 Hello and welcome to town meeting television channel 17 election forum I'm here with three candidates who are current incumbents on the city council and We're going to be discussing the upcoming town meeting election and making sure that their constituents get a chance to hear from them in advance of the March 6th ballot, so To my right here is city councilor Kurt Wright a Republican from Ward 4 Then we have Sharon Boucher city councilor from Ward 1 and an independent and Max Tracy progressive from Ward 2. Welcome Thanks for having us and Kurt I understand this is your first time running unopposed in your entire tenure on the council. Is that right? It is Morgan It is I'm I'm as much as I love going out and campaigning and having Democracy in action with an opponent. I don't mind that I have a free ride this time for the first time in 24 years there you go and Sharon you're closing in on 30 years on the council. Is that correct past past 30 years? So I got elected in 1987 and Bernie Sanders was mayor of Burlington when I got So you can see how he has progressed politically and I have to but Only as a ward counselor Yes, all right. Well, and then Max remind us when were you elected? I was elected in 2012 So this will be coming up on six years on the council. Great. All right, and so We're gonna be a little more freeform today I think this is just a great opportunity to sort of dig in and talk about let your constituents know your views on the rest of the ballot Because there are a lot of interesting ballot questions and so I'm just gonna start with the school budget and It is 85.9 million dollar budget. It's a pretty small city increase, but a large state increase relatively large and Kurt I'll start with you. What are your thoughts on Burlington school budget this year? Sure. Thanks Morgan. I Hear the concern by people out there property taxes to me continues to be the number one concern that I've heard in every campaign that I that I knock on doors and which is many I am going to support this budget because I think the school board has worked very hard to try to Keep this under control as possible In Montpelier and I will tell you that actually the numbers in Montpelier are not going to be anywhere near as bad as we Thought initially because the governor sort of put out the alarm bell and and said, you know I would request that school districts really try to rein in their spending and the spending has come in the aggregate School spending across the state has come in at significantly lower numbers than was initially thought So it will be it will be significantly Smaller increase on the statewide then we then we thought it was going to be 9.4 cents I think we're talking more like five and a half or six cents now because when the first numbers come out They're estimating what they think, you know, looking at the patterns that they've seen and the numbers that they've looked at and it's it's Come in significantly smaller. So that's good And we're also looking at a income tax Funding reform proposal in the Ways and Means Committee right now Which it's shifting some of the property tax burden to the income tax There's a lot of details that go with that but I know that some school board members and school board candidates came up to the Legislature last week on Thursday and met with the chair of the Education Committee I think they were trying to meet with others as well They met with members of the delegation and they're trying to I think the bill numbers h795 which was Pushed forward by some school board members mark Barlow and others which was to try to team to Create a definition of what non education education expenses are it's not really what have been told It's not clearly defined and they want to be able to use some of that money for non education purposes The pilot money that ended up going from the schools mostly back to the city. So We'll see what happens with that and We'll leave it there. All right counselor Bush or your thoughts on the budget So I too will be supporting the budget however at our neighborhood planning assembly After the meeting there was a lot of discussion about How citizens could get involved in them in a way to reflect on how we fund schools? What can we do? Why can't we have a statewide? Union why can't we collectively? Compensate teachers in a different manner How can we generate funds to support our schools that isn't totally reliant on property taxes these conversations continue Unfortunately, we over the years. We haven't really made as much progress as anyone would like to have made on this So I think that you know, I did get some comments Which which are are sad because they're not meant to be hurtful They're just meant to be accurate that some people say that if we continue going the way We are that they will have to make really difficult choices and potentially move out of Burlington Because they can't afford it and it's not just on schools I mean there are other the bonding that the city is doing too. It's all cumulative So I think you really have to look at that. So once again, I'll be brief Counselor Wright knows far more than I do because he's in the legislature also So some of this information was new for me to hear also But I'm hoping that the legislature will come forward with some other ideas of how we can fund schools and not Have it total be on the community. Thank you. When you say no more than you mean just in regard to the legislation You don't understand All right, well, that's great and max your thoughts I also support the school budget I'll be voting yes on it and encourage others to do the same like you know like both Sharon and Kurt I do agree that we need to really look hard at how we can adjust and reform the property taxes in this state And I think that in doing so we really need to make sure that we're cognizant that Different districts around the state have different needs Burlington being you know a more urban district with higher You know with it that's maintaining pretty consistent enrollment That has a lot of English language learners that has a lot of special ed needs We really need to make sure that we're funding all kinds of learners in our in our budgets and not just You know continuing to cut I think that they did a great job of really preventing a lot of painful cuts in this budget So I really support that I think on the when it when it comes to the city side You know, we're not the ones who craft and formulate this the school budget And I think it's important for us as city counselors when we get into our budgeting to really make a good use of taxpayer Money keep that municipal side of the tax rate as consistent as possible and also really be smart about ways That we can both improve the city's credit rating because that saves people money in the long term As well as investing in Burlington in a way that's sustainable as we've done with the 10-year capital plan I think that right now we're in a really strong position in terms of the finances of the city And I you know really value a resolution that was brought to the council of belief by counselor right and others That really referred to that asked the board of finance and the ceo to look at potentially giving Some of that money back to taxpayers specifically low and modern income seniors And I hear a lot of what Sharon's hearing about seniors being priced out of Burlington wanting to stay in their homes Wanting to age in place and not feeling like they can do so So this is something we have to absolutely take seriously as a community that's aging rapidly or at least who's popular With the numbers getting you know up there in terms of different folks So we really need to pay attention to that as we move forward. All right, great Good responses all around sounds like Strong support for the school budget overall But a lot to be looking forward to in terms of financing reform and also just keeping an eye on How that money is being used So I think we are actually getting a call and we will go to the phones here with a question for you folks Hi, welcome to town meeting television. You're on the air. Yes. Thank you for taking my call My name is Dale Tillerton from work seven. Uh, none of these counselors actually represent me But uh, I would like to ask a question seeing nobody all right ahead um Last year Uh, department of public works Uh suffered a $70,000 fine from bocia For an incident, I believe at the king street work area I understand that the city council negotiated that down to 40 000 If it was paid by september 1st of last year I'm wondering if the counselors could give me the details of that And if there have been any, um issues resolved within Public works as far as solving that issue It was for safety violations from bocia If you could respond, please. Okay. Well, thank you for the question. Does anybody uh familiar with that issue? So I know that the that the city was that that osha regularly does compliance checks and that the city was dinged on a number of fronts I think some of them were had to do with electrical stuff electrical outlets and other and other issues that maybe the treatment plants and then there was issues with properly, um Using digsafe kind of not digsafe but using proper, um, I don't know what they're called when you dig a trench having like You know have to have a ladder a ladder you have to have something to prevent the trench from caving in on itself And so I think that they were also cited for that as well And that that the council didn't negotiate any sort of settlement in that regard But that that the city attorney was in conversations with with osha and that that's what they arrived at and I think it's You know really important to pay attention to when we do get those things because this is worker safety and We've received, you know assurances that these issues will be Addressed and won't happen again from dpw. So I can only hope that that's the case Okay, um, they came to the board of finance and gave a report. However, I'm really not well versed I'd have to dig out my stuff to really talk about it in any depth, but They did report the finding