By Morgan True, VTDigger.org
Burlington City officials have billed Donald Trump’s campaign for costs incurred for public safety and security during his Jan. 7 rally at the Flynn Center on Main Street.
Mayor Miro Weinberger sent the Republican presidential candidate two separate invoices, one for the overtime worked by police officers and one for firefighters. The total tab: $8,464.27.
The mayor and chief of police had voiced concerns prior to the rally that Trump was creating a potentially volatile situation by continuing to issue tickets to the event after exceeding the 1,400 seat capacity of the mainstage at the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts.
In response to reports that protesters were securing tickets and planning not to show up, Trump’s campaign issued more than 20,000 e-tickets through the third-party vendor Eventbrite. Police said at least 6,600 of those tickets were obtained using valid emails.
The queue for the rally stretched for blocks, but the rally went off without a hitch. Trump’s supporters and the protesters remained mostly civil, and police reported making no arrests.
In 2012 the city sent Barack Obama’s presidential campaign a bill costs the city incurred during his visit to Burlington. “I don’t believe that bill was paid,” said a spokesman for the mayor.
