City Council
Regular MeetingMontpelier, VT · April 4, 2018
Minutes
Minutes of the Montpelier City Council Special Meeting April 4, 7:00 PM, April 5, 3:30 PM
Police Department Community Room, 1 Pitkin Court
In attendance: Mayor Anne Watson, City Manager Bill Fraser, Councilors Dona Bate, Conor Casey, Glen
Hutcheson, Ashley Hill and Rosie Krueger. City Manager Bill Fraser acted as City Clerk.
The Mayor called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM
18-113. Without objection, the agenda was approved by acclamation.
Mayor Watson provided opening statements and invited District 2 candidates to address Council.
Alex Geller spoke, followed by Lalitha Mailwaganam, followed by Jack McCullough.
Council took comments from Ivan Shadis, Celia Riechel, Robert Tracey, Corby Griffin, Jake Brown, Eve
Jacobs Carnahan, Dan Boomhower, Justin Kenny, Carolyn Grodinsky, Jill Remick, Phil Dodd, Mike Reid, Dan
Dickerson, Francis Dodd, Priscilla Minkin.
Council took further comments from District 2 candidates. Lalitha Mailwaganam spoke, followed by Alex
Geller, followed by Jack McCullough.
Councilor Bate offered comments.
Council took public comments from David Kidney, Steven Sease, Priscilla Minkin, Ivan Shadis, Corby Griffin,
Francis Dodd, Sheila from District 2, Justin Kenny, Mike Reid.
Mayor Watson offered comments.
18-114. At 8:27 PM Councilor Krueger moved that Council enter into Executive Session for the
purposes of considering an appointment in accordance with Title I, VSA §313. Ashley Hill seconded. Mayor
Watson offered comments. Motion carried unanimously (5-0).
At 11:13 PM Councilor Krueger moved that Council come out of Executive Session. Councilor Bate
seconded. Motion carried unanimously (5-0).
At 11:14 PM Councilor Krueger moved that Council recess until the following day, April 5th at 3:30 PM in
City Hall. Councilor Casey seconded.
Council took public comment from Jake Brown and Phil Dodd.
Councilor Krueger’s motion to recess carried unanimously (5-0).
April 5, 2018, 3:30 PM
City Council Chambers, City Hall
The Mayor called the meeting to order at 3:30 PM
Councilor Krueger moved to come out of recess. Councilor Hill seconded. Motion carried unanimously (5-
0).
Mayor Watson invited district 2 candidates to speak before Council. Jack McCullough spoke followed by
Alex Geller. City Manager Fraser read e-mailed statement from Lalitha Mailwaganam.
At 3:41 PM Councilor Casey moved to enter into Executive Session. Councilor Krueger seconded. Motion
carried unanimously (5-0).
At 4:32 PM Councilor Krueger moved to come out of Executive Session. Councilor Hill seconded. Motion
carried unanimously (5-0).
18-114 (cont.) Mayor Watson read a joint statement by City Council
At 4:36 PM Councilor Casey moved to appoint Jack McCullough to fill the vacant
District 2 seat on the City Council. Councilor Bate seconded. Vote carried
unanimously (5-0).
Councilor Coburn Hutcheson moved to adjourn meeting. Councilor Casey seconded. Without objection, the
Mayor declared the meeting adjourned at 4:37 by unanimous consent.
Agenda
Agenda for Special City Council Meeting
Police Department Community Room
1 Pitkin Court
Wednesday, April 4, 2018
7:00 P.M.
1) Call to Order by the Mayor
2) 18-113. Review and Approve Agenda
3) 18-114. Appoint District 2 City Councilor
a) It is possible that some of this discussion will be conducted in Executive
Session in accordance with Title I, VSA §313, Executive Sessions,
(a)(3) The appointment or employment or evaluation of a public officer or
employee.
4) Adjournment
Alex Geller 978-380-0953
7 Kent Street
LETTER OF INTEREST alex.geller@gmail.com
Dear City Council,
I am writing this letter of interest in hopes that you will consider me when deciding the
appointment to the now vacant District 2 City Council seat.
I ran in this recent election because of my desire to give back to the community by contributing
my skills and background to our City Council. Building upon my undergraduate degree in
Geology and Master of Science in Computer Information Systems, over the last 10 years I have
made a career in both the public and private sectors. I have been a scientist, environmental
regulator, and now am an IT Business Analyst charged with finding efficiencies wherever
possible so that our tax dollars can go further. In your deliberation, I hope you’ll find my
professional experiences and personal commitment to excellence helpful additions to the
Council for the duration of the now open seat.
