Dear Friends,
Democracy is one of my guiding political values. It is encapsulated in a phrase of Bernie’s that I have been amplifying: “Not me. Us!” It is what I mean when I say “We must do better. Together we can!”
Right now we have 2 community groups looking to expand democracy in Burlington. I’m writing to ask you to look at their information below, and seriously considering joining them in getting their proposals on the ballot.
One group, Proposition Zero is pushing for a charter change to empower voters with the right to directly adopt ordinances and resolutions.
The second group, People for Police Accountability, is a group I’ve been working with for a while on the charter change for an independent community police discipline board. The proposal is similar to the proposal that was to be put on the 2021 ballot before the Mayor vetoed it.
Both groups are looking to get their proposals on the ballot by gathering petition signatures from 5% of Burlington’s registered voters, about 1800 voters. They need people to collect signatures and people to sign. I hope you can help them. Because together we can make the change we need.
Gene