Peter Brownell

Brownell attempted to gain a job on the Burlington police or airport commissions, but he was rejected every time.[2] In 1983, Diana Gallagher, a member of the school board, ran for a seat on the city council from the 6th district. Brownell won the Republican nomination to succeed her on the school board from the 6th district by a unanimous vote and defeated independent Hans J. Puck in the general election.[8][9] He did not seek reelection as he wanted to spend more time with his family in 1985, and Elizabeth Van Buren, a member of the Democratic Party, was unopposed to succeed him.[10][2] Brownell won the Republican nomination to run for the school board from the 6th district in 1986, and won in the general election without opposition.[11] He did not run for reelection in the 1988 election.[12]

During his tenure on the board he served as chair of the Finance committee and consider running for chair of the board in 1986, but he did not have enough support.[13][14]

In 1989, David Thelander, a Republican member of the city council, resigned to work in Washington, D.C. for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.[15] Brownell received the Republican nomination and defeated Democratic and Progressive Coalition nominee Greg Guma in the special election.[16][17] During the campaign Brownell raised $2,170 and spent $472 while Guma raised $875 and spent $640.[18]

He defeated Green Party nominee Bea Bookchin in the 1990 election.[19] He won reelection without opposition in 1992.[20] After Brownell was elected as mayor he resigned from the city council. A special election was held to fill the vacancy and it was won by Republican nominee Tom Ryan.[21]

During his tenure on the city council Brownell served on the Finance committee.[22] Following the resignation of Jane Watson, a member of the city council from the 5th district, Browell became interested in running for chair of the city council as Watson's resignation left the Democrats without enough votes, but Brownell later declined to run.[23][24]

The Vermont Republican Party had not nominated a candidate in the 1985, 1987, 1989, and 1991 mayoral elections.[25][26][27][28] Brownell announced on January 14, 1993, that he would run for the Republican nomination and won the nomination on January 20.[29][30] Brownell defeated Clavelle in the election while only winning two of the city council wards despite Clavelle having outraised Brownell and Clavelle having 220 volunteers compared to Brownll's 20. Brownell's victory ended the Progressive Coalition's control of the mayoral office that it had held since the 1981 election and he became the first Republican to hold the office since Edward A. Keenan left office in 1965. Clavelle stated that he had lost due to him passing legislation to have Burlington pay for the health care benefits for domestic partners of city workers.[31][32][33]

Former Republican Mayor Robert K. Bing was happy with Brownell's victory while United States Representative Bernie Sanders, who served as mayor from 1981 to 1989, stated that he was disappointed by Clavelle's defeat.[34] Brownell victory in the 1993 election is the most recent time the Republicans have won election as mayor of Burlington.[35]

Brownell announced on January 9, 1995, that he would seek reelection to another term.[36] However, he was defeated in the general election by Clavelle. During the campaign Clavelle had raised $41,020 and spent $40,644, Brownell raised $22,263 and spent $16,527, and Paul Lafayette raised $16,152 and spent $16,040.[37]

Composition of the Burlington city council after the 1994 elections with three of the independent members caucusing with the Progressives.[38][39]

In 1993, Brownell made multiple appointments which was illegal under a rarely enforced section of Burlington's city charter which required all officials appointed by the mayor to be voters in Burlington.[40] The city council voted to approve his nomination's despite complaints from councilor Maurice Mahoney.[41]

During his tenure as mayor Brownell made multiple trips to Montpelier to lobby for a $63.9 million capitol construction bill, which included $1.3 million to buy twenty-five acres of waterfront on Lake Champlain from a land trust.[42] The city borrowed $1.2 million from the retirement fund to develop the waterfront which made the city pay $120,000 in interest per year. Brownell proposed leasing three to five acres of the waterfront to pay back the debt.[43][44]

Brownell's 1993 budget reduced the city's budget by $1 million, eliminated ten positions in the city government, and reduced all general fund operating budgets while increasing property taxes by 2.8%.[45][46] The budget was approved by the city council by a vote of seven to six.[47] Brownell proposed merging the police and fire departments in 1994, but the city council voted twelve to two against the measure.[48]

On September 27, 1993, the city council voted seven to four in favor of passing legislation to create a new tax to pay for a citywide recycling program. All three Republican members of the city council voted against the tax and Brownell conducted his first veto in office against the legislation. However, the city council voted to overturn his veto on October 12, with only the Republican members voting to sustain his veto.[49][50]

In the 1993 election the Republicans gained one seat on the city council from the Democrats while the Progressives retained all of their seats bringing the composition of the city council to four Progressive Coalition members, four Democratic members, three Republican members, and two independents.[51] The Republicans lost one seat on the city council in the 1994 election while the Progressive Coalition gained control over the council by expanding their seat total to eight including three independents caucusing with them.[38][39] During the 1994 elections there were two ballot initiatives to increase taxes, one was a $3.5 tax increase and another was a $1.26 school tax increase, and Brownell supported both ballot measures, but both were defeated in the election.[52][53] The Republicans gained two seats in the 1995 election.[38]

In 1991, Brownell had considered running for a seat in the Vermont House of Representatives to succeed Helen Riehle.[54] After losing the mayoral election Brownell considered either running for a seat in the Vermont Senate or running for mayor again in the 1997 election.[55] On July 11, 1996, he announced that he would run for one of six seats in the state senate from Chittenden County.[56][57] Brownell placed second out of eight candidates in the Republican primary and fourth out of twelve candidates in the general election.[58][59] Brownell spent $11,039 during the campaign.[60]

Brownell ran for reelection in the 1998 election, placed first out of six candidates in the Republican primary, and placed fourth out of fourteen candidates in the general election.[61][62] Brownell spent $9,051 during the campaign.[63]

During the 2000 election Brownell and other state senators were targeted by Reverend David Stertzbach, an anti-gay pastor, due to Brownell's support for civil unions. Brownell lost renomination in the Republican primary after placing eighth out of eight candidates and it was stated that his defeat was caused by Stertzbach.[64][65] Representatives John Edwards, Marion Milne, William Fyfe, and Robert Kinsey, who had also supported civil unions, also lost renomination.[66] He chose to not run in the general election as an independent candidate.[67]

Brownell endorsed John Carroll for the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor during the 1996 election.[68] During his tenure in the state senate Brownell served on the General Affairs and Housing, and Education committees.[69] Brownell considered running for a seat in the United States House of Representatives from Vermont's at-large congressional district in the 2000 election.[70] During the 2000 presidential election Brownell supported Senator John McCain for the Republican nomination and served as McCain's campaign manager in Vermont.[71][63]