LIVE updates from Town Meeting Day 2018

Signing off

Here’s a rundown of our stories from Town Meeting night. We’ll follow up on what we missed tomorrow. Let us know if something newsworthy went down in your town.

• Three more years for Mayor Miro Weinberger. The incumbent Democrat received 5,749 votes, overcoming independents Carina Driscoll with 4,155 votes and political newcomer Infinite Culcleasure, who had 1,910. (Cory Dawson, Kelsey Neubauer and Elizabeth Gribkoff reporting from Burlington)

• Voters in Burlington said no to the F-35 Tuesday, approving a ballot measure that advises the City Council to request the cancellation of a plan to base the fighter jets in the city next year. (Michael Dougherty reporting from Montpelier)

• The Thom Lauzon era is officially over in Barre. The longtime mayor resigned this week ahead of Town Meeting Day, clearing the way for Lucas Herring to be sworn in as soon as he was elected on Tuesday night. (Xander Landen reporting from Barre)

• While all six of its fellow Chittenden County communities voted Tuesday to enter into a regional emergency services dispatch center, Shelburne residents decided to retain their own 911 service. (Gail Callahan reporting from Shelburne)

• All three incumbents who ran for Rutland City Board of Aldermen are heading back to their seats with two newcomers set to join them on the panel. (Alan Keays reporting from Rutland)

• Voters decisively rejected the idea of a mayor for Bennington, swatting down the proposal by a margin of 1,483 to 954. (Jim Therrien reporting from Bennington)

And here’s a couple parting shots from photographers Bob LoCicero and Tristan Von Duntz.

Bennington rejects mayoral system

In their first-ever binding vote on the issue, voters in Bennington rejected a proposal that would have shifted to a mayoral form of government.

The initiative was spearheaded by local advocate Mike Bethel, who argued that a “strong mayor” would be more accountable to the voters.

But the proposal had little to no support among town officials. “The old guard is against it,” Bethel said recently. And so were residents.

Read Jim Therrien’s full report here.

Here come the results

Miro Weinberger won another term as Burlington’s mayor. We’ll be updating the story throughout the evening.

And an initiative calling on city officials to push back against a planned F-35 basing was approved. See all the results from Burlington here.

Elsewhere, the Time Argus is reporting that Lucas Herring will be the next mayor of Barre, where voters also passed an options tax that was rejected the past two years.

Vermont Public Radio is tracking how towns voted on budgets.

Tuesday, March 6, 7:35 p.m.

Turnout down in Rutland City

Rutland City Mayor David Allaire tells Digger reporter Alan Keays that the municipal and school budgets look set to pass amid low turnout.

Rutland City Mayor David Allaire said unofficial results show Rutland City municipal and school budget both pass #TMDVT #RUTVT #VTDIGGER

— Alan J. Keays (@ajkvt) March 7, 2018

A mayoral race last year coupled with 17 candidates vying for six seats on the city’s Board of Alderman drove strong turnout last year. This is an off-year for the mayoral post, and there are 10 candidates seeking five seats on the board.

“There were a lot of issues they were discussing last time. I don’t think the issues were as great this year,” said Hurley Cavacas, the clerk overseeing Ward 1 voting at the Godnick Adult Center.

Allaire described it as a “light” turnout Tuesday. “There’s no real controversial issues in front the voters,” he said. “It certainly isn’t the weather.”

Temperatures hovered in the mid-40s in Rutland City during a sunny afternoon. The weather is expected to take a turn with several inches of snow in the forecast for the coming two days.

 

Tuesday, March 6, 7:09 p.m.

A strange situation in Putney

When Putney Town Clerk Denise Germon resigned 10 hours before town meeting,  who would — or could — succeed her was just the first of a long list of questions.

How do you replace someone who still legally held office until she stepped down Monday? And how do you oversee town meeting voting when the person authorized to do so quit at midnight without a clear succession plan?

Digger reporter Kevin O’Connor was there to find out.

 

Tuesday, March 6, 5:40 p.m.

Town Meeting in photos

VTDigger photographer Bob LoCicero spent the morning criss-crossing Chittenden County to check out polling sites in Burlington and town meetings in Huntington, Richmond and Williston. Here’s a sample of what he’s seen:

Tuesday, March 6, 5:20 p.m.

A brief history of BTV mayoral tweets

Twitter’s launch missed the 2006 Burlington mayoral election by just a couple weeks. Three years later, Burlington watchers were still finding their Twitter footing.

BurlingtonPol.com: Bob Kiss Wins Re-Election: Number of comments: 2Bob kiss has been re-elected mayor of Burlin.. http://tinyurl.com/dd4hor

— vermontBNN (@vermontBNN) March 4, 2009

By the time Kurt Wright conceded to Miro Weinberger in 2012, mainstream media was fully on board the Twitter train.

Kurt Wright concedes, Miro Weinberger is next Burlington mayor. #BTVMAYOR #TMD2012

— BurlingtonFreePress (@bfp_news) March 7, 2012

When Weinberger won again, the hashtag #TMDVT had entered the mix.

