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Kurt Wright
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<p>Kurt Wright (born February 7, 1956) is an American politician who served in the <a href="/facts/Vermont_House_of_Representatives/BUtNNMwM">Vermont House of Representatives</a> from 2001 to 2019, and on <a href="/facts/Burlington,_Vermont/bR5rpug1">Burlington, Vermont</a>'s <a href="/facts/Burlington_City_Council_(Vermont)/kFs6g1Sh">city council</a> intermittently between 1995 and 2020. He was president of the city council from 2007 to 2009, and 2018 to 2020. He is the last <a href="/facts/Republican_Party_(United_States)/XXM1EVPr">Republican</a> to serve on Burlington's city council and to represent it in the state house. </p><p>Born in <a href="/facts/Middlebury,_Vermont/foA5vqWw">Middlebury, Vermont</a>, Wright moved to <a href="/facts/Burlington,_Vermont/bR5rpug1">Burlington, Vermont</a>, and managed multiple stores before becoming active in local politics. He worked for <a href="/facts/Peter_Brownell/5AF5pgw2">Peter Brownell</a>'s mayoral campaign in <a href="/facts/1993_Burlington,_Vermont_mayoral_election/lU758rx8">1993</a>, member of local committees, chair of the city's Republican committee, field director for <a href="/facts/Ruth_Dwyer_(politician)/xAxevEeP">Ruth Dwyer</a> during the <a href="/facts/1998_Vermont_gubernatorial_election/FYbuw1Hl">1998 gubernatorial election</a>, and a delegate to the <a href="/facts/2004_Republican_National_Convention/6Fv2tem1">2004 Republican National Convention</a>. </p><p>Wright unsuccessfully ran for a seat in the <a href="/facts/Vermont_House_of_Representatives/BUtNNMwM">Vermont House of Representatives</a> and <a href="/facts/Vermont_Senate/5JD2BUgr">Vermont Senate</a> 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 <a href="/facts/1999_Burlington,_Vermont_mayoral_election/hRI6RKEg">1999</a>, <a href="/facts/2009_Burlington,_Vermont_mayoral_election/BuAFUczn">2009</a>, and <a href="/facts/2012_Burlington,_Vermont_mayoral_election/wrRlIgFb">2012</a>. During his councilor tenure he was selected to serve as president, the first Republican since Ted Riehle in 1987. </p>