 Thanks everyone for coming. I'm just here to kick it off really quick. My name is Lisa. I am a volunteer for Carter's campaign And I'm really excited to be here supporting my friend who I think will be such a great city counselor, but as A non word three resident. I'm gonna hand it over to a few or sorry Ward 1 resident I'm gonna hand it over to a few Ward 1 Folks so that way they can tell you about Why they think Carter is the right person to be your next city counselor So I'd like to introduce Cindy Wolken as our first speaker. I was disappointed to hear that Zariah will not run again But thrilled that Carter is stepping up truly. I cannot think of a better candidate for numerous reasons His consistent progressive values hard work compassion and pragmatism He has shown this through his steadfast political work Recognizing the importance of taking a stand and being involved He is thoughtful and open-minded dedicated to work collaboratively Traits that are fundamental to help prepare the rift we see in our community and For working productively with others committed to improving the lives of our neighbors and making Burlington a safer and more livable city I'm sure all of you here and most residents throughout our city are Are interested in a local government that is more committed to building homes and providing services That could accommodate a more economically challenged and otherwise diverse population Affordability is Carter's mantra So needed in Burlington. I don't have any those starting out in this city where housing is so scarce and home Ownership is unattainable for most working families Carter is committed to this community The city and is setting down roots as he and his partner just invested in a home for their family Carter understands firsthand the challenges for those looking to make Burlington their home He is committed to addressing many issues in our city including complex and controversial ones such as homelessness safety and crime Not to sound too cliche or too old, but he is winding kit wise and caring beyond his years Or from personal experience. He is just plain wise and caring He is willing to dig below the surface to identify root causes and work towards realistic solutions His advocacy for progressive issues is unwavering and he's committed to principles that promote Economic social and environmental justice. I am proud to endorse Carter for Ward one city council and honored to be his campaign treasurer Just the mic not me I'm Carol Livingston and I live right up the hill with my husband Gary So we are very much neighborhood folks and love Shamanica Park and love the barn and Welcome you to our space In the last century when I was in a freshman in college I came home that first Christmas and told my mother that she was oppressed. I Shared with her my new knowledge of the world and concluded that her time at home Raising four children had constrained and impeded her personal growth. She laughed at me. I Remembered this experience when I met Carter while campaigning for Jack Hansen's run for city council Carter was Jack's campaign manager and the two of them had created these amazing maps of Wards one and eight with all the streets outlined in varying colors to coordinate volunteers canvassing neighborhoods At one point Carter asked me about some political issue I can't even remember what and launched into a well-reasoned and researched analysis I hardly said a word and thought of my mother Carter is a self-identified political policy geek thank God He is he is bright and loves to research deeply into issues that matter He has grown a lot since those days campaigning for Jack and has invested his amazing mind and tireless energy to becoming a leader in our city He listens and asks questions He wants to know what others think and he works to create situations that enable people's voices to be heard Two years ago our small ward one NPA steering committee asked Carter to join us The NPA meetings are one of the few opportunities for neighbors to discuss their concerns with one another and with city officials at these meetings people can speak for longer than two minutes and City counselors and school board commissioners can talk with residents I think Carter has been energized and excited by the NPA meetings recognizing their importance and potential And I think this is the kind of leadership he would like to provide More opportunities and honest involvement of constituents in city council decisions as our friend Jonathan Chappell Sokol reflected about Carter He has a tremendous amount of lived experience for a young person. He's so bloody honest about it Which informs how he operates in the world Carter's wisdom his bright mind in his heart are keys to his becoming our next ward one city counselor Introduce introduce Carter new Beezer. I need my laptop because In addition to launching the campaign today, I'm also moving in two days, so I forgot to to print this out Well, thank you Carolyn Cindy for the really kind words That was more than generous And just a quick round of applause for Lisa who's taking photos in the back But did a ton of work to get this event together. So thank you I also want to take a few moments just to thank counselor high tower for her two terms four years of service to our community Whether it's just cause eviction Zoning changes to be able to build more