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“This is about community support and making sure people like me who are women, and a mom of young kids are able to serve”
By Mike Donoghue, Vermont News First
BURLINGTON – Burlington Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak and her wife, who came under fire this week for accepting free home-cooked dinners from the community because they are busy doing their city jobs, is trying to defend the behavior.
Mulvaney-Stanak, who became mayor on April 1, and her wife, Megan Moir, the head of water resources for Burlington, had been quiet for more than 24 hours and avoided responding to press inquiries and public comments.
The silence broke Wednesday afternoon as the Mayor appeared to double down about having the home-cooked meals prepared for her family. Mulvaney-Stanak and her partner, Moir are paid a combined $250,000 a year by the city.
Mulvaney-Stanak issued statements to NBC5 (WPTZ-TV) in South Burlington and WCAX-TV in South Burlington defending her actions.
Vermont News First, which broke the story shortly after noon on Tuesday, is still waiting to hear from the Mayor and her chief spokesman, Joe Magee. They continued to fail to respond, including this morning, to requests in recent days for interviews. Mulvaney-Stanak was unable to avoid the meal issue when she sat down for a long-planned general interview with veteran local TV anchor Lauren Maloney for “What Matters This Week.” The public affairs program airs on ABC 22 and Fox 44 on Sundays.
“There are a couple nights a week where I am out really late and I wanted to make sure my family was supported,” Mulvaney-Stanak said in a small segment that aired on the newscast Wednesday night.
Mulvaney-Stanak, who was raised in Barre, also told Maloney that the free meal story has become a distraction.
“It felt like an unnecessary distraction from frankly the really big pressing issues… This is about community support and making sure people like me who are women, and a mom of young kids are able to serve,” according to the Mayor, who majored in political science at Smith College. The full interview will air Sunday on the two TV stations.
The story and the Mayor’s response has become a statewide news story. The former state legislator and head of the Vermont Progressive Party has found herself in the media across the state, including on the front page of the Caledonian Record in St. Johnsbury. The story has generated discussion and calls on the Morning Drive Show on WVMT radio in Colchester in recent days.
“I am proud to be the first woman and first mom with small children to serve as the Mayor of Burlington,” Mulvaney-Stanak told NBC5.
“Serving as an elected leader significantly impacts families given how much time it takes to do the important work of leading a city. This has been especially true for my family with the complex challenges facing our City in my first two months,” the station reported.
Mulvaney-Stanak gave no comparison how her predecessor, Mayor Miro Weinberger, his wife, who also worked, and their two young children were able to apparently survive without community meals being donated.
“Women, especially women with small children, are underrepresented in elected positions because of the lack of support that exists to help their families while they run for and serve in office,” Mayor Mulvaney Stanak said in her statement.
“I appreciate my family’s support in my new role as Mayor. I am also grateful to my friends and community for helping to support my family with home cooked meals while I am doing the important work of being Mayor,” NBC 5 quoted her as saying.
The specific website to donate meals to the Mulvaney-Stanak family was taken down late Tuesday afternoon about four hours after the Vermont News First initially circulated the news story.
ABC 22 and Fox 44 in Colchester reported Mulvaney-Stanak said she asked supporters to remove the website. It was unclear from her comments supporting the donated meal concept if an alternative private sign-up site would replace it.
Mulvaney-Stanak, who is a former director of the Vermont Living Wage Campaign, was elected Mayor in March and later resigned from the Vermont Legislature to take on the new role on April 1. Friends have said the job has been overwhelming for her, especially when she inherited a projected $13 million deficit from Weinberger, who was mayor for 12 years.
The Mayor also is dealing with a city that is considered unsafe by many because of the violent and senseless shootings, the out-of-control drug addicts and the aggressive panhandlers. Addicts often can be seen shooting up in front of shoppers and tourists. The Mayor also is dealing with a major homeless population that can be disruptive.
The sign up was through a website known as MealTrain.com and featured a picture of Mulvaney-Stanak, Moir and their two children.
The website also said people could donate food cards to DoorDash, Panera, Chili’s, Visa and more to the family.
“If you are able to support them to make the job of Mayor more manageable, please consider bringing them a meal,” the pitch letter sent by Rachel Siegel of Toward Liberation told possible donors.
“They have been SO grateful each time a meal comes and personally I felt great to be supporting our community indirectly by helping keep Emma and Megan nourished,” Siegel wrote in the letter that was obtained by Vermont News First.
