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South Burlington’s Community Newspaper Since 1977
the APRIL 20, 2023
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Most campaign cash comes from wealthiest areas
VOLUME 47, NO. 16
Color dance
SB charter committee sets public forums COREY MCDONALD STAFF WRITER
More than half of all the campaign cash brought in this election cycle came from residents living in one of the wealthiest census tracts in the county that encompasses less than 23 percent of the city’s population. Of the more than $25,000 raised in this year’s city council election, about $15,000 of that, or 60 percent, was given by residents living in Census Tract 33.01, according to publicly available data. The tract includes all the city’s southeast quadrant and a part of the city’s 12th ward. The actual amount of money raised from that area is likely higher: more than $4,000 of the cash raised by the five city council candidates were donations of under $100, which do not have associated names or addresses listed on the state secretary’s campaign finance website. The census tract, one of four encompassing South Burlington, makes up 22 percent of the city’s total population, and has some
of the highest income levels in the county — on par with census tracts in Shelburne and Charlotte. Residents there make a per capita income of $62,760, and a have a median household income of $142,417, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. By comparison, South Burlington’s per capita income is $49,384 and its median household income is $83,750. Running for city elections has become an increasingly expensive endeavor, prompting calls from some involved in city politics to change the makeup of the city’s governing model to include ward systems. Paul Engels, who unsuccessfully ran for city councilor in March’s elections, sits on the charter committee and has been a vocal advocate for addressing the issue of campaign finance. “It’s not exactly rocket science — it’s right there to see,” he said. James Marc Leas, another candidate who ran in March, See CAMPAIGN CASH on page 23
Jenny Bower Knowles captured this glorious sky from her South Burlington home.
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