BURLINGTON — To the three candidates running for the Ward 5 seat on the Burlington City Council, two important things happened Friday night.
The first was serving food and handing out diapers to anyone who stopped by the corner of Baird Street and South Meadow Drive — a weekly ritual for the People’s Kitchen, a group co-led by independent candidate FaReid Munarsyah.
The second was a chance for the candidates — Munarsyah, Democrat Ben Traverse and independent Lenora Travis — to show Burlington voters that the city’s sometimes bellicose political climate has not reared its head in their precinct ahead of the March 1 election.
“I think we have our differences,” Traverse said of his competitors. “But just because you have your differences doesn’t mean you can’t work together.”
The idea to gather and serve a community meal first came from Munarsyah, who proposed a “cook-off” between the would-be councilors during a Feb. 2 candidate forum held by Town Meeting TV.
At Friday’s event, Munarsyah said his invitation stemmed from a desire to discuss issues important to the South End (which Ward 5 encompasses) without the formality of a televised forum.
“We should be arguing a lot more,” he said of discourse between the candidates, “but it’s about serving the community.”
Plus, the web developer laughed, he had an ulterior motive.
“I needed an edge. I’m not going to out-debate a lawyer,” Munarsyah said, referring to Traverse.
So instead, Munarsyah did what he has become known for in Burlington activist circles: cook free food that anyone can come and enjoy. Friday’s menu included brisket and soup, both of which received high praise from the event’s attendees.
Traverse, for his part, contributed macaroni and cheese and a canopy-style tent to the feast.
Travis stood on a porch behind the tent, where she handed out diapers to four mothers, she said. The convenience store clerk also spoke to potential constituents about her campaign for City Council, which is inspired by her desire to improve conditions for those experiencing homelessness, as she did when she first moved to Burlington.
When Travis spends time around the city’s day shelter for people without housing, she said, it strikes her how the issue is of growing importance.
“I see a lot more faces than when I was displaced,” she told VTDigger.
Traverse and Munarsyah also spoke with voters, who milled around close to the tent on a blustery night. For Munarsyah, the conversations drifted to what he called “the main goal” of his campaign: passing “Proposition Zero,” an effort to let city residents hold binding referendums.
Traverse said he appreciated the chance to engage with voters face-to-face.
“Too often officials expect the community to come to them,” Traverse said. “This serves as a great model of how we can engage with people.”
In the spirit of Traverse’s observation, Munarsyah grabbed a megaphone at one point in the night and encouraged attendees to introduce themselves to the candidates.
“Please take a good look at them. They could be on the City Council if you want to yell at them,” Munarsyah boomed into the device. “Or thank them.”
Hartmuth Sommer, an attendee and Ward 5 resident, said he was grateful for the opportunity to speak with candidates. While he had not researched the race much, Sommer said the most progressive contender would win his vote.
“Ward 5, for the most part, it’s a pretty rich neighborhood,” Sommer said, “and we have to focus more on people who have greater needs.”
Munarsyah, an independent who sought and received the Progressive Party’s nomination, contested Sommer’s characterization of Ward 5, saying that the neighborhood is becoming more diverse, though perhaps those less wealthy residents are not as “enfranchised.”
But Friday’s event — allowing candidates to serve a meal to people who may be food-insecure — helped challenge that dynamic, Munarsyah said.
As for whether the meal could blossom into a tradition, this year’s slate of candidates appeared enthusiastic.
“I’m hoping this isn’t a one-and-only type thing,” Traverse said. “I’m hoping we can set a standard.”
