Former Senator Patrick Leahy, Lieutenant Governor David Zuckerman, former Burlington Mayor Peter Clavelle, Attorney General Charity Clark, and practically the rest of Vermont’s political rolodex walk into a room. It’s not the beginning of a joke–it’s Organization Day at City Hall. In addition to the bigwigs, a few hundred Burlingtonians turned out to watch now-Mayor Mulvaney-Stanak make history.

EMS made a short ‘state of the city’ speech, beginning with emphasis on community safety. She encouraged now-former colleagues in the State House to support overdose prevention centers, which Mayor Weinberger also supported—although amid a room of applause, conservative councilors Shannon, Doherty, and Barlow were notably still. Given the tremendous emphasis on public safety during the race, how Democrats on the council choose to work with EMS will be of particular interest. EMS also gave a shout out to city staff on the front lines of the public safety crisis, extending an olive branch to one of the numerous city unions that declined to endorse her.

The speech also touched on the burden our high property taxes place on homeowners (which also gets passed onto renters, of course). In the last few months, the 2021 property tax reassessment lowered taxes for businesses, given the impact of Covid, which then fell onto property owners. Between the reassessment and the massive bond Burlington’s shouldering to fund high school construction, property taxes are a huge chunk of change for anyone on a budget. Initiating a reassessment to undo some of 2021’s damage would be a relief for homeowners, but may or may not fit into the City’s budget. Speaking of tight budgets: how the new administration closes our $9 million deficit between now and the end of the fiscal year will set the tone for 2024.

After EMS spoke, she swore in the eight new and re-elected councilors, all of whom were present except for Evan Litwin (D-W7), who joined via Zoom during a vacation. Shortly after, Ben Traverse (D-W5) was voted in as Council President in a 10-2 vote, with Councilors Grant (P-Central) and Kane (P-W3) voting no. Councilors then elected Joe Kane, Sarah Carpenter (D-W4), and Mark Barlow (I-North) to the Board of Finance, the only council committee where members are elected, not appointed. Council President Traverse and Mayor Mulvaney-Stanak will also sit on the Board of Finance. 

And so adjourned the shortest Council meeting in recent history, closed out by CP Traverse, who emphasized a desire to make sure future meetings end by 10:30, citing “accessibility.” Paying councilors more than $84/week might help too, but that’s probably not in the cards anytime soon.

Article written by the Burlington Eye Collective Editorial Board