All right, shall we get started? We're streaming live on town meeting TV. Folks were in the room. Hello, good afternoon and welcome to the Burlington Democratic Party's candidate nominating caucus for town meeting day 2024. My name is Adam Roof and I'm the chair of the Burlington Democratic Party. It's my distinct honor to serve in this role to help deliver on our party's mission of change through the electoral process. Our work as Burlington Democrats involves encouraging neighbors to become candidates. Supporting those candidates in getting elected and helping elected leaders become agents of progress. The strength of our party is recognizable in many ways. Today we're going to hear from three incredible mayoral candidates, three incredible women who are stepping up to serve the community, each of them love, equally as important. To the office of mayor is city council and across the city we have council candidates of the highest caliber with a diverse set of backgrounds and perspectives who are ready to answer their call to service. But candidates can only become elected leaders with the support of many. And we have over 3,700 people, 3,700 voters of Burlington to sign up to cast their ballot today. It's true, today is a historic day for Burlington. Not only is this the largest party nominating caucus in the city's history, but we'll be nominating a candidate for mayor who I believe will become the next mayor of Burlington and who will become the first women to serve in that office. The scale of today's event is truly remarkable and it has taken hundreds and hundreds of hours of prepare time and planning to make it possible. This is an event ran 100% by unpaid volunteers and I want to thank each and every one of them who have already helped and will be helping throughout the day. In particular, I want to thank the core planning team, our election administrator Andy Voda, executive committee member Beth Anderson, and our parliamentarian Jake Perkinson. In particular, I want to thank Vice Chair of the party Hannah King, Ward 8 City Councilor who's been instrumental in planning not just this event, but the forum and many others. Important initiatives. Yeesh. Let me get back, that was exciting. All right, we've got our first little excitement of the day. Again, thanking Hannah King for all of her work. And of course, I'd be remiss to not stop and thank Mayor Weinberger who we'll hear from in a few minutes for his 12 long years of service. Yeah, give it up for Murrow. Murrow, your time in office has been historic in and of itself and thank you for all the work you've done to help build a strong Burlington Democratic Party and best of luck to you to what comes next. Now I'd like to spend just a little bit of time talking about how today's event is going to unfold. After we hear from Mayor Weinberger, we'll hear nominations for candidates and then we'll hear from those candidates. We'll start with the mayoral candidates. We've drawn that speaking order in random and then we'll go through the ward nominations and those candidate speeches in order from one through eight. Once candidates wrap up, we'll start the voting. We expect voting to begin at 3 p.m. and all voters will have two full hours to submit their ballot. Once the votes are counted, we will announce the results here on our website through the email list that we have of all registrants. In a caucus format, this is important to know, a candidate must earn a majority to win a nomination. If no majority is earned by any candidate in the first round, the candidate who came in third place, last place, is removed from the ballot and a second round of voting begins. Only those who vote in the first ballot can vote in the second round of voting if that is necessary. Again, if that's necessary, if we do go to a second round of voting, we expect that to happen around 6 p.m. Again, two hours for voting in that period if necessary. Once the results are in, they'll be announced widely and if for some improbable reason, if we have a repeat of 2011, I will suspend this third vote or future votes at a later date that I'll set. Know this, no caucus in history has ran to perfection. There has been issues like in 2011, we have so many people that are participating today, things might not go perfectly, but I ask everyone to be patient, we have a help team that's ready to support any issues that you might have. And so with that in mind, I'll go over with how voting, so I'm gonna go over just how voting is going to work specifically and then we'll move on. So for the majority of you, you'll be voting virtually. Your ballot will be sent to the email address that you use to register. If you provided a cell phone number, we're also going to provide you a ballot to your cell phone as well just as a reminder. For each voter, you have a single, unique and secure voting ID, which only allows, excuse me, a vote to be cast once. Every ballot is secret as required by our bylaws. When you open your ballot, voting is simple if you're voting virtually. You simply click the link, make your selection, confirm your votes, there are only two screens and two clicks. Again, two screens, two clicks, remember to submit your ballot. If voting begins and you don't see your ballot, check your spam folder, it might be there. And if you can't find it after 315, 330, go to our website, go to the help email. It's very easy, we have a team standing by. We also emailed around that help link in our confirmation emails that went out last night. So while we've made every effort to validate the information that voters provided to us, including confirming your email, your voting address, your ward, there may be some issues. So again, get in touch with us, be patient. We'll use that two hour voting period to make sure that everyone who has the opportunity to vote will cast their vote. For those voting in person, when you arrive, simply check in with the front desk and a volunteer will take care of you. In-person voters will need to return in the event of a second runoff election, which we think might be around 6 