The Burlington Free Press from Burlington, Vermont • Page B11

BURLINGTONFREEPRESS.COM VERMONT THURSDAY, MARCH 20, 2014 11B PACs were big spenders in Burlington election South Burlington candidates disclose spending Gun-restriction laws attracted the biggest chunk of change APRIL BURBANK Free Press Staff Writer MAYOR WEINBERGER'S ADVOCACY Mayor Miro Weinberger held a double role in Burlington leading up to Town Meeting Day: In addition to his day job, he also worked to promote four of Burlington's eight ballot items through his political action committee (PAC), Partnership for Burlington's Future. Weinberger's chief of staff in City Hall, Mike Kanarick, also worked on the campaign. In a pre-election interview on Feb. 25, Weinberger described the political action committee as part of his role as mayor. "Our charter is actually somewhat unusual in the degree to which a lot of decisions require voter approval before they can be finalized," Weinberger said.

"I believe to be an effective mayor, you can't ignore that part of governing the city. I think it is the mayor's job to find private sources to fund these initiatives." Weinberger said the PAC work was done outside of the mayor's office. "You're prohibited from using taxpayer dollars to advocate for issues," Weinberger said. "So that's why fundamentally you set up a PAC, and the PAC pays for all the advocacy materials." George Thabault, who served as assistant to the mayor for both Bernie Sanders and Peter Clavelle, said private fundraising to advocate for ballot items dates at least to the 1980s. "What Bernie did often is we'd do a citywide leaflet of, 'Here are all the ballot items, and here is how Mayor Bernie Sanders hopes you will Thabault said in an interview last month.

"So it was kind of a standard thing that happened over time with local elections." Partnership for Burlington's Future spent $19,126 for expenses including payroll for three employees, printing, advertising, yard signs, graphic design services, renting the ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center and a "telephone town meeting" the Sunday before Town Meeting Day. APRIL BURBANK Free Press Staff Writer Four of South Burlington's City Council candidates filed final campaign finance reports with the Vermont Secretary of State's Office after the Town Meeting Day elections: Pam Mackenzie, an incumbent and City Council president who won the three-year seat, reported raising $3,650 and spending $5,599. Tracey Harrington, who was defeated in the election for the three-year seat, reported raising $2,355 and spending $2,217. Meaghan Emery, a successful candidate for the two-year seat, reported raising $2,955 and spending $2,905. Michael Simoneau, Emery's opponent, raised $3,449 and outspent Emery with $4,549 in expenditures.

Simoneau had also financed the campaign with a $10,000 loan. Mackenzie and Simoneau had received support from current Councilors Pat Nowak and Chris Shaw, who had each reported spending $947 on mailings for the two candidates. Paul Engels, a candidate for the three-year seat, had said during the campaign that he did not intend to reach the $500 campaign finance reporting threshold. Burlington candidates and political committees have filed campaign finance reports with the Vermont Secretary of State's Office that add up the Town Meeting Day election. The final reports, which were due Tuesday, confirm what pre-election reports had shown: Burlington's proposed gun-restriction laws attracted the biggest chunk of change.

The Vermont Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs, a statewide group spearheading opposition to the laws, reported raising $27,145 $10,000 of which came directly from the sportsmen's clubs and spending $17,214. The political action committee carries a $9,931 surplus out of the election cycle. Gun Sense Vermont, an organization that advocated for the gun-related ballot items in Burlington, raised $5,064 and spent $4,912. All three gun-related charter changes were passed by Burlington voters and will need to be approved by the state Legislature to take effect. Mayor Miro Weinberger's political action committee (PAC), Partnership for Burlington's Future, asked voters to authorize debt to support projects along the waterfront and the purchase of the Wi-nooski One hydroelectric power facility as well as a general city tax increase and ward redistricting plan.

Partnership for Burlington's Future reported raising $24,300 and spending $19,126. All four ballot items passed. Burlington candidates who had raised or spent at least $500 were required to file campaign finance reports with the Secretary of State's Office on Tuesday. The following candidates had filed reports as of Wednesday evening: didate for City Council in Ward 7, reported raising $2,810 and spending $2,631. School Board candidate Bernie O'Rourke (Ward 4) and City Council candidates Rachel Siegel (Progressive, Ward 3) and Tom Treat (Republican, Ward 7) did not have March 18 reports posted on the Secretary of State's website on Wednesday evening.

The candidates who finished their campaigns with leftover funds might reach for it soon: Burlington voters passed a ward redistricting plan on Town Meeting Day that, if approved by the state Legislature, would restructure the City Council and School Board so that all seats would be up for election again in 2015. Contact April Burbank at (802) 660-1863 or aburbankfreepressmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.comAprilBurbank The sole City Council candidate in Ward 1, Progressive Selene Colburn, reported raising $3,055 and spending $2,049. A surplus of $1,006 will carry into the next election cycle. Ward 1 School Board candidate Kyle Dodson raised $1,605 and spent $1,749 to defeat incumbent Katharine Chasan, who raised $700 and spent $604.

Ward 2 incumbent City Council candidate Max Tracy reported raising $4,170 and spending $2,251. The $1,893 surplus carries into the next election cycle. Scot Shumski, a School Board candidate in Ward 4, reported raising $2,702, taking on $2,860 in loans and spending $3,846. He did not check the box indicating that the report was his final report this election season. Kurt Wright, a Republican City Council candidate in Ward 4, reported raising $5,696 and spent $4,717 in a report that was also not marked as a final report.

Wright's opponent, Democratic candidate Carol Ode, raised less than Wright ($4,734) but spent slightly more Wright won the seat. In Ward 7, School Board candidate David Kirk reported raising $2,417 and spending $1,530. Bianka LeGrand, a Democratic can OoOl goo I goo I Lawmakers hear of GMO labels 500 admissiog DAVE GRAM Associated Press court. Sears said he would like a provision in the bill ensuring the attorney general has the funds to mount a legal defense. He said the funds could come from public and siip to 24 cards.

SUNDAY SATURDAY SESSION 1 Bingo starts SATURDAY SESSION 2 Bingo starts Bingo starts FRIDAY Bingo starts private sources. Speaking against the bill, Stanley Abramson, a lobbyist for the Biotechnology Industry Organization, told the committee the federal Food and Drug Administration hasn't found any health risks from genetically modified food and sets standards for labeling food nationwide. He said it would be misleading for the state to imply differences between GMO food and conventionally manufactured food, noting that federal law bars misleading statements on food labels. But Laura Murphy, a professor at Vermont Law School's environmental law clinic, said she believes if the bill becomes law, it would have a good chance of withstanding a challenge in federal court. MONTPELIER A Senate panel heard forecasts Wednesday on how well a bill requiring labels on genetically modified foods would hold up in court if the measure becomes law.

Sen. Richard Sears, D-Bennington and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said the threat of a lawsuit by the food or biotech industries looms large in the minds of lawmakers as they consider the bill. He began one question during the committee meeting: "When the case goes to court Notice, I didn't say if In an interview afterward, Sears said lawmakers have been told it would cost the state attorney general's office $5 million to $10 million to defend such a law in.