They disclosed it, which is what we expect Explained how the event happened and and told us the steps They had taken to prevent something like this from happening again, which is really all you can expect From a department. You want to make sure we're all human. We do make mistakes But you want to make sure that any mistakes that are preventable are going to be addressed All right, so let's move on to another ballot question and this one is asking whether burlington should join into a union municipal district with a number of the surrounding communities To form the chitin and county public safety authority This would basically be a more formalized mutual aid for dispatch services for emergency services I believe the idea is that it will shave A few minutes off response times for the towns involved It's on a ballot and I believe six or seven communities and three need to pass it in order for an existing mo to go into effect and I am not certain whether there's any expected savings with this but when we hear this touted it is not necessarily touted as a plan to save money, but more a plan to improve response times Especially maybe outside of burlington where there are possibly, uh, you know less Ems and fires services available And Sharon we'll start with you So, um, I do support this. This is a multi-step process as you alluded to So the first step is to ask all the communities surrounding communities that, um Are interested, um, if indeed they want to pursue this or move Forward with it. I do support that This item on the ballot. Um, I trust chief lock. I think he's a very responsive individual He has experience with this fire chief. Yes. Yes. Excuse me. Yes. He's the burlington Fire chief, but anyways, I trusted him. He reported he's been very forthcoming with What this does and what what the pros and cons of it are you reference the fact that As far as 911 calls There would be an improved response time not only for Out other areas, but actually for burlingtonians also At least that's what he stated when he came to speak at the npa Um this the aspect of it so step one if this passes then and then step two is one where There is some controversy. So the dispatchers currently are employees of the city of burlington And if we regionalized they would no longer be employees of the city of burlington All of the dispatchers would be in this new entity And there is some concern about the fact that these individuals would have to reapply for their job There's a concern about retirement and compensation All of these are valid and he doesn't shy away from these concerns. So I'm for going forward But then the next step is the one where we really have to roll up our sleeves and understand I want to protect the people that have done an excellent job for our community I want to make sure that they have the a job and compensation that's adequate Great counselor tracy So I didn't support this when this came to the council and a lot of it had to do with the fact that we had dispatchers showing up Really not feeling comfortable with it and also not feeling like they had been really involved in the conversation In addition to that they also questioned some of the statistics in terms of response time that the chief that both of our chiefs Locke and del pozo were giving And so I felt like it wasn't ready for prime time and needed more conversations with with those Frontline workers out of the respect for the tremendous work that they've been doing for for many years And that they needed to be more involved in the conversation from the very beginning to make sure that we had as much Employee buy-in as possible. So I think that well, you know overall It makes sense to move in this direction I think we have to do it in the right way and make sure that we're bringing in You know those those dispatcher voices the people who are actually doing that front line work And so you will you be uh, you're not supporting this question I think that there's too many open questions about you know about this this this issue at this time to to really be You know for to have earned my support I feel like I want to be respectful of the people You know the the dispatchers the police officers and others who showed up At the meeting and said this you know, we haven't been involved in this conversation We really need to be brought into this conversation in a meaningful way And we really need to understand what this is going to look like You know in in terms of you know as an operating entity I understand that you know it's a chicken and egg thing to a certain degree And you got to get approved to kind of figure things out But I feel like there was a lot of misinformation a lot of confusion and that's really I think Posing a morale hurdle for for some of those those those folks that are doing such great work for our city All right counselor, right? Thanks, market. I do support this I think that the savings that they're talking about is something like 60 to 70 seconds And when I first hear that I think not a big deal But it really is a really big deal in in regard to people's lives being on the line during these When these things happen So I think that as Sharon said I I agree that I hear the concerns of the dispatchers We heard them when they came that night They're concerned about the potential loss of jobs having to reapply etc And I do understand that and I wish they'd been involved a little bit earlier But there was an amendment put into the language that actually to ensure that they will be involved going forward And I do trust the chief to do this has been an issue that's been out there for decades now And I think other communities are waiting on Burlington And so I think this is a fair question to ask for voters to at least for the First step to enable us to go forward to the next step All right, great And Viewers if you'd like to call in if you have a question for any of these counselors Please do give us a call at 802-862-3966. That's 802-862-3966. We'd love to hear from you Um, so moving on to Another the next ballot question. Um, this is about Proving 6.1 million in bonding for capital projects. This is part of the mayor's 10-year infrastructure plan an initial bonding initial bonding was approved in the november election um in I believe 2016 And um, this is following through on more of that. I believe the money is largely for Replacing water and sewer lines as well as sidewalks and roads and continuing to Expand the waterfront bike path. And so we're back to you counselor, right? Will you be supporting these general obligation bonds for infrastructure? I will be and this is um part of this is it's for Sidewalks infrastructure as you mentioned roads Repair and I think this this is included with the deal with uvm and champlain college um that we will bring in I think the figure is 8 million Over 20 years counselor busher is that In the right ballpark for that. I believe that's correct. I think that's Yeah, I think that's an increase in payments in lieu of tax made by those two entities They're going to continue making their payments. It's an increase to those payments. Yes, this is a separate right It's a separate agreement that we that we have negotiated with Um the university and champlain college And so I I am supportive of that and it's contingent on the passage of the bond by the voters Of the of this bond so I do support that counselor busher Um, I really don't have much to add. I I support moving forward with this. I think you know Capital improvements are really important to our community and and um, we have made some improvements we want to continue to keep that moving forward and to address some of the needs unmet needs that have gone on for quite a while There are some streets looking a little haggard They're very dangerous the pothole bandit might reappear, you know, it's pretty bad. All right, uh, counselor tracy So I didn't vote for this at the council and a lot of that had to do with the fact that this was posted on board Docs at 6 30 the night before and this has been a trend this we've we've got a website where Agendas and meeting items are posted. Thank you for clarifying. Yeah, absolutely So this is a and this is when it was made available to the public and and this was you know The night before essentially 24 hours before our meeting was to begin And I just think that that is a really unfortunate way to do business, you know as a city I think that the administration has an obligation to to really get things to us in enough time To really thoughtfully consider them and provide some feedback We had been able to provide feedback at earlier At earlier junctures, but you really can't digest something as as important as this within That you know within that period, uh, you know within a 24 hour period So I think that it's really important That they did so I wanted to send a signal with that now when it comes to you know Do I think that UVM should contribute their UVM and Champlain should contribute their Fisher? Absolutely, you know They give a lot to Burlington, but they also you know place a strain and and you know get a lot from Burlington And we need to make sure that we're getting you know Our money's worth when it comes to funding these improvements that we all benefit from because the taxpayers certainly have Have put their you know have certainly put put their money where their mouth is when it comes to funding these improvements So the institution should do the same Great. Um, all right, and then moving on we have another uh, we're getting into the advisory questions now but again Viewers if you have a question for any of these counselors or for all of them The number is 802 862 3966 give us a call. We'd love to hear from you So what we so now that there's a advisory question on climate change and it says shall the voters urge the governor and general assembly to actively pursue the goal of 90 renewable energy with firm deadlines and ensure Transition to renewable energy is fair and equitable for all residents with additional support for low-income and rural communities And I believe uh, counselor busher. We're back