Livable Community News

The Community Action Sponsorships will provide financial and other support to groups within Burlington that will advocate for improvements in the following areas.

- Affordable housing options for older residents

- Delivery of services to help older residents age in the setting of their choice

- Pedestrian infrastructure (sidewalks, amenities for walkers, public art, safe street crossings, navigation, etc.)

- Public transit

- Fostering intergenerational and multi-cultural connection

- Financial security for low income older residents

- Socialization and fostering community connection for older residents

- Education and awareness about LGBTQ elders

- Community accessibility for disabled residents

"These sponsorships are intended to inspire and support grassroots groups that have a vision for their neighborhood or the city and how it can be improved to the meet the needs of all residents," said Jennifer Wallace-Brodeur of AARP Vermont. "The sponsorship is open to grassroots groups and small non-profits in Burlington and should represent a desire to make change through local level activism and advocacy."

Following the May 6 application deadline, three groups will be selected for grants ranging from $500-$2,000. Grants will be one-time funding for a 12-month period and groups who are awarded sponsorships will receive technical assistance from AARP staff. This will include advocacy and communications support, administrative support (as appropriate), and access to office equipment and meeting space. Funded groups will also be required to participate in advocacy and communications training provided by AARP. Sponsored projects will receive public recognition through AARP, including letters of support, as needed to achieve their goals.

Applications are available at www.blcp.org or by calling Jennifer Wallace-Brodeur at 951-1313.

Instant Runoff Voting - Pro and Con

Burlington residents will have a chance to revisit IRV on Town Meeting Day with ballot item #5 which seeks to repeal IRV. BLCP Connections asked IRV supporters and opponents to make their case.

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Vote Yes on #5 to Repeal IRV
By Maurice Mahoney

It is difficult to summarize and explain all of the problems with Instant Runoff voting in 200 words because the IRV process itself is so convoluted. IRV is presented as a reform but we have never needed a runoff for Mayor of Burlington and survived quite nicely, with mayors like Peter Clavelle and Bernie Sanders not getting a full 50% majority in several elections. IRV has been a 4 year experiment which has not gained the support and the trust of most voters in Burlington.

The people who are working to repeal IRV represent a large cross section of Burlington voters who share serious concerns about a flawed voting system which makes the losers' winners and winners losers.

The supporters of IRV keep saying that a 50% majority is what they really want. In our last IRV election of 2009 the incumbent mayor only received 29% of first place vote, not getting the approval of 71% of Burlington Voters. That is not a majority no matter how you try to recast it. Any study of IRV indicates that" least desirable outcomes" occur more frequently with IRV, and elected officials can then lose the trust and faith of the people. Repeal IRV and restore our faith in elections.

Vote No on #5 to Keep IRV
By Marge Gaskins, President, Champlain Valley League of Women Voters

The League of Women Voters of Vermont supports the voting method used in Burlington, instant runoff voting (IRV). IRV has been used successfully to elect a mayor in both 2006 and 2009. In both elections the voters could be assured that the candidate who received the majority vote, that is 50% plus, was elected. As the president of the Champlain Valley unit of the League, I am proud to represent our position, and proud that these elections were not tainted with spoiler candidates, nor did they use taxpayer dollars or time in a second (typically low turnout) runoff election.

The proposal in ballot question #5, to require only 40% of the vote as the number needed for election, is not good enough. If there are more than 2 candidates, that elected candidate could be one that 60% of the voters like least, and if none of the candidates reaches 40% (a real possibility) then another election would be required.

Burlington did something very right when they voted to use the method of instant runoff. Now let's keep it that way, and elect a leader who receives 50+% of the votes the first time! Vote NO on Question 5, March 2nd.

Ward 4 Candidate Q & A

As we approach Town Meeting Day on March 2, the race for Burlington City Council in Ward 4 (New North End) will be a closely watched contest. Incumbent Russ Ellis (D) is facing former Council Chair Kurt Wright (R). BLCP Connections posed the following questions to the candidates and their responses are printed verbatim below:

-What do you believe is the biggest challenge for older Burlington residents?

-In terms of transportation, what 1-2 initiatives will you propose to improve the ability of older residents to get where they are going?

-Is Burlington Telecom a viable enterprise and what should Burlington's next move be on this issue?