EXPERIENCE
To aid in your decision making, some of the more relevant details of my background include that
from 2007 - 2013 I served the State as a Hazardous Site and Brownfields Manager. In this
capacity, I was responsible for representing the State of Vermont in ensuring that human health
and the environment were protected from both acute and historical hazardous releases. Such
releases included petroleum, chlorinated solvents, and various other environmental
contaminants. This role encompassed reviewing the work of environmental consultants for
compliance with state regulations and authorizing payment from both the state Petroleum
Cleanup Fund and Brownfields grants used to help redevelop abandoned or underutilized
properties with known or suspected contamination. My six years of service in this area
represents experience the City could draw from in the effort to transform from our industrial
manufacturing past into our aspirational clean economy.
In the last 5 years, I transitioned from my environmental regulatory role to supporting the work of
my colleagues by becoming an IT professional. I completed my graduate studies at Boston
University In 2015 and today serve as an IT Business Analyst. This type of role could probably
be summarized as the translator who helps business professionals like engineers, accountants,
permit writers, and grant managers articulate their needs to software developers so they can
understand how to best configure or build a software solution that meets those needs. This
often results in developing the “requirements” that make up a Request for Proposal (RFP) to
procure software for the state. Skill sets developed to support these activities could be
leveraged by City Council in supporting efforts focused on modernizing city government
operations through the procurement and implementation of software.
In the last 18 months, I have been part of a team assigned to redevelop the custom software
used to build our $600+ million annual budget. Developing this software in-house required me to
collaborate closely with our CFO and many Budget Developers throughout the Agency to
understand the budgeting process and requirements. The net result is that hundreds of staff
can simultaneously budget their programs, allocate various funding sources to capital projects,
maintenance projects, administrative needs, equipment, grants and more, to produce the capital
transportation plan for the legislature and governor to approve. The knowledge and expertise
gained in understanding the complex budgeting process employed at VTrans enabled our team
to support the Agency in developing its annual budget through enhanced access to information,
automation, and powerful reporting. This is saving valuable resources, increasing transparency,
and allowing us to better utilize and leverage taxpayer money. I believe this experience would
translate well as the Council works on future City budgets.
DEDICATION
I am a data oriented thinker, and am including some of the metrics I used in my campaign to
quantify my level of dedication and desire to serve.
Hours of City Council
Canvased Meet the Candidate Media Interviews
Meetings Observed
850 7 3 9
Houses Fora/Gatherings in last 2 months
GellerForMontpelier.com Recruited Prior Campaign Experience
310 15 0
Unique Visitors Volunteers
Results
I hope this letter informs your decision making and look forward to continued discussion
regarding my desire to serve on City Council, representing the residents of District 2.
Best Regards,
-Alex Geller
Alex Geller 978-380-0953
7 Kent Street
Letter of Interest alex.geller@gmail.com
Addendum
Dear City Council,
I am providing this addendum to my original March 10 Letter of Interest in light of additional
requirements sought by the council. Specifically, I have prepared a statement on my vision for
Montpelier.
VISION FOR MONTPELIER
Montpelier, like many population centers around the country, is faced with a generation of
people looking to live in a location with public services, jobs, and a sense of community. This is
supported by many indicators, but arguably the most significant of which is that of our housing
demand and inflation of property values in recent years. Market trends, combined with the
recent rezoning efforts position our city to expand it’s housing capacity - an outcome I
enthusiastically support. I believe that it’s the role of city council to lead the city through a
methodical process that realizes an expansion of our housing, while ensuring it is supported by
adequate services and infrastructure.
My vision for Montpelier, starts with establishing a target for growth. While there may be any
number of ways to settle on a target, whether it focuses on public input, infrastructure capacity,
economic constraints, cultural or geographic constraints, it will behoove us to identify what we
are shooting for, and consequently, how we define success.
Once a target is defined, a plan to reach that target can be put into place. My personal goals for
what I hope to contribute to Montpelier are simple. I want to lend the experiences detailed in my
original letter to ensure that we can reach our goal while maximizing public input, minimizing or
eliminating human health and environmental impacts, preserving the character of Montpelier,
expanding what makes this community great and using every opportunity to address our
challenges along the way.
