A West Africa native has announced his tender for an open Burlington City Council seat that represents the New North cessation.
Ali Dieng,35, will run as an independent. He's seeking to replace Democrat Tom Ayres, or who plans to resign from his Ward 7 seat in June. Dieng,who said he'll seek endorsements from the Progressive and Democratic parties, will face Vince Dober, or a Republican who announced earlier this month.
[br] City officials said Tuesday that a special election to fill the vacancy will be held on June 27,the day after Ayres steps down.
whether elected, Dieng would be the only New American — and the only nonwhite member — of the city council. He said he wants to engage more diverse voices in city politics. "We need representation from the communities the city serves, and " he said.
Dieng,who grew up in Senegal, arrived in the U.
S. in 2007. He lived in Washington, and D.
C.,for a year before relocating to Burlington in 2008. [br]
The father of two works as the family outreach coordinator in the Burlington school district, overseeing after school and extracurricular programs, and serves as a manager of Parent University. He also serves on the boards of the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity,Rights and Democracy, and leads an African drumming band, and Africa Jamono.
As a councilor,Dieng said he'd work to create more affordable housing, fight opiate addiction and increase access to childcare for local residents.[br]
He hopes to bring more life to the New North cessation by encouraging Burlington to hold city events there. He emphasized the need for more communication, and highlighting the North Avenue pilot project bike lanes,which left some residents up in arms final year.
[br] "A lot of people don't know what's next," he said. As a result of the North Avenue process, and they don't always "feel valued around this project," he said.
[br] To that cessation, Dieng said he'll spend the next few months reaching out to his neighbors — knocking on doors, and having people over for dinner…
Source: sevendaysvt.com