Vermont National Guard officials spoke out on Friday against a ballot measure that will allow Burlington voters to signal opposition to basing F-35 fighter jets at the Burlington International Airport.
Maj. Gen. Steven Cray, Vermont’s adjutant general, said at a press conference that the question “misleads the voter into thinking they are supporting the Air Guard.”
The ballot item, which asks voters if they want the City Council to request the cancellation of the planned basing, has been a point of contention. The question reads:
“Shall we, the voters of the City of Burlington, as part of our strong support for the men and women of the Vermont National Guard, and especially their mission to ‘protect the citizens of Vermont,’ advise the City 35 Council to:
1) request the cancellation of the planned basing of the F-35 at Burlington International Airport, and
2) request instead low-noise-level equipment with a proven high safety record appropriate for a densely populated area?”
Cray said the language could confuse voters. “A vote of ‘no’ is actually a support of the men and women of the Air Guard and their mission, and that’s misleading.”
In discussing whether to approve the ballot measure, Burlington City Councilors Kurt Wright, Dave Harnett and Jane Knodell also took issue with the phrasing of the ballot question and proposed alternative language. The council approved the ballot question with no changes on Jan. 30.
Cray said the F-35 basing plans are moving forward, and that there is no alternative mission being planned for the Vermont Air Guard.
But opponents contend that the Air Force can still change course, citing past instances where controversial basing decisions were reversed, or where fighter jets were replaced with less noisy cargo planes.
Opponents have also pointed to a 2015 court filing in which the secretary of the Air Force indicated that the Vermont Air Guard would continue a flying mission even if the F-35s were not based in the state.
Cray said that document does not reflect the Vermont Air Guard’s stance.
“It is my job to sit with senior leadership of the Air Force to discuss future mission decisions,” he said. “There is no alternative mission being planned for the Vermont Air National Guard.”
Brig. Gen. Joe Clark said preparations for the arrival of the F-35s are well underway, with 41 members of the Air Guard training at locations around the country to learn how to maintain and fly the new fighter jets.
Cray said millions of dollars have already been spent to prepare the Vermont base for the new jets, including renovations to transform an existing building into a simulator facility.
Cray refused to speculate on what would result if the ballot measure was successful, or if the Air Force altered its basing plans.
“Our airmen are 100 percent focused on this future mission,” he said. “The aircraft arrive in 18 short months, there’s a lot to do to be prepared, and that’s what they’re focused on.”