In terms of expanding on our strengths, one of our greatest attributes is outdoor recreation. I
can think of no greater outdoor recreation asset than Hubbard Park. In fact, it’s success is also
its greatest challenge. Hubbard park is so popular that, in order to remain safe, park uses must
be limited. I see this as a sign that additional outdoor recreation opportunities would be well
received by our community. Specifically, I think it is important that we continue to support the
North Branch Park Multi-use Trail project and pursue opportunities to create a white water park
and river access points. These are especially attractive opportunities because so many outside
interests are willing to support their responsible development with grants and expertise in
planning. Ultimately, these outdoor recreation opportunities can make Montpelier a destination
for visitors and businesses looking to relocate, thereby supporting our local economy.
I see Infrastructure planning and funding as a major, ongoing challenge for Montpelier. The
council should be commended for their efforts in recent years to make this a priority. As
someone who works every day in the transportation sector, I know that having the right tools is
critical to doing the best job, and to that end, I want to make sure that DPW has the tools
necessary to ensure that they are well positioned for an expansion of our population. Modern
asset management software tools have a proven track record for streamlining development,
assisting in long term planning and using our infrastructure capital in a way that maximizes
value of investments. Ultimately, one concept that intrigues me is that of an infrastructure
master plan that incorporates water supply, sanitary disposal, roadway, stormwater, bridges,
and buildings. If a comprehensive evaluation of all these assets were performed with an
immediate outlook of 5 years and a long term outlook of 30 years, the city could benefit in a
number of ways. It can help us establish current infrastructure needs, long term budgetary
trends as well as prepare early for major long term initiatives.
Montpelier is a great community already, but it can be made better. Beyond the specific ideas I’ve
outlined above, I’d like to see us be an economically healthy, safe city that is diverse and open to
people from all walks of life, with good roads and sidewalks, lots of recreational opportunities, and
excellent and efficient city services. We should strive to be a place that both values its citizens and is
an innovative leader, such as with our Net Zero policies. Finally, in this time of national discord and
regressive policies, I’d like to see Montpelier continue to show the rest of the country how citizens
can come together and do things the right way.
Best Regards,
-Alex Geller
To Whom It May Concern:
I am writing to apply for the vacant seat on the Montpelier City Council in District 2. I have
lived in Montpelier for over a decade; I own a house here in Montpelier, I work in Montpelier,
send my kids to school in Montpelier, and I care very much about what goes on here. While I
love much of what goes on here, I am concerned that Montpelier, for all its progressive
politics and the best of intentions of its citizenry, is still a very white, very upper-middle class
town that does not even know or recognize it' s own inherent white (and economic) privilege.
For this reason, I feel it extremely important that we have someone on the City Council who is
not white, who is not economically well-off, to speak for the citizens of this town who all too
often feel invisible here.
I have worked as an HIM (Medical Records Release) Coordinator/ Cardiovascular Technician
I LNA I Medical Secretary at Central Vermont Medical Center and have seen first hand the
decimation being caused by the opioid crisis; I currently work at the Vermont Bar Association
and so have become far more cognizant of the day to day political, economic and social
climate in Vermont in general and Montpelier in particular, and feel it important that I make
my voice heard, and through me the voices of all the minorities - racial and economic - who
live here in Montpelier. As a City Councilmember I would advocate for more affordable
housing, and for opportunities for everyone to share their culture with the community at large,
through awareness events at City Hall as well as throughout the entire city. And on a more
prosaic note, I would also advocate for the city to appropriate a greater share of its funding to
upgrading the town' s infrastructure such as our roads, sewer and water lines, and aging
schools and other town buildings. We must begin a more serious, long term approach to these
problems; we simply cannot afford to kick the can down the road any longer.
And lastly, another issue that I would like the City to consider strikes at the very heart of our
democratic process here in the U.S. - I would like Montpelier to return to having an actual
town meeting on town meeting day. When I first moved to the U .S. and was living in North
Montpelier, my husband at the time took me to town meeting, and I was struck by that raw,
unfiltered democracy in action. In these days of social media and partisan paranoia on both
sides of the political divide, we all too often surround ourselves with like minded people, and
we rarely get the chance to truly have to listen to those who may vehemently disagree with us.
yet th~s I believe is cru~ially important, and since Montpelier is still small enough to support
it, I thmk we would gam tremendously by returning to a town meeting process instead of a
simple vote.