MealTrain.Com says its national program is designed for “new baby, illness, surgery, loss, adoption, deployment, new neighbor, anyone.”
The meal website said there were about two dozen participants donating before it was shutdown. The organizer was listed as Jessica Oski, a former assistant city attorney and a lobbyist with over 30 years of experience. She is a Ward 4 Police Commissioner.
Access to the donation request and sign-up sheet appeared limited to those provided by organizers. It was entitled “Meal Train for Mayor Mulvaney-Stanak and Family.”
“I still feel the buzz of this 300+ person entourage in addition to all the many supporters who were less involved. What a wave of momentum. We helped get her elected, and we can keep helping her!” wrote Siegel, a former City Councilor.
Categories: Burlington
This about someone making a good deal of money taken from her taxpaying constituents, asking for more than privilege the obviously lives in. If she wants to impress me, she needs to give HER excess funds to feed, clothe, and house the people she claims to care about: Burlingtonians. If it had to do with providing for women and families in need, she would not be eroding the very idea of their gender, and the meal train would have been set up for THEM, not herself.
It is also a missed opportunity to support Burlington’s many struggling yet accomplished restaurants. What are you using the paycheck for, Mayor? Burlington’s cost of living is ridiculous and only getting more so, but this is over the top, even for there.
If you ever wanted to know what the “plus” stands for in LBGTQ+, it stands for free meals.
People could ALSO donate food cards to DoorDash, Panera, Chili’s, Visa and more to the family. Must be nice to go out even more on other people’s money!
Elected on April Fools Day….I knew she was a joke!
>>>”This is about community support and making sure people like me who are women, and a mom of young kids are able to serve”<<<
No, its about you snd your privilege! What you think people owe you for the same job your predecessor did!!
Give it a rest!! There are MANY women that are mothers with young children that TRULY "SERVE" (for this COUNTRY) and their spouse works, yet many do NOT take advantage of such a charity and should!
If you can't do the job, knowing full well as to what it entailed, and run your family at the same time, then you should NEVER have ran for the seat! Take the throne an already people don't trust you! Just call it quits and stay home to take care of your family!
Free hot meals delivered, go out to eat free at expensive restaurants, let your wife continue to work and you'll STILL have more than most Vermonters do right now!
You're a disgrace to all Vermonters!
Maybe it’s time to GET REAL, Burlington.
Is this an example of blatant “white privilege” we’ve heard so much about? Or is this the “I am a white “liberal” “woman”, privilege card? Or is this the “I am a white, “alphabet acroynm, point of personal privilege, social justice warrior” privilege card? Or could it be “I am a shameless grifter and proud of it!” It is pride month afterall.
Her Mom- or rather female parental unit, taught her well. A long legacy of community activism under the guise of public service and a cult following behind, riding and carrying their robe tails, defending them, and lavishing them with cash donations. Jezebel is pleased.
Oh my, Melissa, that post will become a classic, well done.
Be it entitlement, privilege or whatever catch-phrase one chooses- it certainly defines the typical virtue-signaling Burlington progressive. As ms. mayor is benefitting from the charity of her supporters, it is difficult to comprehend how ms mayor could explain herself and her actions to the residents at any of Burlington Housing Authority buildings- particularly Decker Towers. Exactly how would she explain free meals for her family to Burlington’s much vaunted homeless residents? By explaining she has magnanimously bequeathed them dumpsters and portable toilets?
When I first saw the headline, I thought the Mayor and her spouse were cooking free meals for the poor in Burlington, “and why would anyone object?” LOL
Congratulations people of Burlington! You have elected a mayor who is Clueless, Lazy and Greedy!
You got it,
Spot on. The Sanders tradition continues….
Artogant, narcissistic, entitled, proud [quite the opposite of humble] (or pride– I guess that’s appropriate)
She’s a typical narcissist , look how important I am I deserve this and much more. Did anyone notice though that it was only meals for her and her wife? Also she works on church st which is full of restaurants Joan was the better choice but what do you expect from Burlington.
Not just meals delivered hot right to her home, but people could donate food cards to DoorDash, Panera, Chili’s, Visa and more to the family. A Visa can be used for anything!
Community organizers are inherently narcissistic, it’s all about them, they are gods, they know everything, submit to them. It’s about power and money.
They make a boat load of money, can’t do a frozen dinner or pizza delivered to office?
It’s all about her and her wife, the kids are ornamentation. Of course, they believe that government should provide everything, it’s their mantra…so give me dinner please.
