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Bob Kiss
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Bob Kiss (born April 1, 1947) is a Vermont politician and Mayor of Burlington, Vermont. Kiss was a member of the Vermont House of Representatives from January 2001 until he stepped down to assume office as mayor of Burlington, following his election to that office on March 7, 2006. He is a member of the Vermont Progressive Party and one of a roughly a dozen Progressives who have held or hold seats in the Vermont House of Representatives. Kiss won re-election in 2009, and was endorsed by Vermont's Independent US Senator Bernie Sanders .
has blue-collar roots, having grown up as the son of a union worker in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
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Encyclopedia
Bob Kiss (born April 1, 1947) is a Vermont politician and Mayor of Burlington, Vermont. Kiss was a member of the Vermont House of Representatives from January 2001 until he stepped down to assume office as mayor of Burlington, following his election to that office on March 7, 2006. He is a member of the Vermont Progressive Party and one of a roughly a dozen Progressives who have held or hold seats in the Vermont House of Representatives. Kiss won re-election in 2009, and was endorsed by Vermont's Independent US Senator Bernie Sanders .
Biography
Kiss has blue-collar roots, having grown up as the son of a union worker in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He was a high school basketball player and captain of the tennis team. After having graduated with a B.A. in Political Science from Knox College in 1969, he joined the Peace Corps, where he trained in Malaysia for 14 weeks. Although called up by a draft board for military service, he was granted conscientious objector status and performed alternative service at a hospital in Boston.
Since 1971, when he moved to Burlington, he has been working in the human services field. In 1981, Kiss was hired as director of the Community Action program for Chittenden County, a low-income advocacy group. Six years later, he became head of Community Action's umbrella organization, the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity. Kiss remained head of the CVOEO until 1999. He also served on the boards of the Burlington Housing authority and the committee on temporary shelter during this time.
Political Life
Legislative record
Kiss was successfully elected to a seat in the Vermont House of Representatives in 2000 as the standard-bearer of the Progressive Party. He quickly earned the respect of his colleagues and was subsequently anointed leader of the Progressive Party Caucus. He sponsored legislation on whistle blower protection for health care workers, rental housing health and safety, and outdoor lighting.
Kiss represented the Chittenden 3-4 House district. He stepped down from the legislature on April 1, 2006 after being elected mayor of Burlington. Governor James Douglas appointed Christopher A Pearson, also a Progressive, to serve the remainder of Kiss's term.
Mayor of Burlington
Kiss was elected mayor of Burlington on March 7, 2006. In the election, he prevailed over opponents Hinda Miller, Democrat, and Kevin Curley, Republican. With his election kiss became the first Vermont Progressive to be elected to the office (Bernie Sanders who is associated with the party but not a member had been elected to this office prior). Kiss won re-election in 2009 to a second term as Burlington mayor by edging Republican City Council President Kurt Wright in the third round of instant-runoff voting . During his re-election campaign Kiss was endorsed by Vermont's Independent US Senator Bernie Sanders .
Affiliations
He is a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition, a bi-partisan group with a stated goal of "making the public safer by getting illegal guns off the streets." The Coalition is co-chaired by Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Personal
Kiss lives in a Burlington duplex with his companion of more than 30 years, Jackie Majoros. In his free time he enjoys traveling, tennis, basketball, hiking, and snowshoeing.
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