So I thank you for the opportunity to apply for this vacant seat, and fervently hope that I will
be able to serve our community in this capacity. I look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
8ai~ Vermont Bar Association
Serving the Public and the Profession
Lalitha Mailwaganam
March 301h 2018.
LALITHA MAILWAGANAM
LAWYER REFERRAL
MEMBERSHIP COORDINATOR
PHON E: 802-223-2020 37 Court Street
FAX : 802-22 3-1573
P.O. Box 100
lalitha@vtbar.org Montpelier, VT 05601-0 100
www.vtbar.org
Lalitha Mailwaganam
50 Liberty Street, #1,
Montpelier, VT 05602
802-522-0325
lalithamail@yahoo.com
Professional Skills
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment with equal dedication and tight deadlines.
• Quick learner with a passion to update my knowledge to enhance productivity.
• Able to switch between tasks and complete all tasks within a reasonable period of time.
• Adept at analyzing business needs, creating training materials, and providing educational
outreach.
• Hardworking, dependable, punctual, and reliable.
• Excellent ability to work independently and within a team environment.
• Ability to meet customer requirements in stressful environments with a positive attitude.
• Strong client, organizational and preparation skills.
• Profound knowledge of different cultures, languages, and customs.
• Excellent organizational skills for planning and managing events and activities.
• Ability to establish communication effectively with individuals from varied cultural
backgrounds.
• Positive attitude toward change and new environments.
• Seek opinions of others when making decisions.
• Tolerant, curious and appreciative of different work patterns while remaining committed
to deadlines.
• Think critically and act logically to evaluate situations, solve problems and make
decisions.
• Maintain composure in stressful situations or when under pressure.
• Fluent in Tamil (Native) and Bahasa Malaysia.
Technical Skills
Meditech, PICS, e-Clinicals, Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Access, Outlook,
Front Page), Lotus Suite, Windows OS, QuickBooks; Hardware and Software installation,
troubleshooting and maintenance.
Work Experience
•!• Lawyer Referral and Membership Coordinator
Jan 2017- Present
As a Lawyer Referral Coordinator for the Lawyer Referral Service at the Vermont Bar
Association (VBA), I assist the general public in locating a lawyer or a non-profit organization
to consult regarding legal issues. I am responsible for upkeep of the association's database
of referr al lawyers, their area of law and geographical location. As a Lawyer Membership
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coordinator, I am responsible for overseeing parts of the VBA budget, including record-
keeping, communication with lawyers and board members and collection of fees. I am
expected to maintain a high level of confidentiality.
In addition to referral calls, my daily duties also include maintaining the database of Vermont
lawyers, recording membership status changes, processing new membership applications,
marketing and preparing information packages for new members. Also, on a voluntary basis,
I also work with Legal Aid and Victims of Crime Unit in assisting and recruiting attorneys to
provide probono or low-cost legal services.
•!• Central Vermont Medical Center (CVMC)
i. Release of Information Analyst (HIM) Nov 2015-0ct 2016
I was primarily responsible for coordinating the release of information of medical records
via Electronic Health Record (EHR) for patients, patient care, physician research, chart
audits, billing information, risk management, as well as gathering data for submission to
state and federal agencies. I also was responsible for answering third party inquiries from
various government agencies (Disability, Law Enforcement, Legal, DCF), law firms and
insurance companies. I also coordinated other authorized requests while adhering to
HIPPA privacy regulations, state and federal regulations, and by querying multiple
Electronic Health Record (EHR) to obtain the required records. I worked with other
departments to obtain records that are not available in the EHR by contacting outside
storage facilities. I also provided support to doctors, nurses and administration staff via
telephone for assistance in locating records within the Electronic Health Record. I
maintained a detailed log of release of information, as well as high security to protect
confidential information.
ii. Cardiovascular Technician (Cardiology) May 2012 - Oct 2013
I performed a number of non-invasive procedures in diagnostic cardiac stress procedures
and exercise testing in this position. Those procedures included Nuclear Stress Test, Stress
Echo, Regular Stress Test, Holter Monitors, EKG and PYE. I designed several spreadsheets
for the Cardiology Stress Lab, including one for the "Bruce Test Protocol" that calculates
the percentage of stress level according to the patients' age and streamlined the process.
iii. Medical Secretary (ICU) Nov 2012 - Dec 2013
In this post, I helped with written orders of physicians and entered orders in the EHR
system. Duties also included: coordinating with other department to ensure that crucial
tests are done in a timely manner; managing front desk and phones in ICU; screening
visitors to the unit.
iv. LNA (Med-Surg, ED, ICU, Psychiatry, W&C) ]an 2011 - Oct 2016
This post included providing basic nursing services, such as checking vital signs,
monitoring distress signs and similar complications and answering patient calls to provide
other forms of assistance.
