[B]urlington Mayor Miro Weinberger has endorsed long-time Republican House member and City Council President Kurt Wright and not Wright’s Democratic challenger, Robert Hooper.
Weinberger, a Democrat, is quoted in an ad Wright ran in a Burlington community newspaper, the North Avenue News, saying that while he disagrees with Wright on some issues Wright is “a strong defender of the City of Burlington in Montpelier.”
“He works hard to keep Burlington’s Downtown vibrant and to make sure the City gets a fair deal,” Weinberger said in the ad.
Weinberger’s endorsement of Wright in the contested House race comes as Democrats are seeking to pick up more seats in the House and took the Vermont Democratic Party by surprise.
Hooper, the treasurer of the Chittenden County Democrats, said the endorsement wasn’t unexpected, as the mayor has to work closely with Wright, who leads the Burlington City Council.
“It’s a disappointment that Mayor Weinberger crosses party lines at this point when the Democratic Party is trying to make gains, but it’s not a surprise,” Hooper said.
Weinberger said that he believed the city would be in a weaker position without Wright in the legislature.
“Kurt has been a very effective defender of Burlington, and, in particular, downtown economic vitality over the last six years,” Weinberger said. “As the mayor of Burlington, my first priority is to defend Burlington and make sure Burlington stays strong.”
Hooper, who has been endorsed by prominent Vermont Democrats including Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and U.S. Rep. Peter Welch, argues that Wright’s claims of bipartisanship in the House are contradicted by his decisions to support Gov. Phil Scott’s vetoes of legislation, including the state budget and paid family leave bills.
“If you support Democratic ideals then you almost have to question why you would vote for a Republican in this race, period,” he said.
Democratic Rep. Carol Ode is also running for re-election in the district that covers the city’s New North End, which is historically conservative but becoming more liberal.
Wright barely held onto the seat in the 2016 election, receiving 67 more votes than Democrat Joanna Cole. Ode finished comfortably ahead of Wright and Cole.
While Wright has supported Weinberger before, endorsing him in the contested mayoral race last spring, he ran against Weinberger in the 2012 mayoral election.
Since Scott, a Republican, is favored to win re-election over Democratic challenger Christine Hallquist, Wright said he believes that the mayor recognizes that the city will benefit from having a Republican representative in the Statehouse.
“He feels I am valuable in the delegation, that I’ve been helpful to Burlington and it’s valuable to have me there as the only Republican in our 10-person delegation,” Wright said.
Weinberger said he is a life-long Democrat, is supporting Ode and that Wright is the only Republican he’s ever endorsed. But he said in this race he felt it was necessary to put the needs of the city before his party affiliation.
“I certainly do know some are disappointed with this choice,” he said. “I think, however, there are some things that are more important than party, and there’s a long tradition in Vermont of collaboration and working across party lines to get things done.”
Weinberger highlighted Wright’s work on reforming urban soil regulations had that had contributed to high construction costs and his work on protecting Tax Increment Financing districts as being particularly important for the city.
Wright said he does not believe the mayor’s need to retain a good working relationship with him in his role as council president played a part in the endorsement.
“He knows whether he endorsed me or not, I’m going to continue to have the same relationship with him,” Wright said. “It didn’t play into it in any way.”
Weinberger said that he has seen that Wright cares about the people he represents and is a reasonable person during their work on council issues. Weinberger said he was confident his relationship with Wright would not have been harmed if he had decided not to endorse.
“I know Kurt well enough that I was confident that I could say no, and that he would continue to conduct himself with professionalism and integrity,” he said.
Wright’s ad in the North Avenue News features a number of liberal Burlingtonians expressing support for Wright. Progressive city councilor Jane Knodell also supports Wright.
But Wright said that his work with the mayor on the council has allowed the mayor to see that he is a reasonable person to work with.
“It speaks well of him that he was willing to cross party lines to do that, and that’s how I operate in Montpelier, working across party lines,” Wright said.
Wright said he has been campaigning harder than he ever has and will continue doing so through election day.
While the Vermont Democratic Party was surprised to hear of Weinberger’s endorsement, it doesn’t believe endorsements make or break elections, party spokesperson Christopher Di Mezzo said.
“I don’t think Kurt is untouchable by any means and I think Bob may be the candidate who can unseat him,” Di Mezzo said.
