Carina Driscoll

Carina Nicole Driscoll (born 1974) is an American politician who served in the Vermont House of Representatives from Chittenden County from 2001 to 2003, as a member of the Vermont Progressive Party. She also served on the city council in Burlington, Vermont, and unsuccessfully sought the city's mayoralty in the 2018 election.

Carina Driscoll
Carina Driscoll at the 2017 Burlington Progressive Party Caucus
Member of the Burlington, Vermont city council from the 3rd district
In office
April 7, 2003[1] – May 2004
Preceded byDoug Dunbebin
Succeeded byTim Ashe
Member of the Vermont House of Representatives
from the Chittenden-7-4 district
In office
2001–2003
Preceded byTerry Bouricius
Succeeded byDistrict eliminated
Personal details
Born
Carina Nicole Driscoll
Political partyVermont Progressive
Other political
affiliations		Democratic
SpouseBlake Anders Ewoldsen
Children2
Parent
RelativesBernie Sanders (step-father)
EducationUniversity of Vermont

Driscoll was educated in the Burlington School District and the University of Vermont. Her mother, Jane Sanders, married Burlington Mayor Bernie Sanders in 1988. She became active in politics during her step-father's campaigns, with her serving as Sanders' campaign, fund-raising, office, and database manager.

She entered electoral politics with her election to the Burlington school board in 2000. She was then elected to the state house, where she served one term, before winning election to a seat on the Burlington city council. She partially served one term before resigning to focus on her first child, but unsuccessfully attempted to win election to the city council in 2011. She ran against Miro Weinberger in the 2018 mayoral election, after having supported him and worked for him, but lost.

Early life

Carina Nicole Driscoll was born to Jane Sanders and David Martin Driscoll.[2][3] She graduated from Burlington School District, where she was an honors student, in 1992.[4][5] She graduated from the University of Vermont. Driscoll married Blake Anders Ewoldsen, with whom she had two children, on April 19, 2003.[2][6] In 2007, she established the Vermont Woodworking School.[6]

Her mother married Bernie Sanders, who was serving as Mayor of Burlington, Vermont, in 1988.[6] She worked as Sanders' campaign manager during the 2000 United States House of Representatives election. She later worked as his fundraiser, office, and database manager. She earned $65,002 while working for her father from 2000 to 2004.[7][8] She volunteered for her father's presidential campaign during the 2016 presidential election.[2]

Career

Vermont House of Representatives

Representative Terry Bouricius did not run for reelection to the Vermont House of Representatives from the Chittenden-7-4 district in the 2000 election. Driscoll won the nomination of the Vermont Progressive Party to run in the Chittenden-7-4 district.[9][10] She defeated Grassroots nominee Matthew Hogg in the general election.[11]

The Chittenden-7-4 district was eliminated after redistricting in 2002, and Driscoll was redistricted into a two-member district where both of the representatives were also members of the Vermont Progressive Party.[12]

During her tenure in the state house she served on the Fish, Wildlife and Water Resources committee.[13]

Local politics

Mary Lou Gross, a member of the Burlington School Board from the 4th district, did not seek reelection in the 2000 election.[14] Driscoll won in the election to succeed her without opposition.[15]

Driscoll ran for a seat on the Burlington city council from the 3rd district in the 2003 election to succeed Doug Dunbebin, who was a member of the Progressive Party. During the campaign she was endorsed by Auditor Elizabeth M. Ready, who was a member of the Democratic Party, instead of Democratic nominee Gail Compton and by Mayor Peter Clavelle.[16][17] She defeated Compton and Republican nominee Kevin Ryan.[18] She resigned from the city council in May 2004, so that she could focus on the birth on her first child.[19] Progressive nominee Tim Ashe won in the special election to succeed her.[20]

Driscoll participated in the Democratic caucus and supported Hinda Miller for mayor during the 2006 election, but stated that she did so because the Progressives seemed to not have a candidate.[21] During the 2011 election Driscoll ran for the Democratic nomination for a seat on the city council from the 5th district, but was defeated by John Shannon.[22] During the 2012 mayoral election she supported Bram Kranichfeld and later served as an adviser to Miro Weinberger as a part of his budget team.[23][24] She also served as one of two assistants to Weinberger while he served as mayor.[25]

Mayoral campaign

Driscoll, announced that she was considering running a campaign for mayor of Burlington in 2017.[26] She announced that she would run as an independent candidate in the 2018 mayoral election on December 4, 2017.[27] At the Vermont Progressive Party's caucus Driscoll won the party's endorsement with 116 votes against Infinite Culcleasure's 84 votes after Representative Selene Colburn nominated her for the party's endorsement.[28][6] Driscoll declined to seek the endorsement of the Democratic and Republican parties.[29] Elise Greaves served as Driscoll's campaign manager.[30]

During the campaign Driscoll attempted to unite her and Culcleasure's campaigns stating that “I think there is a ton of overlap and shared common ground with who we want to represent and the work we want to do". She also attempted to unite the campaigns as due to Burlington's usage of first-past-the-post voting "the mayor can win on a plurality". However, Culcleasure refused to drop out of the election stating that "Being coerced to drop out of a campaign for public office has been one of the most anti-democratic adventures I have ever experienced".[30]

Weinberger won in the general election with 48.38% of the popular vote against Driscoll's 34.96% and Culcleasure's 16.07%.[31] During the campaign Weinberger raised over $107,000, Driscoll raised over $47,000, and Culcleasure raised over $10,000.[32]

