Editor’s note: This commentary is by Julia Macuga, of Burlington, who is a recent graduate of the University of Vermont and a member of Save Our Skies VT.
[T]he stack of speaker sign-up sheets for the F-35 ballot item towered at a packed City Hall last Monday night. People from around the state and members of the press crowded the first floor and balcony. People in polished brass mingled with those in salt-stained boots. The session had skipped right to public comment; by my tally, 35 people spoke in support of the issue being placed on the ballot, and five spoke in favor of the F-35’s and against the ballot initiative that would advise for an alternative to these aircrafts.
The winter chill could not freeze the petitioners nor democracy in the weeks leading up to this meeting — over 2,700 signatures, about 1,000 more than the 1,787 required to put the F-35 advisory question on the Town Meeting Day ballot — have made their way to the city clerk.
City Hall filled with murmurs as supporters of the F-35 debate said, “Why are we still arguing this?” I tried to gauge the council and Mayor Miro Weinberger’s reactions as my fellow Vermonters spoke. Despite the Air Force’s 2016 declaration that “… if there is no F-35A operational bed-down at Burlington Air Guard Station, the current mission would continue,” Vice Wing Commander Harder asserted that there would be no alternative mission for them if the F-35’s were stopped. Ray Gonda, a Vietnam veteran who lives near the airport, stated, “Burlington gets the goodies, while I and my neighbors pay the costs … Burlington has profited handsomely [from this project] by acquiring, free of charge, many formerly private-owned properties near the airport in my community.” People spoke about livelihoods, democracy, racism, birds, noise pollution and justice. The council asked the audience to settle down on numerous occasions — but applause, like the noise of jet engines, could not be mitigated.
For those who have not been following the issue, here is what is at stake:
• There is no way to mitigate F-35 noise, which according to Burlington’s own Board of Health “has been associated with the following health effects: hearing loss, stress, sleep disturbance, heart attacks, hypertension, and stroke, and delayed reading and verbal comprehension … [and the] aircraft engines produce numerous toxic combustion by-products.”
• Jobs are not on the line, as stated in the Air Force’s Environmental Impact Statement “… there would be no net change in the number of military personnel. Therefore, there would be no change to military payrolls or any subsequent impacts to regional employment or income.”
• It is not too late to reverse the basing; the Air Force can cancel it at any time before the plane touches down in Burlington. Even if that happens, the F-35’s can be assigned to another (more suitable) base and replaced with another aircraft.
Remembering these facts, I waited my turn to speak. The stakes were high, and the audience riled. I had told the council previously that demolishing affordable housing for hundreds — and in essence replacing it with a military operation that will impair the health of children and cause developmental delays — was not a great strategy for enticing young people like myself to stay in this aging state. What had compelled me to join the cause of the petitioners were the people who never had a chance to condemn nor condone this project since Sen. Patrick Leahy directed the Air Force to base it in Burlington in 2013. There were many who wanted to vote on this issue from South Burlington, Winooski, Williston, Essex and Hinesburg, who still do not have a say. With that in mind, I asked:
“As you look out at this crowd of people whom you represent, the people who voted you into these very council seats — will you deny us, your supporters, the chance to at least vote on an issue that will affect our lives?”
And we did get that chance, in a 10-2 decision to keep the ballot in our original language. We had made clear that the true “sound of freedom” is the sound of our voices.
While the volunteers who have campaigned are thrilled with this outcome, we must keep in mind that the voters will have the power to enact real change on March 6. As I canvassed, the most encouraging thing to me were voters who would listen as I gave facts and figures about the dangers of the F-35, but then ask for time to do their own research on the issue. More often than not, they would return to sign my petition, and it is my hope that they will use their voter status again on Town Meeting Day. In Burlington, the people will have the ability to make their voice heard before an aircraft over four times louder than an F-16 drowns them out.