•!• Vermont Chamber of Commerce Aug 2003 - Dec 2005
Program Manager for VT Construction Career Council/Mentoring Partnership/Business
Education Partnership
• Reorganized the payroll system on QuickBooks and handled bi-monthly payroll.
• Assisted independently-hired instructors in ordering needed materials and managing
class schedules.
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• Designed and created brochures, flyers and newsletters for company's programs and
services.
• Updated the website .
• Processed requests for funds from, and created quarterly reports for the VT
Department of Education and Training.
• Supervised the dispersal of grant monies to mentoring programs around the State of
Vermont.
• Scheduled and supervised meetings with mentoring offices statewide .
• Organized statewide conferences for the Vermont Mentoring Partnership and its
affiliates, booking state- and nationally-known speakers.
•!• IT Training Consultant (Malaysia) July 1995 - Mar 2002
IT Trainer
• Taught software training classes for corporate clients (MCSB Systems, IconAge) and
field insurance agents (Great Eastern Life Assurance).
• Designed and wrote student manuals for all software training classes.
• Provided help desk support via e-mail, telephone and on-site meetings.
• Worked creatively with clients to tailor the classes to their specific needs.
• Offered hardware and software troubleshooting and installation.
• Responsible for replacing defective and inadequate software packages and making it
more convenient for trainees.
• Conducted software trainings in off-site and on-site classroom.
• Guided users by providing instructions on use of different software in a user-friendly
way.
• Maintained software and hardware tools that are used for training purpose.
•!• Creative Support Center (Malaysia) Jan 1995 -July 1995
Help Desk Technician
• Provided help desk support for company's in-house software such as Payroll, Human
Resource and Accounting Software.
• Performed maintenance and monitored system performances to provide upgrades
accordingly.
• Prepared recovery plans to recover lost or corrupted data.
• Performed installation and maintenance for systems and equipment at different sites.
• Provided remote assistance for installation of third party applications.
Education
Certified Health Information Technology in System/Technical Support in Electronic Health
Record. (HIT PRO TS)
Community College of Vermont 2011
Licensed Nursing Assistant
Barre Technical Center, VT 2011
Diploma in Computing Information Systems
Stamford College, Malaysia 1996
Page 3 of 3
JOHN J. MCCULLOUGH Ill
ATTORNEY AT LAW
20 TOWNE ST.
MONTPELIER, VT. 05602-4231
(802)734-3851
March 30, 2018
William J. Fraser
City Manager
39 Main St.
Montpelier, Vt. 056002-2950
District 2 vacancy
Dear Bill:
I am writing to apply for appointment to the unexpired term of the
District 2 City Council vacancy.
I believe Montpelier needs a councilor who will pursue an activist vision
of the City Council, support new housing development and energy efficiency,
and work to make Montpelier a more welcoming and vibrant community. As
anyone who has heard me speak at a Council meeting knows, I truly believe
that Montpelier is the best place in Vermont to live. The dynamic culture, the
quality of life, the degree of involvement Montpelier residents have in their
community all contribute to the appeal Montpelier holds for new and potential
residents.
I've lived in Montpelier with my family since 1983. During that time I've
volunteered for all kinds of civic activities. Like many of us I started out
involved with my two sons' activities, coaching their soccer and baseball teams
and working as a member of the Union School Parents' Group, eventually
serving as Secretary and then President. I have continued to support our
schools, helping to create Friends of Montpelier Schools.