p.m. if that's necessary. During voting period times, whether you're voting virtually or in person, volunteers again will be available to help with any issue that arises. I ask that you show those volunteers some appreciation. They're dedicating their time. Yes, give them a round of applause for volunteers. I'm so thankful to all of them. All right, that's enough for me. With that, I'll be back up here throughout the day to give updates and provide results and answer any questions that might come up. So with that, it's my pleasure to introduce our current mayor, Burlington Merrill Weinberger. All right, good afternoon, everyone. Adam, thank you for all you've done to lead the Burlington Democratic Party for years now and for the team that you have put together that is running this enormous and really unprecedented event. And it's really quite something that the way you've been able to put it together and let's hope the sound is the worst of the technical difficulties that we have with it. Welcome, Burlington Democrats, to this historic 2023 mayoral and city council nominating caucus. The fact that more than, I think we just heard from Adam, 3700 of you have registered for this unique and time honored tradition gives me tremendous hope and confidence for our future. As we gather here today, Burlington Democrats are stronger than ever with each election. Since 2020, this city has placed its trust in democratic leadership, uniting behind our policy, supporting our ballot initiatives and steadily building our strength on the council until last town meeting day when voters delivered a democratic majority for the first time in memory. And as we can feel viscerally today at this enormous caucus, we are poised to expand that majority even further and to place a strong, experienced and talented democratic woman at the helm in the mayor's office next March. So today we're gonna nominate a group of seven excellent democratic city council candidates who are diverse in work experience, background, age, gender and race, but united in their focus on public safety, housing and climate. It's been 12 years since we gathered like this as a party to select a new mayoral nominee and it is pretty striking how different this caucus is than it was in 2011, and then it's different a lot of ways. But one of the differences is that in 2011, the democratic party was the opposition party. We had not had the responsibility of governing for over 30 years. And in 2011, city leadership had lost its way. We were teetering on the edge of financial crisis, mired in lawsuits, unable to get public works and infrastructure projects done, and the building of new homes had fallen to a historic low, even amidst a national housing boom. At the 2011 caucus, it took four rounds of voting and a month to decide the mayoral nominee. Adam's pledge is not gonna happen that way this time. Let's hope. That caucus did serve as a remarkable example that every vote in each election matters. We forged a fresh start together that day and put the city on a new trajectory. Today, the city's finances are strong. We're in a period of unprecedented infrastructure building that will continue for years to come. We have more homes recently completed or under construction than at any point in decades. And on Church Street, at City Place, at Hula, at Beta's headquarters and manufacturing facility at our airport, we are seeing massive investment in Burlington's future. We are creating new jobs and fresh opportunities at a pace beyond anything this community has experienced since we were all logging port in the 1800s. And yet, in the wake of a global pandemic and difficult multi-year recovery, in 2023, we face a very different set of challenges. In some ways, larger and more daunting than what we faced a decade ago. A deepening national drug crisis. A statewide, severe housing shortage that has pushed thousands of Romaners into homelessness. And the loss of more than 40% of our officers has combined to threaten our public safety and the success of our beloved downtown. It has been our party, the Democratic Party, that kept Burlington on course through the public health and economic crises of the last decade. And it will be the candidates we elect today that will lead our community through the difficult challenges ahead. That process begins in just a few moments with the nominating speeches we're about to hear and then the voting that will start at 3 p.m. Please remember, Adam just said this, but I'll repeat it that with three strong candidates running for the mayoral nomination, there is a very real possibility of a second round of voting starting at about 6 p.m. tonight. The next vital step after the voting will be for us to come together, unite, and support the mayoral candidate who secures a majority of the nomination here today at this caucus. Then we need to carry the incredible energy and commitment that has created the largest caucus in the city's history, by far, to the campaign trail. Each of us needs to step up and get behind our candidates to make phone calls, knock on doors, post on social media, talk to your neighbors, and work to ensure that we have a Democratic City Council and a Democratic mayor this town meeting day. I wanna close on a personal note just to say that it has been a wonderful opportunity. I'll always be grateful the opportunity to have served as your mayor for the last 12 years. I am proud of what we accomplished together and thankful for your support through four of these nominating caucuses, through four general elections, through literally dozens of ballot item campaigns, and the support that you've given me and my family on the sidewalks and in coffee shops in the grocery store. Stacy and Ada are here with us today. Lee Lynn's working, working to shift, so couldn't join us, but we will never forget the embrace, the warm embrace that this community has given us as we have grown as a family these 12 years in this wondrous city. Whoever we elect as a mayor today deserves and is gonna need that same kind of embrace and support, and it's gonna need the