Burlington

Burlington City Council delays police oversight vote

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By Paul Bean

The Burlington City Council first meeting of 2024 last night, January 16, featured a school budget report (18.7% tax hike) by Supt. Tom Flanagan, discussion on the proposed new Winooski Bridge, and a public forum with participation from Burlingtonians from all walks of life.

But the biggest story of the night was the Council’s decision to delay the Police Commission Charter Amendment Vote until June 3rd, rather than Town Meeting Day as initially planned.

This motion to delay proposed by Councilwoman and Democratic mayoral candidate Joan Shannon was not to the delight of a few other City Councilors. “I’m at a loss for words,” said Joe Magee, P-Ward 3. “This… This sucks!” Immediately after the vote on the motion, which was passed 7 yes, 5 no, Magee left the building.

The Burlington Police Commission Charter Amendment aims to take commission oversight over the police department. This all stems from back In 2020, when City Councilor Perri Freeman (P), introduced a Charter Change that would have created a civilian oversight board with the power to fire/remove any of the members of the Burlington Police, even the chief of police.

This proposal was vetoed by the Mayor, sending the council and residents back to the drawing board. In 2023, a coalition of Burlington residents gathered enough signatures on a petition to put this charter change on the ballot. Burlington voters rejected it 3,864-6,653.

Which brings us to last night…

“There is much of  great value in the police oversight charter change…but I also think it needs more work, as did the commission substantially say the same,” said Shannon in her motion to delay. This motion returned the proposed charter change to the police commission, to be voted on June 3rd.

This motion greatly upset council members, seeking to get this charter change on the City Meeting ballot. “Voters deserve to have the chance to amend the charter to reflect a good deal of what we charged the commission to do by executive order and their own regulations,” said Gene Burgman, Ward 2. “The voters deserve to get this before them.”

“We promised previously that we would bring forward an alternative by March, this is the consensus we got to,” said Zoraya Hightower, P-Ward 1. “This is literally the meeting where folks were supposed to bring comments and suggest changes, and we could have made those changes, and this is after months of discussion.”

Shannon’s successful motion comes at a pivotal moment for Burlington, with increased rates of violent crime, drug abuse, homelessness, and a lack of trust between the police and segments of the Burlington public. 

The Burlington city Council will meet again on Monday, January 29. 

The author is the Social Media Director of the Vermont Daily Chronicle and the Burlington Daily News and the beat reporter covering the Burlington City Council.

Categories: Burlington

5 replies »

  2. So the Progressives lost a vote at the meeting where their colleagues decided that their proposal on the Police Commission Charter change needed more work, and declined to put it in front of the voters.

    And boy Progressive Joe Magee had a snit and went home after uttering the deathless phrase “This… this sucks!”

    This is what the adults on the Council have to work with.

  3. I think I remember that council person Magee is about to flea, no flee, and is not running for his seat this year. Reason being that his rent might go up and he might have to move, no flee his district or ward. Don’t let the door ………. etc.