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G r e e n C a m p a i g n S t a t e m e n tS a n d y B a i r d F o r M a y o rGary Sisco For Board of Aldermen Ward 1P a u l F l e c k e n s t e l n F o r B o a r d o f A l d e r m e n W a r d 6

J a n u a r y 9 , 1 9 8 9

Tlie Burl ington Greens are today announcing that we are enteringthe Mayoral race and the Aldermanic races in Wards 1 and 6. Ourcandidates are Sandy Baird for Mayor, Gary Sisco in Ward 1 andP a u l F l e c k e n s t e i n i n W a r d 6 ,

T h e G r e e n s a r e e n t e r i n g t h i s r a c e f o r 2 r e a s o n s . F i r s t , w e w a n tt o w i n . Fo r yea rs , we have wa t ched as ou r c i t y has becomei n c r e a s i n g l y i n t o l e r a b l e f o r p o o r a n d m i d d l e i n c o m e p e o p l e ,espec ia l l y women, as our env i ronment has become increas ing lyoverdeveloped, pol luted, and toxic, as our culture has become thehomogen ized cu l tu re we th ink o f as the s t r i p deve lopment andgent r i fied ch icness o f b ig c i t i es , as our democra t i c i ns t i t u t i onsh a v e b e e n w h i t t l e d a w a y i n f a v o r o f a c e n t r a l i z e d c i t y h a l l , a n da s o u r s o c i e t y h a s b e e n t o r n a p a r t b y t h e d e s t r u c t i o n o fc o m m u n i t y w i t h t h e i n e v i t a b l e o u t c o m e o f v i o l e n c e a n d c r i m e ,e s p e c i a l l y t o w a r d g a y s , l e s b i a n s , m i n o r i t i e s , a n d w o m e n .

For years , we have no t on ly watched, bu t have t r ied to s top thesediscouraging develoments and in those attempts have turned someo f t h e w o r s t a b u s e s a r o u n d , a s w h e n w e h e l p e d s t o p t h e s a l e o fo u r w a t e r f r o n t i n t h e A l d e n P l a n a n d t h e d e s t r u c t i o n o f o u rw e t l a n d s a t t h e M o u t h o f t h e R i v e r i n t h e N o r t h s h o r e P r o j e c t . I no u r e f f o r t s w e h a v e b e c o m e c o n v i n c e d t h a t t h e p a s t a n d p r e s e n t

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a d m i n i s t - r a t i o n s o f o u r c i t - y a r e o n a c o l l i s i o n c o u r s e w i t h b o t ht h e n a t u r a l w o r l d a n d p o o r p e o p l e t h a t c a n o n l y b e a v e r t e d b y af u n d a m e n t a l l y n e w k i n d o f p o l i t i c s . W e G r e e n c a n d i d a t e s s t a n dt o d a y r e a d y t o h e l p c r e a t e t h a t m o v e m e n t b a s e d o n t h e e t e r n a lh o p e s o f p e o p l e f o r e c o l o g y , g r a s s r o o t s d e m o c r a c y , a n e c o n o m yf o r p e o p l e , n o t f o r p r o fi t , a n d s o c i a l j u s t i c e .

T h e G r e e n s a r e e n t e r i n g t h e r a c e f o r a s e c o n d r e a s o n . I n t h e y e a rw h e n t h e E n d a n g e r e d E a r t h h a s b e e n m a d e P l a n e t o f t h e Y e a r b yT I M E M a g a z i n e , t h e w o r d e c o l o g y i s n o t h e a r d f r o m a n y o f o u rl o c a l c a n d i d a t e s . R a t h e r , t h e c i t i z e n s o f B u r l i n g t o n a r e b e i n gt r e a t e d t o a l a c k a d a i s i c a l d e b a t e b e t w e e n t h e c u r r e n ta d m i n i s t r a t i o n w h i c h s p e a k s o f f a m i l y p l a t i t u d e s o r u i - g e s u s t ob e l i e v e t h a t t h i n g s h a v e n e v e r b e e n s o g o o d , a n d t h e p a r t i e s o fp a s t a d m i n i s t r a t i o n s w h o w o u l d l i k e u s t o r e t u r n t o t h eB u r l i n g t o n o f e i g h t y e a r s a g o . T h e G r e e n s w i l l i n t r o d u c e i n t ot h i s B u s h / D u k a k i s - l i k e d e b a t e r e a l i t y a n d t h e r e f o r e , e c o l o g y .

