The Burlington, Vermont City Council had a light agenda this week, but the public forum was robust.
Monday’s meeting began with an executive session to receive an update on commercial real estate negotiations between Burlington Electric Department and private parties.
The council returned to open public forum.
In March 2022 the director of the city’s office of Racial Equity, Inclusion and Belonging resigned after two years. Tyeastia Green is now suing the city for $7.5 million, claiming she encountered a “racially motivated campaign of denigration" in her position. Essex resident Shawn Morrissey was among her more outspoken supporters calling on city leaders to settle with Green.
“You have the power to repair the many harms against Tyeastia and to protect Black people in this community, in Vermont, in Burlington and in particular Black women. And instead you’re actively choosing harm and racism,” Morrissey contended. “Your silence, your actions, your continued mobbing of this woman is nothing more than anti-Blackness and hate. I find it disgusting how blatant and comfortable you are in allowing these harms to be perpetuated. Please, just go to mediation!”
In her report on General City Affairs, Progressive Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak said the city has sent mutual aid from various departments for hurricane recovery. The first-term mayor also provided an update on her three primary goals of community safety, housing and climate.
“Each of these goals have also been informed by the values for which I’ve set for this administration which include equity and inclusion, affordability, good governance and a robust community engagement. October 28th I’ll be bringing the final strategy document,” Mulvaney-Stanak reported. “I think what you’ll find and what the city will find is that we are strategically moving in a coordinated way these 18 departments with very clear goals so that in a year’s time we can see how each of the 18 departments of the city are actually advancing equity and inclusion, advancing affordability through our primary issues of community safety, housing and climate.”
The agenda had been amended once again removing a resolution to consider a new police department facility. Council chair and Ward 5 Democrat Ben Traverse explained why it was deleted.
“The intention behind that resolution was threefold from my perspective,” Traverse said. “One was to ensure that our review of a new public safety facility was not just limited to the lens of the Memorial Block predevelopment agreement and the replacement of our central fire station. Second, the resolution was intended to ensure that council had a seat at the table. And then the third item, our police station and fire station both are flagged by current employees regularly as a hurdle to some of the recruitment and retention efforts. In our discussions with the mayor, the administration has committed to coming back before the council by the end of this year to give us an update as to how the ongoing process to really comprehensively review this item is moving forward.”
The only item on the deliberative agenda to create a library outreach position and approval of a contract with the Howard Center was passed unanimously.
