something seriously wrong with this picture.
*There is seriously something wrong with this picture.*
Let me disagree. Whats *seriously wrong* is the stagnation this city endured in the hands of the *Do Nothing, Change Nothing, Build Nothing* Party until the majority of citizens said *enough.*
What the Miro Machine is ignoring out here in the North District is that people are tired of the decreasing transparency of a political system that listens to those who bundle the largest chunks of money and plan to live off decisions that give them the lion’s share of the profit. And for any New North Ender who garners the support of their local ward or district democratic committee, god forbid if what they propose is contrary to the increasing power of City Hall, you will be ignored, overruled , outspent, and runner. This happened to many good people who ran like Carmen George, Joanna Cole, Jim Holloway, but was stopped when Bob Hooper beat the machine and was elected State Rep in November, and when Kienan Christianson wins on Town Meeting. This time , we have republicans, democrats, independents, and progressives saying enough!
Well, now both “assumptions” and “grownass” have weighed in on this story.
grownass says: Unless you have the votes to win the day at the council or at the city wide referendum level it sounds like you, like a lot people on the left in this town want to have minority veto power over the majority, which essentially means nothing can get done.
I would say that 3300 signatures might indicate that a lot of people on the left in this town are Not the minority. With the item on the ballot, we might have found out.
knowyourassumptions says: Whats *seriously wrong* is the stagnation this city endured in the hands of the *Do Nothing, Change Nothing, Build Nothing* Party until the majority of citizens said *enough.*
Actually, we never found out who the majority was! We do know the Mayor and the Council said enough and thats All we know.
I am one of those who believe we cannot Develop or Build our way out of our problems. And I think Burlington is far from dying. If its dying, where are the closed storefronts and low rents?