Burlington’s mayoral candidates are making their final appeals to voters during the final sprint before Town Meeting Day.
The flurry of last-minute campaigning includes debates for Democratic incumbent Miro Weinberger and his independent challengers, Carina Driscoll and Infinite Culcleasure.
Seven Days checked in to see how the Queen City mayoral hopefuls are spending their final seven days as candidates.
Weinberger found himself leaps and bounds ahead of his competitors in fundraising after Sunday’s campaign finance filing deadline; he had raised $107,000, compared to $47, 000 for Driscoll and $10,500 for Culcleasure. But the six-year incumbent said he’s not taking any chances.
Last weekend, Weinberger celebrated his 48th birthday — and with a team of supporters knocked on 2,000 doors across the city.
He plans a weeklong “major door-knocking effort” and a telephone town meeting Sunday, during which he’ll field questions from Queen City residents.
Culcleasure did not respond to requests for comment. His campaign has scheduled canvas events every evening until the election, plus a dinner and a “conversation on poverty, jobs and dignity” in the Old North End March 2.
Driscoll said she’ll spend her final days on the campaign trail holding a house party or two, doing a honk and wave, and working to get out the vote.
Driscoll said her lower fundraising total indicates a difference in style from Weinberger’s — and doesn’t necessarily put her at a disadvantage. “We’re doing all the same things, but we’re doing them as grassroots organizing,” she said. Her average donation —$105 — is roughly half of the average donation that Weinberger has received, she said.
All Driscoll’s canvassers are volunteers, she pointed out. The Vermont Democratic Party has contracted with University of Vermont student Lachlan Francis and his LLC, Windmill Hill Campaigns, which has worked for Weinberger and other Burlington Democrats and pays canvassers $50 to knock on 75 doors.
Driscoll said that her campaign has made 6,000 phone calls, left 1,500 voicemails, and knocked on 2,000 doors.
Driscoll touted the fundraising totals as giving her a moral high ground — saying that she has not invoked the financial support of her stepfather, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt).
“I made a decision that we would do this … not leveraging the resources of Bernie’s name. I’ve remained committed to that,” Driscoll said. She pointed out that when she received the endorsement of Our Revolution, an organization Sanders launched, the group’s fundraising email didn’t mention Sanders, and netted her only $680. She has sent out her own emails that emphasize her relationship with Sanders, and she received $1,000 in personal donations both from Sanders and her mother, Jane O’Meara Sanders.
To get elected, Driscoll likely needs to win over a portion of Weinberger’s voter base and earn support from the far left, which Culcleasure is also trying to attract. Still, she said, she’s seen “a lot of quiet support.”
“The thing you hope for is that the chips start to fall in your favor,” Driscoll said. “It feels as though we’re there.”
Weinberger said he’s reached more Burlingtonians than during his two previous campaigns — partly because of the high number of students volunteering for his campaign. He’s also seen more engagement from the New American community this election cycle, he said, noting that he earned the support of Shadir Haji Mohamed, board president of the Somali Bantu Community Association of Vermont, and members of Nepalese community.
Weinberger said he is confident of victory on March 6.
“I sense some momentum,” he said. “On principle, I don’t leave the polls until they close at 7 on Tuesday … We’re not taking anything for granted.”
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Paid canvassers??!?!?! And then to have the gall to call some of these college students “volunteers”?!?! That’s some Tammany Hall level sleaziness from Weinberger…
“Last weekend, Weinberger celebrated his 48th birthday and with a team of supporters knocked on 2,000 doors across the city.”
Wow! And on his birthday!
Oh, you mean the hired help knocked on most of those doors? And for only $1300?
To be fair, Bernie uses paid canvassers. Many campaigns do. Its not uncommon.
The only honest looking person in this picture is the black guy who got busted selling drugs. The other two look like they are hiding something exceptionally awful, like large scale corruption and deceit .
“The only honest looking person in this picture is the black guy who got busted selling drugs. The other two look like they are hiding something exceptionally awful, like large scale corruption and deceit.”
Well, one of them sure is.
https://vtdigger.org/2018/02/27/driscoll-s…
And this candidate claims to represent the local people?
No one will be surprised if Burlington voters decide to throw fiscal good standing out the window to vote for Driscoll and the return of dodgy finances and negative credit ratings. Burlington is, after all, the city that inflicted Bernie Sanders on the rest of us to begin with. His son is running for a house seat in New Hampshire too. The Sanders family of grifters keeps on keeping on. How long do you think itll be before Jane gets another position where she can fleece an institution of its hard earned cash?
Driscoll is getting ready for the Honky Wave! ….and if that Wave dont fly Mommas gonna buy the princess an uncontested seat in Wyoming. Or New Hampshire
Carina Driscoll can’t figure out how to support herself without mommy and daddy’s help. How could any responsible person who cares about Burlington’s fiscal health vote for this hapless candidate? Poor Carina needs a job and can’t get another one from her mother after the last fiasco bankrupted an entire college.
Voters need to reject this idiocy, Burlington can’t afford another helpless, hopeless, incompetent mayor. Let Driscoll find her own job to support herself, Burlington voters are not opening their wallets for her like her mother.
“Culcleasure did not respond to requests for comment.”
He has a certain arrogant bitterness about him.
If he disses Seven Days, refusing to answer its questions, voters need to ask whether he will also ignore tough questions they may have of their mayor.
it’s time for fresh blood and not that jerk miro the money lover. he has to go…
It will be great when we have a female president, but not Hillary Clinton. And it’ll be great when we have a female mayor, but not Carina Driscoll. Clinton is at least well qualified and hardworking despite being corrupt.
Driscoll refused to pay a contractor for completed work and when he sued her for payment, she tried to cheat and intimidate him with high-priced lawyers and excessive legal actions. Thankfully he didn’t back down and was able to persevere until the judge threw the book at her and made her pay large fines and penalties for her sleazy behavior. It’s too bad the civil court judge couldn’t throw her in jail for the years she made that poor man suffer.
If voters let this woman anywhere near Burlington’s finances, Driscoll will take full advantage. The same way she’s taken advantage of others to line her own pockets. Carina Driscoll goes through life taking advantage of good, decent working people. She’s an awful leech, an embarrassment to Bernie Sanders’ family, his legacy, and Burlington.
When the hell will 7Days start requiring commentators to use their real identities to avoid the rude and demeaning comments instead of actual arguments/criticisms? Or do they want to create a mud slinging environment?
I haven’t read their “hidden” identity comment section in months- since I was last peeved with unchecked bullying during the last City Council race – their reasoning was that people fear retaliation and it’s freedom of expression…If 7days considers these comments “classy,” i’d hate to see what they consider not classy—
I mean, the Russians could be infiltrating these feeds of news/comments and we wouldn’t even know…and/or supporters of this or that candidate under guise of whatev’
Let’s take it up a notch!