In front of a standing room only crowd on Thursday, Burlington, Vermont Mayor Miro Weinberger announced that he will not run for a fifth term. The move means the city’s top seat will be open for the first time in over a decade.
In the same room where he kicked off his first campaign, at Burlington City Arts, Democrat Miro Weinberger described the challenges and accomplishments his administration has encountered and then announced he would not seek a fifth term.
“Deciding whether or not to seek another term has been one of the most difficult decisions I have faced in this job or in my life, really. After 12 years, the longest unbroken stretch of any mayor, with the pandemic behind us, the economy largely recovered and investment and progress on track to continue I have decided that now is the right time to conclude my service as mayor. I will not be seeking reelection for a fifth term as the mayor of Burlington.”
Weinberger added that while he isn’t certain what he will do next, the 53-year-old intends to stay involved.
“We still have an enormous housing shortage and the second worst homelessness problem per capita of any state in the nation. We have a deepening drug crisis that is taking an enormous toll on this community and on the rest of Vermont and a wide range of serious public safety problems. And we are not doing nearly enough as a state to take on the climate emergency. These issues are bigger than what any one community, even Burlington, can solve on its own and they are not going to fix themselves. Addressing these challenges will require committed tireless leadership and I am going to take some time to explore how I can best continue to work on these challenges.”
The room was crowded with supporters, current and past city councilors and department heads. Among them was former Mayor Peter Clavelle. The Progressive holds the record for longest-serving mayor, but not consecutively. He has supported his Democratic counterpart, saying he has taken on and addressed tough challenges.
“I think the major accomplishment is putting the city on sound financial footing. Balancing the budget, restoring our credit rating and taking on some major infrastructure challenges as well as investing in downtown and the bike path. So there’s been many major accomplishments. But there are challenges and some of them are not of his making but they’re challenges that are being faced by cities across this country. And the saddest one in my mind is just the growing addiction to drugs. You know there are a bundle of problems that come together with drug addiction, homelessness, mental health and it’s eroding the quality of life of the city. But it’s also destroying the lives of many people.”
Weinberger was the first Democrat to be elected mayor since 1981. Burlington Democratic Party Chair Adam Roof calls Weinberger’s 12 years in office an incredible act of service and says the party strengthened during his tenure.
“The party’s grown a lot and Miro’s been a big part of that for sure. What we’re planning for right now is that we’ll have a full stable on the ballot. I’m sure a Progressive will be in the race. Maybe a Republican will be in the race. A Democrat will certainly be in the race. But I’m sure we’ll also see independent runs. You have to remember as well IRV (Instant Runoff Voting) may encourage more people to run for office. With these new rules we may have multiple rounds of voting because a candidate now must win with more than 50 percent of the vote.”
The Burlington Steering Committee of the Vermont Progressive Party issued a statement congratulating the mayor and thanking him for his service. The party adds: “Over the past 10 years we have seen the cost of homeownership and rent skyrocket with an associated increase in homelessness... We have seen property taxes and utility costs increase. We have seen scandals in our city departments... We are excited at the opportunity to support a Mayor who can build bridges and bring our diverse community together...”
The mayoral election will be held on Town Meeting Day March 5th, 2024 and will use Ranked Choice Voting to select the city’s next chief executive.