They could easily live on one income, still 3x more than any Vermonter, raise their children, spending time with them as family. Nope. Family is out. Power and money is in.
Society is too obsessed about money, it doesn’t give you security. These women are clearly driven by the almighty dollar, it’s really an epidemic, and here they are leading the way.
In a lot of places that’s considered grounds for “BRIBERY” allegations.
$250k a year and still demanding more handouts. Unbelievable.
Just wrong on soooo many counts
And her entitled butt still defends the behavior!
And we still don’t see anything on Vermont Digger about this….running cover as usual. Wonder how they will spin this. Grifting….that’s the word that should be in the headline.
Could the Burlington Progressive/Woke mob have elected a mayor more like themselves? I think not. Her reprehensible and self-serving behavior with the never ending virtual signaling reminds me of C.S. Lewis’s description of the moral busy-body “of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive …. Those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience” .
A lot of that cadre actually has ideals. On the other hand, their mayor seems to defy those ideals every step of the way, insulting her supporters and demeaning them at the same time as she shuts down the programs she formerly championed. It seems to be, for her, more about power, not her voters’ ideals. She just used virtue signaling as a way to get elected.
Let’s pray that Conservatives don’t get fooled by politicians using the same trick on them.
Mulvaney-Stanak, you are a public servant. That means that YOU serve the public. I am an Alderman myself and I get nothing from my constituents, food, money or whatever. I serve them. My son asked me when I won my seat, “Dad, what can you get away with now?” I gave him a disgusted look and said, “Less than before and that was nothing.” If you can’t serve honorably, step down.
Interesting conversations. Clearly you are leading the family in the correct direction, however, it’s also clear how much society has taken hold of our youth and your son in what is considered acceptable behavior. Great example, too bad our schools and churches are not backing you up.
Somebody send this to Tucker Carlson.
She should order takeout, have it delivered to her vulturing family, pay for it out of her $250,000 salary, and give a generous tip to the young man or woman deliverers who work hard for a living…wouldn’t that boost the city’s economy a bit and be the ethical thing to do? Of course!…but we shall have none of that where Freebie Greed and socialism prevail.
Spot on!!👍🏼
Burlington’s mayor and her partner need to look at their finances and come up with a budget to live within their means. This is what everyone else has to do. She earns 5x as much as I’ve ever made and I raised two kids and paid all my bills WITHOUT public assistance. She needs to pay her way. Being a public servant isn’t harder than any other job. Get over it
Maybe switch up who the wife is each week. Oh, a cookbook.
Truly, a couple of leeches.
I must admit that wasn’t quite fair. Many husbands cook, love to cook, are chefs and masters in the industry. Any husband (man) who loves cooking is a Godsend IMO.🙃
Title 13 : Crimes and Criminal Procedure
Chapter 021 : Bribery
(Cite as: 13 V.S.A. § 1102)
§ 1102. Public officers or employees accepting bribes
(a) An executive, legislative, or judicial officer, or any employee, appointee, or designee of such officer, or a person who is a candidate or applicant for an executive, legislative, or judicial office, shall not, directly or indirectly, corruptly, ask, demand, exact, solicit, accept, receive, or agree to receive a gift or gratuity, or a promise to make a gift or to do an act beneficial to himself or herself or another:
(1) with the understanding that he or she will be influenced thereby in any finding, decision, report, or opinion in any matter within his or her official capacity or employment; or
(2) for or because of any finding, decision, report, or opinion in any matter within his or her official capacity or employment.
(b) A person who violates this section shall, if the gift, gratuity, or benefit is less than $500.00 in value, be imprisoned not more than two years or fined not more than $5,000.00, or both. A person who violates this section shall, if the gift, gratuity, or benefit is $500.00 or more in value, be imprisoned not more than 10 years or fined not more than $10,000.00, or both. (Amended 1971, No. 199 (Adj. Sess.), § 15; 1981, No. 223 (Adj. Sess.), § 23; 1987, No. 48, § 2.)
I will leave the legal question to others. On a purely ethical level it really seems improper; in short, it stinks!
So women r entitled to free meals? I’m not seeing the connection.
What is a woman? A “title” used when it is culturally beneficial to do so.
Stupid smart people…They have no self awareness. These are the elites who are stealing your hard earned money.
Here pig. pig, piggy, piggy, piggy.
