Politics & Government

Burlington City Council 05/20/2013

The Burlington City Council meets on Mondays, three times each month at 7pm. Their meetings air live on Channel 317 (Burlington Telecom) and on Channel 17 at the air times listed below. Meeting schedules, agendas and minutes can be found here.

Legislative Report: Representative Martha Heath (D), Chair, House Appropriations 05/20/2013

Host, Rep. Dave Sharpe (D) speaks with Rep. Martha Heath (D), Chair of the House Appropriations Committee on the recently wrapped up Legislative session.

Senator Patrick Leahy: Address to Albany College of Pharmacy Graduates 05/19/2013

Senator Patrick Leahy delivers commencement remarks and receives an honorary doctorate during ceremonies honoring the first class to graduate from the Albany College of Pharmacy’s Vermont campus.
Leahy, the Senate’s most senior member, and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, discusses the role of pharmacists in preventing prescription drug abuse and related crime, the problem of counterfeit medications, health care costs, and the growing importance of pharmacists in public health policy and delivery.

True North Reports TV: Conservative Environmentalism 05/17/2013

Host Robert Maynard is joined by Guy Page, Communications Director for the Vermont Energy Partnership. www.truenorthreports.com

Burlington Ward 5 NPA Meeting 05/16/2013

Neighborhood Planning Assemblies (NPAs) are grassroots, neighborhood organizations that were established in each of Burlington's seven Wards to empower citizen participation in City government. Working as neighborhood advocacy groups, Neighborhood Planning Assemblies facilitate communication between the citizens of Burlington and city government through regular meetings scheduled in each Ward.

Burlington Mayor's Show: Public Investment Action Plan, the Bike Path, and Walk-Bike Friendly initiatives 05/15/2013

Host Mayor Miro Weinberger speaks with Nate Wildfire, Assistant Director for Economic Development at CEDO, and Jason Van Driesche, Director of Advocacy and Education at Local Motion on the Public Investment Action Plan (PIAP), the Bike Path, and Walk-Bike Friendly initiatives.

Burlington Redistricting Update with Committee Member Jim Holway 05/14/2013

Matt Kelly talks with Jim Holway, Ward 4 Redistricting Committee member about the latest on the Burlington Ward Redistricting process. For more info, please check the website redistrict.info.

Congressman Peter Welch: Farm Bill Priorities 05/14/2013

Congressman Peter Welch is joined by representatives of Vermont’s dairy farmers, vegetable growers, and nutrition advocates discussing the prospects for a Farm Bill in this Congress, as well as his priorities for the bill. The House Agriculture Committee is scheduled to take up the bill May 15th, the Senate Agriculture Committee is taking up its version of the bill today, May 14th.

Congressman Welch outlined his priorities for the bill:

· Stabilize milk prices for dairy farmers;

· Disaster insurance for vegetable growers;

· Promote the use of local fruits and vegetables into school lunches;

· Protect nutrition programs from unreasonable cuts;

· Provide support for organic programs; and

· Grow Vermont’s maple industry through federal support for research and promotion.

City of Burlington Redistricting Committee 05/14/2013

Agendas for the Meetings available at: http://burlingtonvt.gov/CityCouncil/Boards-and-Commissions/Redistricting-Committee/

Redistricting is the process of adjusting electoral district boundaries to meet US Constitutional requirements of “one person, one vote” by ensuring approximately equal representation. Based on the 2010 US Census, the City has determined that Wards 4 and 7 are over-represented, and Ward 1 is under-represented, and therefore, ward boundaries must be re-drawn. The committee is tasked with recommending a proposal that meets the legal requirement regarding equal representation of all residents as determined by the census. Before a redistricting plan can go into effect, a City Charter change must be approved by the voters of Burlington and the Vermont State Legislature. The City Council recently added additional representatives from the City’s Neighborhood Planning Assemblies (NPAs) to the Redistricting Committee, and eliminated the Mayor's seat. Four City Councilors appointed to the Committee are: Sharon Bushor W1, Rachel Siegel W3, President Joan Shannon W5, Paul Decelles W7.
The Redistricting Committee members include the following NPA representatives:
James Langan (Ward 1)
Japhet Els - Lluvia Mulvaney-Stanak (Ward 2)
Nancy Greenwalt (Ward 3)
Jim Holway - George Gamache (Ward 4)
Elisa Nelson (Ward 5)
Andy Montroll - Michael Rooney (Ward 6)
Jason L'Ecuyer (Ward 7)

The NPA alternates, who will serve only if a Committee member resigns, include:
Peg Boyle Single (Ward 1)
Ita Meno (Ward 3)
Bill Keogh (Ward 5)
Mannie Lionni (Ward 7)
Further, the City Council hired professional facilitator Cindy Cook of Adamant Accord, Inc. to guide the Committee’s work.
The Committee encourages public input regarding factors it should consider as it develops and assesses redistricting options. Please email comments to the Committee’s Facilitator, Cindy Cook, at ccook@adamantaccord.com. There is ALSO a Public Forum at the every meeting, and discussion at NPA meetings. To learn more about the Redistricting Committee and to get current information about meetings, please visit http://www.burlingtonvt.gov/CityCouncil/Ward-Redistricting/.

Essex Junction Trustees 05/14/2013

The Essex Junction Trustees is the governing, legislative body for the Municipality of the Village of Essex Junction. The five member board is elected at large within the Village. The board includes the position of Village President. The position of president and vice president are decided (appointed) through a vote of the board itself. This was a function of a charter update at the 2010 annual meeting. The three year terms of the Trustees are staggered to provide continuity. The Trustees usually meet twice per month on Tuesday evenings in the meeting room at the Village municipal office building at Five Corners The public is invited to attend all meetings, and may address the board or ask questions during a special “public to be heard” section at the beginning of each meeting. Agenda items for this meeting include: Bike-Walk Advisory Committee, Village Tree Policy, Land Development Code to Regulate Tobacco, Appointing Village Attorney & Engineer, Encore Solar Energy Proposal, Village Manager's Report

Featured Story

CCTV Receives NEH Grant to Support Community Archives

CCTV Center for Media & Democracy is pleased to announce receipt of a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Humanities Collections and Reference Resources grant alongside 32 peer archival institutions across the country. This $49,927 grant award will support efforts to preserve and expand access to audio/visual community history materials in the CCTV Archives. Read more about this opportunity here!