housing And so many issues making sure that we actually hold you me I'm accountable at least push to try to do that through mo you and other means I've been really really appreciative to be represented by Zariah And I think we're gonna lose a lot as a city not having her on the council So why am I running? I Believe strongly that Burlington our community is at a crossroads Utility rates property taxes and housing costs are out of control Renters can't afford the basics and in some cases are living in inhumane conditions Young families can't afford to buy their first home here secure decent quality child care and Those who are retired on a fixed income are fearful of losing their homes because of the rising cost of living Our city's budget is facing large deficits in the coming years And we're at our borrowing capacity and on top of that We've lost millions of dollars to lawsuits and the mismanagement of Tiff funds The substance use crisis houselessness and mental health challenges are surging and As Carol alluded to residents are not adequately informed or included when decisions are being made about our community Now these are big challenges can feel overwhelming what have some of the responses been from both the city and other political and economic leaders Well, the city so far in my view has failed to adequately enforce existing housing code We've allowed blight in the abuse of tenants to run rampant and a Resolution that I think Joe you introduced Is sitting in committee and that resolution would have eased the tax burden on those who aren't making a lot of money Our state legislature and governor as we just heard the last and last NPA meeting just kicked 3,000 people out of the housing that they were receiving through the GA emergency housing program in The middle of everything else that's going on Many of these folks are now ending up on the streets in cities across Vermont and particularly coming to cities like Burlington The state has also stopped us from implementing tenant protections like just cause eviction Which we all supported overwhelmingly as a community and Have also impeded drug crisis response measures like overdose prevention sites, which we desperately desperately need and on top of all these great things all these great responses large corporate landlords and Corporate interests are donating tens of thousands of dollars I did some research just looking at the Bisonettes the Handys the Palmer lose They've donated over $30,000 to parties and candidates and PACs to influence elections since 2020 People are struggling and the systems of government that we should be able to rely on are failing us the good news while these challenges can make us feel overwhelmed and powerless That couldn't be farther from the truth These problems didn't fall from the sky They are a result of human decisions and can be solved through better more holistic choices But this change is not going to happen until we everyone in this room and everybody in neighborhoods across Ward 1 and across Burlington Demand better from our political leaders and those with economic power in our city as a way to hopefully Contribute to that process of demanding better I am excited to officially announce that I am running for City Council in Ward 1 Thank you. We must come together as neighbors around a shared agenda that prioritizes working families our planet and those communities too often left behind by the political system Over the coming weeks in consultation with neighbors Community stakeholders and experts. I will be releasing an agenda focused on addressing housing affordability Tax fairness the climate crisis substance use disorder and democracy reform If we are going to win this campaign It's no secret I'm not going to be taking corporate money I'm going to need your everybody in this room and every you know folks outside this room who are supportive I'm going to need your help To not only win but then after election day take some action on these issues and make sure that city government is moving in The right direction So if you haven't already signed up Most of you did because you RSVP'd and marked how you wanted to get involved in the campaign Please go to Carter CART ER for BTV spelled out comm and anything you can do whether it's donating taking a lawn sign knocking doors Dear neighbor cards, etc. Many of you have been doing it for years now We'll need your help So thank you all for coming out. Thanks for your support in the kind words And let's eat some more food. Thanks everybody. Yeah, let's that's a good. That's a good point. I wasn't but citizen involvement go for it Yeah, I've already started writing up the platform, but I just want to make sure it's Perfect and well researched some a bit of perfectionist before we release it Yeah, but but some of the things I think I've been thinking about we have a ton of really good housing models Or housing initiatives that date back to the 80s in our city So thinking about how we can find more money for CHT shared equity program seems really enticing to me because that's a great way that Folks with not a lot of money, but also first-time home buyers can get into a home that they own I also want to look aggressively. I think it was you here Back in the day or somebody else who talked a little To me about the history at Northgate and the idea of tenant owned cooperative