What Happens When A Militant Gay Leftist Joins Liberals And Progressives on A City Council?

[cali]

Good things, as it happens. First of all to explain: Burlington is by far, Vermont's largest "city". It has a population of about 43,000, but it does have a city flavor and it's really the only place in Vermont where there's ethnic diversity. This is a state where 95.5% of the 620,000 inhabitants are white.

The Burlington City Council reflects Burlington's very liberal policies. This is the city that launched Bernie's political career.
Of the 14 members, only one is a Republican. Of the 2 Independents, one is aligned with the Progs. There are 4 VT Progressive Party members and the rest are dems- all liberals.



Some city councilors “sit back” their rookie year and let veterans take the lead, observes Burlington council president Joan Shannon. But that hasn’t been the case with Rachel Siegel. Shannon says the Old North End Progressive “came out of the gate running” when she was elected 17 months ago.

Siegel has come so far, so fast, in fact, she’s turned heads at many of the Monday-night meetings. Not so much for her leftist stands on gun control, abortion rights, police accountability, and racial and gender issues as for her explanations of them. Her colleagues tried to look nonchalant, for example, when she argued in personal terms for removing references to “antisocial behavior” from the Church Street Marketplace no-trespass ordinance.

<snip>

But Siegel’s stands and comments can be so radical they set her apart even from fellow Progs. One of them, Vince Brennan, acknowledges “she wasn’t my first choice” when the Progressives were trying to recruit a candidate last year for an open seat they had long held but appeared in danger of losing. “I worried she might be too far to the left,” says Brennan, who holds the other seat in Ward 3.

<snip>

Although he’s served longer on the council, Brennan says of Siegel, “I’m humbled by her leadership.”

Ward 6 independent Karen Paul notes that she plans to enroll in an antiracism training course that Siegel recommended. “She’s spoken passionately and convincingly about her belief in having the council get out ahead on that,” says Paul, a five-year council veteran who has helped Siegel draft a resolution declaring Burlington an “antiracist city.”

<snip>

http://www.7dvt.com/2013leftist-militant-and-queer-rachel-siegel-shaking-burlington-city-council

[Comrade Grumpy]

1. Sounds good to me.

My small-town doesn't have a radical militant lesbian councilmember, but we do have a medical marijuana dispensary operator.

I like politics on the scale where you feel like you actually have some impact. Ratifying the next corporocrat to lead the county, meh, not so much.

[cali]

2. yeah, I know what you mean. Scale is one reason why I like

Vermont politics so much. the state is small and that's largely what's allowed Vermont to become a laboratory for Progressive policies.