What's Da' Mayor Up To?

Two, count ‘em, TWO press releases issued on Tuesday by the office of Progressive Burlington Mayor Bob Kiss. Must have been the full moon, eh?

I don’t recall two press releases coming out in an entire month from the Main Street corner office of the quiet man who’s the mayor of Vermont’s largest city. And neither one of them is about the “Mayors Against Illegal Guns” resolution he proudly signed at a recent city council meeting - one neither the Freeps nor Ch. 3 covered.

So far, I haven’t caught any anti-gun control fanatics criticizing da’ mayor for doing so, have you? Anyway here's the latest:

1. MAYOR KISS TO ATTEND MAYOR'S INSTITUTE ON CITY DESIGN ON DECEMBER 7-9, AT THE MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Burlington, Vermont - December 5, 2006.  Mayor Bob Kiss has been invited to attend the Northeast Mayor's Institute on City Design in Cambridge, Massachusetts on December 7-9, 2006.  The Mayor's Institute on City Design is a program sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts, the United States Conference of Mayors, the American Architectural Foundation, and collaborating universities.  The City Design and Development Group in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology will host the upcoming Institute.

Mayor Kiss is one of eight mayors invited to participate in this year's institute.  The formal agenda of the Institute will consist of a presentation of case studies developed by each of the participating mayors.  The majority of the time is spent in roundtable discussions between the mayors and a team of urban designers about issues facing America's cities and how urban design can contribute to the quality of life in each of the participating communities.  This year's Institute will pay particular attention to the theme of tourism.

Cool.

2. MAYOR KISS TO ANNOUNCE EXPANSION OF SPECIAL BUDGET COMMITTEE TO MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FY08 BUDGET

Burlington, VT, December 5, 2006 -- Burlington Mayor Bob Kiss will hold a press conference on Wednesday, December 6, at 1 p.m. in the Mayor’s Office, Room 34 City Hall, Burlington, to announce the formation of an expanded special budget committee to make recommendations for the Mayor’s fiscal year 2008 budget.  Mayor Kiss will be joined by member(s) of the special budget committee he appointed last Spring, as well as Chief Administrative Officer Jonathan Leopold, who will provide an update on budget preparations.

Mayor Kiss intends to expand the budget committee to include additional Burlington residents and increase citizen participation in the budget process.  The Mayor is asking the Neighborhood Planning Assemblies (NPA) to appoint one member each to the committee.  The Mayor is also inviting residents from each ward to apply to serve on the committee.  Apart from NPA members, two residents of each ward will be chosen randomly from those interested in serving on the committee.

“We should bring more residents into the process as we seek to develop a budget that is efficient and maintains city services,” Mayor Kiss said. “Expanding the special budget committee I appointed last Spring will increase citizen participation in the process and help to build a better budget for FY08.”

Cool.

Unfortunately, yours truly will be in Montpeculiar at that hour catching Gov. Jim Douglas' presser. You know - Jim Douglas,  AARP's award-winning gubernatorial healthcare-reform champ?

Comments

[burlap]

I generally enjoy this blog, but what is up with just posting two of the mayor's press releases? That's not really commentary or journalism. We shouldn't treat it like it's cute that the mayor so rarely communicates to the public what he's up to.

[Charity]

Peter, I know you are new to the VT blogosphere, so I'll cut you a little slack here, but if you want Second Amendment rights commentary, Alphecca.com is the place to go. Jeff has an extensive post regarding Kiss and gun control, complete with link you your post about it.

Here's the link.

I also had two posts about the Alphecca post, but I don't expect you to read my little, conservative blog.

[JSF]

This might qualify as "anti-gun control" criticism, though I wouldn't consider it fanatic. If you'd get off your bike and travel off the Burlington bike path and into "Vermont" you might find there are many well reasoned people who disagree with quaintly quiet Kiss on the issue of "gun control". This link is to a site that provides much more depth on the topic than I care to even consider, and is well worth reading.
http://www.alphecca.com/mt_alphecca_archives/002860.html
Meanwhile, cut old Petey some slack. He's just returned from vacation, admittedly worn out and sometimes cut and paste is easier than blogging. He'll be back soon.

[the le duo]

I'm a lifetime Vermonter with a long family history of hunting and gun enthusiasm. As far as I know we've never owned 'illegal' guns. Most people I know haven't. People get all up in arms (no pun intended) when they hear the term 'gun control' The Mayors aren't trying to ban hunting or target shooting or even having a gun for protection. What they are trying to do is stem the problem of gun violence. I know, if you make guns criminal only criminals will have guns blah blah blah- the only problem now is with the criminals having guns! Shit man, guns whose only intention are killing people have no business in the hands of most people. While I dont know exactly what Mayor Kiss' intentions are, he can only affect Burlington- which I'd wager is mostly pro- gun control anyway. Well, I have fresh Vermont venison to eat for lunch so I'll let ya go-

[GiveTexasBack]

JSF said: "If you'd get off your bike and travel off the Burlington bike path and into "Vermont" you might find there are many well reasoned people who disagree with quaintly quiet Kiss on the issue of "gun control""

If I'm reading between the lines correctly, JSF implies that 'Vermont' includes towns outside Burlington.

Going with it, I'll say this: we're talking about Burlington here, the closest Vermont will come to a real city. Respectful to Vermont's other towns, the dynamics in Burlington differ greatly. Therefore, Mayor Kiss is right on with his assessment of guns in Burlington as it pertains to those of us who live here. To go one step further, considering Burlington is used as a resource for many of the surrounding towns (i.e. Spectrum hosts homeless kids from St. Albans, Shelburne, S. Burlington, etc.), I'd hope that surrounding towns would respect our city's attempts at improvement.