to you with that. Uh, how do you how do you view that? So There's nothing in this that I would vote against I would certainly be supportive of this. Um I think that renewable energy is really the way to go and that's that's what we've done in burlington And we really want to have this statewide And so I think when you read this though, they're with firm interim deadlines So they're you know, it's not just a deadline but interim deadlines to achieve that 90 percent 90 by 2050 is that correct? Right? So, I mean, I think that I think that, you know, we have to have some goals in which to achieve So, um, I'm certainly in support of this and and have Really felt very good about Burlington as we've positioned ourselves for renewable energy Great, uh, counselor chasey Uh, I absolutely support this climate change is real. It's happening right now. Uh, and we need to aggressively Do everything we possibly can especially given that the federal government has largely abdicated its responsibility to take any sort of Action on climate change it falls to us as a state and also as a city to really do everything that we can to reduce our carbon footprint And i'm committed to doing that in terms of burlington I think that i'm really encouraged by the the recent commit the net zero commitments that that b ed has announced And I think we need to do More to just understand what that means as well as you know Do the same in terms of setting interim deadlines for the city Definition of of even if if it's hard to really pin down what net zero is but what what burlington's working towards there So we're trying to make all of our you know energy sources Renewable in a way so that we're we're basically not contributing To to our carbon footprints and so that comes in a variety different sectors We've made tremendous progress in terms of the electricity generation sector That's what the big headlines were a couple about a year or two ago burlington 100 renewable city We've made progress in there largely because of the leadership of burlington electric And the you know, the that's just amazing team we have over there shout out to neil lunderville Yeah, great and great great work there and and it's been happening for a long time And so I think that you know where we have where we haven't made as much progress as in heating Which is where you know, I think we need to to really continue to pursue a district heating system We have a lot of waste heat that's lost through the mcneil generating plant in the old in the old north end That we could if we created basically like an old house a radiator system through burlington We could capture that and heat a huge percentage of the city great. Um counselor, right? Uh, sure. This is just a general question to the voters to advise the governor and the legislature if they support these goals Um, I don't think it doesn't plug any details of how you get to those goals for the most part So I'm supportive of uh of this question Great. Um, and we have a caller Hello, you're on the air. Welcome to town meeting television. Well, thank you very much. My name is Greg Roy and from ward four And I was wondering uh, well if I could back you up to the last one the infrastructure bond Sure, everybody here know if passing that means that streets around the city that don't have sidewalks like stanbury will get sidewalks Uh, counselor, right? That's your ward. Uh, we'll go to you. What do you what what do you think that how would you weigh in? I I do not know whether I could I would not be able to sit here right now and say that I can guarantee that if this passes That uh, we would get sidewalks on stanbury. I mean, I don't know um Sometimes you'd have to find out whether all the neighbors want sidewalks sometimes you go to put sidewalks in and some neighbors Want them some neighbors don't want them um So I totally hear you greg and I would have to check on on on that in terms of What what the possibilities would be in terms of sidewalk on on your particular street on stanbury I think that the the city has actually changed. Um, and not not to my liking actually, but the city has taken the um The people out of the process and they did a study on actually on existing sidewalks And which ones needed to be repaired and then they look at areas of travel and determine how how many people actually Travel down a certain section and what the safety issues are before they actually implement or put move forward with either improving side existing sidewalks or Putting some in place I feel that That's fine because it's detached, but I feel that should still be overlaid with some Ward specific needs that the public and the people in that ward really want this to happen And when you when you remove people you end up spending money based on equations And therefore some people in some sections of the city feel like their voice is not heard Because they don't get any money or any any uh input into Improvements, and I think that you can be smart about it and have it both ways You don't have to just be one way or the other Counselor chasey you wanted to weigh in so the city policy is that you know There is you know a desire to have at least a sidewalk on one side of of each street in burlington And they pursue that it can however take a very long time for instance on cliff street There was a desire for a long long time for people to For them to get an adequate sidewalk or any sidewalk there It took a long time of piecing together federal You know state local different grants and different money sources to really do all of that work And I think that that continues to be the case in other areas So I think that there is interest in expanding sidewalk infrastructure But also taking care of that infrastructure and doing so in a way that is Really prioritizes the worst sidewalks and what councilor busher referred to was a A survey done of each and every square of sidewalk in the city with A with an instrument that assesses and allows for us to Geolocate each square assess a variety of different Decomposition whether it's pitched whether it's cracked whether it's non-existent Document that and then and then try and create a a plan for really addressing those so that you know It's not just the squeaky wheels that get the grease, but that it's really prioritizing You know the the conditions of that sidewalk or some of the worst sidewalks because sometimes You know with residents, you know with wards that have higher percentages of permanent residents versus You know my ward which has a lot of Renters, you know, it can be difficult for the for the to get those those infrastructure needs addressed because people aren't is You know plugged into the channels of city government And that's you know, because something that I continue to work with Bottom line with all that is that that we cannot guarantee that Passengers bond that I think Secondary answer there is talk to your neighbors talk to Kurt and show up to city council meetings. Make your voice heard. Thank you for the call All right. Um, well, we will keep cranking here. We got some more advisory ballot questions. Um There is one that asks if we should Uh, if the city should be advised to identify and adopt progressive local option revenues to exclusively fund the city's housing trust fund entity that's used to make loans or to make grants that help build affordable housing throughout the city And I think that some of the options you guys can probably better inform this conversation But some of the things that they've talked about are property transfer tax for properties over a million dollars in value Something like that is what's being contemplated here And so I will take this first to council trace you go ahead So I actually was the one of the lead sponsors in getting this on the on the town meeting day ballot I think that you know one of the issues that we've continually run up against is that of you know, affordable housing availability And well, you know, we had a recent report that said that our inclusionary zoning ordinance That's an ordinance that basically says when new development has takes place A certain percentage of that development has to be set aside as as perpetually affordable housing Well, that's worked to a certain degree We need to be doing you know, there are other things that we could be doing to to to generate revenue and create increased affordable housing stocks And so I think again, it's one of those questions of where you know, if we recognize that this is an issue Just doing the same thing over and over again or merely leaving You know our housing issues to to market forces It's just not going to yield the the the benefits that we need It's not going to yield the affordable housing across a range of broad spectrum of of incomes And so we again have to really think long and hard about how we can better fund our Our our infrastructure or I mean our our affordable housing infrastructure Really contributing directly to the housing trust fund, which is really geared towards brick and mortar housing construction And so this is really asking, you know, trying to gauge where people stand in terms of progressive taxation So, um, you know having people who make more contributing more to that than then say lower And so it's a local option Tax that would be on the table for this as one of the lead sponsors. Could you just sort of What did you have any specific taxes in mind when you when you propose this? Yeah, so this this was originally proposed as a real estate transfer tax and we had identified luxury properties And the way we set the luxury property Bar was we looked at the median and the median housing price In terms of burlington and said and that was about that had taken place over the last couple years That was about 250 000 and so generally in in real estate and with housing experts We were talking to you know, double that median is considered You know above double that median and above is considered luxury housing So we wanted to place a 1% tax When those those sales those property transfers take place and have that 1% get contributed to that Basically