Mayor Miro Weinberger will not give his blessing to a Burlington City Council resolution asking the feds for an alternative plane to the F-35 fighter jets. He announced Wednesday in a press release that he will neither sign nor veto the letter, which will be sent to the U.S. Air Force on April 16 without his support.
A veto “would serve little purpose other than extending the divisive debate indefinitely,” Weinberger wrote in a commentary published on VTDigger.org that explained his decision.
It is the first time in Weinberger’s six-year tenure as mayor that he has not signed a council resolution, according to the release. Instead, he sent a letter to U.S. Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson explaining his decision and voicing his continued support for the jets.
The council considered the resolution after 55 percent of Burlingtonians, on an advisory Town Meeting Day ballot question, voted to halt the basing of the F-35s and request a new mission for the Vermont Air National Guard at Burlington International Airport. The F-35s are currently scheduled to arrive in 2019.
On March 26, the council voted to send a letter to Wilson about the voters’ request, along with a lengthy list of questions about the safety and noise of the jets.
Weinberger has, from the beginning, voiced approval for the jets — and said Wednesday that his opinion has not changed. Since Town Meeting Day, he said he has met with the Vermont Air National Guard and federal officials to ask questions raised by the media and F-35 opponents.
Weinberger said federal officials had assuaged his concerns around noise, safety, and the demolition of homes in South Burlington. He also warned that a change of plans would have a negative economic impact on Burlington and the surrounding area.
“We would face a period of great uncertainty in the wake of a decision by the Air Force to reopen the F-35 basing selection process,” he wrote. “While there are differences, Burlingtonians need only look across the lake at Plattsburgh to see a community that has struggled for decades in the wake of an adverse Air Force basing decision.”
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Hee hee. . Miro proves once again that he is nothing but another obedient Wall Street/MIC Democrat.
My low expectations and opinion of you have been thoroughly justified., and , Mr. Mayor, you have never let me down . . .
Thank you Miro for supporting the greater interests if our region and country. I am in DC for a Navy convention this week and met a couple senior Air Force folks. We discussed Burlington they were aware and told me every city has had some opposition but that they will be here regardless of the whiners. Also told me the VT guard gets very high praise accross the force as one of the best. They are coming cannot wait
Like I have said before Miro is just a freaking worthless mini trump
Not surprised but disappointed. I am glad I have never voted for him. He was more interested in siding with his “cronies” and developers than listening to 55% of Burlington voter’s and believing VTANG and federal officials instead of actually researching the facts. Over 3,000 families with children, not to mention thousands of individuals will be negatively affected by allowing this high military plane which still has technology bugs and low flying hours to fly over our neighborhoods and threaten our environment and safety. Shame on you, Mayor!
You know, it would be nice if people could disagree with some semblance of human kindness and respect for the personhood of others.
I support our mayor even though I vehemently disagree with some of his decisions, including this one. That doesn’t mean Miro is a moron or worthless or anywhere near the treasonous level of Trump and his blundering band of Kochroaches. He is a decent and thoughtful man who has done a great deal of good for the city of Burlington. And I think he’d be the first to admit he’s made decisions he regrets along the way.
There is no elected official who is perfect and shredding their character doesn’t reflect well on those doing the shredding.
“While there are differences, Burlingtonians need only look across the lake at Plattsburgh to see a community that has struggled for decades in the wake of an adverse Air Force basing decision.”
Whether you want the F-35s or not, I think we can all agree this is a pretty ridiculous statement to make – we all want these decisions to be made based on facts and not misinformation – the differences between Burlington and Plattsburgh are readily apparent. If you are unfamiliar with why Plattsburgh is in the shape it is presently in, and why Burlington wont suffer a similar fate ever, the article below is very informative.
http://wamc.org/post/look-back-plattsburgh…
“[Weinberger] … said Wednesday that his opinion has not changed.”
Why did he even bother pretending, after Driscoll and Culcleasure forced his hand during the second debate, that he would? We all knew that, despite his assurances that he would “re-evaluate his position” pending the result of the resolution, he was just pandering for support. As someone else said, not surprised.
Miro continues to display his true colors in action, not words. Anyone else feel as though everyday Burlingtonians are losing more and more influence over those who are supposed to represent us? How very … Washington.