Bauman, Kott win City Council seats
By Jennifer Eisenbart
Editor
With four people vying for three available seats, someone was going to be the odd person out in the Burlington Area School District School Board race.
That turned out to be Taylor Wishau, who appeared to concede the close race between him and Susan Kessler for the final School Board spot Tuesday night.
Newcomer Peter Turke finished with the highest number of total votes with 3070, followed by incumbent Rosanne Hahn with 2914.
However, with long-time board member Bill Campbell retiring, and current board member Todd Terry not seeking re-election, there were two “free seats.”
As of the unofficial tally Tuesday night, Susan Kessler had a 64-vote margin over Taylor
Wishau for the third and final spot. Both had previously served on the BASD School Board.
Wishau thanked his supporters, but criticized Kessler for not having been present at meetings while seeking election to the board. He did thank Campbell for his 30 years of service – and promised to continue to speak his mind.
“During my years, I always spoke up, no matter what the issue – and will continue to do so,” he said.
City Council
In the only contested election on the City of Burlington Common Council, incumbent Todd Bauman earned re-election to the city’s Fourth Aldermanic District.
Bauman defeated first-time challenger Art Gardiner
Election night also marked a first for Susan Kott, who was recruited to run as a write-in candidate for Aldermanic District 1 by Mayor Jeannie Hefty.
“I think she approached me because my husband was her campaign manager,” said Kott, who also worked with Hefty on other programs in the 1990s.
She has experience with the Burlington Historic Commission, as well as the Main Street program. She owns Gertrude and Evelyn Vintage Rentals, which handles vintage items for events, photo shoots and weddings.
Kott said she hasn’t worked on a City Council at this level, but knows many people involved in the area.
“I just want to get in there at first and see some of the things that are going on,” Kott said. “So I can improve things in the city.”
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