Following party caucuses, a Democrat and a Progressive are moving forward to face off in a special election to fill an empty Burlington City Council seat in the East District.
Dina John, a 22-year-old who works at the Chittenden County Superior court, accepted the Progressive nomination during a caucus on Saturday.
During their caucus Monday night, Burlington Democrats chose Maea Brandt, a 57-year-old visual artist and Saint Michael’s College lecturer. Brandt has lived in the city for 32 years.
Christopher-Aaron Felker, chair of the Burlington Republican Party, said in an email his party would not field a candidate in the special election.
The East District City Council seat was vacated last month when Jack Hanson resigned to seek a job with the city. Mayor Miro Weinberger announced a special election would take place on Dec. 6, with ballots mailed to all active registered voters in the district.
The district covers neighborhoods around Riverside and Colchester avenues, as well as some areas east of North Willard Street and surrounding the University of Vermont campus.
Another resignation in the council was announced last week when Ali House stepped down. That seat in Ward 8, one of two wards within the East District, will remain vacant until March next year since the vacancy occurred after Oct. 1.
Vermont Progressive Party Chair Josh Wronski said John won Saturday’s vote over another candidate, Jake Schumann, 24-6.
“(John) coming from a working class family is going to be really, really important experience to have that voice represented on the council,” Wronski said in an interview.
Schumann, who said he is running as an independent, also ran for the nomination in the Democratic caucus on Monday.
John pointed to affordable housing as an issue she would take up at the council. John said she has lived through housing struggles since she and her family arrived in Vermont in 2004 as immigrants.
A few years later in 2008, her mother was working two jobs while supporting five children, John said in an interview on Monday. They got through a winter without heat, sleeping on the floor. Then they lost their home. Things picked up when they were moved into government housing.
John was proud to note that she still lives in a government housing unit today.
“So I understand the importance of Burlington people affording rent,” John said.
John acknowledged that some voters might question her level of experience at her age.
“Since 18, I’ve been asked to take up opportunities way above my age, which shows that people trust me,” John said. She also pointed to her work with a litigation law firm and her time working on criminal justice policy with Democrat Christine Hallquist’s campaign for governor in 2018.
Brandt said during the Democratic caucus that she recently felt called into Burlington politics to serve her “civic duty.”
“So as a longtime resident, I sat back, had kids and watched politics, watched Burlington grow, change,” Brandt said. “And now I want to get into the fray. There’s a lot at stake. And it’s been a wild couple of years. Burlington is changing. Democracy is changing, and it’s time to participate.”
Brandt said she is concerned about public safety in the city at a time when her children walk to Edmunds Elementary School and Burlington High School downtown. But Brandt said she would also seek to work on infrastructure issues and to maintain Burlington as an environmental leader.
“One of the aspects of Vermont that’s so important is that it remains sustainable and green and really ahead of the curve with regard to energy,” she said.
Early voting for the special election is set to begin Oct. 24. The Fletcher Free Library and Mater Christi School will serve as polling places on Dec. 6.
