BURLINGTON — After the election of two new Progressives to the City Council Tuesday, another race was quickly on the minds of Burlington Progressives — the 2021 mayoral election.
Party executive director Josh Wronski was less than a minute into his speech at a victory celebration Tuesday night when he crystal balled the party’s success boded well for its chances of taking back the mayor’s office next year.
“Miro Weinberger, we’re coming for you,” Wronski said.
Already, Progressives are starting to float names of potential candidates to take on Weinberger, a Democrat who’s served since 2012. In an interview Friday, the mayor said he was months away from deciding, but allowed there was a “good chance” he will run again for another three-year term.
Weinberger won office after Bob Kiss, the last Progressive mayor who was caught up in the controversy over city spending on Burlington Telecom, didn’t seek another term in 2012.
The big question within the party is if Burlington’s left will be able to find a candidate who can unite the more experienced, “moderate” wing of the party with the energized, young left wing that has powered the party to electoral victories the past two years.
A number of veteran Progressives are currently considering mayoral bids, including Councilor Brian Pine, and two former assistant city attorneys — Gene Bergman and John Franco.
Carina Driscoll, who challenged Weinberger in 2018 as an independent endorsed by the Progressive Party, is also said to be considering another bid. Driscoll, a former city councilor, state representative and school commissioner, did not return a call from VTDigger for comment. Fellow 2018 candidate Infinite Culcleasure also did not return a request for comment.
In 2018, Weinberger won with 48% of the vote, to 35% for Driscoll and 16% for Culcleasure.
Councilor Max Tracy’s, P-Ward 2, name is being floated as a potential candidate in Progressive circles.
Councilor Ali Dieng, who previously caucused with the Progressives but switched to being an independent after winning Tuesday’s election, said he is considering a bid for mayor. Dieng told VTDigger that he would no longer be caucusing with the party as he wanted to move past the city’s partisan political divides.
Councilor Jack Hanson, P-East District, said he believed it was important to find a candidate who would appeal to and energize the left.
“There’s a lot of diversity within the left, it’s a spectrum,” Hanson said. “And I think having someone who has support, credibility, and relationships across that spectrum will be really meaningful, especially since we don’t have ranked-choice voting.”
Councilor Perri Freeman, P-Central District, said the party should run a candidate who understands the need to transform the economy to uplift working people and address global warming.
“Working people are struggling across the board on a myriad of issues, and I would really like to see someone in leadership who really understands that, and wants to center that and bring more people into the process,” she said.
The 2018 election, and the divide on the left that contributed to Weinberger’s reelection, is still on the minds of Progressives.
“Hopefully anyone who runs for mayor would have broad support, so we wouldn’t see a divide like we had in the last election,” Tracy said. “Hopefully we’d be able to find someone who would unite that side and win a majority of the vote.”
But some moderate Weinberger critics say they are concerned a far-left Progressive nominee could alienate moderate voters in the city, who want change but wouldn’t want to support a younger, further-left Progressive.
“If the Progressives want the mayor’s seat, they’re going to have to unite behind one candidate,” said former city councilor Dave Hartnett, a Democrat who has been critical of Weinberger. “And it can’t be someone in the middle of the new progressive movement, because I think city-wide, they’re not ready for that to happen.”
Hartnett said he thought a candidate of “the old Progressive Party” in the city, like Pine, former city councilor Jane Knodell, or Driscoll could have the citywide appeal needed to win the election.
“I think Carina holds the cards,” Hartnett said. “If she wanted to throw her name back in, I could see her getting quite a bit of support.”
Hartnett said he was also thinking about a mayoral bid next year, but said he would have to see how the race shapes up before deciding if he would run.
Pine, who worked in the city’s Community and Economic Development Office for 18 years, said numerous conversations needed to happen before he decided whether or not to run, but did not rule it out.
“I’d have to be kidding you if I didn’t say the mayor’s office has been something that’s interested me over the years,” he said. “Would I love to be the mayor of Burlington? Absolutely. It would be an incredible thing to do.”
Franco worked as an assistant city attorney when Bernie Sanders was mayor and later worked as a legislative director for Sanders in Washington. While working for the city, he helped push a legal case using the Public Trust Doctrine that paved the way for the purchase of the land where Waterfront Park now sits. A local solo practice attorney, Franco has represented residents opposed to the CityPlace development in litigation against the developers.
“I’m definitely thinking about it,” Franco said. “I haven’t decided. As the judges say, I have it under advisement.”
Bergman was on the City Council from 1986 to 1992 and an assistant city attorney and senior assistant city attorney from 1998 to 2018, when he retired. Bergman said he had been enjoying retirement but was considering a campaign for mayor.
“Let’s just say people have asked, it’s in my brain, in my thinking,” he said. “It’s an interesting proposition.”
Bergman said he believed that if he ran, he could bring the left together as he has worked closely with some of the younger city councilors while having long-standing relationships with those on the center-left and right in the city.
“We need someone who can be a bridge to both and be able to put forward a vision that is exciting and bold, and then be able to do things, to run the government,” he said.
Dieng said he had been approached by residents about running for mayor, but said he had not yet made a decision about whether he would do so.
“It’s not something I chase away, it’s in my mind,” he said.
Tracy said he hadn’t yet thought about running for mayor next year, and was focused on working with the new council.
On the Democratic side, Weinberger said Friday that there was a “good chance” he would run for a fourth term, though a final decision was months away.
“I continue to be totally energized by this job, I am totally committed to the work we’re doing on the issues,” he said. “I am very grateful for the people of Burlington to get to serve in this role, and I think there is a good chance that I will be seeking reelection for a fourth term.”
Weinberger said he believed the success of the ballot items this year, including a public safety tax increase, reflected public trust in his administration.
“If you go back and look at the history of Burlington politics, administrations that are in trouble can’t muster majority support for ballot items they take to the voters,” he said. “Administrations that have lost the trust of the public and can’t muster majorities for these key issues, that has often been an indicator that there needs to be change.”
In 2019, the mayor did see one of his big priorities fail to garner majority support, when voters shot down a proposed Downtown Improvement District on Town Meeting Day. Others see him as vulnerable due to the lengthy delays to the stalled CityPlace development and the Burlington Police Department’s social media scandal that lead to the resignations of Police Chief Brandon del Pozo and Deputy Chief Jan Wright.
“I think that this election sent a clear message that people want a change at City Hall,” Tracy said.
Weinberger said he believes the public understands the CityPlace delays lay at the feet of the developers and not the city. He said reaction to a recent scaled-back plan for the site has been positive. Weinberger also said he believes the public appreciates how he handled a difficult situation at the police department.
Weinberger said he hasn’t seen any signs that support for Democrats is decreasing in the South End and New North End, areas where Democrats control five of the six council seats and he has been successful in previous elections.
But it’s still early to start talking about the mayoral election, Weinberger said.
“The people of Burlington don’t want a year-long mayoral election,” he said. “I think it’s pretty early to be talking about the 2021 Town Meeting Day election.”