understanding that you know, those folks who are able to purchase a you know more expensive home Had that ability, you know our should should be doing more to contribute to that Okay, that affordability that we so desperately need in burlington Counselor right your views on this advisory question. Thank you. I'm going to support this question That's before us now as kind of a general more generalized question And I think people will I think you'll see big numbers come in on this basically saying we want more affordable housing I think that's the the message that we're going to get I think the first question would have been significantly more controversial the one that this started out as counsel tracy said as a 1% Real estate transfer tax on houses over 500 thousand dollars We were hearing from the real estate Industry that night and they were raising very serious concern I'm not sure whether this would have passed if it had stayed that way But with this being sort of watered down and and made a more general question I I'll support it the way it is. So you wouldn't support property change attacks I would not have I think that would have Would cause a problem a competitiveness with us with other regions around the around the city Got it. uh councilor busher So I certainly have um want to continue to Find ways to add monies to the housing trust fund And I will be supporting this also but Even though I thought the transfer tax was one that I thought was Creative and I thought was a good measure. I wasn't sure about the threshold of 500 thousand dollars I must admit I had gave me pause I didn't really I wasn't a sponsor and I didn't really know if that was the right number So this Just gives progressive local options. And so I think that it's open-ended And hopefully as as curt said and of course max is strong support Hopefully people will say yes explore that we want to put more money into the housing trust fund And we are running a little short on time, but I'm going to try and sneak one more in It is a controversial one But please do try and keep your responses closer to a minute this time if that's possible And this is on the f35 issue Shall the voters of burlington request the cancellation of the placement of the f35 at burlington international airport and request instead Low noise level equipment with proven high safety record appropriate for a densely populated area First to you councilor right. Thanks morgan I do not support this one and I want to talk more specifically about the language in this I proposed along with councillor nodell and councillor hartner changing the language which we've had to do with other petitions on questions before This one has language that starts out. It has a question leading up It has a editorial statement leading up to the question Which we really don't usually have any it would have been like if we allowed the north avenue petitions last year to say Leading up to their question about the pilot project on north avenue As supporters of bike lanes and as supporters of the bike path and public safety We ask you this question We would never we would never have allowed that and people I got a call from a Neighbor in florida last night who said my wife and I almost voted for this And then we went back and read it again. We realized it's not what we thought it was They they found the awarding to be very misleading and deceptive and that's what i'm hearing as i'm walking around with a candidate that people are just Really sort of incensed that we put this type of language on This language in my opinion allowed petitioners on this particular question to have Special rights and privileges that other petitioners have not really had before We should only put very specific questions on that that go to what the question is and not right D would you support the idea though? Are you supportive of the f35 basing? I am supporting the f35 basing and I think this language was a problem people were afraid of this going to court And I would have welcomed it going to a judge They would have the our city attorney made clear that that would have been done on a timely basis for the march election I would rather have found out if a judge Would have ordered us to put this language on I'd rather have had a judge say that And I'd also rather have seen whether the judge really would have wanted to create the precedent where we had to put Whatever language anybody came up with on any future question. I think I think we created a bad precedent with the language So I represent a ward that definitely is divided on this question There are definitely a very strong camp of individuals who really are opposed to the f35s And there and a number of them are opposed to a military presence at all And then there's another group of people who really really want to have a military presence at the airport, okay, so I feel that I Supported putting the question on the ballot. I agree with counselor right much to my surprise I didn't think it was as difficult to understand But I've actually had several people reach out to me and say I don't understand whether I I want to vote yes or no and I said, well, what is your position and I'll help you tell But but they're having difficulty understanding it I was displeased I am I going to vote yes or no, I'll probably vote no on this But having said that I wanted the f35 to actually come to burlington and let all of us hear the sound because noise is one of the issues I was absolutely dissatisfied that our Our congressional delegation including the mayor went down to florida different topography different ways of sound traveling Went there to evaluate that that didn't work for me. The residents needed to hear that All right, counselor tracy. I supported putting this on the ballot and I'll be a strong supporter voting yes on this question I uh, I am voting yes because I opposed the f35s I am a strong opponent of them have been for years introduced a resolution Opposing the basing several years ago And I continue to be concerned about the sound impacts the impacts on housing And just so many other things that I think that this basing You know that negative impacts that this basing will bring to our community And I agree with counselor busher that um, this should be something that people should get a chance to hear for themselves Before we're forced to to deal with it for years because the f16s are already pretty loud And if this is louder, which is what everybody seems to be saying It's really going to have a negative impact on our quality of life All right, great. Um, we have only a few moments left But um, I would like to just open it up and give you guys each a minute to uh, just address burlingtonians and our viewers Go ahead kurt Sure, and let me just start out by we got a call from a person who identified himself as greg roy from stanbury And you you mentioned to him, which was good morgan that he should come to city council meetings with him and his neighbors And you know what's unfortunate? greg roy used to come to every city council meeting and he stopped coming because it was his own personal protest of Being charged prices on meters that we didn't used to charge up until now We've reduced it back from 10 o'clock to 9 o'clock, but That I think is sad and I think it's also sad that I think some businesses are being heard by that as well And I hope that we continue to work on trying to reduce those hours But let me say that I it's been an honor for me to serve on the burlington city council three different stints, uh 14 years and uh, I will uh Be honored to continue to serve the new north end ward 4 and we'll work hard for you on issues around Making burlington a affordable place to live as possible because I believe that that continues to be the biggest issue that we face In burlington and that's why we've sponsored resolutions to the councilor tracy mentioned to take a look at trying to return some councilor bushel quickly citizens so, um I really want to thank ward 1 residents for Just being who they are. They're so vocal and engaged and I think that we have been effective In getting our our needs met and letting people know our position on very important issues Um, I I am honored also that I have been reelected a number of times even in contested races so But one of the things that I really am there for for you is that I haven't always agreed and in this past year I've definitely not agreed with the current administration on a number of positions And I need to say one thing that max tracy said The administration has not really worked well with the council giving us the lead time we need In order to uh weigh in on really important issues and I would like that to change I would like that to change either with a different mayor or this administration of getting reelected Will listen and give the lead time it needs to give to the council. Would you like to make an endorsement on the air? Leave it alone For some news. Yeah, so so picking up where we're councilor busher left off I think it's incredible It's really important that you have independent voices on the city council that we all don't just line up behind the administration's plans But that we ask tough questions and that we are willing to go out on on our own even if it means You know being the only one to to vote against a particular measure I've proven that i'm willing to do that That you know if if I don't agree with something I'm not just going to go along to get along but i'm going to stand up for the old north end And I feel like that is you know that our neighborhood kind of walks to the beat of a different drummer sometimes Especially on issues like the mall, you know, we'll see what this f 35 question And you know, I I really want to make sure that I continue to represent the people of the old north end All right, well tune in to uh channel 17 on election night and we will have full coverage of all of that word by word breakdowns Thank you all for coming. It's been a informative discussion. Uh, you're watching channel 17 town meeting television We really appreciate you the viewers and we'll be back shortly with