Overhaul
At the library
Lawmakers, child care providers look for solutions
South Burlington library features slate of events in February
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South Burlington’s Community Newspaper Since 1977
the FEBRUARY 2, 2023
SB’s $31M budget restores past cuts
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VOLUME 47, NO. 5
Vermont Chinese School Lunar New Year
City expenses jump nearly 10% COREY MCDONALD STAFF WRITER
South Burlington’s more than $30 million budget for fiscal year 2024 was approved by the city and is set for a vote on Town Meeting Day. The $31,140,318 budget takes steps to restore previous cuts that were made during the “lean Covid years” and, through incremental investments into capital improvement funds, one that keeps pace with expected growth in the city, city manager Jessie Baker said. To accomplish these goals, the city has See BUDGET on page 11
COURTESY PHOTO
The Vermont Chinese School hosted its 29th annual Lunar New Year celebration at F. H. Tuttle Middle School in South Burlington on Sunday, Jan. 22. The event was sold-out and attracted more than 200 guests. “Xin nian kuai le! Gong xi fa cai!” guests greeted each other with big smiles. Guests were treated with Chinese food and performances by students at the school, their teachers and parents. The program started with a dragon dance, a tradition to bring good luck to people in festive celebrations, performed by the adult students of the Chinese language class. Kids and adults of different Chinese classes participated in the diverse cultural performances, including dancing, martial arts, singing, playing pipa and spinning diabolo. Lunar New Year is widely celebrated in many countries in Asia. The Green Mountain Korean Culture School joined the Year of the Rabbit celebration and performed Korean drumming.
Five candidates vie for two open city council seats COREY MCDONALD STAFF WRITER
South Burlington’s March city council election is beginning to take shape, as five candidates have filed petitions to run for the city’s two open seats. Two candidates, Andrew Chalnick and James Leas, will vie for a 3-year council seat vacated by state Sen. Thomas Chittenden, who announced in May last year that he would not seek reelection. Chittenden, who has served on the council for eight years, won reelection to the Vermont Senate in the newly formed Chittenden Southeast district. He is also the interim director of undergraduate programs at the
University of Vermont’s Grossman School of Business. “For the past eight years, I’ve had the honor and privilege of serving on this council, representing the town I grew up in and the community I care deeply about,” he said. “But with my kids still being in school, my role at University of Vermont expanding and with my other commitments, I am committed to stepping away from the city council at the end of this term.” “My objective in this role was to learn from the past, serve the present and plan for the future,” he added. “My intention in this role has been to serve with maximum transparency, accessibility, humility and, most important, civility.”
Chalnick has held several posts in city hall, including chair of the energy committee and vice chair of the climate task force. He also held a seat on the planning commission and the interim zoning transferable development rights committee. Chalnick wrote in The Other Paper that he would prioritize several initiatives, including affordable housing and the protection of natural resources, as well as assuring through recommendations of the Climate Action Plan, which target transportation and infrastructure as ways for the city to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions. “Motivating me to run are my four children and concern about the world we are leaving to them,” he said. “I am determined
to make a difference and am committed to working hard to help us thrive, and to meet our challenges.” He will have to fend off a challenge from Leas, a longtime activist in the community well known for his opposition to the F-35 fighter jets now based at the Burlington International Airport. Leas graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and has worked as a patent lawyer for much of his career. Issues he hopes to tackle if elected include “the economy, jobs, affordable housing, a healthy and safe environment for our children and their learning, climate change, See CITY COUNCIL on page 11