On March 6, 2012, Burlington voters will elect a mayor for a three-year term. Wanda Hines, Miro Weinberger, and Kurt Wright are vying to replace Bob Kiss, who was elected mayor in 2006.

In preparation for the election, Friends of Burlington Gardens asked the candidates questions related to their awareness of the city's community and school gardens as well as policy issues of interest to Burlington residents who care about community-based gardening, food access, and food security. The tables below summarize responses to an online questionnaire. Responses have not been edited and are listed by candidate in alphabetical order.

Survey results are provided by Friends of Burlington Gardens as a public service for voters interested in researching the mayoral candidates and their positions. Thank you to all the candidates for participating!

* Don't miss the "Local Food, Local Economy" Burlington mayoral candidate forum at the Sustainability Academy on North Street, 6-8pm Saturday Feb. 25. Hosted by the Burlington Food Council. *

1. Please provide information on your background:

2. Since 1987, the Burlington Parks and Recreation Department has coordinated the Burlington Area Community Garden (BACG) program. There are currently 11 BACG garden sites. Additionally, there are several independent neighborhood gardens coordinated by community groups, as well as school gardens throughout the district. Please indicate your level of familiarity with each community garden site. Multiple columns may be checked.

*Candidates were asked to indicate if they "Have visited this garden site," "Know gardeners at this site," or "Have gardened at this site."

	Wanda Hines	Miro Weinberger	Kurt Wright
Calahan Community Garden		visited know gardeners
Champlain Community Garden		know gardeners
Lakeview Community Garden		visited
Medical Center Community Garden (at Fletcher Allen)			visited
Myrtle Street Garden	visited		visited
New Discovery Garden (at Ethan Allen Homestead)
Rock Point Community Gardens			visited
Starr Farm Community Garden	visited		visited know gardeners
Tommy Thompson Community Garden	visited know gardeners
UVM Wheelock Farm Community Garden
WVPD Community Garden (at Ethan Allen Homestead)			visited
Archibald Neighborhood Garden (Grow Team O.N.E.)	visited
Riverside Neighborhood Garden (Grow Team O.N.E.)	visited know gardeners
Buell Street Garden

 

3. If asked to make a list of Burlington residents you already know who community garden, how many people could you list?

Mayoral Candidate	# of community gardeners you know
Wanda Hines	21 or more community gardeners
Miro Weinberger	10 to 20 community gardeners
Kurt Wright	1 to 9 community gardeners

4. During the growing season, where do you access fresh vegetables? Please check all that apply.

Where mayoral candidates access fresh vegetables during the growing season:	Wanda Hines	Miro Weinberger	Kurt Wright
I have a vegetable garden at my home.		X
I have a plot at a community garden.
A friend, neighbor, or relative shares their garden vegetables with me.	X	X	X
I have a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) share.		X
I purchase vegetables at the Burlington farmers markets.	X	X
I purchase vegetables at my local convenience store.	X		X
I purchase vegetables at City Market.	X	X	X
I purchase vegetables at other supermarkets.	X	X
I purchase vegetables at a wholesale store.
Other (please specify)

5. If elected Mayor, will you support the 2002 Burlington City Council resolution regarding the maintenance and long term expansion of the Burlington Area Community Gardens Program?

For the resolution text, visit: http://www.burlingtongardens.org/GardenResolution.html

Mayoral Candidate	Yes	No	Undecided
Wanda Hines	X
Miro Weinberger	X
Kurt Wright	X

6. If elected Mayor, will you support the use of Conservation Legacy Program (CLP) funds, given due public process, for the acquisition of land for community garden sites?

For CLP program details, visit: http://www.enjoyburlington.com/Parks/ConservationLegacy.cfm

Mayoral Candidate	Yes	No	Undecided
Wanda Hines			X
Miro Weinberger	X
Kurt Wright	X

 

7. If elected Mayor, and given due public process, will you support an increase in the amount of Penny for Parks funds budgeted for community gardens (currently at 1.4% of the total)?

For Penny for Parks program details, visit: http://www.enjoyburlington.com/AboutUs/PennyforParks1.cfm

Mayoral Candidate	Yes	No	Undecided
Wanda Hines	X
Miro Weinberger	X
Kurt Wright			X

 

8. If elected Mayor, will you support the efforts of the Urban Agriculture Task Force to develop a cohesive urban agriculture policy and improved rules and regulations addressing food production in Burlington. The volunteer Task Force will present its recommendations to the City Council later this year.

For more information about the Urban Agriculture Task Force, visit: http://burlingtonfoodcouncil.org/our-projects/uatf/

Mayoral Candidate	Yes	No	Undecided
Wanda Hines	X
Miro Weinberger	X
Kurt Wright	X

 

9. If elected Mayor, and given the availability of public/private funding, will you encourage CEDO, Burlington Parks and Recreation, and the Burlington School Department to support the expansion of summer garden and farm opportunities for Burlington children and youths?

