The Burlington, Vermont City Council held its annual organizational meeting Monday night and the city’s mayor delivered her first State of the City address.
Queen City voters elect city leaders on Town Meeting Day in March. On the first Monday in April, the new and reelected councilors are sworn in. This year, Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak swore in two reelected incumbents, Democrat Mark Barlow and Progressive Melo Grant, and two new Democratic councilors, Allie Schachter and Buddy Singh.
“Repeat after me. I do solemnly swear and affirm that I will faithfully execute the duties of the office of city councilor. Congratulations.”
Councilors also chose which of them would serve as council president for the next year.
Incumbent Ward 5 Democrat Ben Traverse faced a challenge as Progressives nominated Ward 1 Carter Neubieser for the position
“It’s time for a new generation of council leadership focused on increasing collaboration and delivering results on the issues most important to our community. Issues like doubling our investment in affordable housing, pursuing tax fairness reform, addressing the existential threat of climate change and creating a community that is and feels safe for all,” Neubieser told councilors.
Traverse thanked those who had supported him over the past year and explained why he wanted to remain the council’s leader.
“Since becoming council president my goal has been to lead with fairness and equity to all who serve. And I believe in many respects I’ve met the marks outlined by my colleague Councilor Neubieser. I acknowledge though that the goal of togetherness remains an essential work in progress. If reelected as council president I will remain committed, as always, to finding common ground that moves us forward,” Traverse said.
Councilors voted 7 to 5 along party lines to reject Neubieser’s nomination.
Traverse was then reelected council president with the 7 Democrats on the council voting in favor, three Progressives abstaining and two Progressives voting no.
Progressive Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak gave her State of the City address, her first since she took office last April. She said the state of the city is resilient.
“My first term is guided by three core priorities: community safety, housing, and climate. Last summer, I worked with all 18 department heads to set goals for their teams that aligned them with these priorities while ensuring that our collective work reflects the values of equity, good governance, transparency, and affordability,” Mulvaney-Stanak reported.
Mulvaney-Stanak noted budget challenges that have been addressed over her first year
“My administration has prioritized improved fiscal policy and budgeting practices that ensure affordability, equity, and fiscal sustainability now and into the future,” the Mayor reiterated. “This fiscal year, we delivered a balanced budget to the city council that maintained core services and also added $675,000 in funding for community safety. When I came into office last April, we faced a significant $14.2 million budget gap. We engaged community budget advisors and spent countless hours preparing a balanced budget to reduce expenses and raise revenue without placing the entire burden on residential taxpayers.”
During her 40-minute speech, Burlington’s mayor outlined work in several areas over the past year including community safety, affordable housing, planning, development, climate and equity.
“While we cannot control the actions coming out of Washington, D.C., we can be clear-eyed on our response. Our city will not back down from our commitments to equity and justice for all people,” Mayor Mulvaney-Stanak promised. “And we will stand in strong solidarity with immigrants and refugees and with BIPOC and LGBTQ+ community members. We all must take an active role in creating and protecting our inclusive and diverse community. Our work is too important especially in this critical moment within this country. How we treat each other locally and engage as a community will define us and will determine the true strength of Burlington.”
Democrats have 7 members on the City Council, retaining their majority over the Progressive’s 5 seats. Mayor Mulvaney-Stanak starts the second year of her first three-year term.
