The Burlington Free Press from Burlington, Vermont • Page 17

TU lurfagiea fVl.) Ft Wd day. JaWMOry 33. 1991 3B Vermont urlington senior to challenge Clavelle in election By Ann E. Donian Free Press Staff Writer A Burlington High School senior announced Tuesday that he is challenging Mayor Peter Clavelle in his bid for a second two-year term. Haik Bedrosian, 18, who is running as an independent, is Cla-velle's only challenger.

The deadline for filing a nominating petition for city offices is Monday. One of Bedrosian's chief aims is to empower the city's youth. "A lot of people my age feel that they have been left out of the power structure," be said during a news conference emphasis on programs like the Youth Office." The Mayor's Youth Office is an advocate for the city's youth and provides programs for teen-agers and children. It runs an after-school teen center in the basement of Memorial Auditorium. The Youth Office is the subject of scrutiny by a task force Clavelle has asked to assess possible changes to the office's role The task force's report is expected by the end of the month, Clavelle said.

Bedrosian is not campaigning against Clavelle's record, he said. 'This is a campaign for addressing issues of importance and of fighting for certain beliefs," he said. Clavelle said he welcomes Bedrosian into the race. "I will not be running against Haik or any other candidate that might emerge in the final week," Clavelle said. "Ill be running on a record and a vision of the future." Another factor that pushed Bedrosian to run was the lack of a contested mayoral race, he sail Burlington voters will elect city officials and vote on ballot questions March 5.

A contested campaign provides a "referendum which demands the mayor is accountable to the people. Without any challenge, there is no need to be accountable," Bedrosian said. Bedrosian said he differs with Clavelle on the issue of widening Main Street "Do we want bigger roads which bring in more traffic and tourists and pollution because it is in the interest of downtown businesses?" Bedrosian closed his announcement with his views on the war with Iraq. Bedrosian said be is opposed to the war but supports the troops. "Those two things are not incompatible; they are inseparable.

I myself have a brother on standby waiting to go to the Gulf. I want him safe, and I want him alive in my view that is support" BEDROSIAN held at Burlington High School. If elected, he said, "I would certainly put more Statehouse news New Burlington group puts up candidates Elections slated for several seats on City Council Advocates, lawmakers fear results of budget they are troubled because the Burlington City Council has voted unanimously on several important votes including waterfront revitalization plans and an agreement between the University of Vermont and the city that paved the way for construction of a biotechnology research building. "We don't want to have a one-party system," Resnick said. "We want dissent and diversity." "Our voices have been amongst the few that have disagreed on those decisions, and we wanted to bring our alternative voices to the election," Claude Lehman, a supporter of Resnick and Bookchin, said.

ber of the Zoning Board of Adjustment, is running as a Progressive Coalition candidate in Ward 6. Democrat Ann Hallo-well, who ran unsuccessfully for a legislative seat in the fall, is a candidate. Republicans are holding a caucus at noon Friday in Contois Auditorium, City HalL Resnick faces a challenge by Dana Clark, a member of the Progressive Coalition who serves on the Burlington School Board. The seat is open because five-term City Councilor Terrill G. Bouricius of the Progressive Coalition is serving in the Legislature.

Democrats are fielding Ian Galbraith for the Ward 2 seat Resnick and Bookchin said After last year's March election, Bookchin and other members of the Burlington Greens broke away and began calling themselves the Northern Vermont Greens. Bookchin ran unsuccessfully last year for a City Council seat held by Republican Peter C. BrownelL Bookchin has been a longtime activist in Burlington, advocating protection of the waterfront from development for more than a decade. Bookchin is running for a seat held by Republican Paul K. Sutherland.

Sutherland has said he is undecided whether he will seek a third term. He could not be reached for comment Tuesday night Adele Dienno, a former mem By Ann E. Donian Free Press Staff Writer Two members of an offshoot of the Burlington Greens announced Tuesday they will run for Burlington City Council seats in Wards 2 and 6. Bea Bookchin, 61, and Eugene Resnick, 26, said Tuesday they approach issues from the Greens' philosophy of social justice, ecology and citizen participation. They said they formed a new group because of their interest in municipal politics.

The group is called the Civic Forum. "This group is more interested in running for office now and engaging in politics now," Bookchin said. "We're all parallel groups working side by side. It's a question of emphasis." 'We're not here to throw stones at Gov. Snelling and say his proposals are out of order.

We're here to sound the alarm about what the consequences will be if we level-fund state aid to Rep. Barbara Grimes By Meg Dennison The Associated Press MONTPELIER Advocates and lawmakers lined up Tuesday to warn about the consequences of Gov. Richard A. Snelling's proposed budget "We're not here to throw stones at Gov. Snelling and say his proposals are out of order," Burlington Rep.