Mayoral Candidate	Yes	No	Undecided
Wanda Hines	X
Miro Weinberger	X
Kurt Wright	X

 

10. If elected Mayor, how will you support the Burlington School Food Project?

BSFP is the school district's Food Service, which provides wholesome, nutritious school food in collaboration with Healthy City Youth Initiative/ Friends of Burlington Gardens, City Market, Vermont FEED, Shelburne Farms, and Bonnie Acker. For more information about the Burlington School Food Project, visit: http://www.burlingtonschoolfoodproject.org

Wanda Hines: "As Mayor I will be a vocal advocate and give testimony to the BSFP success in the greater Burlington area."

Miro Weinberger:  "I have spent a lot of time in Burlington's schools during this campaign and I am very impressed by BSFP. I will do everything I reasonably can as mayor to support it. The meals I see being prepared from whole foods in Burlington schools are dramatically better than the school lunches I grew up eating in central Vermont. It is no surprise to me that the BSFP program is garnering national attention. The childhood obesity epidemic and other mounting health issues that stem from our country's diet are huge societal problems. By providing healthy meals in our schools and giving our children the skills and the perspective they need to be healthy adults, BSFP offers hope that these problems can be surmounted. This kind of success is only possible with the support of a large number of community partners and VT FEED, Friends of BTV Gardens (this is where comm gardens come in), City Market, Shelburne Farms, Healthy City Youth Initiative, and the Intervale Farm. I will make sure the mayor's office remains an important community partner for BSFP in the years ahead as well."

Kurt Wright:  "By communicating with them to determine what we can do to provide greater assistance."

11. In conclusion, what are the three most important reasons that members of Burlington's gardening community should vote for you in the Mayoral election on March 6th?

Wanda Hines
1) I care about my community.
2) I will provide common sense leadership always placing community first.
3) I believe equitable communities are sustainable communities which thrive by meeting all population needs.

Miro Weinberger
1) I get it: I was raised by a devoted gardener, garden and compost myself, and have worked for a non-profit that ran community gardens programs.
2) I understand the vital importance to our health of diet centered around locally grown vegetables.
3) I will be a strong supporter of the BSFP.

Kurt Wright
1) I will continue the support the city has given.
2) I will work to provide greater support as much as possible.
3) I will commit myself as Mayor to vist each site and learn more about them to ensure we provide necessary support.

12. Additional comments

Wanda Hines: "I believe the Urban Agriculture Task Force is onto something really big as I believe it will bring us all closer.....very, very impressive. I'll definitely be watching and hopefully be involved one day soon. Thank you for the opportunity to share. SMILE!!!"

Miro Weinberger: "It may be of interest that I released the campaign statement below in October: Burlington's Intervale is a remarkable asset and one of the unique features that sets our city apart. My family has been a member of the Intervale Community Farm for years, I often bike or jog there, and in the last couple of summers we have greatly enjoyed the Summervale Thursday nights of food and music in the Intervale. This unique urban oasis is made possible by the work of the Intervale Center. As mayor I would help build awareness of the Center, which owns or leases hundreds of acres of fertile farmland, permanently conserved for generations to come, and is the nonprofit that supports the farms and organizes the wonderful events we enjoy. Few are aware how vital the organization is to our local food production, know that the Intervale Center it is a property taxpayer, or understand how little direct financial support the Center receives from the City (the only monetary support comes in the form of a modest pass through grant of federal dollars). The Intervale Center, its staff and dedicated volunteer board is responsible for raising money and earning revenue to meet its mission of sustaining farms, sustaining land and sustaining people. The work they do is widely respected and has broad benefits to the region. Intervale professionals are highly sought after consultants to farmers and local governments across Vermont, the US and as far away as Australia. Right now 40,000 local species of trees are growing at the Intervale Conservation Nursery for eventual use to repair streambeds and watersheds across Vermont. There are other ways the City should support the Intervale. The city-owned dirt road needs ongoing maintenance and upgrading like all city roads. The City can help the Intervale advocate for necessary policy refinements at FEMA, the Agency of Natural Resources and the Agriculture Department that are necessary for the farmers to continue to use the rich floodplain while maintaining food safety and protecting the watershed. And there should be ways to deepen the connection between the Intervale and the businesses and visitors to downtown Burlington and to create new opportunities for Intervale farmers to sell their products. An organization that offers so much to our city, our state and beyond should have the City's backing. I am looking forward to the upcoming Wintervale events in the months ahead and working to support the Intervale in the years to come."

Kurt Wright: "I think community gardens are important and I was pleased to support the one on Myrtle street on the City Council. As Mayor I will certainly do my part to ensure these continue and that there are opportunities to expand if possible. I will communicate with community gardeners closely as with other groups."

Candidate Websites: