[B]URLINGTON — Progressive/Democratic lawyer Jared Carter and Republican Paco DeFrancis are planning on running in the March City Council election against two longtime incumbent councilors.
Carter will seek the nominations of the Democratic and Progressive parties against Progressive Jane Knodell, while DeFrancis will run against Democrat Joan Shannon.
Councilors Dave Hartnett, an independent, and Richard Deane, a Democrat, are also up for re-election this cycle.
Carter, a professor at Vermont Law School and the director of the Vermont Community Law Center, said he is running as he is concerned about inequality in the city and the sale of public assets, like Burlington Telecom.
“What makes Burlington an exceptional city is its leadership when it comes to investing in public assets,” he said. “I am very concerned about the sale to private entities of our public assets … I don’t think that’s going to keep Burlington on the right path.”
Carter is involved in challenging the sale of BT as the Vermont Public Utility Commission considers whether to approve the sale of the utility from holding company Blue Water to Schurz Communications and ZRF Partners.
Carter also said he was concerned about the status of the CityPlace Burlington project, and said the City Council should take a step to come up with a “Plan B” if the current plans with developer Don Sinex don’t work out.
“It’s the responsibility of good governance to make sure we have a plan in place if that one falls through,” he said.
Carter has also been critical of the city’s policy on homeless encampments, and represented Seven Days in an unsuccessful public records lawsuit for a document explaining Councilor Karen Paul’s initial recusal in the Burlington Telecom sale vote.
Knodell said she was planning on running on her record and her vision for an “inclusive, equitable and vibrant city.”
“If people want to know what kind of councilor I will be, all they need to do is look at my record of what I’ve done and how I work with others,” she said. “There shouldn’t be a lot of mystery about who I am, and what I’m all about.”
She said that the city is required to sell Burlington Telecom as a result of the lawsuit settlement with CitiBank, and the focus should be on how to move forward with the present reality.
Knodell said she would continue supporting the city’s seniors and children, and work on inclusionary zoning and progressive economic development.
DeFrancis, the chair of the city’s Republican Party, said he thought the city was emphasizing major projects, like renovations of the Memorial Auditorium and Moran Plant, at the expense of the city’s finances.
“There’s not enough pushback for these big plans,” he said. “They’re noble, but are they actually doable, and how much are we biting off while we’re trying to do the Burlington High School project?”
DeFrancis, 27, has lived in Burlington for three years and is a senior financial analyst at Keurig/Dr. Pepper. He previously ran for justice of the peace in Burlington.
He said he thought Shannon, his opponent, had done a great job, but the council as a whole should be more fiscally responsible.
“There are a lot of things I agree with Councilor Shannon on, but I think there’s a little bit more of a need for fiscal restraint,” he said.
Shannon did not immediately reply to a request for comment from VTDigger on Friday, but welcomed DeFrancis into the race on Twitter.
“Welcome to the race Paco,” she wrote. “I look forward to the debate!”