housing I think is a huge need And again, that didn't just happen that was because CEDA was proactive and went out and dumped staff time into helping residents learn How to do that and and holding their hand along the way So I think that is really important thinking about how do we have community ownership of housing? and then the other piece I would say is You know before we pass some grand idea or start some new program Thinking about just you know, this isn't necessarily the cost of housing But the quality of rental properties if we just enforce the code that's on the books not passing any new code Not changing the penalties if we just actually enforce what's on the books That is going to go miles and and we're not close to doing that at this point in the city and You know, that's not just my opinion That's based on folks who have left the current administration who I've spoken to over frustration about that That's folks. I mean anybody you've talked to who've rented more than one or two apartments in Burlington Can tell you some horror stories and That's just unacceptable. We need to be able to enforce Existing law so I think those are some of the things that I'm thinking about housing and again Even the enforcement, right? We have three attorneys right now unless they've hired somebody in the last couple months In the city attorney's office for everything the city needs so that's just You know not setting up Those folks for success So those are some of the ways I think we can that's a really concrete thing. I'm hoping to get done in the first couple years any other Any other questions? Yeah Co-operative It's Matt Crop, right? Well, maybe Yeah Yeah, yeah, no I had heard about that I think it's exciting any sort of in my mind any sort of cooperative local ownership is Both more economically sustainable, but also helping folks build wealth over time any other Campaign Issues Yeah, and I encourage Anybody who's interested in public safety I thought we just had a really good discussion at the last MPA meeting Ward 1 MPA meeting So I'd encourage folks to go check that out Lacey Smith presented and it was really It was really informative and I think gave a really good picture of where things are currently and what are some of the roadblocks that we're hitting You know, I'm not I don't claim to be a policy expert. I am a policy geek self-described so a couple things I mean There are overlapping Problems that is contributing to this sense both real and felt of The community having sort of lost a step or not feeling safe. The first thing I would say is You know So my partner's car and I Was sitting unlocked one night and it got rifled through a couple times. I've had just had my e-bike stolen That was $1,500 out of the out of the Out of my pocket my roommates have had their bikes stolen it's You know, it's not okay that folks are experiencing that and that is very unsettling and that's wrong in a community So I don't want to Give folks the false impression that that's okay or that They're not right to be frustrated by that and the question is how what are the effective measures that are based on data That we can take to actually reduce those instances So traditionally in our country, and it's a little bit of a generalization, but generally speaking Someone's done a petty crime like that or someone is abusing drugs in public downtown and we could arrest them and put them in jail The reality is is that at most maybe they sit there for a couple months And then they're going to be released and if we haven't done anything to change their conditions outside of prison or jail It is very likely and actually there's good studies to show just by going to jail You're more likely to commit another crime and that crime to be more serious just by the act of entering jail And I can share those with folks But if we haven't done anything to change folks condition Which got them into a place of committing those crimes in the first place whether that's substance use whether that's they don't Have enough money and they're falling out of their housing Whatever that might be It we're not actually solving the problem, so It's not that it's not an issue or that we should be dismissive of it But we have to really look at what's actually going to help that person So part of that is housing and affordable housing because they're just not enough Part of that is social supports whether that's healthcare or just helping people navigate like Anytime you interact, I don't know at least for me interact with government bureaucracy Oftentimes, it's incredibly confusing There's this type of language in some cases depending on what you're trying to do Trying to navigate that is hard for people Particularly if you're working non-stop you maybe have a kid at home Etc. So I think just navigating these services and connecting people And the main thing I would focus on honestly and the thing that I think I can be most effective on the council When it relates to public safety and community safety is addiction I know I'm going a little bit around about here, but I think it's important context to hit on first So I've been sober as most folks know for going on five years now Very proud of my sobriety I grew up in a family that on either side both an immediate and extended struggled with addiction and Mental health challenges and I think most people's