Miro Weinberger is #BTV‘s new mayor. Here’s the wrapup on tonight’s big elections: http://t.co/Hm6jOwpu #btvmayor #btvcc #tmdvt

— Seven Days (@sevendaysvt) March 7, 2012

But it seems that what has become the dominant Town Meeting hashtag may have been around for a few years by then.

From 2009, I think this was the first tweet using the #TMDVT hashtag, after debating other options (#TMDVT09 & #TownMeetingDay were contenders).

Twitter Advanced Search and old Tweets are fun! (when they’re not cringe-inducing). cc @BradleyHolthttps://t.co/vA1DjXmy0e

— Jonathan Butler (@jonathanpb) March 6, 2018

 

Tuesday, March 6, 4:50 p.m.

Third time the charm for Barre tax?

Come Town Meeting Day, there’s one thing Barre residents can be sure of — a ballot item asking if they support a 1 percent local option tax on rooms, meals and alcohol.

This is the third year in a row that a local options tax has been on the city ballot. Voters have rejected it twice, but outgoing mayor Thom Lauzon won’t let it go.

Barre resident Glennis Drew said the tax targeted the right group: people who could afford to spend money out on the town. And she hoped it would relieve the property tax on people who most needed a break: low-income home owners.

Others said the measure should get a thumbs down — again. Todd Mugford said the tax was excessive, and getting repetitive as a ballot item.

“They just seem to continue to revote everything until they get what they want,” Mugford said. “It’s getting to the point now where, what are they going to tax us for, walking up and down the street?”

Will Lauzon get his parting wish? Stay tuned.

Tuesday, March 6, 3:55 p.m.

Tuesday, March 6, 2:02 p.m.

Bar hopping with Burlington’s mayoral candidates

Around the time results start to come in for Burlington’s mayoral race, the three candidates will be making appearances at a few of the city’s favorite watering holes.

Infinite Culcleasure will kick things off first at Three Needs Brewery at about 6. Miro Weinberger is planning to arrive at Nectars shortly after 7. And Carina Driscoll is scheduled to swing by Smitty’s Pub by 8.

Political watchers seem to agree that Driscoll has the best chance of unseating incumbent Weinberger, but fellow Independent Culcleasure has the stronger track record when it comes to throwing down, a point he hammered home during one of the candidate forums.

“When I was a DJ, I threw a huge New Year’s Eve party in this building,” he said of the ECHO Center. “And it was a hot mess. I’m telling you, we had some casualties, really. But no one got hurt, we didn’t lose anybody.”

Tuesday, March 6, 2:02 p.m.

Enjoying the fruits of slow democracy

The media’s search for town meeting scoops is extending to snack breaks. Both Vermont Public Radio and the weekly Mad River Valley Reporter are sending out pictures of lunch and dessert in Duxbury and Calais, respectively.

Calais has a legendary potluck. Some dessert offerings #TMDVT pic.twitter.com/8i1ZFz3rtp

— John Dillon (@JDillonVT) March 6, 2018

#TMDVT lunch in #duxburyvt pic.twitter.com/R9IehS8Wg1

— The Valley Reporter (@ValleyReporter) March 6, 2018

We, for our part, can report why the Putney town meeting moderator had to ask sheriff’s deputies to quiet a chatty crowd: Seems everyone was gathered around the local Brownie troop table selling Girl Scout Cookies. (Only $5 a box, the young saleswomen there are now whispering.)

Tuesday, March 6, 1:05 p.m.

Tuesday, March 6, 11:55 a.m.

The folks over at 350 Vermont are reporting successful resolutions in five towns that got TMD done early.

Last night Lincoln, Bristol, Dorset, Bennington, and Arlington passed re)solutions to halt #fossilfuel infrastructure, commit to 90% by 2050, and ensure a #JustTransition – we’ll be reporting on #TMDVT throughout the day! #vtpoli #townmeetingday

— 350 Vermont (@350Vermont) March 6, 2018

The non-binding resolution made it on the ballot in more than 30 towns. It urges state and municipal governments to take aggressive action to reduce fossil fuel emissions that contribute to the warming of the Earth. Towns are asked to halt gas pipeline expansions, and to help weatherize and install rooftop solar on municipal and school buildings.

Read all about it here.

Tuesday, March 6, 11:35 a.m.

Former Vermont state Sen. Bill Doyle recently retired after a nearly half-century college teaching career, but the 91-year-old political scientist is continuing his tradition of circulating an annual Town Meeting Day survey, fittingly named Bill Doyle’s Town Meeting Day Survey.

