It is already shaping up to be a busy Town Meeting election season in Burlington, Vermont. Several incumbent city councilors will not run for re-election.
There are 12 city councilors representing Burlington’s wards and districts. Eight seats are up for election on Town Meeting Day in March.
Council President and Ward 6 Democrat Karen Paul announced on October 26th that she is not running for re-election because she is running for mayor, with Democratic Mayor Miro Weinberger stepping down.
Independent Ward 7 Councilor Ali Dieng told the newspaper Seven Days in October he was unsure if he would run again and has yet to make an official announcement.
Ward 1 Progressive Zoraya Hightower and fellow Progressive Joe Magee, who represents Ward 3, are not running for re-election.
Vermont Progressive Party Director Josh Wronski says while it’s unfortunate the two councilors from his party aren’t running, such turnover is normal.
“We’re sad to see Zoraya go," said Wronski. "She’s been quite an amazing city councilor who’s always done very, very well in every election she’s run in. You know Joe, one of the reasons he’s not running is because he’s a renter and he’s not sure he can afford to live in the city, in his district, any longer. But that said it’s not the end of the world. I mean it’s a healthy thing for our democracy to have these turnovers and we already have one candidate to run for Zoraya’s seat. Now that Joe is public with his announcement, I expect more people are going to be jumping in that race soon.”
Middlebury College Professor of Political Science Bert Johnson expects public safety to be the main issue especially with downtown safety and police staffing concerns.
“The environment has become tougher particularly for Progressives in Burlington as a result of the emergence and persistence of the public safety issue," noted Johnson. "It is probably going to dominate the mayor’s race. I think in terms of the party makeup of the council I would say advantage for the Democrats. I think Wards 1 and 3, where the two Progressives are declining to run again, those are the friendliest territory for other Progressives. But then a Democrat could have a chance in those wards. And certainly Ward 7 I don’t think a Progressive is going to do very well there. So I would say if anything Democrats are set to potentially expand their numbers on the council.”
Johnson adds that the results of the race will determine the city’s future public policy.
“For the future of Burlington I would say how many seats do the Democrats get on the City Council?" pondered Johnson. "Do they maintain their position or do they even expand their position on the City Council? And I think that will tell us something about how policing is going to look and how development in downtown is going to look in the future.”
South District Democrat Joan Shannon is also running for mayor. If Shannon does not receive the caucus nomination for mayor, she can return to her council seat as her term does not end until 2025. One Progressive and three other Democrats have said they will run for re-election. A Democrat, Progressive and Independent do not face reelection until 2025.
Burlington’s citywide election will be held on Town Meeting Day, March 5th, 2024.
