01/19/2024
Attention Burlingtonians:
On Monday, January 22, the Burlington City Council is holding a special meeting to determine if an anti-Israel petition will appear on the March 5 Town Meeting Day ballot.
This proposed ballot item will have no impact on the Israeli/Hamas war but will have a profound impact on the lives of many in the Jewish community who are already concerned for their safety in a growing environment of antisemitic confrontation.
Petition Text:
We, the undersigned legal voters of the City of Burlington, hereby petition the mayor and the City Council of the City of Burlington to add the following article to the warning for the annual meeting of the City of Burlington to be held on March 5, 2024:
1. Shall the voters of the City of Burlington advise the Mayor and the City Council to adopt the following pledge?
WE AFFIRM our commitment to freedom, justice, and equality for the Palestinian people and all people and
WE OPPOSE all forms of racism, bigotry, discrimination, and oppression, and
WE DECLARE ourselves an apartheid-free community and in the end,
WE PLEDGE to join others in working to end all support to Israel’s apartheid regime, settler colonialism, and military occupation.
The City Council has the authority to stop this anti-Israel petition from appearing on the March ballot.
What we are asking of you:
ATTEND: We urge you to attend the Monday, January 22 City Council meeting to oppose this petition.
We anticipate that a large anti-Israel rally will greet those coming to this meeting and that many anti-Israel speakers will attend the meeting. The Jewish community and our allies must show strength in numbers. We plan to meet inside City Hall’s Contois Auditorium starting at 5 p.m.
SPEAK: Please consider speaking during public forum, preferably in-person or via Zoom. Please be polite and speak from the heart.
Please arrive in Contois Auditorium by 5 p.m. and sign up to speak. Speakers will have 2 minutes to speak and are called in the following order:
Burlingtonians in the room
Burlingtonians on Zoom
Non-Burlingtonians in the room
Non-Burlingtonians on Zoom
Email: Please email the City Councilors and Mayor Weinberger (contact information below) and share your opinion on this petition, its impact on our community, and why you oppose this petition.
If you have questions about this mobilization, please reply to me or contact Yoram Samets in Vermont at [email protected]
Thank you,
Rick
City Council & Mayor contact information:
Mayor Miro Weinberger
[email protected]
Democrat, 2024
(802) 865-7272
Group email to all City Council members
[email protected]
Zoraya Hightower, Ward 1
[email protected]
Progressive, 2024
(802) 391-4333
Eugene Bergman, Ward2
[email protected]
Progressive, 2024
(802) 598-3602
Joe Magee, Ward 3
[email protected]
Progressive, 2024
(802) 279-5513
Sarah E Carpenter, Ward 4
[email protected]
Democrat, 2024
(802) 658-0474
Ben Traverse, Ward 5
[email protected]
Democrat, 2024
(802) 357-2055
Karen Paul, Ward 6
City Council President
[email protected]
Democrat, 2024
(802) 863-3817
Ali N Dieng, Ward 7
[email protected]
Independent, 2024
(802) 318-2527
Hannah King, Ward 8
[email protected]
Democrat, 2024
(802) 448-2059
Melo Grant, Central District
[email protected]
Progressive, 2025
(802) 310-0962
Timothy C. Doherty, Jr., East District
[email protected]
Democrat, 2025
(802) 274-0038
Mark Barlow, North District
[email protected]
Independent, 2025
(802) 549-4433
Joan Shannon, South District
[email protected]
Democrat, 2025
(802) 324-3300