Building on my professional background in housing advocacy I have
served on the board of the Montpelier Housing Authority since 1996 and as
chair since 2003. I've been a member of the Montpelier Housing Task Force
almost from the beginning, serving as co-chair since 2004 and chair for about
the last ten years. The cost and limited supply of housing are among the
biggest challenges facing the city, and we have worked to keep the need for
housing in the public eye and to develop policies to encourage housing
development. We worked to establish the Housing Trust Fund and worked with
city staff, the Planning Commission, and the Council to develop the new Master
Plan and zoning ordinance in ways that would allow for the development of new
housing for people who now find it impossible to live in Montpelier. These
efforts helped lead to the successful adoption of a new Master Plan and zoning
ordinance by the City Council earlier this year, and I believe that my advocacy
contributed to the success of those efforts.
In addition to the Housing Task Force I have been an elected Justice of
the Peace since 1998, performing weddings, working on elections, and
adjudicating property assessment appeals. In the last few years I have served
as chair of the Board of Civil Authority.
My goal is to work with the other members of the Council and city staff to
foster positive development and ensure that city government has the resources
it needs to meet the challenges of the future. Having established a zoning
ordinance to encourage housing development I would move to implement the
recommendations of the 2011 Barriers to New Housing Report, found on the
city's web page. While some of the recommendations are incorporated in the
new zoning ordinance, success will depend on a commitment by the Council to
take action and to ensure that the city has adequate staffing and other
resources to implement the recommendations.
Other challenges confront our city. Are we doing all we should to
maintain our physical infrastructure? Do our public safety agencies have the
capacity to respond to the opioid crisis and other public health concerns? How
will we achieve the highest level of energy efficiency to meet our Net Zero goals?
How will we manage city budgets, both expenditures and revenues, to meet the
needs of a growing population with a sustainable level of taxation? What can
the city do to help our retail and other small businesses thrive?
My experience and leadership have prepared me to participate in these
debates, and to help frame the solutions. I look forward to the chance to
continue to serve the people of Montpelier as a member of the City Council.
Thank you .
Very truly yours,
<}L_~~euj_ ~
J~jn J . ij:ccull~ugR III
JOHN J . MCCULLOUGH III
20 Towne St.
Montpelier, Vt. 05602
EMPLOYMENT
Attorney , Vermont Legal Aid. May 1983-present.
General practice of poverty law. Extensive litigation in State and Federal
courts and administrative fora . Lead and co-counsel in Federal class actions.
Practice before Vermont Supreme Court.
Director of the Mental Health Law Project, litigating involuntary mental
health cases and supervising the work of the office, including three other
attorneys and, at times, two paralegals.
Presented training for Vermont Legal Aid; Northeast Regional Training
Center; Vermont Bar Association; the National Employment Law Project; the
National Association for Rights, Protection, and Advocacy; the Vermont League
of Cities and Towns; the National Lawyers Guild; and the Vermont Police
Academy, including programs on housing, legal ethics, mental health law, public
benefits, and trial practice. Worked closely with client groups on litigation and
legislative and administrative advocacy. Appointed by Governor Dean to the
Vermont Housing Council, which reviews policies and issues related to affordable
housing. Served on numerous legislative study committees on issues as varied
as Small Claims Court, involuntary mental health treatment, and the treatment
of offenders with psychiatric diagnoses.
Staff Attorney, Legal Aid of Western Michigan. June 1979-April 1983.
Specialized in housing law, including evictions, habitability and utility
shutoffs, and Community Development. Litigated in Federal and State courts
and administrative fora.
Active in Michigan Legal Services Housing Task Force and Michigan
Tenants Rights Coalition.
Student Attorney , Student Legal Services, Ann Arbor, Michigan . June 1978-
May 1979.
Represented University of Michigan students on evictions and other issues
involving substandard housing.
EDUCATION
LEGAL University of Michigan Law School.
J .D . awarded December 1979 .
Honors
Jane L. Mixer Award , presented to the student who has done the most to
further the cause of social justice.
UNDERGRADUATE Michigan State University.
B.A. in Linguistics awarded April 1976.
Honors
Graduated with High Honors .
Honor Roll .
HIGH SCHOOL Regis High School, New York, N.Y .
Graduated 1971.
Honors
Full, four-y ear scholarship.
National Merit Finalist
REPORTED CASES
Munro-Dorsey v. Department of Social Welfare, 144 Vt. 614 (1984).
Successfully litigated the application of AFDC absence regulations to a joint
custody arrangement.
Habel v. Department of Employment and Training, 146 Vt. 566 (1986) .