family do Especially in Vermont. It's a real crisis particularly right now as we know So there's a couple things we have to do there first we need to stop folks from dying because there are Ever-increasing number of overdoses to the point where and Joe, maybe you could correct me from wrong But the fire department responded to an overdose. I think it was 48 overdoses in 48 hours in Burlington in a two-day period So our fire department is doing some incredible work right now, but It's not an exaggeration and it's not hyperbole to say folks are literally dying in City Hall Park from this disease so first thing we have to do is keep them alive and then we keep them live along long enough to Get services and hopefully find a detox bed an inpatient rehab Some of these things that we know are really effective and helping folks gets over That being said it's not that simple because right now The number of detox beds in Burlington just went down instead of going up The capacity that we have number of beds versus the problem and folks looking to use them is completely disproportionate It's it's there's just any attempt we made like, you know, we have 35 temporary beds for folks who are Houses right now being put up for the winter. It's nothing in compared to the need. It's a drop in the bucket so So we need to expand detox beds in patient rehab Medicare only covers two weeks of inpatient rehab. Most people need more time than two weeks to get sober So I don't know how you solve that problem. We need the federal government to step up The state has also slow-walked Funding and support because in their mind Burlington already gets enough and why do you need more? But we know that not just folks in Burlington are using these services folks from outside of Burlington are coming Use these services And then finally, you know, there's been a lot of talk I think one of the things that makes people feel unsafe. I'm rambling a little bit here, but I think it's a long complex issue One of the things that people will say which I experienced with Wally back there is we went to Edmunds Park and No, the Edmunds school the park in front the playground And we walked in after I think it was Sunday morning so after like a Saturday night of being in a college town and There's beer cans in the park where I have a two and a half year old and there's a syringe and like that Doesn't feel great to be bringing my two and a half year old up and seeing that in the park that we're supposed to go play in so thinking about things like Having an actual team in the city picking up syringes on a regular basis Having overdose prevention sites, which again the state just said we can't have the governor in particular But we need those desperately because they're saving lives. They're getting folks out of just using in random places in the city Getting them out of the shadows and also it's making sure that loose hazardous materials like needles aren't stand You know sitting around the city. I think in New York I'm keep looking at Joe to fact-check me But in New York one of the stats was an overdose prevention site that went up kept two million syringes off of You know, otherwise would have been in public spaces So I think that's a really critical measure that would do a lot of good and also Show folks that were serious about this problem and that we understand that You know having your kid at a public park and seeing those kind of things Is not okay and no one's acting like it's okay So anyway, that was a long answer But I think you know getting at addiction is like a huge part of public safety of both making folks feel safe decreasing crime preventing death And I'll say you know, I'm a sober alcoholic, but Folks in recovery are some of the nicest most genuine people That you'll ever meet and not to give myself a huge compliment or something But they truly are and a lot of those folks are working now to help other folks get sober Whether it's through a 12-step program, whether it's You know at the turning point or the Howard Center or wherever wherever it might be They're doing amazing work and You know and they're getting paid nothing to do it and so they're burning out And it's hard to actually hire for the position. So I ran it enough, but it's a it's a really big It's a workforce problem. It's a housing problem. It's a Services at almost every level problem. It's the the state and feds have no interest in Or shouldn't say no interest but Have not demonstrated that they're taking this problem seriously in Burlington Yeah, so we need to get creative we need to find More revenue So I appreciate your your perspective on systemic thinking I think it's really important as we're Realizing that there's systems upon systems that are crumbling and the solutions not necessarily going to be rebuild But same systems in the place that we're You touched on a point something about some democratic process reforms that you were Considering is there is there anything in particular you can mention about that Yeah, so I think a few things actually Jonathan just is gonna bring something to all war Jonathan's on the Jonathan Chapel circles on the MPA steering committee. I think you had just drafted something to bring to all wards talking about Giving the MPAs more time. I didn't read it all the way through but essentially giving the MPAs more time to Review things