BURLINGTON, Vt. — City Council President Ben Traverse, a Democrat, launched a campaign for mayor on Friday, Nov. 6, potentially setting up a contest with incumbent Progressive Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak, VTDigger reported. The mayor said through her political director that she will announce her reelection plans in the next few days.
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The candidate
Traverse, 42, announced at the Battery Park pavilion, vowing to work across the political aisle and with neighbors and businesses, VTDigger reported. He first won the Ward 5 seat in 2022, has been reelected twice and became council president in April 2024, when Mulvaney-Stanak won the mayor’s office.
The dispute behind the race
Traverse and the mayor have often clashed, most recently over a public safety resolution called Burlington Forward, which Traverse and other council Democrats introduced. It aims to expand police presence downtown. The mayor and council Progressives called it “Burlington Backwards,” VTDigger reported, criticizing its approach to drug use and homelessness. The measure was tabled until Dec. 7, and a new ad-hoc committee was formed to rework it.
More coverage is in our New England section.
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