Vermont mayor silent on reelection

By Ted Cohen

Two-thirds into her three-year term, the mayor of Vermont's largest city won't talk about whether she will seek re-election.

Multiple emails to the Burlington, Vermont, mayor's political office have gone unanswered.

"Progressive" Emma Mulvaney-Stanak was elected in March 2024 over Democrat Joan Shannon, a shock to the latter.

Shannon, a veteran 20-year city councilor, never saw it coming - until it was too late.

But she can take at least some solace in appreciating that Mulvaney-Stanak enjoyed no honeymoon - the new mayor quickly discovered that her predecessor left her with a huge city deficit.

Since trying to plug that gap, the mayor recently disclosed yet another.

If that weren't bad enough, throughout her term she's been facing spiraling crime in the downtown shopping district as well as sidewalk "homeless" drug addicts scaring away potential visitors from the Queen City.

The mayor also faced pushback shortly after she was elected from a wide swath of constituents angry that she and her spouse - who is also on the city's payroll - accepted "low-income" food assistance despite their combined $200,000 taxpayer-financed salaries.

Mulvaney-Stanak isn't talking, not about her problems, not about her reelection plans or lack thereof.

Will someone thinking they can navigate the trials of Burlington, Vermont's drug, crime and spiraling-tax headaches be brave enough to announce a challenge to the incumbent in March 2027?

Time will tell. Unlike Mulvaney-Stanak, who ain't tellin' nuthin'.

While the mayor refuses to talk about Burlington politics, she's glad to dip her toe into the controversy in Minneapolis where a federal officer fatally shot a civilian who was trying to mow him down.

The mayor posted commentary online blasting federal immigration officials for their action.

Mulvaney-Stanak is trying to appeal to her base but what good will her base do if she chooses not to run for reelection?

Rome is burning but Mulvaney-Stanak is allegedly more concerned about Minneapolis?

If the mayor is concerned about appealing to her political base she in fact may well be planning to run for reelection.

If so why won't she say so?