Word three contested race forum for you guys. Thank you very much Welcome back to town meeting television on channel 17. I'm morgan true your host for the evening We are here with the candidates for ward three city council And I have a series of questions for them and so I would like to introduce The candidates this is james lockridge an independent We have lizzie haskell the democrat and brian pine a progressive And guys we're going to get right down to it. Um I am going to start with Uh opening statements and jim you have the floor two minutes. Thank you I'm running because I've spent the last 20 years as a citizen coming to recognize how our city government is structured To prevent citizen participation and the decisions that define our future We haven't had leadership bold enough to confront our outdated status quo and take action to give us A fair transparent and inclusive city government In all the ways that it could be We're on a path to making burlington unaffordable for rent or home ownership for those of us who want to live humble lives In the city we call home City council has to be visionary enough to protect us from the displacement caused by gentrification before it's too late And we have to be responsible for our public commons like memorial auditorium Making sure that the infrastructure we inherit is treasured and maintained And not lost to negligence or sold off Professionally, I've led an entrepreneurial nonprofit organization that has served vermont's youth preserved its cultural history Fostered community and economic development Contributed to cultural heritage tourism and hardest emerging technology to accomplish these goals As a nonprofit administrator a community builder a volunteer and a respectful and civil citizen activist I've built a skill set that fills avoid its city council We need counselors who are determined to build relationships Not divide us among political tribes. We need to inspire collaboration and citizen empowerment Not make decisions that come across as self-serving and disconnected I'm prepared to bring our voices together In cooperative deliberation the kind that grows a strong democracy Hi again, my name is lizzie haskell candidate for ward three city counselor. I'm really excited to be here today I am running because I want to make sure every voter in my ward feels heard knocking door to door I've realized that a lot of residents in my ward don't even know who their current city counselor is Let alone feel like they have a way to reach out Something I propose our monthly meetings with your counselor to really open up the conversation So that way people can have a deep connection with their city counselor And they know they have someone to trust and they can go to if they have an issue going on in the city that they would Like address something I'd also like to really address is affordable housing and treating the opiate crisis I'm really excited to be stepping up as the young woman in this race I'm a recent uvm graduate and I decided to stay here after graduating because I fell in love With burlington the community around here, but I know we can do better, which is why I'm running All right. Thank you and brian Good evening. I'm brian pine. I'm a council candidate from ward three I have lived in burlington since arriving in 1981 to attend the university of vermont I knew that I love burlington from the minute I arrived Thought that I might make it my home But didn't realize how burlington would embrace me as a young person I got involved in our community as a Recent college graduate because our mayor bernie sanders was very welcoming and very encouraging of civic engagement and many of the People in burlington really embraced young people such as myself as as energy that was helpful to burlington energy that could be put to use And we were tapped as you would I think that's something that we need to really get back to is is looking at our young people both Indigenous young people who start their lives here as well as young people who arrive with goals and dreams and aspirations and tap into that I think there's a huge untapped resource in burlington and I want to Be part of that. I Have experience in city government. I served on the council for two terms In the early 90s. I served as the city's housing director at cito I've managed A million dollar projects. I've worked with neighborhood groups to revitalize our parks I was part of a grassroots effort to to really build support for Private fundraising along with some help from the city to rebuild the battery park playground the roosevelt park little league field and a whole number of other community efforts that have served as Not just examples of what we can do when we get together But actual tangible real results for making our community of stronger healthier more vibrant community And I seek to do that as a city council All right, thank you all and I should just say As I probably should have at the outset that this is an open seat The incumbent serigianoni has is not seeking reelection So we have three candidates vying for this seat and no incumbent in the race And I wanted to ask a question That really delves into a lot of what you guys sort of touched on but um, I'm wondering if you could tell us About someone you know who is a renter somebody who needs Social services and assistances like snap or that are having trouble paying medical bills Someone making less than $15 an hour Someone that you know in your life that is experiencing some of the difficult things about our current economy both in burlington and nationally And how that relationship will inform your time on the council and lizzie will start with you Okay, so I am currently a renter in burlington. I'm a young professional in the area So trying to find a place to live was really difficult that would fit my budget while i'm also trying to pay for student loans Utilities food and save for buying a home one day or other future personal expenses So that I can bring to the council and I have a personal perspective of that issue In terms of social services, I grew up with a family that worked incredibly hard But neither of my parents were able to go to college And there was a certain point of time in our life when we were using social services such as food stamps in order to Survive so that is something else I can bring I've been through those circumstances And while I also understand that these circumstances are only my own Which is why I'm committed to meeting with residents to making sure I'm understanding the Wide number of perspectives that we have here in the ward and addressing all of them All right brian sure um as a 30-plus year resident of the old north end. I've known many people I live across the street from someone who has struggled mightily over the last few years to Hold her family together and and meet her expenses And I provided support as a as a neighbor and as a friend to actually help Her and her family get through these challenges Secure more stable housing Understand and navigate the not only social service system, but the job training systems So that they could actually get themselves on the path to self-sufficiency It's important. I think to be Connected to people in that way because it gives us a real life example of when we're making policy decisions To remember that there are people who struggle day in and day out who are playing by the rules But who aren't even making ends meet. I think we need to constantly remind ourselves Of those folks when we're always weighing decisions when we weigh decisions at the city council I'll I'll bring that perspective As a deep part of who I am and what I've dedicated my life to James go ahead I hate to say but I'm surrounded by musical visual artists who Work several jobs just to get by and they live on a financial knife edge and they work nights and weekends and and they uh, they The burden to pull it together to rent and and afford to live in burlington is one that is Is impossible for some people, you know I have I have people who I consider friends and colleagues Who I've seen their teeth crumble out of their head more than one person because they can't afford You know the the medical support and they're people who have these multiple jobs So, you know, I know that even as we're aspiring for this $15 minimum wage the cost of a livable A livable wage in burlington is even higher than that So the reality of living in burlington is one that you know is is more of a pressure on people who have modest means Then maybe we even realize We have a lot a lot to work toward to I don't know make Provide a level playing field and to create the opportunities for For people who struggle this hard as a city government we we create offices like CEDO to you know To help to come up with the ideas and the programs and to make the investments that that can can make life You know more what it should be more equitable for everybody and and as A city counselor, that's something that I would pay Absolutely critical attention to the quality of life for everybody should be one that we're paying attention to Okay, and just for viewers CEDO is the community economic development office It's a department within city government that does work on housing and other economic development issues And so we'll stay in that vein I'd like to ask what would be some of the solutions you would bring to the table in burlington to make housing that's affordable at all income levels including folks that are Making minimum wage and what is your view of the recent housing reports? Both the 2014 report on housing Sort of broadly in the more recent one on burlington's inclusionary zoning ordinance Again, that so that ordinance requires a certain amount of affordable housing in any large development Based on federal income measures, but or measures that were set by the city But I believe based on federal guidance And so I will start with you Brian your thoughts The I think it's important to just keep in mind a few important facts about housing in burlington and broadly starting out by saying Housing prices continue to outpace the