Brian Cina

Brian Cina is an American politician who serves in the Vermont House of Representatives from the Chittenden-6-4 district as a member of the Vermont Progressive Party. Prior to his tenure in the state house he was active in local politics in Burlington, Vermont.

Early life and education

Cina was born in Hackensack, New Jersey, and raised in nearby Lodi. He was valedictorian of his graduating class at Lodi High School in 1994. He graduated from Dartmouth College with a Bachelor of Arts in music in 1998. He moved to Burlington, Vermont afterwards and worked for AmeriCorps. He attended the University of Vermont from 2003 to 2005, earning a master of social work degree.

Career

Local politics

Cina was elected to the school board from the 2nd district in Burlington in the 2014 election. He won reelection to the school board from the Central district in the 2015 election. He did not seek reelection in 2017. During his tenure on the school board he led a committee to find an interim superintendent.
Cina supported Max Tracy during the 2021 Burlington mayoral election.

Vermont House of Representatives

Representatives Chris Pearson, a member of the Progressive Party, and Kesha Ram, a member of the Democratic Party, declined to run for reelection to the Vermont House of Representatives in 2016. Cina ran for a seat in the state house from the Chittenden-6-4 district in the 2018 election with the nominations of the Democratic and Progressive parties and won in the general election alongside Selene Colburn. He and Colburn were reelection in the 2018 and 2020 elections.

Political positions

Cina and Representatives Diana Gonzalez and Colburn wrote an open letter calling for at least twenty percent of Vermont's police budget to be diverted to other services. The state house voted eighty-nine to fifty-eight, with Cina in favor, in favor of raising the minimum wage and creating a paid family leave program.