A second member of the Coalition for a Livable City, which opposed the Burlington Town Center redevelopment plan, has stepped forward to challenge Burlington City Council President Jane Knodell. On Tuesday, Genese Grill announced that she will run as an independent for the Central District council seat, which represents the Old North End.*
Fellow CLC member Tony Redington came up short in his effort to unseat Knodell during the Progressive caucus in mid-December. Now Grill, a 51-year-old artist and German scholar, will take a crack at running to represent Wards 2 and 3, the only two in the city that voted “no” on the mall redevelopment-related ballot measures in November.
Knodell, a Progressive, broke with some members of her party when she voiced her support for the downtown mall redevelopment. That’s put a target on her back for members of the CLC.
Grill, in a statement announcing her candidacy, did not mention the Coalition. But she’s been an outspoken member of the group for much of the last year and plans to run on similar issues.
“Recent initiatives of the administration have pushed private profit agendas upon residents,” Grill said. “This is a campaign for real neighborhood power and real political, ecological, and economic change, not just politics-as-usual, backroom deal-making, token public input, or compromises with powerful private interests.”
Grill, who shares studio space in the South End, contributed artwork and broadsides to CLC’s “vote no” campaign before the November election.
In her campaign announcement, Grill vowed that she would “advocate for use of city money for community needs such as schools, community centers, sidewalks, parks, and public spaces, rather than dubious public-private partnerships (like the marina) that profit only a few.”
Grill’s fellow CLC member Charles Simpson will run as a Progressive in the South District against incumbent Democratic Councilor Joan Shannon, an outspoken supporter of the mall redevelopment.
The deadline to register with the city as a candidate for the March 7 election is January 30. Democrats are scheduled to hold their nominating caucus on Thursday.
*Correction, January 11, 2017: This post has been updated to clarify the relationship between the Coalition for a Livable City and Grill’s campaign.
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Burlington needs real change, real soon! Vote for real citizen power.Vote for Genesse Grill !
When the current Mayor first campaigned for office, a clean sweep was promised to Burlington voters. The previous (KISS) administration stole $17 Million of taxpayer dollars which funded Burlington Telecom.
This administration is sweeping more dollars from citizens pockets, with $21 million promised to the Burlington Town (Mall) Centers developer.
PS- Todays paper announced a 5.23% increase in Burlingtons educational budget.
I am unabashed in my enthusiasm for Genese Grill for City Council. Having worked closely with Genese in the efforts of CLC and SEA, I can say that she is the kind of passionate, independent, dedicated and fiercely honest voice that is desparately needed in City Council along with Max Tracy and Sharon Bushor.
I respect Jane Knodell and she has presided over City Council with much professionalism, but politically she has fallen out of step with her constituents over F-35 basing and the zoning change that allows 14+ story buildings in our downtown core. Her policies appear to be driven by a Miro affiliation or an old guard progressive agenda, rather than true representation of the views of the residents in wards 2/3.
Genese is independent of party agendas and political affiliations. Her goal is not just to listen to her constituents but to ACT on their behalf. She represents the kind of fresh representation of neighborhood concerns that is so needed today. Genese has no hidden agendas that will distract her from the kind of representation that Wards 2/ 3 deserve. Genese is exactly the kind of candidate needed today, both locally and nationally to refocus on what matters most – people, the environment and democratic process.
Genese is fantastic. And I am constantly amazed by Tony Redington’s clarity and vision.
Both speak truth to power and money unwaveringly. They really care about this place and our future living here and are both careful, truthful, researchers and planners.
What is happening in Burlington right now is that people like the developer-Mayor and his cronies (those on the city council and those he has appointed, etc), have obtained power to serve themselves and not the community. Shocking huh? Weinberger was destroying and violating Burlington’s neighborhoods and zoning codes before he was mayor and decided to go straight to the source to annihilate our common sense PlanBTV thus freeing himself of our protections. Weinberger and Co. have become so obviously self-serving and brazenly destructive to the community that ordinary citizens who were never tempted to obtain city office are now being called into it, simply to stop the madness and lend integrity back into the process.
You want people like Genese and Tony and Max and Sharon, and hopefully soon Steve Goodkind running your city. You do not want developers that set up PACs and spend 100,000$$+ to trick people into voting against their own best interest while handing over millions to millionaire developers.
A vote for Genese is a vote FOR greater participatory democracy,
She will listen to you, and put everyones ideas to work.
She has spent decades going before city hall to speak out about various things. So she understands how city hall works. Knows all of the members of various boards.
She voted NO for the 14 story mall, just like the entire wards 2/3 did.
Now she is willing to give back to city hall and put her incredibly creative energy to work as a city councilor. VOTE YES FOR GENESE GRILL. She is just the very best.!
Have termed Genese the “person for all seasons” because she can do the nitty gritty of politics at the meeting level with those she likes and does not like so much (disagrees with someone’s politics but never makes it personal), writes scholarly researched books, does the boring organizational work of leading meetings and silk screening T-shirts, listens to everyone she meets, works as a part time artist, edits Burlington’s incredible 05401 magazine carefully circulated to all residents not just the “elites”, taught at Burlington College, and perhaps as important in impressing one, she travels everywhere by bicycle and would be the second City Councilor along with Max Tracy to bring a first hand daily experience of what it is like to walk and bike the difficult streets of this City. This is a time of change, of insuring grassroots change rises naturally through the City Council and above–and Genese Grill could be better suited to undertake this task on behalf and in democratic concert with Wards 2 and 3. Tony Redington Blog: TonyRVT.blogspot.com
Genese Grill lives centrally among her constituents and — importantly — shares an income level with the majority of them. Thus she is particularly fitted to represent her district. As a prolific author and editor, she is exceptionally able to articulate its situation to the public at large, and to other members of the City Council. And as a committed activist/”artivist”, she well represents that spirit of Burlington which often escapes the usual politician. She’ll certainly make City Council meetings more interesting.
Yay Genese! Time for a change in City Hall!
Thrilled that Genese is stepping up. She will be an informed, articulate advocate for those whose voices too often go unheard. Local government should remain the most accessible and responsive vehicle for addressing citizen needs. Genese will hold those who serve alongside her responsible for doing the people’s work.
Genese Grill cares about Burlington and the people here. She gets what makes it such a special place and has put her heart and soul into making sure it remains so. She has my confidence and my vote.
I’ve know Genese since she came to Burlington over 20 years ago, and she is that rare person with great integrity, passion, and creativity who is also absolutely dedicated to the principles of strong community through democracy. Her skills and work as an activist have already affected change, especially seen through her arts community advocacy as part of the South End Alliance, and in her recent activism around the downtown development agreement, where she argued for a fair and democratic process at every turn.
In this time of money talking and democracy walking, Burlington does need to make sure we have voices at the city council table who are representing the disenfranchised and un-moneyed. Genese stands for everything I have loved about my hometown of Burlington and still think is worth fighting for; its artistic heart, progressive politics, and commitment to social justice and democracy over money interests.