Courtney Lamdin

Vermont

Burlington Reporter at Seven Days

Covering Burlington for @sevendaysvt. Recovering perfectionist, perpetually in search of balance.

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Articles

Burlington Adopts Zoning to Encourage Higher Ground Move

1 week ago | sevendaysvt.com | Courtney Lamdin

click to enlarge Higher Ground is one step closer to moving to Pine Street in Burlington, thanks to a zoning change adopted by city councilors on Monday night. The new rules remove the previous 5,000 square foot size limit on performing arts centers on Pine Street. The restriction would have prevented Higher Ground from considering a move, as the company previously eyed a space more than twice that size.
A 6-Year-Old Raises Cash to Buy Coats, Supplies for Homeless

2 weeks ago | sevendaysvt.com | Courtney Lamdin

click to enlarge On one of the coldest days this winter, Lindsay Foreman was driving through downtown Burlington and saw two people wearing tattered clothing and shivering on a street corner. Foreman's 6-year-old daughter, Juno, piped up from the back seat. "Why are they standing so still?" she asked. The people were cold, Foreman told her, and likely lived outside.
Main Street Construction Is Hurting Burlington Businesses

2 weeks ago | sevendaysvt.com | Courtney Lamdin

click to enlarge Heavy machinery clanked and rattled on Burlington's Main Street one afternoon last week, as it has every week for more than a year. Hard-hatted workers stuck shovels into a hole near the intersection with South Winooski Avenue, a popular approach to downtown. Near the Church Street intersection, a dump truck was parked behind a bright orange sign. "ROAD CLOSED," it warned — as if anyone needed a reminder.
In Annual Address, Mayor Reflects on 'Resilient' Burlington

2 weeks ago | sevendaysvt.com | Courtney Lamdin

click to enlarge Burlington Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak delivered a State of the City address on Monday that reaffirmed her commitment to public safety, housing and climate change. The 42-minute speech, full of thank-yous and acknowledgements, struck a positive tone despite the myriad challenges the city faces. “Our city is resilient. There is so much exciting and meaningful work under way,” she said.
Progressive to Challenge Burlington City Council President

3 weeks ago | sevendaysvt.com | Courtney Lamdin

click to enlarge Burlington City Councilor Carter Neubieser (P-Ward 1) is running for city council president. The first-term councilor said on Wednesday that he is challenging sitting Council President Ben Traverse (D-Ward 5), who has held the post for the last year.
Burlington Democrats Talked Shop — and Gossiped — on Group Text

1 month ago | sevendaysvt.com | Courtney Lamdin |Matthew Byrne

Over the past year, Democrats on the Burlington City Council routinely used a group chat to discuss city business, coordinate votes and gossip about their Progressive colleagues — including during public meetings, a Seven Days analysis has found. Most of these conversations, among a voting majority of a public body, would typically run afoul of Vermont's Open Meeting Law. In their texts, the councilors themselves questioned whether their conversations were legal.
Mayor Floats Mergers, Cuts to Close Burlington Budget Gap

1 month ago | sevendaysvt.com | Courtney Lamdin

click to enlarge A new spending proposal in Burlington would eliminate at least 10 positions, consolidate city departments and end its longtime recycling program. Presented at Monday night’s city council meeting, the plan kicked off what’s expected to be a tough budget season in which officials must close a $2.5 million revenue gap before July 1.
War in Gaza Becomes Local Issue in Burlington Council Race

1 month ago | sevendaysvt.com | Courtney Lamdin

click to enlarge On October 7 last year, four Progressive Burlington city councilors wore keffiyehs to a public meeting in silent recognition of the death toll in Gaza. The wardrobe choice, on the one-year anniversary of Hamas' deadly attack on Israel, angered and upset some Burlington Jews, who wrote a letter to the councilors that impugned their motives for wearing the Palestinian scarves.
Burlington Democrats Retain Majority on City Council

1 month ago | sevendaysvt.com | Courtney Lamdin

click to enlarge Burlington Democrats swept contested races on Tuesday to cement the party’s majority on the city council for another two years. Town Meeting Day victories in three of four districts up for election this year gave Democrats seven of 12 seats on the council, well positioning the party to carry out its priorities — and block those of their Progressive counterparts.
Burlington Passes Infrastructure Bonds, Charter Changes

1 month ago | sevendaysvt.com | Courtney Lamdin

click to enlarge Burlington voters on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a handful of ballot measures that will fix aging infrastructure and amend the city charter. With 80.7 percent of the vote, residents passed a $152 million plan to fix the city’s wastewater treatment system, according to unofficial results from Town Meeting TV.