wages that people can earn in the burlington area. It is um It's no it's no secret that the demand for housing has outpaced the supply And that that continues to put upward pressure on rents beyond what many folks can afford and The statistic which is kind of mind boggling is that about half of our renter households are rent burdened meaning that they pay more than the 30 percent of income That is the federal standard for affordability for rent plus utilities That's kind of a staggering number that vermont is the 13th most expensive state in the union for renter households And burlington probably leads the pack there that the housing wage in the greater burlington area Is 26 dollars and eight cents and that means that someone Working full time would need to earn that wage in order to afford the average apartment That's about five dollars higher than the average wage. Unfortunately Minimum wage renter Would need to work. This is one person 69 hours per week to afford the average rent of 862 dollars When you think through those statistics, I think everyone would agree We've done a lot. We've done an amazing amount as a city, but we have so much further to go. We have so much Need that is still unmet. I believe that we need to boost the funding for the housing trust fund specifically Vote yes on question five. We'll get to the ballot questions in a little while But I want to put in a plug for that that we must find a way for uvm to house considerably more if not all of their students close to campus and take that pressure off the market And as far as the recent housing report I think it focuses the council's attention the mayor's attention And hopefully the community's attention to build consensus to get us where we need to get to on housing James Brian started to describe Situation in burlington almost 25 of the burlington population spends More than 50 of their income on rent and that's not questionable It means the work we've been doing to create affordable housing isn't enough and We have a long history of accessing federal subsidies and growing land trust properties, but Those are go-to resources And we need more resources. We need more ideas new models for affordability. We should be inspiring privately developed cooperative housing Supporting any other innovative entrepreneurial private sector solutions making accessory units convenient to converter build Create zoning for tiny housing Pursue a hotel surcharge that supplements affordable housing funding in vermont and burlington Explore new revenues that subsidize our local housing funds ability to expand the number of properties available Incentivizing the sale of houses in densely student populated neighborhoods Making them available affordably to single families Helping restore the quality of life and diversity in our neighborhoods And our colleges should require students to live on campus through at least the first three years of their undergraduate careers So there's there's a long list of things we could pursue, you know, and they all are Not necessarily something we've done before and that's what's important. I think for us to understand We live in an entrepreneurial city. We're saying that innovation is part of our character We can't rely on on decades old traditions of providing affordability We need to innovate in in that sphere. We need to serve our people better and To respond to you know, the other part of the question I don't think that we have been honest about our inclusionary zoning requirements I don't think that the waivers we allow or that the the math we use to determine affordability is what it should be I think that we should face that fact and address it Okay, lizzie So I currently as a renter understand that burlington's housing market forces you to choose between livability and affordability Um, that's definitely something I know a number of young individuals like myself struggle with in the area And I really think that needs to change we're forcing a lot of our young talented group out to Find housing in other cities and alternate means because there aren't enough jobs here that match the cost of the housing You know costs I think the effort to increase the amount of affordable housing we have here needs to come from a number of different fronts We need to like brian said increase the amount of money that goes into our housing trust and such I understand that uvm just built a brand new dorm that will house and more students on campus Then we could previously house before but I believe that uvm is currently trying to find another place to build another Alternate means to house students on or near campus and I think that work needs to continue The current downtown evaltem plan that's being built is supposedly going to be able to house Champlain students and I really hope to see that through and make sure that is what happens I think burlington the city needs to work on and making sure we're increasing the amount of affordable housing that we have around here By unfortunately building more I think I know I recognize that brings up a lot of concerns that people have about development in the city But in order to meet the demands of the housing crisis that we have here it's something that we have to do I do believe in protecting inclusionary zoning because I think it addresses a lot of concerns that my residents have is Why are we only building luxury condos? With the inclusionary zoning it's supposedly we'll get 20 15 or 20 percent affordable Apartments or housing within a development project that will hopefully ease the housing burdens that we currently are going through in the city All right, thank you all and I'll just remind our viewers that this is a ward three city council Forum we have three candidates vying for an open seat And we would love to hear from you guys if you have a question for the candidates Give us a call 802 862 3966. That's 802 862 3966 give us a shout and uh, yeah, uh, let us know what your questions are and so now a question about building community culture and If you guys could all talk a little bit about how you would approach your work on the council And what you might do to try and address systemic racism in burlington And how burlington can do a better job of weaving together a community of diverse backgrounds and interests and we'll start with you james I've been speaking out publicly and writing commentary about everybody loves a parade mural and what led to It becoming central to discussion about structural racism We understand that the way the city works is uh has built into it just baked in systems that exclude The public's participation in the diverse way that it should be and and I say that lovingly I'm optimistic that we can change this we're growing into a better city a better democracy To do that we have to step forward and say this must be done and we must open the doors and we must decide What is a publicly vetted? Appropriate template for public input processes for any public project like the mural where we are assured That our outreach to our community is robust and complete enough that these voices are heard And we have to do that knowing that some people in our community residents of our community Come from entirely different cultures or have cultural experiences as even native burlington's people of color who have been Under cultural stresses that we can't even comprehend and we have to to do a good job of including those voices in the decisions We make so whether it's public art or development projects We have to do a better more complete job of including those voices purposefully Um, and we also have to recognize that it's inappropriate for Um, for us to speak for people who come from other cultural vantage points So we have to be sure that what we're talking about makes room for their voices to be represented and as Authentically for themselves All right. Thank you and lizzie So I believe to address systemic racial Issues in our city. We need to make sure we're doing adequate training for things such as our police force and in schools To make and making sure that we're hiring a diverse population Um, I believe we also need to make sure we're addressing the minority communities that we have here in the city such as new americans and refugees and such Um, one thing we could do this election season is making sure that we're moving forward by electing counselors of color Right now our city council has one person that is a person of color on the council And I think that could change and really make a big Difference in the way our council functions. We bring in other perspectives Um, I respect that, you know, the number of people on the council are white and vermont is historically white But I think we could change that by encouraging people of color to Step up and take leadership positions in the community so we can make sure we're seeing all of these different perspectives And not just listening to them We're actually allowing them to lead and move forward and making sure we're creating a diverse culture and community Okay, brian I think it's a sad fact that we should all acknowledge that racism is ingrained in our society. Um I don't think people like to talk about it. I don't think people like to consider the fact that they actually harbor Racism because it's part of who we are as america and I hate to say but it's ingrained throughout and um We all try our best on our own personal journeys to overcome that but I think that local government Reflects the fact that society is inherently has racist tent. Our society has racist history and we have To overcome that we need to be really focused Like a laser beam. Um recent analysis shows that our police department continues to Pull over black drivers at a rate that is considerably greater than the portion of the population that they represent In an addition, um being searched about eight percent of black drivers were searched in the first part of 2017 to compared to about one half of one percent of white drivers So those types of biases that show up there That's the place that people in burlington experience the city's bias most