Political positions

The state house voted seventy-eight to fifty-five, with Driscoll against, in favor of legislation requiring teenage girls to notify their parent or guardian that they are getting an abortion forty-eight hours in advance.[33] The state house voted 72 to 69, with Driscoll against, in favor of legislation to repeal civil unions in Vermont and replace them with reciprocal partnerships.[34] The state house voted 113 to 23, with Driscoll voting against, in favor of a resolution calling for the protection of the United States' flag.[35] Driscoll voted against the resolution as she believed that a constitutional amendment prohibiting flag burning would weaken the First Amendment.[36]

Electoral history
2000 Vermont House of Representatives Chittenden-7-4 district election[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Progressive Carina Driscoll 863 76.30%
Grassroots Matthew Hogg 268 23.70%
Total votes 1,131 100.00%
2011 Burlington, Vermont city council 5th district Democratic caucus[22]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic John Shannon 94 61.44%
Democratic Carina Driscoll 59 38.56%
Total votes 153 100.00%
2018 Burlington, Vermont Vermont Progressive caucus[28]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Progressive Carina Driscoll 116 58.00%
Progressive Infinite Culcleasure 84 42.00%
Total votes 200 100.00%
2018 Burlington, Vermont mayoral election[31]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Miro Weinberger (incumbent) 5,749 48.38% -19.89%
Independent Carina Driscoll 4,155 34.96% +34.96%
Independent Infinite Culcleasure 1,910 16.07% +16.07%
Total votes 11,884 100.00%

References
  1. "Mayor, councilors take oath of office". The Burlington Free Press. April 8, 2003. p. 15. Archived from the original on June 16, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. "Ewoldsen-Driscoll". The Burlington Free Press. June 29, 2003. p. 1. Archived from the original on June 17, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "David Martin Driscoll". The Burlington Free Press. July 17, 2006. p. 10. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Burlington High School honor roll". The Burlington Free Press. December 22, 1991. p. 14. Archived from the original on June 16, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Burlington High School Graduates". The Burlington Free Press. June 20, 1992. p. 16. Archived from the original on June 16, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Carina Driscoll Says She'll Run for Burlington Mayor 'Her' Way". Seven Days. December 13, 2017. Archived from the original on December 13, 2017.
  7. "Sanders brings race, and barbecue, to Bennington". Bennington Banner. September 25, 2000. p. 1. Archived from the original on June 16, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "Sanders paid wife, stepdaughter for campaign efforts". Bennington Banner. April 13, 2005. p. 1. Archived from the original on June 17, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Party finds stride in elections". The Burlington Free Press. September 24, 2000. p. 15. Archived from the original on June 16, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Progressives nominate legislative candidates". Brattleboro Reformer. September 27, 2000. p. 10. Archived from the original on June 16, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. "2000 State Representative General Election". Secretary of State of Vermont. Archived from the original on June 16, 2021.
  12. "Vt. House hashes out redistricting". The Burlington Free Press. May 25, 2002. p. 15. Archived from the original on June 16, 2021. Retrieved June 16, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. "House Committee Assignments". Rutland Herald. January 10, 2001. p. 19. Archived from the original on June 16, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. "Four school board incumbents bow out". The Burlington Free Press. February 5, 2000. p. 13. Archived from the original on June 16, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. "Eight elected to city School Board". The Burlington Free Press. March 10, 2000. p. 17. Archived from the original on June 16, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. "City politics grow chilly". The Burlington Free Press. January 18, 2003. p. 13. Archived from the original on June 17, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. "Clavelle lists council choices". The Burlington Free Press. January 31, 2003. p. 13. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. "Council: Democrats make gains". The Burlington Free Press. March 5, 2003. p. 18. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. "Driscoll to step down from City Council seat". The Burlington Free Press. May 18, 2004. p. 15. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. "Progressive wins Ward 3 Council seat". The Burlington Free Press. July 22, 2004. p. 16. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. "Mayor: Democrats nominate Miller". The Burlington Free Press. January 6, 2006. p. 17. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. "Shannon wins Ward 5 nomination". The Burlington Free Press. January 7, 2011. p. 9. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. "Running for Burlington mayor - the Democrats, Part V". The Burlington Free Press. November 8, 2011. p. 4. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. "Weinberger's advisers see ways to avoid tax increase". The Burlington Free Press. February 3, 2012. p. 13. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. "Mayor's Office re-organization". The Burlington Free Press. June 18, 2013. p. B3. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. "Progressives take control of Burlington City Council". Seven Days. November 3, 2017. Archived from the original on June 16, 2021. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  27. "UPDATED: Driscoll announces bid for Burlington mayor". Vermont Digger. December 4, 2017. Archived from the original on June 16, 2021.
  28. "Burlington Progressives endorse Driscoll in mayoral race". Vermont Digger. December 7, 2017. Archived from the original on June 16, 2021.
  29. "Burlington mayoral candidate Driscoll will not seek Dem endorsement". Vermont Digger. December 26, 2017. Archived from the original on June 16, 2021.
  30. "Culcleasure rejects talk of joining Driscoll in mayor's race". Vermont Digger. February 9, 2018. Archived from the original on June 16, 2021.
  31. "2018 Burlington, Vermont mayoral election results" (PDF). Burlington, Vermont. March 6, 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 12, 2020.
  32. "Miro Weinberger tops $100,000 in mayor's race". Vermont Digger. February 26, 2018. Archived from the original on June 16, 2021.
  33. "Parental: Vermont House takes final vote on notification legislation". Rutland Herald. May 12, 2001. p. 10. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  34. "Partnerships: House again passes civil unions repeal legislation". Rutland Herald. May 25, 2001. p. 7. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  35. "How Vt. lawmakers voted on flag protection issue". Rutland Herald. January 11, 2002. p. 6. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  36. "Flag burned at night near Statehouse". The Burlington Free Press. January 26, 2002. p. 13. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
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