Kurt Wright:

Some of the biggest challenges that seniors face in Burlington involve housing and transportation. There has been an acute housing shortage on all income levels for seniors. Many seniors would like to move out of their big houses into smaller apartments or condominiums, but there just aren't sufficient housing opportunities available. However, there are some hopeful projects on the horizon, including the one that is proposed right here on North Avenue next to the shopping center. We have other potential sites that may be available and we need to do what we can to foster these opportunities.

Transportation is also a problem for many seniors and that is why I am excited about the proposed site by the Ethan Allen shopping center. All the essential services will be right there for our seniors and these are the types of projects we should encourage.

We must also do all we can to be sure our bus routes are as convenient as possible for our seniors and that we have adequate time for seniors crossing at the light at places such as the Heineberg Senior Housing building. Of course we also need to support our senior centers and the valuable services they provide.

Russ Ellis:

Thank you for this invitation to share ideas about the biggest challenge facing us as senior citizens, about transportation and about Burlington Telecom.

From my own experience, I think that the biggest challenge facing us as senior citizens is continuing to participate in our community life. We have valuable experiences, broad perspectives, and inter-personnel skills that can be shared with our neighbors, young and old alike, and can not only contribute to problem solving but can help us to continue broadening our own horizons. We are fortunate that people like Janet Patterson and Gail Moreau, among others, encourage us to be involved and provide opportunities to do so. Among the opportunities available to us are the program rich Heineberg Senior Center, lively church communities, the walking program at the Miller Center, and the informative Neighborhood Planning Assemblies every third Tuesday at 7 p.m., also at the Miller Center. We have something to offer to all of these programs and, even at our age, to continue growing and maturing.

Comprehensive lists of community activities appear weekly in Seven Days and in the Burlington Free Press. I hope we will see one another at some of the many activities that are made available to us.

That raises the question about transportation: How do we get to these activities? What if you don't have access to a car? Solutions to transportation needs are made at several levels of government in addition to the City. In many cases, city officials can influence changes and improvements, but don't have direct authority to implement them. Bus routes and schedules, for instance, are established by CCTA, the Chittenden County Transportation Authority. During the current fiscal year, the City is paying $1.2 million to CCTA for bus service.

I have interceded on behalf of senior citizen requests that are under the domain of the City's Department of Public Works. Those requests have included sidewalk improvements in the vicinity of St. Mark's church to make walking safer. I have also intervened on behalf of senior citizen requests for longer time intervals at pedestrian cross-walks on North Avenue. Please share your thoughts and suggestions with me about how to improve transportation. My phone is 862-4584 and my e-mail is rrellis@burlingtontelecom.net.

Lastly, what about Burlington Telecom? The City Council and the Public have just this week (Feb. 11) received the report of the so-called Blue Ribbon Committee concerning the future of BT. The report said that the fiber-optic cable laid by BT is an invaluable resource which has already attracted several significant businesses to Burlington. It also said that BT was not making enough money to pay for its current borrowing and is not likely to make enough in the near future to pay for still more borrowing. The Committee recommended that BT spin off from the City and find private partners in a new organization called BT Inc. At its meeting on Thursday the City Council unanimously endorsed the proposal to begin the process of doing this. This is an unfinished story. Only the future will tell the whole tale.

Volunteer Spotlight

A REASSURING VOICE - RSVP of CHITTENDEN COUNTY is looking for volunteers, age 55 and over, to make phone calls from their own home once or twice a week to a homebound or isolated senior in Chittenden County. Research shows that regular telephone "visits" help increase the sense of wellbeing and connectedness and helps elders stay in their own homes as long as possible. Training and support are provided. Contact Nancy at 860-1677 or by email: nancy@unitedwaycc.org.

You can find many other volunteer opportunities at the United Way of Chittenden County Volunteer Center's online searchable database: www.unitedwaycc.org and click on "Volunteer Now".

Calendar of Events

February 18-19

Spring One Act Plays

Presented by Burlington High School students

7:30 p.m.

Burlington High School Auditorium

February 24

The Demographics of Aging: Impacts on Transportation and Mobility

Presented by Joe Coughlin, Director, MIT AgeLab as part of the UVM Transportation Research Project's seminar series.

4:00 p.m.

John Dewey Lounge, Old Mill, UVM

Free Admission