Good morning! I hope your week is off to a good start. From the sounds of things last night, I should have reminded you yesterday to secure your belongings in the overhead bins and under the seats in front of you. I hope your trash barrels are still contained and your outdoor furniture is where you left it.

I wanted to share a couple of things with you this morning.

First, you might have heard there was a comment left on a local Facebook page threatening one of our community members, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for BPS, Raymond Porch. It’s difficult not to draw a direct line from our Select Board’s reception of the DEI Committee’s quarterly report to this threat. This kind of speech targets not only Mr. Porch, a principal DEI advocate in our schools, but the effort to build a welcoming and inclusive community at large. It is my sincere hope that the work of building bridges and learning from each other will help all community members feel empowered to take a stand against bullying, disrespect, and hate. I also hope those in leadership can recognize the weight of their words and actions and use their status as role models in the community to model learning and respect for us all.

I wrote a quick primer on DEI in case you’re not sure what all the fuss is about.

Next: as promised, the first round of candidate profiles is ready! They will be housed in the Election section of the Burlington Buzz, and they’re cross-linked so when you’re reading one, you can access the others with a single click. This week I’m focusing on the School Committee. There are three candidates for SC this year, and only two available seats, which makes this a contested race.

Share Burlington Buzz

Click the link below to see a profile for each candidate. Don’t forget to look out for the BCAT debate and the Burlington Equity Coalition Candidate Guide as well - Invitations to fill out the Candidate Guide form went out last week, so information from our candidates in their own words will be up on the website soon. And, finally, each profile has links to each candidate’s website and social media page as well as information on their upcoming events. Everyone has something coming up soon, and I hope you can make it out (or in!) and meet your candidates. Enjoy!

Christine Monaco

Melissa Massardo

Jeremy Brooks

Today in Burlington:

• 9:00 AM: Ways & Means Subcommittee reviews the Conservation Commission budget

• 7:00 PM: School Committee holds its regular meeting, during which there will be discussion of: Visual arts, the equity audit, the annual budget, and more. (Join via Webex)

• The Board of Health meeting has been canceled.

Thanks for being awesome, and have a great day, Burlington!

Nicci