F a r f r o m n e v e r h a v i n g i t s o g o o d , w e h a v e s e e n b o t h i n t h e p a s te i g h t y e a r s a n d b e f o r e , a n a c c e p t a n c e o f u n b r i d l e d g r o w t h w h i c hh a s d e s t r o y e d b o t h o u r h u m a n a n d n a t u r a l e c o l o g y . I n t h eP r o g r e s s i v e s o w n b r a n d o f t r i c k l e - d o w n e c o n o m i c t h e o r y t h e y h a v e ,i n p r e - d e v e l o p m e n t a g r e e m e n t s a n d p u b l i c - p r i v a t e p a r t n e r s h i p s ,m a d e d e a l s w i t h d e v e l o p e r s i n w h i c h t h e c i t y a c t u a l l y p r o fi t sf r o m h u g e p r o j e c t s l i k e A l d e n a n d N o r t h s h o r e . I n s t e a d , t h e n , o fq u e s t i o n i n g t h e s p r e a d c o n d o m i n i u m s o n t h e w a t e r f r o n t o r t h e

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3b u i l d i n g o f m a r i n a s a t t h e m o u t h o f t h e r i v e r , b a c k r o o mn e g o t i a t i o n s i n w h i c h t h e c i t y r e c e i v e s fi r e t r u c k s o r b e a c h e s ,or impact fees have compromised the Admin is t ra t i on 's ab i l i t y toprotect i t s c i t i zens f rom the worst e f fects of growth. Indeed, i thas been ci t izens in grass roots groups l ike the Lake ChamplainCommi t t ee o r C i t i z ens f o r a Be t t e r Wa t e r f r on t o r t he Greens wh i c hh a v e h a d t o a s s u m e a n a d v e r s a r i a l p o s i t i o n t o a s s u r e t h a t o u rw a t e r f r o n t i s n o t s o l d t o i n t e r e s t s w h i c h w o u l d m a k e o u r n a t u r a lh e r i t a g e t h e p r i v a t e p r o p e r t y o f t h e w e a l t h y .

This acceptance, even encouragement , o f deve lopment has hadd i s a s t e r o u s c o n s e q u e n c e s f o r a l l c i t i z e n s o f B u r l i n g t o n , b u te s p e c i a l l y w o m e n , p o o r p e o p l e , g a y s a n d l e s b i a n s , a n d m i n o r i t i e s .T h e g e n t r i fi c a t i o n o f o u r c i t y w i t h o f fi c e b u i l d i n g s r e p l a c i n ghouses, and students replacing fami l ies, have meant skyrocket ingn g p r i c e s d u r i n g t h e s o c i a l i s t r e i g n . M i d d l eincome people unable to af ford to buy homes have been forced in toa n i n c r e a s i n g l y n a r r o w r e n t a l m a r k e t , f u r t h e r d i s p l a c i n g p o o rpeople, especial ly those headed by women. And homelessness, notonly for single men, but for women and children, now plagues ourc i t y .

T h e d e s t r u c t i o n o f n e i g h b o r h o o d s a n d c o m m u n i t y b y u n b r i d l e dg r o w t h h a v e f u r t h e r e d t h e a l i e n a t i o n f r o m e a c h o t h e r t h a t m o r ethan any other cause fosters the cr ime and v io lence, especia l lyaga ins t women , gay s and l es b ians , m ino r i t i es and t he e l - ^ i e r l y t ha t