[sandy ward]

Perhaps Kiss can explain how New York State Police issued guns made it to the streets of Vermont? Gun control is hitting your target...just ask the police!

[jsf]

GiveTexasBack:

Having lived in Burlington for nearly 10 years (after having been raised my first 18 in South Burlington) I am acutely aware of the dynamics of "your" city. As it relates to guns, you may be suprised that opinions of Burlingtonians are not homogenous on gun control. I used to walk out of my apartment on Grant street, fully dressed in camo, early in the morning, with various guns to hunt turkey, duck, deer. I once strung up a buck at a friends house on Howard Street (that house is still home to many legally owned weapons). I've met quite a few avid hunters and shooters who reside in Burlington. My point in the earlier post was that those people are in the minority in Burlington, whereas in the rest of "Vermont" there is more parity between them and anti-gun advocates. As this is often a politically centered blog, I am suggesting that Mayor Kissy-poo is, for the second time, playing with a political hot potato when advocating gun-control. The gun-related crime rates in Burlington, even when adjusted for population, pale in comparison to real cities.

[GiveTexasBack]

"The gun-related crime rates in Burlington, even when adjusted for population, pale in comparison to real cities."

If you're suggesting that Burlington presently has no problem with guns, then surely you'll understand if a majority of residents disagrees with your assessment. Sure, it's not like Oakland, CA or Roxbury, MA where gang activity has developed into organized crime, but the foundations are being laid as we type. Why would the city wait until guns become regularly used to commit violent crimes before acting? Your "anti-gun" label of Kiss and recommendation of "An occasional blog of opinions by an independent, gay gun nut in Vermont" lends questionable credence to your side of the debate.

This all may be a political hot potato, but it's representative of what that mayor's constituents are expressing as an issue.

[JSF]

We'll better be able to argue whether the mayor's constiuents are expressing gun-control as an issue after the next election. Bob Kiss made no mention about this pressing issue to rein in gun violence in Burlingtion during his campaign, and the voters have not been engaged to weigh in on the issue. My guess is that on this and a number of other issues da' mayor will not be back at the end of this term. Nice guy...green politician.

[JSF]

We'll better be able to argue whether the mayor's constiuents are expressing gun-control as an issue after the next election. Bob Kiss made no mention about this pressing issue to rein in gun violence in Burlingtion during his campaign, and the voters have not been engaged to weigh in on the issue. My guess is that on this and a number of other issues da' mayor will not be back at the end of this term. Nice guy...green politician.

[GiveTexasBack]

In case Kiss' mere uttering of guns and problems in the same sentence caused some to wonder if he's on his own mission, here's a relevant news story on the wires today:

Scope of 2nd Amendment's questioned

WASHINGTON - In a case that could shape firearms laws nationwide, attorneys for the District of Columbia argued Thursday that the 2nd Amendment right to bear arms applies only to militias, not individuals....

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061207/ap_on_re_us/gun_ban_2

[JSF]

Firearms Death Rate per 100,000 by state

Rank States Amount (top to bottom)
#1 District of Columbia: 31.2
#2 Alaska: 20
#3 Louisiana: 19.5
#4 Wyoming: 18.8
#5 Arizona: 18
#6 Mississippi: 17.3
#7 Nevada: 17.3
#8 New Mexico: 16.6
#9 Arkansas: 16.3
#10 Alabama: 16.2
#11 Tennessee: 15.4
#12 West Virginia: 14.7
#13 Montana: 14.5
#14 South Carolina: 13.8
#15 North Carolina: 13.6
#16 Georgia: 13.4
#17 Kentucky: 13.1
#18 Oklahoma: 13.1
#19 Idaho: 12.3
#20 Missouri: 12.3
#21 Indiana: 11.7
#22 Colorado: 11.5
#23 Maryland: 11.5
#24 Florida: 11.1
#25 Virginia: 11.1
#26 Texas: 11
#27 Michigan: 10.9
#28 Oregon: 10.5
#29 Pennsylvania: 9.9
#30 California: 9.8
#31 Illinois: 9.7
#32 Kansas: 9.7
#33 Utah: 9.7
#34 Vermont: 9.6
#35 Ohio: 9.3
#36 Washington: 9.3
#37 Delaware: 9.1
#38 North Dakota: 9.1
#39 Nebraska: 8.1
#40 Wisconsin: 8.1
#41 South Dakota: 7.9
#42 Iowa: 6.7
#43 Maine: 6.5
#44 Minnesota: 6
#45 New Hampshire: 5.8
#46 New York: 5.1
#47 Rhode Island: 5.1
#48 New Jersey: 4.9
#49 Connecticut: 4.3
#50 Massachusetts: 3.1
#51 Hawaii: 2.8

Great idea, let's follow the lead of D.C. and ban all pistols. Firearm prohibition is working so well there.

[GiveTexasBack]

Here's a better idea: let's wait until we're in the top 10 on JSF's unattributed list before we even begin a discussion.

Ignoring the gun issue worked great in D.C., didn't it.

[GiveTexasBack]

Common sense gun laws are not such a fringe idea after all (and as of yet, there has been no call by citizens to protect themselves againt the Australian government):

Australian Report Says Gun Laws Work (AP)

Australia hasn't witnessed a single mass shooting since a massacre 10 years ago prompted nationwide gun law reforms, according to a study Thursday that linked the tough laws with a dramatic reduction in firearm deaths.

The federal and state governments agreed to ban semiautomatic and pump action shot guns and rifles days after a lone gunman went on a rampage at the Port Arthur tourist precinct in Tasmania state on April 28, 1996, killing 35 and wounding another 18....

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/1214-08.htm