“Burlington has a fixed per-diem rate set by the General Services Administration (GSA), which is used to reimburse overnight travel expenses within the area for Federal employees as well as employees of private companies which also use the GSA’s per diem rates. ”
Month Lodging Per Diem Meals & Incidentals Per Diem
October, 2023 $187.00 $69.00
November, 2023 $125.00 $69.00
December, 2023 $125.00 $69.00
January, 2024 $125.00 $69.00
February, 2024 $125.00 $69.00
March, 2024 $125.00 $69.00
April, 2024 $125.00 $69.00
May, 2024 $187.00 $69.00
June, 2024 $187.00
CURRENT RATE
$69.00
CURRENT RATE
July, 2024 $187.00 $69.00
August, 2024 $187.00 $69.00
September, 2024 $187.00 $69.00
Wow, now this inept fool is justifying this pathetic display, Burlington where do you get these people…….And she’s the so-called ” Mayor ” supposedly the leader, now that’s funny
Maybe Ms Stanak should step down as apparently, she can’t handle the job, and that’s why this ” community organizer ” should have stayed in that field, as it appears that’s all she can handle.
The responsibility of being ” Mayor “, sounds like another DEI hire, so by the sounds, I guess her salary of $120K just isn’t enough, so to all taxpayers next, she’ll want a raise !!
Burlington, the Queen City may have a queen running it, but as you can see, she’s in over her head, I guess working 60hrs a week isn’t her cup of tea, Burlington is a progressive cesspool, look what’s running it
I was waiting for a response by the Mayor in case there was more to the story. But good grief. It’s sad with a big helping of pathetic and the justification is half baked. Mayor, how about a bigger law enforcement budget so we don’t have to worry about our daughter walking the streets of Burlington back to campus after work, so she can help pay her housing and meals.
A page right out of the Bernie Sanders Book! Free meals for thee! Have you ever seen this comedy take off on “the Bern”? Free Lunch Express: https://www.vudu.com/content/browse/details/1606486/1606486
Thank you Wendy for reminding about this hilarious comedy, that was suppressed by the mainstream entertainment industry…
Shameful, completely shameful. Vermont is imploding. We are watching the downfall of this little state. Complete lawlessness.
What’s funny is even on the very liberal burlington reddit site, the BTV libbies are calling her out. She’s really on her own little special progressive princess planet.
Guy…be sure to keep on eye on that reddit thread. Lot’s of juicy stuff on there.
Thankfully these two can’t breed ….
Why not? The sperm bank is right down the road and they currently have two kids. Progressivism!
No, but that doesn’t mean they can’t have kids and they do. They sure are teaching them some great morals, decency, and how to help themselves!!
“This is about community support and making sure people like me who are women, and a mom of young kids are able to serve,” Of course everyone knows that there are single moms out there that make a lot less than $250,000 a year, and they are able to balance family and a career without public assistance . I think P.T. Barnum said it best when he stated that “there’s a sucker born every minute”, and the people of Burlington that buy this load of manure will get what they deserve.
A true leader of any sort would say ‘thanks, but I cant accept, please give to a needy family instead’
Come on, people! Your mayor is da queen, yasss!!
Her peons – sorry constituents – want to help and her orbiters – sorry staff – are only too pleased to suck up to – sorry help – your mayor by getting the little people to send her tributes. It’s tooo- tally cool, yah!
The plot of “Mean Girls” in real life.
Women who are bad at being women complaining about how hard it is to be a woman. The “folks” of Burlington deserve her and worse.
…while failing to even attempt to define “what is a woman”…
What is a woman?
What is a woman?
The definition is in the word wom(bm)an. Adult Human with a womb.
“This is about community support”…
Is there any idea or concept a progressive comes up with or enjoins in that cannot be enhanced by putting the word “community” along with it?
Also, the Woodchuck Cider product placement is obviously a cheap shot at Citizen Cider, who now reside in the shunned nether regions of cancel culture because they marketed a product toward people who mow their own lawns.
Hey Mayor, my daughter is a single mom, she works on a farm, gets up a 3:30AM does milking, help hay, mend fences, etc. She makes less than a 1/8th of your salary. She doesn’t get any “FREE” meal and no government help (she doesn’t want any assistance) why, because she is a true Vermonter!!! She too has long days but doesn’t complain. If you as a mayor thinks you deserve this than you are selfish, and it truly pisses me off!!!