before City Councilor is passing them and figuring out what are those areas that we can Make sure that there's real citizen input before we just pass things And I think that's a huge part of it I think using the existing MPA structure and figuring out how we can actually How we can make public participation more doable can we pay for child care on a regular basis We've started doing community meals actually because Sam and Joel have been really great about that So Yeah, how do we build more of a sense of community and how do we make sure that? Decisions get some review by everyday people that people who are going to be affected by the decision Folks in the neighborhood before we pass something You know on a personal level as a as a counselor I thought about this before I came here But I would really like to commit to figuring out a way to maybe it's a Google form on FPF something simple But in the immediate term when we're posting if I am elected if we're posting MPA Agendas and like what's going to go on in the meeting Allowing folks to submit questions in advance so that I could come as a representative and actually answer what's on folks minds Directly during that city council speak out Versus just trying to guess like what's most important And then I think also on a personal level doing you know jack did These written updates after every council meeting and post them online into FPF and I am definitely committed to doing those if elected So that's sort of like public decision-making I do think there's more grand ideas that we'd really have to have a serious conversation about how do you actually implement them But ideas like participatory budgeting have been done in other Cities and communities. I think is really attractive because we all have different priorities on how we spend money So let's actually have a community conversation about how we spend money Because there are trade-offs to everything we do The other piece of this I think it's time to have a serious conversation Money in politics was the first thing that got me jazzed about Bernie During his first presidential campaign It's not about demonizing anybody but large sums of corporate money being donated to political leadership is Not serving the goal of making policy that makes our city more affordable more livable more environmentally friendly less reliant on carbon So I think we need to have a conversation about About banning corporate contributions in the state a serious conversation about municipal campaign finance reform There are many cities that take it upon themselves to have a heavier hand in Regulating campaign finance. So I think investigating what we could do there I think lowering the limits on how much politicians and packs can accept Because I don't think I've never heard someone say the problem with politics is there's two. There's too little money in politics We need more So I think lowering the amount of money in politics is probably a good thing and Then it's Cindy. Well knows public financing of elections because of Bill Sorrell's pretty partisan actions way back in the day have really put a freeze on people in our state Using the public finance system. So it's essentially unusable right now And afterward I can go more into detail on that and Cindy can check if I'm remembering correctly, but But yeah making Yeah, so making running for office actually accessible to everybody and not just those folks who have friends with deep pockets or have deep pockets themselves I think is Is healthy for democracy? and probably will produce better outcomes in my view so Ranked-choice voting I'll say some positives because we've done some good stuff to you rank choice voting is really exciting I worked hard with a number of folks on that to get that implemented not being a counselor, but on the outside Things like all Resonant voting allowing everybody to vote if they live here in local elections. I think it's a really positive step forward the secretary of state I believe in the last few years Has gotten translated ballots because we have a ton of new American folks across our state who are coming into Our community and making sure that they're able to vote and successful. I think it's important so not to rant too much But you asked But any any other questions? Have you heard enough of me? Okay, well, thank you all for coming I think Yeah, the only ask I have for folks again is if you haven't signed up to volunteer yet if There's anything that you can do just Carter for spelled out btv.com This is going to be a people-powered campaign. I'm relying on all of you To win this so really appreciate it You can donate on the website as well they there will be a donate button up soon That's an online donation platform for now. It'll go to a page where it shows you the PO box So it's 1411 in Burlington And it can be made out to Carter for City Council you can sign to check So I Strongly support Carter newbies are for City Council in Ward 1. I've known Carter since he was a UVM student He has always impressed me as an incredibly bright committed and engaged person Going all the way back to his first City Council run when he was still a UVM student I was just so impressed that he back then that he had the Just the energy and the desire to become engaged in the community here in Burlington and since then he has really matured his Views he's dug