N o b o d y W i n s o n

T a x V o t e s
BURLING1DN
B
URLINGlDN \UmlSSAID
no, no, no last Thesday to
all three tax questions on
the city's special election bal-
lot, sending an emotional yet
indecisive message to city gov.
ernment. A32cent property tax
to fund Street Department im-
provements was dealt an over-
whelming defeat, while voters
rejected by narrow margins a7
cent tax issue fur the Police
Department and an advisory
IDleon Major ~ proposed
gross receipts (rooms and meals)
tax,
The question wging the Board
of Aldermen to impose a gross
receipts taxon bars, restaurants
and hotels came down to a bit-
ter campaign fight in the last
lew days. four months of tension
berween the M'J r's office and
local businesses peaI<I:d as6,700
people went to the polls.
"I'm .ery bitter," said Oasis
Diner owner Stratty Lines on
the afternoon of the vote, "I pay
more thanmylilir share of taxes."
As the vote totals came in, a
crowd of Burlington Restaurant
and Hotel Association (BRHA)
members, who had bankrolled
the "No on 3" campaign, let out
a cheer from the upstairs of
NeclOr's restaurant that could
beheard blocks away.
Although inner city wards
favored the new tax, Ward 4
voters in the suburban New
orth End turned agalnst the
issue by a 200 vote margin to
deal it a slim defeat citywide.
" W e wo n , we wo n ," che e re d
Deja 'v\J owncr Brian [-ox, who
had claimed earlier in the day
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'wlf n d d rt 's !'It 'd ..t J
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and dun- dt' :-.lrt' l!
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thar the tax would cause alive
percent decline inhisbusinesS
and destroy"12~of70 hour
ks"
wee .
J ust one block away in City
HaJ J ,adisappOinted Ma)OrSan-
ders assessed the damages. He
tnrerpreted the vote as a sign
that "we are living in a near-
depression period" in which
voters are unwilling to spend
more money. He also blamed
the BRHAfor outspending the
Mayor'soffice"20to one," and
their "slick consultant" Bernie
Walp, who orchestrated the
mediacampaignagainstthetax.
"Thiskindof crap, and that's
what it is,"saidSanders, "isdis-
honest."
While the gross receipts t.1X
lost byonly47votes, thepolice
tax was edged out by145. Bur-
lingtonpolicewerehopingror a
yes vote to make their wage.
competitivewiththoseofother
\ermont towns.
"\Wvegot somesuper trained
)OOIlg men," saidoutgoing l\>tice .
Commission Chairman Antonio
I\>merlcau. "I wouldn't blame
themiftheylooked somewhere
el s e."
Onedisappointed policeman
on patrol during election night
when asked to comment, said'
" I better not." . '
Sanders saidheW-dS "hurt" by
thepolice taxvote, whilenoting
that the 32-cent property tax
favored by the aldermen was
defeated "two andahalftoone."
While he had said he Would
let the voters decide the fateof
his. alternative tax initiative, he
churned after the vote that "the
fight is not over byany means"
noting that the measure missed
victorybylessthanone percent.
- Eric Sorensen