In today’s environment take all the assistance you can get. It’s not really “assistance”, it’s just reclaiming what is rightfully yours to begin with, that was previously taken, was prevented from you being allowed to have in the first place, or will be taken from you in the future. It’s part of their scam in hopes of you believing that government is “helping”.
Holy frig-frag. Watch out folks. This woman is looking to find the right supporters to deal with. You make a meal for her and her partner, you will be on her A-list of supporters (a/k/a arse-kissers)… And that, my friends, unless you are completely bereft of a brain, is how this particular system operates.
And besides, spouse Megan Moir is one helluva manly dyke. Why can’t he support her and cook some meals, like a real man?
(PS – Balint used the word Dyke in her campaign, so please don’t flag me now for using that word. Having been gay for 65 years, I most definitely know that is the actually technical word for manly lesbians.
One more comment: How do they know whether any one of these meals isn’t poisoned? Does someone test it? Or do they throw all of these meals out — and like I was saying above — simply are looking to know supporters personally, like as in for favors? I mean, would you trust the public bringing you food if you don’t know who they are???
AGAIN – Is this Mulvany Stank thing just a smoke sceen for the crap our “representatives” are doing under the golden dome? Why are you all so concerned here with Stank but have less to say about how our current reps are steeling from us, literally steeling our hard earned money which we could place toward rehabilitating our homes and businesses and spend the money wisely unlike what our government has done with our money – it is OUR money! OUR government is elected to positions of power to PROTECT OUR FREEDOMS and fix roads and bridges. This current crew is not doing a very good job and they all need to be fired! Please spend your time wisely to get rid of them and find alternative replacements and help these replacements make better choices! Get off your duffs and DO IT NOW!
Smells like communism to me
This is an insult to all working professional woman who have juggled work responsibilities and late night meetings several nights a week for many years. They learned to plan ahead for those late night meetings, taught their children to help and to plan ahead, expected their spouse to step up on the nights they couldn’t get meals prepared, and took care of themselves, while also contributing to the community. This is a pathetic bout of laziness and not realizing the commitment to the job and the family. Feeding your children from other people’s kitchen is also a risk. No way as a public official that I’d feed my children donated food from just anyone and not know the ingredients. Her message fails as a mother and fails as a working professional. Pathetic!!
Regarding the risk of feeding one’s children nourishment provided by strangers, as I recall there was mention that the food needed to be gluten-free. It is not always easy to avoid gluten and depending on if there is a serious intolerance to it, that can be medically consequential. There must always be a certain level of trust when eating food prepared by others, either from individuals or from a restaurant, when any kind of a food intolerance or allergy is involved.
The Mayor had 3 possible responses to anyone wanting to give her meals:
1. Thank you for your kind gesture, but we are fine.
2. Thank you for your kind gesture, but please give the meals to the homeless in our city.
Instead, she chose:
3. Please keep your delivery between 5-6 pm and remember to keep it gluten free!
What amazes me the most, is her lack of understanding about the optics.
She fully grasps the optics, it’s just that she doesn’t give a damn, you know – frankly.
Bernie transformed Vt. into a Communist hellhole & is proud for doing so.
These are his disciples & devotees.
These are his warped followers.
And this is his plutonian dream, or resultant nightmare, come to fruition.
You wouldn’t be confused if you knew her mother who is a activist agitator at one point known as one of the Ragging Grandmothers. I believe she is now the chair of the DEI (Diversity, Equity, Incluuuuusion) committee in Barre. I hope the new mayor of Barre disbands that worthless committee and her with it. Recently, she tried to censor others in the committee and caused a big stink. All of these types need to be shown the door. Adults do not need Nannys in our faces. DEI is another scam and of course supported by the most loved governor in the country. King Phillip!
April 1st?
The jokes on you.
Burlington has evolved into freak city, governed by freaks.
A real, sopping up the gravy, freak show.
Hard to freaking believe what the state has devolved into.
VOTE THEM OUT!
I fear the movement to vote them out is far too little, far too late.
This Republic has been devolving for decades with citizens too apathetic and too complacent and too clueless to even bother voting most of the time.
The 68th Statute 775 outlawed Communism and that act needs to be revived with the original punitive measures undertaken to remove these traitors from our midst. Unless and until that is executed, the entire USA will remain under siege and will eventually falter.
The powers at the time shamed and belittled Joe McCarthy for his committee on Communism. I guess he will get the last laugh. He was on to something then and that something is here now.
Citizens of Burlington, Vermont! You sure pick some real losers for Mayor!