Emma Mulvaney-Stanak Is the Prog’s Pick for Burlington Mayor | News | Seven Days

Burlington Progressives all but officially chose Vermont Rep. Emma Mulvaney-Stanak (P/D-Burlington) as their nominee for mayor after she ran unopposed at the party’s caucus on Monday night.

The Progs also nominated candidates for six of eight city council that are up for election on Town Meeting Day. Like Mulvaney-Stanak, the candidates all ran uncontested, meaning they, too, are all but assured of winning the party’s backing.

Addressing a crowd of nearly 100 people at the Old North End Community Center, Mulvaney-Stanak said her experience as a labor organizer, policymaker and small business owner make her well suited for the job. She’ll officially win the nomination after online voting closes at 5 p.m. Wednesday.

“We are at a critical turning point,” Mulvaney-Stanak said. “It’s time for new leadership who can get things done and make progress for our neighbors in our entire city.”

Mulvaney-Stanak is one of four candidates running to replace Mayor Miro Weinberger, who isn’t seeking reelection after nearly 12 years in office. Three women are vying for the Democratic nomination at the party’s caucus on December 10: Council President Karen Paul (D-Ward 6), Councilor Joan Shannon (D-South District) and political newcomer C D Mattison, a tech consultant. Independent candidates have until January 29 to get on the ballot.

Mulvaney-Stanak grew up in Barre as the daughter of activist parents. She started her political career as an organizer with the Peace & Justice Center and Vermont-NEA. She later served on the Burlington City Council and in 2013 became the chair of the state Progressive Party. She was elected to represent Burlington in the Vermont House in 2021 and leads the Prog party caucus.

On Monday, Mulvaney-Stanak said public safety is top of mind and described a platform that includes both community policing and social work services. She also wants to explore the possibility of opening an overdose prevention center, a concept supported by all three Democratic contenders.

Saying Burlington has a “housing emergency,” Mulvaney-Stanak said she would push for rent stabilization, which would cap the amount by which landlords could raise rents each year. She also wants to empower the city’s Code Enforcement Office to crack down on absentee landlords, and she reiterated support for banning no-cause evictions. Burlington voters approved a charter change to that end, but Gov. Phil Scott later vetoed the measure.

On climate, Mulvaney-Stanak said her priority is to move homes and businesses off of fossil fuels. The crowd enthusiastically applauded after she said she supports shutting down the McNeil Generating Station, the city’s controversial wood-fired power plant.

Closing her remarks, Mulvaney-Stanak pledged to listen to her constituents if elected mayor.

“I will ensure that you have what you need to thrive in Burlington,” she said. “We are truly in this together.”

In the council races, the Progs chose Carter Neubieser in Ward 1 to replace Councilor Zoraya Hightower, who’s stepping down after serving three years. Neubieser, the lead fundraiser with climate nonprofit 350Vermont, has worked behind the scenes on council initiatives to mandate weatherization of rental properties and to reinstate ranked-choice voting.

Neubieser said he wants to involve more people in city politics and would support policies to help working families afford to live in Burlington. In March, he’ll likely face Geoff Hand, an attorney and member of Burlington’s Development Review Board who is seeking the Dems’ endorsement.

Incumbent Councilor Gene Bergman is running unopposed in Ward 2, the only seat without a Democratic challenger.

Ward 3 candidate Joe Kane is seeking the seat currently held by Councilor Joe Magee, who isn’t running for reelection. Kane, a newcomer to Burlington, said he’s running because he wants to ensure other people can live as comfortably as he does.

“It’s clear a lot of folks are having the worst time of their lives in our beautiful, expensive and cold city,” he said. “I don’t have quick-fix solutions … but I’m committed to this community and to forwarding the Progressive vision for what this city can be.”

Kane will run against Malik Mines, a political newcomer seeking the Democratic endorsement.

Ward 6 candidate Will Anderson is a familiar face: He ran an unsuccessful bid for the South District last March against Shannon. A financial economic analyst for the state, Anderson said he’s concerned about high rents and wants to shift some of the property tax burden onto people who own, but don’t live in, multifamily homes.

Anderson could face one of two candidates in March: Romeo von Hermann and Becca Brown McKnight are vying for the Democratic nomination.

In Ward 7, parks commissioner Lee Morrigan is seeking the seat currently held by outgoing independent Councilor Ali Dieng. Among their priorities, Morrigan wants the city to rewrite zoning to encourage high-density housing development and keep public transit free for riders. Morrigan, who is queer and transgender and uses they/them pronouns, recognized that their neighborhood has historically skewed more conservative.

“Someone like me has never won in the New North End,” Morrigan said. “I would appreciate your support in making that happen.”

Morrigan also plans to seek the Democratic nomination, as will Evan Litwin, a member of the city’s Housing Board of Review.

Marek Broderick, a junior at the University of Vermont, is the Progs’ pick for Ward 8. Broderick, who cochairs UVM’s Young Democratic Socialists of America chapter, will run against incumbent Councilor Hannah King, a Democrat.

Progressives didn’t nominate candidates in Wards 4 and 5, where incumbent Democratic councilors Sarah Carpenter and Ben Traverse are running for reelection, respectively.

Progressives are hoping to hold on or even gain council seats this Town Meeting Day after losing ground to the Democrats last March. But with two incumbent Progs bowing out, the party is facing an uphill climb.

Even still, Councilor Bergman closed the night on a note of optimism.

“We have Progressive councilors and candidates who are willing to challenge the system and push for transformational change,” he said. “With your help tonight and in the coming months, in March and beyond, we will win. Let’s make it so.”