It's not the biggest thing we do here, but you may have noticed that we will occasionally highlight some of the Dem/Prog fisticuffs in Burlington politics. After all, as Finley Peter Dunne's Mr. Dooley observed, politics ain't beanbag.
Still, what we have heard from the Progs today seems way, way over the line.
The issue is last week's Burlington School Board election, which was so close that it was reasonable for the candidate who apparently lost, write-in candidate Kyle Dodson, to request a recount; in fact, he picked up a few votes and narrowed the margin to four.
The Free Press reported this morning that the recount confirmed that Keith Pillsbury, a twenty-two year incumbent, was the winner. Although seats on the school board are nonpartisan, the subtext is that Pillsbury used to be a Prog and ran in the Democratic primary for state representative in 2010.
What the Progs did that, as I say, goes way over the line, was to call on Pillsbury–the winner, remember?–to resign, not just before the recount, but before they humiliated him by making their request public.
According to the Free Press:
Progressive Councilor Rachel Siegel made the same request.
Remember, this is the Progressives, the party that so zealously guards the sacred right of political participation that they seem to consider it a mortal sin to accuse someone of being a spoiler, but here they are demanding that one of the candidates–the one who got more votes, remember?–withdraw from the race to avoid the embarrassment of being publicly pressured to resign.
I guess Burlington could have saved a lot of time and money if they had just dispensed with an election and asked Vince Brennan and Rachel Siegel who they wanted on the School Board.
Oh well. Maybe next year.
I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating. I am NOT a Democrat, they are moderate Republicans by historical standards and I am a Liberal-type.
But every time I think it might be safe to align with the Progressive Party of Vermont, they go and do something awful, like this. How on earth can I possibly take up the Progressive mantle when they do such boneheaded things?
Way to diminish the Progressive Party, folks…
Keith Pillsbury is my school commissioner and I assure you the call for him to step down is not a Prog issue. Apparently a couple of our councilors feel strongly about this, as has been reported. But most of us are comfortable living with the results handed down by voters. They are the proper and ultimate authority and more than a few of us are uncomfortable with the statements made by some of our councilors.
Interesting post. It reminds me of a popular saying: “The nice thing about Burlington is that it’s so close to Vermont.”
I’m not here to defend anything (disclosure: I’m the BTV Prog Chair), but really just wanted to offer an alternative perspective.
Jack’s vantage point has merit. But so does that of Councilors Brennan and Siegel. I don’t personally know Mr. Pillsbury but found him to be pleasant at school board meetings. Meaning I have no history with Pillsbury and no red flags prior to this election. After all, school board members deserve respect for the demanding, important and volunteer role they serve.
But what I can’t shake is how someone with no public profile can mount a write-in campaign only 10 days before the election and come within 4 votes of the incumbent. Either that person has Clintonesque charm or there is something many folks in Ward 1 are unhappy about.
Genius assessment, eh? Just my $0.02.
Let me start by saying Kudos to Kyle. I hope he runs again. I supported Keith this time because he has done a Yeoman’s job and deserved to be returned. He also did not deserve to be taken down in this manner.
Thank you both for your measured response. A couple of thoughts.
Chris you could go a little further in calling out Vince and Rachel. And let’s be clear it essentially IS the official position of the Progressive Caucus of the City Council. I’m willing to accept at face value what both of you said about it not being a party position either at the City or State level. But Chris, as the Caucus Chair for the Progs in Montpelier, if a majority of your caucus weighed in on an issue, clearly one could say that the caucus endorsed it. In this case 2/3s of the sitting Progressive Caucus of the City Council endorsed a position. End of story.
Tiki. I totally agree Kyle has Clintonesque charisma and frankly Keith does not. However, I’m not sure that we want to be selecting school board members based on charisma. I’d wish you’d explain why you think that Vince and Rachel’s call for the winner of an election to concede before a recount and use threats and bullying — has merit. What you did not mention is that in addition to charisma, Kyle had a very dedicated group of Progressive and “Dem/Prog Curious” (unique to BTV) supporters who saw an opening and ran a very, very agressive campaign. I mean he had an actual website for….. a……school…….board……..race – http://kyledodson.org/ And good for them, it should work that way. They saw an opening and sought to exploit it. I’m not sure of the wisdom about getting in as a write-in in a race that small after most of the absentee ballots have been submitted, but hey it was really really close.
But to threaten and bully a senior citizen to concede an election he has won? Without any clear reason (like malfeasance) is just unconscionable.