acutely is through the police force And i'm not singling out the police to say they're doing something horrible I'm just saying they reflect what I just spoke about earlier about what our society Um The the racist history of our society that they have carried forward and I think that's Um a huge education challenge and a training challenge And I know the city has tried to deal with it, but we still have Lots of work ahead of us. There was a 2014 diversity and equity strategic plan that laid out specific items of business and action steps to dismantle racism and unintentional bias and that Um diversity and equity plan has not seen enough attention over the last couple years I think it's time for the city to revisit that and see what we can do on that list and engage the community again in that process All right, um, thank you all and I just remind uh viewers again that if you'd like to ask a question of any of the word three Candidates you just give us a shout 802 862 3966 um, I'd like to move on to a food policy question and um Burlington once had a goal of producing 10 of its food within the city What do you think the city's current food? What do you think of the city's? What do you think should be the city's current food policy? And what more could be done to eliminate hunger and give equal access to Nutritious food while also growing our local economy and brian you start us off. Sure my first work-study job at uvm in the summer was actually working with a Craig fuller who ran the Burlington community gardens and we went around and really promoted, you know Really vibrant active use of our community gardening network and Burlington does continue to have an amazing community garden network We also acknowledge that that doesn't mean that everyone gets served and everyone is reached that way There is a new americans effort Or should say a garden effort with new americans to really bring new americans out into the community into the community garden Opportunities that are out there. I think that's critically important that we continue to support that as part of the legacy plan Burlington had a goal that 10% goal and I think it was um an ambitious goal I don't know that we've spent much time talking about over the last few years The goal was that we have this interval of 700 plus acres much of it is Land that can be farmed and we ought to produce more of our Food locally because it's better for the economy. It's better for our health. It's better for the environment and And so a lot of progress was made. We have over 80 people working in the interval and ag related jobs Those are decent jobs those provide people with a quality of life and they provide something that all of us value Which is our food? I think we need to look at food insecurity a little bit more closely. Unfortunately the Food stamp system doesn't serve folks neighbors I have who who live off food stamps or who rely on food stamps Are often hungry by about the middle of the month every month So our food system doesn't deliver enough food security our food shelf I worked at the food shelf when I got out of college as well And unfortunately the need for the food shelf is still there and unfortunately has grown since those days and I think we have to do more To support that but hopefully move to the place where we as a society Don't have people needing to line up to get free food, but can actually take care of their own needs Okay, james I don't think that local food production is going to be a reasonable solution for affordable local food, but I think that a culture of local food production contributes to our city success in other ways. I think the Entrepreneurialism of local food producers the environmental benefits of not transporting food a long distance And the pride we can all have in being a little more self-sustaining are important to The city can support home and school and community gardens It can make sure that you know greenhouses or hoop houses or garden structures don't don't aren't impeded that Zoning and taxes don't affect people actually stepping into a culture of food production We can reinforce the civic pride in having our gardens throughout the city And having a local food production mindset be something that we aspire to as a culture Our infrastructure like city hall park and memorial auditorium where the farmers market wants to return to Should be thought of in terms of food production That might not be a natural fit big building and food production like that But that's something that we need to to think about To follow through and fill in every little puzzle piece of how to support This fostering of a local food production culture Okay, lizzie One of the reasons that I love burlington is how you know easily accessible local food can be But I know local food can be really out of it can be really overpriced for a lot of individuals I know that I love city market, but I can't go and afford to spend all of my money there And I know a number of the city market products are locally sourced maybe not necessarily from burlington But from the state I would like to hopefully see an increase of food coming from burlington itself But it's not sustainable. I mean burlington is largely a city and when we do have the intervail a number of community gardens I think we need to make sure we're sourcing food locally There's a number of farms within chitin county and other areas around the state that I think we could better implement Into our schools. I would hope to see more restaurants and other local businesses really implementing The amount of local food that we can source from the state into their products that they're selling for individuals Okay, great and lizzie i'm gonna come right back to you because I apologize, but I skipped you and it should have been your turn to respond first so I wanted to do a quick question on public safety, which is also one of the ballot questions Burlington is considering creating a new union municipal District to consolidate public safety dispatch in chitin county. It'll be on the ballot in a number of surrounding towns If three municipalities approve it that will create a new entity to handle dispatch services for public safety Is that something that you support and How would you advise uh ward three voters on this question? Yeah, so I know that there are a lot of concerns about this ballot item because there is a risk of losing jobs and such But from what I understand, you know, there are ways of those individuals keeping their jobs by joining on to this regional dispatch system I do support that ballot item because I feel from research shows that that regional dispatch system Could decrease response time by 60 or 70 seconds and I know that that could save a human life So for that reason alone, I do encourage voters to support this ballot item Okay, brian I think I agree with lizzie on that one. Um the I think the Potential to improve the delivery system outweighs those negative or potential negatives. I think they can be Overcome through, you know careful planning and implementation regional entities are We have a few in other areas Solid ways. We have a regional transit system. We have a regional park system through wienewski valley parks So we do have some form of regional Governance that has served us very well And I think we need to be really mindful of the fact that, you know, the ultimate goal is to improve the public safety delivery system First responders are ready to go. It shouldn't be a laborious A laborious process to find out who's available and right now that that process doesn't work well and results in In significantly longer response times. Um, so james I was originally Supportive of this proposal and I liked the data as it was presented the 70 seconds, you know savings in time I thought well that could save my child's life and it was important to me and I was supportive But I came to understand that In the course of the liberation that led to this proposal the dispatchers the officers were left out of the conversation And from reading their comments about this from their groups from their perspective, I came to understand there is Details we need to have considered. Um, there is the potential for Efficiencies in maintaining a municipal system that we won't have in a regional dispatch system And without those voices of those those people who have the first hand experience participating in the The structure of the proposal that we're talking about now. I don't feel that that proposal is complete So I may be I may come to a point where I believe that there was a genuine informed discussion that led to what we're talking about I don't feel that secure now You know it was proposed the data that arrived at the 70 seconds was faulty in itself. So Until that's resolved. Um, I'm standing by Okay, all right, and um, just a reminder to viewers if you have a question for any of the ward three candidates Give us a call 802 862 3966 I'd like to shift gears a little bit And get to another ballot question in a moment, but I would like to ask a question and james will be starting with you About the airport and that is do you believe that the burlington airport located in south burlington? But uh owned and operated by burlington should be Managed by a regional through a regional governance model and should the surrounding communities Have more say in key decisions that are now made in burlington Yes, I think that The safety concerns the noise the Traffic in the air and on the ground impacts our neighbors possibly more than burlington itself and to exclude them from management decisions that affect the lives of Many people who are burlington's extended family is something that we should ethically choose to do We don't have I think the privilege to dictate the quality of their life because of how we operate our airport Um, I can leave it at that, you know, that's that That's a a firm. Yes. I support a local regional Um oversight. I wouldn't want it to be state-owned. Which is one of the options. Okay Lizzie I would support a local regional governance system for the airport I would need a few concerns