South Burlington residents voted down their school budget by a 55 percent to 45 percent margin, showing evidence of the frustration over property taxes that Gov. Phil Scott has emphasized as he tries to convince lawmakers that more has to be done to reduce K-12 school spending.
Voters in South Burlington chose to return their incumbents to office as well. City Councilor Pat Nowak fended off a challenge from Jimmy Leas, a member of the Stop the F-35 Coalition, who made opposition to the fighter jet’s arrival at the Burlington International Airport a central part of his campaign.
City Councilor Thomas Chittenden won too, defeating Katie Langrock, an executive at a luxury women’s undergarments company, to hold his seat on the council — thereby preserving the status quo in South Burlington.
Two write-in candidates for school board, who launched late bids in protest of the high school dropping the “Rebels” nickname, were also defeated by wide margins.
In Winooski, newcomer Eric Covey beat out incumbents to be the top vote getter in a three-way race for two seats on the City Council there. Covey, who works for the secretary of state, ran a strong campaign garnering a slew of endorsements from community leaders in the Onion City.
Robert Millar lost his seat on the council, while Nicole Mace, director of the School Boards Association, was returned for another term.
For full results from Burlington, South Burlington, Colchester, Winooski, Williston and Essex check out Channel 17’s results page.