This year’s poll, distributed statewide by Doyle’s former legislative colleagues, asks voters:

1. Are you concerned about the Vermont opioid crisis?

2. Do you believe water quality is a major issue in Vermont?

3. Should Vermont increase the minimum wage?

4. Do you believe Vermont is an affordable place to live?

5. Are you concerned about the decrease in Vermont’s population?

6. Should Vermont have a four-year term for governor?

7. Should Vermont’s bottle deposit law be expanded?

8. Do you believe that Gov. Phil Scott is doing a good job?

9. Should Vermont have paid family sick leave?

10. Does Vermont rely too heavily on property taxes for funding education?

11. Are you satisfied with Vermont’s health care?

12. Are you optimistic about Vermont’s economy?

13. Do you believe that Vermont values are a reason that many people choose to live in Vermont?

14. Should we reduce Vermont’s prison population by using alternatives for nonviolent offenders?

15. Are you satisfied with the quality of education in your local school district?

Historically, Doyle announces his survey results within a month of town meeting.

Tuesday, March 6, 09:25 a.m.

It’s a good morning for democracy in Vermont. We’ve got reporters on the ground in Chittenden, Orleans, Rutland, Washington and Windham counties, and we’re keeping our eyes on #TMDVT over on Twitter.

Noise ahead of F-35 vote

Digger’s 5-part series on the community impact, troubled history, political support and growing resistance to the F-35 fighter jets set to be based in Burlington wraps up with a story on Sen. Patrick Leahy’s central and controversial role in Vermont’s selection.

As Burlingtonians weigh a ballot initiative asking if they want officials to push back against the F-35 plans, opponents of the basing have turned on their after burners in the past couple days. Ben Cohen, the ice cream mogul, was arrested to blasting speakers to simulate the noise of jets flying overhead, while the group Save Our Skies honed in on the impact the noise will have on children.

There’s also the Burlington mayor’s race and some other ballot initiatives we’ll be watching. Here’s a primer. And profiles of the three candidates for mayor.

Can Culcleasure’s lean campaign change city’s political dynamics?
Bond ratings and water pipes: ‘Into the weeds’ with Miro Weinberger
Can Carina Driscoll ride an anti-Weinberger wave to City Hall?

End of an era in Barre

Residents of Barre will choose a new mayor today to replace Thom Lauzon, who is leaving the city’s top office after 12 years. Lauzon was among the early birds casting a ballot at the city’s auditorium.

He backed Lucas Herring, who has served on the council for seven years, works as the IT director for the Vermont Department of Corrections, and has said he wants to continue down the current course.

Herring’s challenger, Sue Higby, is a first-term councilor and the longtime director of Studio Place Arts. She has been far more critical of Lauzon, accusing him of violating the city’s conflict of interest policy late in his term. Lauzon might be leaving public life, but he’ll remain the city’s most prominent developer — regardless of who’s running City Hall.

 

Monday, March 5, 09:50 p.m.

Before Town Meeting Day begins, here’s a quick rundown of VTDigger’s primers on what’s to come. We’ll keep things brief here, but you can get all the nitty-gritty details by clicking through to the full stories.

Digger’s reporters will be talking to voters, activists and politicians throughout the day and into the night on Tuesday. As the results come in throughout the evening, this is where you’ll find them first.

If there’s something we should know about, comment here, email cmeyn@vtdigger.org, or find us on Facebook or Twitter. And sign up for our morning newsletter to stay informed until the next TMD.

 

Vermont’s first town meetings

We’re starting things off where it all started, in March 1762 at a tavern in Bennington run out of the home of John Fassett. A handful of families had settled down after the bloody conflicts known as the French and Indian wars and decided it was time to get down to business.

They elected town officers (all men, women started to vote on some local issues more than a century later), agreed to give five acres and $40 to anyone willing to set up a gristmill and made a similar offer seeking a sawmill. Both were up and running by the fall.

Meetings in other towns soon followed, settling issues such as the boundaries of school districts, hiring a preacher, requiring every man to give a day’s labor to clearing a town burying ground, setting the dates during which pigs were not allowed to roam freely and even determining how to comport oneself at a town meeting.

Read the full story by journalist and historian Mark Bushnell. 

Burlington’s race for mayor

Infinite Culcleasure, Miro Weinberger or Carina Driscoll, those are the choices (in no particular order) for Burlingtonians as they select their next mayor — or decide to stick with the one they have.

Our Burlington reporter, Cory Dawson, spent time with all three of the candidates over the past few weeks for a series of profiles.

Can Culcleasure’s lean campaign change city’s political dynamics?
Bond ratings and water pipes: ‘Into the weeds’ with Miro Weinberger
Can Carina Driscoll ride an anti-Weinberger wave to City Hall?

Digger also hosted a candidates forum a few weeks back — and covered another forum hosted by Seven Days.

 

Quick study on town reports

With 246 cities and towns voting on issues big and small, there’s lots to take in. Kevin O’Connor, who spent a few weeks on South Korea-time covering the Olympics for Digger (from Vermont), recovered in time to spend the past week poring over town reports from across the state.

Among the highlights: voters are being asked whether they want to take a stand against President Trump (and his stance on climate change), come together for faster internet, demand accountability on education and oppose a planned fighter jet basing. And in Lincoln, at least, voters can have their election and eat cake, too.

Read the roundup here and an article on TMD’s digital turn here.