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n o w m a k e o u r c i t y a s d a n g e r o u s a s m a n y m u c h l a r g e r . A n d t h ec r e a t i o n o f a C o m m u n i t y D e v e l o p m e n t O f fi c e t o f o s t e r g r o w t h t h a ti s o n l y r e s p o n s i b l e t o t h e m a y o r h a s h u r t d e m o c r a t i c i n s t i t u t i o n sb y c e n t r a l i z i n g p o w e r i n t o t h e h a n d s o f a f e w m e n w h o w i l l d e c i d ef o r t h e r e s t o f u s t h e f u t u r e o f o u r c i t y . W h i l e a h e a r t l e s sr e g i m e i n W a s h i n g t o n c a n b e p a r t i a l l y b l a m e d f o r t h i s f u r t h e r a n c eo f s o c i a l i s m f o r t h e r i c h a n d f r e e e n t e r p r i s e f o r t h e p o o r , o u rc u r r e n t a d m i n i s t r a t i o n h a s d o n e l i t t l e b u t p r o v i d e b a n d a i d s f o rt h e s e n a t i o n w i d e d e v e l o p m e n t s . I n d e e d , w i t h o u t q u e s t i o n i n gg r o w t h a n d m o r e i m n p o r t a n t l y , w h i l e b e n e fi t i n g f r o m i t , t h e yhav e , pe rhaps w i t h t he bes t o f i n t en t i ons , on l y added t o t hem.

U n i q u e a m o n g t h e c a n d i d a t e s , G r e e n s w i l l a r g u e t h a t i t i s t h i ss a m e e n c o u r a g e m e n t o f d e v e l o p m e n t t h a t i s d e s t r o y i n g o u r n a t u r a le n v i r o n m e n t . T h e a d m i n i s t r a t i o n c a n n o t p r e s e r v e o u r w a t e r f r o n t b ya t t e m p t i n g t o s e l l i t . T h e y c a n n o t d i s c o u r a g e t r a f fi c a n d c l e a nt h e a i r , y e t a p p r o v e t h e S o u t h e r n C o n n e c t o r a n d p a r k i n g g a r a g e s .T hey c anno t t hunde r abou t s t uden t no i s e des t roy ing ne ighbo rhoods ,w i t h no e f f ec t i v e po l i c y t o hous e s t uden t s on c ampus . T hey c anno tt a l k a b o u t c l e a n i n g u p o u r l a k e , b y p u t t i n g m o r e a n d m o r ed e v e l o p m e n t o n i t s s h o r e s . A b o v e a l l , t h e y c a n n o t t a l k a b o u t t h ep r o t e c t i o n o f o u r n a t u r a l w o r l d a n d a h e a l t h y c i t y , w h i l e t h e yc o n t i n u e t o m a k e d e a l s w i t h t h o s e f o r c e s w h o w o u l d u s e b o t h o u re n v i r o n m e n t a n d o u r c i t y o n l y t o m a k e p r o fi t s f o r t h e m s e l v e s .

I n t h i s d e b a t e . G r e e n s w i l l a l s o s u g g e s t a l t e r n a t i v e s t o t h i s

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fl e g d l i n g m o v e m e n t w h i c h w i l l n o l o n g e r t o l e r a t e o l d p o l i t i c a li n s t i t u t i o n s a n d w h i c h h o p e s t o r e a l i z e h u m a n i t y ' s d r e a m s f o rdemocracy , f reedom, j us t i ce , and a l i f e l i ved i n ha rmony w i t hn a t u r e . W e a s k f o r y o u r s u p p o r t a s b o t h r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s o f t h a tm o v e m e n t a n d a s p a r t i c i p a n t s i n i t s f u r t h e r a n c e . O u r p l e d g e t ot h e c i t i z e n s o f B u r l i n g t o n i s o u r l o y a l t y t o k e e p t h a t m o v e m e n ta l i v e , - g r o w i n g , a n d w e l l . A s H a r v e y M i l k , t h e a s s a s s i n a t e d , fi r s tp u b l i c a l l y g a y c i t y o f fi c i a l o f S a n F r a n c i s c o s a i d b e f o r e u s , T h e m o v e m e n t i t s e l f i s y o u r c a n d i d a t e .