to be addressed first I would be concerned that the Issues and decisions would take longer to make and there definitely who would have the final say in certain decisions And I would want to make sure that there is an inclusive dialogue and making sure we're addressing all signs and concerns that each Group could bring up but moving forward I would be in support because the airport is in south burlington So to me it doesn't make any sense that their south burlington doesn't have a larger say in the issues that Okay, right I think i'm probably more cautious on this one because I believe that the city of burlington And the burlington taxpayers before there was an fAA not many people know the fAA has only been around for 40 years So for the first 60 years of the airport's existence taxpayers footed the bill and it came from burlington taxpayers to create that Incredible asset in that infrastructure I think we have to ask what are we trying to solve with this? What's the what's the problem? We're trying to solve and let's be clear about what are the What are we going to have for for contributions for skin in the game from the other municipalities? If they want to be at the table and they want to have an ownership stake Perhaps the citizens of burlington are owed basically payment for that because we're the ones who have footed the bill on the airport So I think that's something that I'm really cautious about. Okay Staying with the airport. There is obviously the vermont international guard base there There are f35s a basing that is Expected to happen in the fall of 2019 and there is an advisory question on the ballot asking Shall voters of Shall the voters of burlington request the cancellation of the placement of the f35 at burlington international airport and request Instead low noise level equipment with proven high safety records appropriate for a densely populated area Um, Lizzie you first how would you vote on this and how would you advise word three residents? So I am in support of well To start off the ballot question wording. I personally feel is misleading I have I know I understand that the f35s Removing them would be against the national guard and that would put a thousand jobs at risk From what I understand these f they currently use the f16s and the f35s are imperative for them continuing their training And they'd also be using them for active missions Our green mountain boys are the first in the air for 9 11 And I mean to make sure that they have the proper equipment to keep themselves safe And to keep moving forward with keeping us safe. That is a huge thing for me I understand that our current congressional represent representatives lehi sanders and welsh all are in support of this issue item You know, I do understand that there are a number of concerns and knocking on doors I fully recognize that there are a number of my residents that share Why number of concerns about this ballot item? They don't want to see the f35s But I would ask them to take a look at what that could take away from our national guard if we do not Support the f35s coming to the state Okay, brian Yeah, I've I've spent a little bit of time looking at this issue. I um More recently over in the last just week or so there was actually some news about how the military Will handle how the national guard Will handle this base if the f35 isn't stationed here and from what I've gathered That won't have a negative effect on the on the jobs that go with that facility. So Ultimately, I've come down on the side that the negative impacts of having those jets flying over our communities Outweighs the the potential positive impacts of of preserving that type of activity here So I I feel that we've reached the point where We've got to speak up as a community I would urge the voters of ward three to vote in support of this question I understand people's perspective and I don't think I'm certainly not speaking for everyone I'm speaking for myself And I do think the negatives are um are I going to outweigh the positives there? All right, james Oh gosh, this is a fun one I like jet planes a lot and my parents are air force veterans and I grew up going to air shows and I have a deep affinity for people in uniform and fighter jets Beyond that I understand the f35 to be a crass toxic politicized Poor quality hot rod of an airplane that has no business being in a populated area like burlington It's safety record the catastrophe if it were to crash and burn the fact that it's Four times noisier than the current airplanes and will cause physical harm to our community All make me feel that it is Only reasonable to not have the f35 in our in in the center of our of our city Um, I also think and this is important to say that it is supportive of our air national guard to say this out loud to bring this critique to the conversation because If this airplane with its poor safety record and the harm it will do crashes and and and and causes the harm that we anticipate That's hung on their neck If we support then we don't want that to happen And I'm familiar with the source documents the court proceedings I understand that the air force has said that there are other options for missions here More appropriate options more responsible options and therefore I support this ballot item Okay Well, thank you guys for those we are going to move now to closing statements We have time for two minute closing statements and So I will leave that open-ended and brian will start with you Go ahead two minutes. Thanks morgan. Thanks to channel 17 and and the viewers and our our live audience that we have here at the studio the the process of running for city council, I have to say is Is one that is incredibly inspiring going door to door and meeting voters Engaging with people at their homes having them let me in on cold cold nights and Getting a chance to warm up but to hear their concerns their dreams their hopes their aspirations is Is a truly inspiring process and I feel Incredibly honored to be Part of this process to be Engaged at this level. I think we are incredibly lucky. We have a very caring and engaged community and I look forward to the opportunity to work with our community work with our Residents to try to be a bridge between the community and city council and city hall and to give people a sense of what's possible to give people a sense of hope Because hope is what we Every day have that gives us a chance gives us a reason to try and make things better I think that's our ultimate goal here. I believe all of us are here because we want to make Burlington the best it can be and I hope you'll give me consideration for the city council to be able to do that for you All right. Thank you. James I got to say thank you for this opportunity to speak to everybody and I uh I'm stepping forward as a citizen who has Lived in town for close to 30 years who has invested myself as a volunteer in this community for decades Who is aspirational and in and optimistic about our future. So seeing that We have opportunity and opportunity that goes untapped because there hasn't been the next level of energy And investment and creativity applied from the city council. I want to fill that void I want to step into an opportunity to remind us all as a city that you know We have a future that is open-ended and we can build it and we can pull together the wisdom the creativity The resourcefulness that we all have throughout our community focus it um through the city council with with Leadership like I would help contribute to and that um, we'll have a better city for it You know going above and beyond what we're used to and I have to echo some of brian's sentiments This is uh, you know the the process that we're involved in here this campaign Coming to to to learn the the authenticity of of my opponents and their commitment to our city is something that Is very enriching and fulfilling for me and you know, it's a selfish experience But a beautiful one and i'm happy to share that and help you understand that your engagement in this process Whether on city commissions or in future city council races is something that you should consider So, um, I hope you'll vote for me on march 6 My campaign can be found at i vote lockridge.com. He'll find a platform there. Thank you for visiting And I appreciate the chance to share these thoughts with you. All right. Thank you. Uh, lizzie go ahead Okay, so again, my name is lizzie haskell. Thank you to channel 17 and morgan for having me here today It's been a lot of fun sitting here with brian and james Um, I'm running because I want to make sure every voter in our award feels heard by the city council Um, I'd also like like we mentioned here where I'd like to address the housing crisis And I'd also like to treat the opiate crisis here I'm running as a young vermonter a young professional in the area and that is a perspective that we need on the city council We need more young people to step up and run for office because we have an aging population in vermont And by engaging young individuals in this state We can hopefully reverse that because we can bring forward the concerns that we have and what we need in order to make vermont a more livable place for this Age or this age Set so I hope to bring that perspective to the council while also addressing a number of concerns I really hope to create an inclusive dialogue for all age groups But I think bringing a different perspective to the council will be really beneficial for the entire city Okay, well, thank you to all of the candidates. Um, thank you to our viewers Again, this is channel 17 town meeting television This was a candidates forum with the candidates for ward three an open seat Vote early. Uh, you can do it at city hall. It takes less than 10 minutes. Uh, if you go at a good time Could take a few more minutes, but it's worth it. Uh, it is a quick and easy process And uh, if you don't vote early make sure to vote on march 6th. Thank you to our viewers Thank you to the candidates. What an excellent forum and uh, we really appreciate it. So, um, yeah, thank thank you to you guys and Good night