The Montpelier City Council has unanimously voted against a street mural proposed by Republican gubernatorial candidate John Klar.
City officials initially rejected a street closing permit request from Klar last week. The council opted to pick up the issue during the Tuesday meeting, where it was again denied.
Klar, who is taking on Gov. Phil Scott in the Aug. 11 primary, said last week that he had submitted a proposal to close State Street to paint “Liberty and Justice for All” in red, white and blue, next to an existing “Black Lives Matter Mural.”
The city manager’s office rejected the proposal because the city said it needed 45 days to approve a permit for closing the street. Subsequently, the city council decided to give Klar, who is not a Montpelier resident, time to present the proposal at this week’s meeting.
Klar told the council that “there should be no need to defend the flag, or the Pledge of Allegiance or police officers,” arguing that’s what the message in the proposed mural represents.
The Brookfield resident, whose campaign literature describes him as a farmer and lawyer, then launched an attack against Councilor Conor Casey, who previously had told VTDigger that if a motion on Klar’s mural came to a vote, he would oppose it.
“As a city councilor has weighed in on this rather recklessly and maligned my intentions and those of other people who are behind this application,” Klar said, Casey should not be permitted to vote on the candidate’s application.
“And it’s very concerning,” Klar said, “because that’s really rather inflammatory to impose a toxic invective on my motives, and my credentials and my abilities.”
To aid his argument, Klar said he wanted the council to hear from Alice Flanders, a colleague who is a woman of color and a candidate for state auditor.
“Since white people like Conor Casey tell white people like me that my words must be dismissed because of my white skin,” Klar said, “I have invited just one of our many fine candidates, Alice Flanders, to briefly address as a person of color the motive behind this application.”
Flanders, whom Klar described as “a party to” the application, reviewed her background and qualifications, including a degree from MIT and experience as a military instructor. She said she has been judged solely by her character and is distrustful of Black Lives Matter.
“I am suspicious of Black Lives Matter, I’m going on the record to tell you so,” said Flanders, “because I have been there and you have not.”
The Hartford resident said, “And you know what, for all these years, that people have judged me as an engineer as a mathematician, just based on my personal and my professional qualifications.
“Now when you look at me you dare not overlook the fact that my skin has a lot of melanin,” Flanders said. “We are stepping backward.”
The council then heard from a handful of Montpelier residents, all of whom said they did not want the city to allow Klar’s mural.
Casey said Klar’s proposal was a political move meant to negate the Black Lives Matter message.
“You say we’re trying to politicize this, but I don’t think there’s any center with racism,” Casey said. “I’m not interested in meeting somebody in the center, as a sign of unity, if they don’t believe Black Lives Matter.”
Casey continued, “And sure enough, I don’t think all conservatives are racist either, John. But I definitely think you are, so I’ll absolutely oppose this.”
People need to better understand that Black lives do matter, Casey said, and issues around policing need to be addressed.
“Until we can recognize that Black lives matter, I don’t think ‘liberty and justice for all’ is alive and well in America,” the councilor said. “So I apologize, Mr. Klar, if I am doubting your intentions with coming in here with this request but I read some of your commentary pieces and I find them offensive.”
Other council members also opposed the proposed mural and joined Casey in voting it down.
CORRECTION: The city manager rejected a street closing request from Klar, not a permit for the mural as originally reported.