deep into many policy issues And I think Carter is going to bring a really fresh voice for Ward 1 to the City Council Carter is committed to fixing the affordability problems in the city of Burlington starting with housing Are terrible housing conditions that need greater enforcement? some of the housing conditions are just really not fit for human habitation and students in particular are getting Taken advantage of by folks taking their rent and not providing decent safe and not for and affordable housing Carter also will be active in helping to support the diversity and Diverse new members of our community including new Americans I think Carter is also going to work hard to make sure that all of our all the folks in our community feel safe and protected In by the Burlington Police Department Which right now many members of our community do not feel that from the police so I know Carter is going to be active in public safety issues He is in recovery himself. So he will be active on recovery issues which are part of what of driving some of the petty Crimes and you know some of the issues that we're seeing with the repercussions of Substance use disorder in the city. So overall, I'll just say you know Carter is a thinking person He thinks very deeply looks into things deeply he researches and Formulates what I consider to be really good solutions and opinions and I really look forward to seeing Carter on the city council representing Ward 1 All right I'm happy to cast my vote for Carter for city council. He's a person with great systemic thinking And he's able to understand the bigger picture and he understands how our current systems are working And what other current what other systems can slide into place to replace the ones that frankly aren't working for the city or for a lot of Americans he's got a great family perspective and he's dedicated to Burlington So I'm excited to see Carter in city council My name is Sarah I've known Carter for a really long time and I've been really impressed by the way that he's grown and all of the knowledge that he's acute accumulated and his commitment to really doing government in a way that Actually works for everyone. He's so well researched and I know that he won't be cutting any corners In city council, I know that he'll do his part to speak with all community members and really taken a Real variety of perspectives and I just know that he's well-intentioned and I think that's something that we don't always see in politics we see a lot of people in it for the wrong reasons, but I'm really picky about who I support I know a lot of people are in Burlington and I have no doubt that Carter's in it for the right reasons and really cares about Ward 1 So that's why I'm supporting him My name is Kathy all well, and I'm a former school commissioner from the East district in Burlington And I'm fully supporting Carter. I've known him for four and a half years five years. Maybe now I Love the So to say in the in the community that he has done over the years. I love his politics I like what he stands for. He's a real deep thinker, and I think he's somebody we really need on the city council Especially for more of Ron. Thank you. Hey, so Josh Ronsky with the Vermont Progressive Party. I'm the executive director here Yeah, we're really excited to be launching into town meeting day elections Here at the current new Bezier City Council campaign pick kickoff We're I'm neutral until we work our way through our nomination process, but I've been making my way around to all the different Candidate launches just to kind of show support for anyone seeking the progressive nomination in general And I know Carter has been active in the party for a long time So it's so exciting to see anyone who's been active in the party Jumping and run and our caucus is going to be on December 7th So we're excited that folks are lining up and seeking our nomination and you know, we're gonna have a good town meeting day election My name is Milo Grant. I am the city councilor for central district, and I am very excited About Carter running for city council I first met him when we served together on the special committee to review policing policies So I already know him to be someone who is deeply concerned about the public safety issues in our community And I think he's going to be a very valuable partner on the city council when it comes to addressing those issues He's also very concerned about issues that are important to working families middle-class families One of the most serious things we've never had a serious conversation about is property tax reform and that's going to be really important In addition to harm reduction being balanced with a Quote-unquote law and order approach to our drug crisis and other things So I'm very excited about this candidacy and I hope people consider supporting him. Thank you. Hi I'm Samantha Ayotte and I live in the Old East End and I have known Carter for about a year my partner Joel and I moved to Burlington and We started getting involved in our local MPA ward 1 meetings and just a month ago. I I joined the MPA steering committee with Carter and with that experience. I've gotten to see how much Carter cares about Burlington and specifically Ward 1 but Burlington as a whole and I know that he will be a great city counselor And that's why Carter is going to get my vote