Burlington Green Runs for City Council

Yesterday, Ward 5 City Council candidate Rene Kaczka-Valliere stopped by my door for a nice, long chat. I will write up a post about that soon. In the mean time, you can read this information-filled press release about his campaign.

January 15, 2007 (Burlington, Vermont)—The Vermont Green Party has a fresh, new candidate in the local race for Burlington City’s Council. A social worker running for his first public office, René Kaczka-Vallière will formally announce his candidacy for the City Council race in Ward 5 at Department of Public Works, Conference Room, at 4:00pm on Wednesday, January 17, 2007.

Kaczka-Vallière’s petition has been accepted by the Burlington Office of the Clerk/Treasurer and his name will appear on the ballot on March 6, 2007.

Kaczka-Vallière believes he and the Green Party can take the seat from Democratic incumbent, Joan Shannon, with his vision and plan to lead the city in spending less while adding value to the community.

In his official campaign announcement, Kaczka-Vallière will outline his four point campaign platform that he says, “will excite the concerned voters in his district.” The four-point campaign platform features the only concrete alternative made to date in the long-debated, hotly contested and sometimes detested “southern connector” proposal, among others:

Kaczka-Vallière’s Campaign Platform

1. As a City Councilor, Kaczka-Vallière will reform the unfairness of current applicable property taxes. As a social worker, Kaczka-Vallière witnesses first hand the negative impact of property taxes on the majority of ordinary people, especially the elderly. Some seniors are actually forced out of their homes, he says, because they cannot afford to pay a $3,000-4,000 annual property tax bill. “Most seniors struggle with day-the-day economic security. These individuals have spent their working lives giving to their families and our community, and continue to contribute to all of us in many ways,” argues Kaczka-Vallière. “I am committed to ending this unfair burden on people who literally cannot afford this expense.”

2. As a City Councilor, Kaczka-Vallière will address traffic, pollution, and unsafe streets. He has simple, cost-effective solutions to solve these problems. Kaczka-Vallière does not support the construction of new roads. “Roads are expensive to repair, and this is especially so in our typically cold climate,” he notes. He opposes the Champlain Parkway because of the long-term negative effects it will have on the city’s budget and on the environment. “If the goal is to save money, not spend more, I have a concrete alternative idea that will be both good for the neighborhoods and for local business,” he says. In place of building a new and expensive parkway, Kaczka-Vallière proposes an environmentally sound light rail system that will both create jobs, increase tourism and solve traffic problems.

3. As a City Councilor, Kaczka-Vallière will address men’s violence against women. “Men’s violence against women is serious social problem,” he says, “and male leaders in our community need to do more. Our community needs to know where every male leader stands on this issue.” He notes that the leading cause of death among pregnant women in this nation is murder by their male partners. Locally, 3,773 people called Women Helping Battered Women last year. “Male violence is the true name of the problem,” he notes, “in a society where 99.8 percent of convicted rapists are men.” Kaczka-Vallière will work to ensure Burlington becomes the safest city in the world for all women. “Addressing male violence is a political problem,” he argues, “not just a social phenomenon. That’s why the Green Party itself is based on principles of non-violence, social justice and feminism. The Green Party is a leader on this issue.”

4. As a City Councilor, Kaczka-Vallière will address inequity in local schools. “All children deserve to learn in suitable and equitable environments,” he says, “but busing, a recent suggestion, is not the answer.” He opposes this option because of the personal burden busing creates on children and families; the environmental burden caused by increased pollution and the economic burden of busing on school budgets.

“In fact, the Green Party believes in decentralization; that is how our school system should operate,” he says. “I am committed to improving the education of all children, especially those who have learning disabilities.”

Kaczka-Vallière’s Plan of Action

If elected, Kaczka-Vallière pledges to undertake three specific actions in his first year on the council.

1. Sponsoring a resolution calling upon the Vermont General Assembly to repeal and replace the statewide property tax. “Although largely a symbolic act, it will also make clear that this tax hurts seniors as well as ordinary people – homeowners and tenants alike. It is time for the largest City in Vermont to join the 52 other towns across Vermont who have called for property tax repeal,” he says.

2. Sponsoring a resolution calling on citizens to be active participants in the effort to address violence in the city. The resolution will specifically call upon men who witnessing other men’s violence against women to become vocal and active rather than passive supporters of other men’s violence and abuse of women.

3. Leading partners in an effort to create affordable housing in the city, which would result in diversifying and equalizing our schools.

To examine his campaign platform and action plan in greater detail visit voterene.org