By Kolby LaMarche

Ali Dieng, a former Burlington city councilor from Ward 7, announced this week that he is pursuing the vacant Chittenden-18 seat in the Vermont House.

The district, which includes portions of the New North End in Wards 4 and 7, has been without its second representative since Democrat Bob Hooper resigned in recent weeks. 

Hooper stepped down after the House Sexual Harassment Prevention Panel substantiated a complaint against him involving inappropriate conduct. Multiple accounts from women alleged unwanted touching over time.

Dieng submitted his name through the standard party channels but was not advanced by the Regional District Committee, he said. In a detailed statement released Thursday, he questioned the fairness and structure of that process.

Dieng pointed to his years of involvement with Democratic efforts, including helping register New Americans to vote as Democrats and backing Democratic candidates in primaries and general elections. 

He highlighted Vermont’s tradition of fluid political identities, where legislators often run as fusion candidates blending Democratic and Progressive support. 

When the committee posed standard questions about caucusing with Democrats and committing to a full term, Dieng said he answered yes to both. Committee members responded that while his credentials were strong, they viewed him as an Independent rather than a Democrat, he said.

“The process relied on a small group of five active members,” Dieng said. “Four came from Ward 4, and two shared the same household. No one from Ward 7 took part, even though the district covers both wards and there was time to include broader representation.”

He argued the setup created an unbalanced outcome that concentrated decision-making power and left half the district without a voice. Dieng said the committee followed some statutory steps while skipping standard parliamentary procedures to accommodate its limited numbers.

In response, he asked Gov. Phil Scott to review his candidacy directly and consider leaving the seat open until the November ballot. That would let voters in Chittenden-18 choose their representative rather than relying on an internal party recommendation.

Dieng, who arrived in Burlington from Senegal in 2008 after being born in Mauritania, has spent more than a decade working in the Burlington School District and launched the Parent University program to assist immigrant families with navigating local schools. 

He helped establish the Vermont New Americans Advisory Council to increase civic participation among newcomers.

He currently serves as regional manager for Building Bright Futures, coordinating early childhood services across Chittenden, Franklin and Grand Isle counties. 

Dieng first won election to the Ward 7 seat in a 2017 special election, running on Democratic and Progressive lines. He defeated his Republican opponent by a wide margin and secured re-election the following year with nearly 60 percent of the vote, becoming one of the first African immigrants elected to the Burlington City Council.

In 2022, Dieng won another re-election by just 2 votes over his Democrat opponent, Alec Stith. 

Before that, in 2021, he ran for mayor as an Independent and placed third behind incumbent Democrat Miro Weinberger and Progressive Max Tracy. 

Dieng has often taken independent positions on the council. He voted against a 2020 resolution that aimed to reduce the police department by 30 percent through attrition, arguing that major changes required more deliberate planning and community input rather than rapid action. 

He has pushed for greater support for neighborhood planning assemblies and spoken out on issues of representation and diversity in city symbols and processes.

In one notable instance, he accused several colleagues of voting against his proposal to bolster neighborhood groups partly because of his race, after the measure tied in a 6-6 vote. 

He has also engaged in debates over public art, voting to remove a longstanding mural criticized for lacking diversity and failing to reflect Burlington’s changing population, including New Americans and people with disabilities.

His approach has drawn both praise and friction. Supporters in the diverse New North End credit him with amplifying voices of immigrant and working-class residents. Some Democrats have questioned his party loyalty, citing his willingness to cross lines and his history of independent runs. 

Dieng said he respects those who were advanced by the committee but believes the mechanism itself needs scrutiny.

“Public trust depends on fairness, accountability and genuine inclusion in how decisions are made,” he said.

Disclosure: The author managed Alec Stith’s 2022 campaign against Dieng for the Burlington Ward 7 City Council seat.