Successfully challenged the use of a minimum earnings test in determining the
"last employing unit" under the state unemployment statute.
Ovaitte v. Department of Employment and Training, 148 Vt. 161 ( 1987).
Challenged misconduc t disqualification for unemployment compensation for
discharge resulting from sabbath observance.
Slocum v. Department of Social Welfare, 154 Vt. 4 7 4 ( 1990). Successfully
challenged the Welfare Department's claiming reimbursement of General
Assistance pay m ents b eyond the two-year period provided by State regulation.
Dubuque v. Yuetter, 728 F. Supp. 303 (D . Vt. 1989) , rev'd 917 F. 2d 741
(2d Cir. 1990). Challenged the Department of Agriculture 's regulations penalizing
an entire Food Stamp household when the primary wage earner who is not the
head of household voluntarily quits a job without good cause .
Highgate Associates v. Merryjield, 157 Vt. 313 (1991). Successfully
challenged the use of a one dollar per day late charge in a subsidized housing
project lease based on common law principles of liquidated damages and
penalties .
Audet v. Koier, 2 Vt. Law Week 269 (1991). Represented statewide low-
income advocacy group as amicus curiae in attempt to require state payment of
the cost of trial transcripts for indigent civil appellants based on state and federal
constitutional law.
Farley v. Sullivan, 793 F . Supp. 1267 (D. Vt. 1992), rev'd 983 F. 2d 405
(2d Cir. 1993). Statewide class action challenging a budgeting practice of the
Social Security Administration which resulted in triple counting of income
r eceived by SSI recipients in the first month of eligibility for benefits.
Tucker v. Bushway, 689 A.2d 426 ( 1996) . Vermont Supreme Court appeal
which established the ability of a tenant in an eviction for nonpayment of rent to
redeem her tenancy by paying past due rent, court costs, and interest after the
entry of judgment, but before issuance of the writ of possession.
State v. Dixon, 10 Vt. Law Week 1 (1999). Represented amici Vermont Low
Income Advocacy Council and Vermont Tenants, Inc. in this appeal that
John J. McCullough III
established that a landlord does not have the authority to bar guests of a tenant
from the common areas of rental property.
Houle u. Quenneville, 173 Vt. 80 (2001). Represented tenants alleging
retaliatory conduct in nonrenewal of lease.
J.L. u. Miller, 174 Vt. 288 (2002). Final decision in a class action
challenging procedures for involuntary nonemergency medications.
L'Esperance u. Benware, 175 Vt. 292 (2003). Cocounseled case in which
Vermont Supreme Court determined that evidence was sufficient to show that
landlord breached duty to provide safe water to tenants.
Hunter u. State, 177 Vt. 339 (2004). Represented class action plaintiffs in
challenge to state budget cuts.
In re L.A., 181 Vt. 34 (2006). Successful appeal establishing standard for
involuntary psychiatric medication.
In re T.S.S., 199 Vt. 157 (2015). Successful appeal establishing
requirement that demonstrate likelihood of danger in the near future to justify
continuing involuntary treatment.
PUBLICATIONS
Law and Mental Health Professionals: Vermont, McCullough, Ilona Engel,
Spencer Wright. American Psychological Association 2006.
CONSENT OF CANDIDATE
LOCAL ELECTION - CITY CANDIDATE
per the Montpelier City Charter
The filing period for petitions of nomination for local office and this Consent of Candidate
form is no later than 30 days preceding the day of the election and no earlier than 40 days
preceding the day of the election. Both forms must be filed with the city clerk.
Th is consent form is used by local election officials to determine the form of a candidate's
name, its spelling and the use of any initials or nicknames for the ballot. Please complete this form
carefully, using the exact form of your name as you want it to appear on the ballot. You may
include a nickname , but you may not include a title . (For example, Rick "Speedy" Driver is o.k., but
you cannot use Dr. Rick Driver.)
I consent to having my name printed on the ballot for the office of:
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ City Council-unexpired term _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
(Office and Term Length)
City of Montpelier
My name (exactly as I wish it to appear on the ballot):
Name: John J. McCullough Ill
Town of Residence: Montpelier
3 I ·3 0 1ui
DatJ
20 Towne St., Montpelier, Vt. 05602-4231 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Mailing Address
Town, State , Zip
(802) 734-3851 mcculloughiii@comcast.net
Daytime Telephone Number Email
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