Barbara Grimes, D-Burlington, chairwoman of the House Education Committee, said during a news conference. "We're here to sound the alarm about what the consequences will be if we level-fund state aid to education." Grimes and Senate Education Committee chairman Jeb Spauld-ing, D-Washington, warned that Snelling's recommendation to spend the same next year as this on state aid to education while cutting property tax relief would amount to a tax increase at the local level. The two lawmakers said school programs could be cut by local voters who feel squeezed by proposed changes in eligibility for the property tax relief program, which would reduce the ceiling from $60,000 to $30,000 in household income. During a later news conference, Vermont National Education Association President Molly Burke of the Vermont Association for Mental Health, adding that most of the programs, although not perfect, are cost-effective. "We do feel, in fact, that the governor has kept his word.

There will not be dismantling of the programs," he said. Libertoff and others added that great strides have been made in Vermont in recent years to enact 1 A sale so big, we have to close our doors until noon to prepare our store with outstanding values. Day Savings in every department Reductions 50 to 60 and more. "WIS programs that will save the state money over the long term, including preventive programs. Snelling has proposed raising the sales tax from 4 to 5 cents on the dollar and extending it to junk food.

He wants to increase the tax on cigarettes. Those taxes will hit the poor the worst, said Alan Hark, executive director of the Vermont Low Income Advocacy Council. "The key here is fairness. That's the issue," Hark said. "A lot of the people feel resentment because their burden is disproportionate to others." Hark said no inflationary increases were proposed for welfare programs, including Aid to Needy Families with Children and the blind and disabled.

Other programs, including general assistance, suffered cuts of up to 10 percent in Snelling's proposed fiscal year 1992 budget from the current fiscal year. Joanne Mulhern, legislative director for the Vermont Public Interest Research Group, said most programs in the Natural Resources Agency were frozen in Snelling's budget. Some programs, including the state's deadlines for closing un-lined landfills, would cause more damage if frozen or cut because many of them are polluting groundwater. "This budget is going to make future generations pay for today's pollution," Mulhern said. HOty DOORS OPEN AT NOON said her group would reintroduce legislation calling for a property tax exemption for primary homes as another measure of property tax relief.

Grimes said the state Board of Education has indicated that local school budgets are expected to go up an average of 7.5 percent this year. "Level funding in any of these districts is a direct cost shift," Grimes said, adding that the state should pick up at least half the cost of the expected increases at the local level. Spaulding, who has championed special education, said programs added in recent years, such as those to include disturbed children in regular classrooms, weren't "frivolous. These programs were programs that were going to save us money down the road." Both said one option to lessen the burden on Vermonters would have non-resident property owners pick up a larger portion of the cost. They said about $30 million of the $148 million the state pays in education aid benefits non-resident property owners.

In a separate news conference, members of the Unity Coalition, which represents environmental, educational and human service groups, voiced concern about the budget. "These are truly the priorities that make Vermont special," said Ken Libertoff, executive director Wednesday, January 23rd. Men' $6" Jackets Women? ana vests 40 only to an Snelling seeks Republicans' support $4" 0ri9- to $34 NOW NOW $19 NUW $099 "I don't see any particularly partisan side of this issue." A former House majority leader, Snelling told the gathering of House Republicans that they would not suffer from the budget deliberations, even though they are not in control of the House. "We either all go home, the governor, the Legislature, the Republicans, the Democrats, perceived as facing the challenge and having done the best we know how or failing, he said. MONTPELIER Gov.

Richard A. Snelling tried to smooth some ruffled feathers and asked for support from his fellow Republicans in a party meeting Tuesday. He tried to shore up their concerns that his allegiance had changed. "I am a Republican. I ran as a Republican," he said.

"I have not become apolitical." Referring to some criticism of his budget proposals especially those to raise taxes, Snelling said, Elimination of business surcharge urged andJurtlenecks 250ony NOW $2bb 1 the federal government but said they were not covering costs. The report, passed as part of the 1990 law, recommended lobbying the federal government to release some of Vermont's unemployment contributions held in Washington. That money is not being distributed to make the federal budget deficit appear MONTPELIER Lawmakers should eliminate a business surcharge to support the administration of Vermont's unemployment programs, according to a state report released Tuesday. The 1990 Legislature narrowly approved a one-year tax on business to generate $800,000 to pay for the administration of unemployment programs. The state receives administrative dollars from Does not Include entire stock Intermediate markdowns may have been taken Today 12-, Sat.

10-6, Frl. 10-9, Sun. 12-5 JCPenney Church Burlington.