Best,
Ed
but can plainly see that we haven’t heard the whole story yet; could someone tell us a little more about what is going on?
For instance, what is the issue with Mr. Pillsbury and why did Mr. Dodson (apparently) jump in at the last minute? These things don’t happen spontaneously for no reason. There must be a backstory that we are missing.
What possible reason could Mr. Brennan and Ms. Siegel both have for imagining Mr. Pillsbury would simply step aside if they suggested he do so?
I really don’t get all of this, but here it is on the front page, so I’m trying to catch-up.
From what I’ve read, it doesn’t rise to the level of “bullying” (since this is politics, after all); but it certainly does sound presumptuous and ham-handed.
I had absolutely no idea that Keith had called himself a P previously or that he calls himself a D now. This was not an organized backlash. And none of us in the City Progressive party conferred with each other a message or strategy. Vince and I share the same opinion that Kyle could serve the needs of our students better than Keith can presently. Keith has done a tremendous amount of work for which I am grateful. However the needs have changed and we need new leadership to meet those needs.
And now, let me clarify, first hand, what I said and why I said it.
I believed that as a write-in challenging a 22-year incumbent, it was extremely unlikely that Kyle would win. As you already know, the race was close enough to merit a recount. My mixed reaction about how successful it was without the ultimate success was what you would expect.
When I saw Vince’s email to Keith, I also noted that it sounded aggressive, but that is in large part due to the lack of nuance in email. Vince is extremely kind and gentle. I believe he was considering talking to the Mayor about advocating for Keith’s concession but wanted to give Keith the opportunity to make an independent decision – not that we know if Miro would have shared Vince’s opinion, nor if it would have had any impact on Keith.
Keith’s response to Vince stated that he would do as the voters wished. It was strictly a matter of numbers and it would be a disservice to the voters any other way.
At that point I chimed in, writing to Keith that had the vast majority of the 75 absentee ballots not been returned to City Hall prior to Kyle’s campaign announcement, probably the numbers would have been different. (There were only about 550 votes total.) Looking at it that way, I thought he could be honoring the voters and concede the race to Kyle. I asked him to do so. I thought it might be good for him to make a graceful exit knowing that four City Council members and a full 50% of the School Board had endorsed his opponent.
I later received clarification from Karen Paul that in fact all but a handful of the absentee ballots were returned AFTER Kyle had announced. I then sent another email to Keith apologizing for my assumption about the dates.
I do still think that if Kyle had been on the ballot he would have won. But he was not.
The next time I see Keith I will shake his hand and congratulate him.
I’m not so involved in the blogosphere nor tweet-landia. I was urged by a couple friends to check out this post. I would not have otherwise had any idea I was being discussed. If you have future questions or concerns, I sincerely invite you to email or call me directly. 777-2627. I’m always open to feedback and hearing different opinions and perspectives.
Hi all —
It has been difficult the last few days to see the comments directed at my friend Keith Pillsbury. In case people need reminding, Keith’s record of service on behalf of his country and his community is humbling: a tour in Vietnam, 30+ years as a public school teacher, 20+ years on the school board, and innumerable commissions, committees, and community confabs. I served with Keith for 10 years in the school board and can unequivocally say that there is no one with a deeper commitment to the success of every child in Burlington.
Rachel, I didn’t see your message to Keith but I did see Vince’s. It is disingenuous to say that his message only appeared threatening because it is difficult to convey nuance in email. There was no nuance to Vince’s threat to embarrass and harass Keith if he refused to concede an election he had won. It was precisely the type of bullying that we are trying to eradicate in our schools.
I served with Vince as well. I like him and admire his passionate commitment to social justice. But in this case, that passion blinded him to the justice of Keith’s position, and to the fundamental principle of democracy — the will of the people is expressed through the ballot box. It is a seductive trap for all of us to think that the righteousness of our cause justifies ignoring the fundamental tenets of our society. Either we believe in democracy or we don’t.
Kyle has admirable qualities and he would make a fine member of the school board. I hope that he runs again, and that he puts his name on the ballot, so that he can participate in debates, attend NPAs, answer constituent questions, and all in all, do a small fraction of what Keith has been doing for his neighbors and the City for more than two decades. Longevity is no qualification by itself, but before someone is turfed out, there should be a wide-ranging debate on more than a single issue.
Burlington has been my adopted home for 23 years, and for most of the time, I have been very proud of the democratic process here. This was a low moment that I hope will not be repeated.
about which Burlington citizens, other that self-important pols and bloggers don’t give a damn. And in the end they’ll both claim to be working for the “people”.