Kurt Wright (born February 7, 1956) is an American politician who served in the Vermont House of Representatives from 2001 to 2019, and on Burlington, Vermont's city council intermittently between 1995 and 2020. He was president of the city council from 2007 to 2009, and 2018 to 2020. He is the last Republican to serve on Burlington's city council and to represent it in the state house.
Wright unsuccessfully ran for a seat in the Vermont House of Representatives and Vermont Senate in 1994 and 1996, but was elected to the state house in 2000, where he would serve until his defeat in 2018. He was first elected to the city council in 1995, and stepped down three times to unsuccessfully run for mayor in 1999, 2009, and 2012. During his councilor tenure he was selected to serve as president, the first Republican since Ted Riehle in 1987.
Early life
Kurt Wright was born in Middlebury, Vermont, on February 7, 1956,[1] to Samuel Barrows and Kent Wright. He graduated from Vergennes Union High School in 1974,[2] and took business courses at Champlain College.[3] He married Kimberly Kaye Nuttall on October 9, 1982.[2][4]
In 1995, Wright ran for a seat on the Burlington city council from the 4th ward, defeating Democratic incumbent Bill Aswad who had beaten Wright for a seat in the Vermont House of Representatives the prior year.[14] Wright was reelected in 1997.[15]
Wright returned to the city council when he defeated Democratic incumbent Russ Ellis in the 4th ward in 2005,[16] and defeated Democratic nominee Jim Holway in 2007.[17] Ellis, an incumbent again in 2010, was defeated by Wright who filed to run five minutes before the deadline.[18][19][20]
Incumbent Bryan Aubin declined to seek reelection in 2014,[21] and Wright defeated Democratic nominee Carol Ode and Libertarian nominee Loyal Ploof in 2014,[22] and faced no opposition in 2018.[23] He declined to run for reelection in 2020,[24] as Federal Communications Commission would require him to leave his radio show for two months.[25] Wright, starting in 2014, was the last Republican elected to the city council.[26][27]
During Wright's tenure he served on the Finance Board[7] and chaired the Ordinance committee.[40] In 2007, Wright defeated Progressive Tim Ashe in an 8 to 6 vote to become president of the city council, the first Republican to do so since Ted Riehle in 1987.[41] He was reelected president in 2008, defeating Ellis by a vote of 8 to 6,[42] with Ashe supporting Wright.[43] Wright attempted to defeat Progressive Bill Keogh, who was seeking a third term as president, in 2011, but withdrew after he failed to assemble enough support.[44] Jane Knodell, the outgoing Progressive president of the city council, nominated Wright, the sole Republican member, to succeed her in 2018, and he was approved without opposition.[45]
The police were called by Wright on March 12, 2009, after councilors Ed Adrian and Dave Berezniak conducted procedural interruptions. He threatened to have them removed if they continued to raise points of order.[46] The council was debating zoning issues, and the Democrats wanted to delay the discussion until after the new Democratic-controlled council was sworn in on April 6. The American Civil Liberties Union criticized Wright's actions during the meeting while Progressive councilors Ashe and Jane Knodell supported him.[47][48] Berezniak made a complaint to the City Attorney Ken Schatz.[49]
State legislature
Wright ran for a seat in the Vermont House of Representatives in 1994, but lost to Democratic nominees Aswad and Carmel Babcock.[50][51] He requested a recount, but his vote total did not change after it.[52][53] Wright announced on July 11, 1996, that he would run for one of the six seats in the Vermont Senate from the Chittenden District, but he placed 10th in the general election[54][55][56] after spending $20,684.[57]
Wright was elected to the state house in 2000, and placed first in every election from 2000 to 2014,[58] second in 2016,[59] and third in 2018.[23] He was elected alongside Democratic nominees Aswad,[60]Joanna Cole,[61] and Carol Ode.[23] At the time of his defeat he was the last Republican to represent Burlington in the state house.[62]
Wright was appointed to the Government Operations committee in 2001,[63] and the General, Housing and Military Affairs committee in 2005.[64] David Sunderland defeated Wright and Joseph L. Krawczyk Jr. for the position of assistant Republican leader in 2004.[65] Wright cosponsored a 2006 resolution calling for Judge Edward Cashman to resign after his sentencing in a child molestation case.[66][67]
Personal life
Wright moved to Burlington, in 1978.[68] He managed Kerry's Kwik Shop from 1978 to 2002,[6][69] and Kerry's Pizza.[2] The Vermont Lake Monsters employed him in advertising and sales in the 2000s.[9] He was a radio host for WVMT from 2019 to 2025.[70]
Political positions
Wright stated that he was far-right when he joined the city council, but moved towards the center[38] and became a moderate conservative by 2008.[71] He lamented the lack of centrist and fiscal conservative representation in Burlington after he lost reelection to the state house in 2018.[72] He called for Bernie Sanders to be impeached in 1991.[73] A city council resolution condemning the Contract with America in 1995, was opposed by Wright.[74] The National Rifle Association endorsed him in 2008.[75]
Legislation in 1996 to prohibit candidates and campaign workers from collecting and turning in absentee ballots was proposed by Wright, but the city council voted 9 to 3 against it.[76][77] In 2001, he proposed legislation to create a statewide referendum system.[78] He sponsored legislation to have Vermont join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact.[79] Burlington's use of ranked voting in the 2000s was criticized by Wright.[18]
A proposal to raise Burlington's capital borrowing limit from $250,000 to $750,000 in 1996, was opposed by Wright.[80] In 2015, Wright proposed legislation in the state house to prohibit strikes by teachers, but it failed by one vote.[81] An amendment to have Vermont's minimum wage rise to $10.10 occur over the course of three years rather than one was proposed by Wright in 2014,[82] and voted against raising Burlington's minimum wage to $13.94 in 2015.[83]
An anti-sanctuary city resolution for the city council was sponsored by Wright in 2006.[89] Burlington's city council passed a resolution calling for a boycott against Arizona and its businesses due to Arizona SB 1070, but Wright voted against the resolution.[90] He voted against placing an advisory question in the 2014 city ballot on whether non-citizens should be allowed to vote in Vermont.[91]
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