same kind of energy that we have pulled together as a party for the last decade. So I look forward to joining with all of you in the weeks ahead to make this happen together. Thank you. You know, I was heartened to learn that Lee Lynn actually registered to vote recently in Burlington and our registration aficionado, Andrew Champaign, who's registered over 1700 people in Vermont in his lifetime, registered a few weeks ago. All right, let's get to it. We're gonna start off with the candidates for mayor. We did a random order and those nominations and speeches will go in the order of Joan Shannon, C.D. Madison and Karen Paul. So with that, I'll ask for a nomination for Joan Shannon. Friends, neighbors, and esteemed members of the Democratic Caucus, my name is Michelle Ash, and it is an honor to stand here before you today to present a mayoral candidate who embodies our shared values and aspirations for our community. I nominate Joan Shannon, a dedicated and trusted leader in our community. Today, we are facing a serious public safety crisis in our beloved city. When the city council voted to defund our police department, they put us in a terrible position to effectively handle rising drug addictions and increased crime. Joan Shannon is the only mayoral candidate who had the foresight and the courage to vote against and vocally oppose the indiscriminate defunding of our men and women in law enforcement. This is why both the police and the firefighter unions endorse Joan. They trust her to lead the city during these challenging times. I am the former chair of the Burlington Police Commission and a current long-time board member of Let's Grow Kids. I value and appreciate Joan's pillars of public safety, both accountability and care. She is committed to rebuilding a highly trained, well-resourced police force, treating rampant drug addiction and addressing our serious housing shortages. Joan has demonstrated a deep understanding of the challenges we face as a city and has a clear vision for our future. Let us rally behind Joan Shannon, a leader who not only listens to the concerns of fellow citizens, but actively works toward solutions that benefit us all. She's smart, compassionate, strong, and one of the hardest working individuals I know. Please join me today in supporting Joan Shannon, the best woman for the job, to ensure that Burlington, once again, becomes a safe, economically viable and healthy city. Thank you. Thank you, Michelle Ash, for your trust and confidence and willingness to stand beside me throughout this campaign. Thanks to the volunteers from the Burlington Democrats. Today, you have done something we've never done before in this record-crushing caucus. Thank you also to my sisters in candidacy, Karen and Madison, who have worked hard to share their messages and engage as many votes as possible and will have my support should they prevail today. Most of all, thank you to the small armies of campaign volunteers who have passionately stepped up to engage voters, advocate for issues, and work to help voters differentiate between us. And thank you to my family, as nobody can get here without the support of their loved ones. So thank you. My name is Joan Shannon, and I'm running for the Democratic nomination for mayor of Burlington. I am running for mayor because Burlington is at a critical point on many fronts, but most of all, public safety. And we need courage and leadership to make hard decisions on the path to restore what we all know Burlington can and should be. I've been tested. I have stood against strong but temporary political wins. And I know I have what it takes to make those hard decisions in Burlington's best interest. I stand by my record as the only candidate who has consistently and vocally supported community policing and opposed well-intentioned but misguided efforts to diminish the Burlington police, while also recognizing the need for evolution and improvement. My approach is evolution, not revolution. Burlington is suffering from a national epidemic of mental health crises, addiction, crime, and homelessness. Burlington has often been on the positive side of national trends, but we are not on the positive side of this trend. While I vocally opposed the reduction in police from 105 to 74 officers, this vote alone did not cause our problems today. It just left us woefully ill-prepared to address them. The change Burlington needs requires a community effort. And I can tell you that my optimism for our future rests in you. So many of you have asked, how can I help? You have offered professional skills, time, and labor. No one here has all the answers to the challenges facing our city. And no one has a monopoly on good ideas. This is what I call the all-hands-on-deck approach. Our plan for public safety must be twofold. Accountability and care. As a community, we share a vision and expectation for safe, clean, and vibrant neighborhoods and public spaces where our neighbors have access to the help that they need to be healthy and housed. To get there, we will work together with state partners to provide the statewide social safety net that people deserve and also work together to clean up graffiti, pick up litter, and hold people accountable for illegal actions here in Burlington. I'm proud to have received the endorsements of both the police and fire unions. These are the people who are on the front lines of the crises our city faces. They're the people trying every day to meet our public safety needs. And they're the people we call when we need help. Thank you to our first responders for bestowing your trust in me. Electing a mayor who has these endorsements will help us hire the first responders we all say we need. It will assure current and prospective officers that city leadership and the public support them performing their jobs. We need to restore a level of public safety where when we call, someone will come. We don't have that now. We also need to hold our police accountable to their training and directives. In creating my public safety plan, I consulted important stakeholders, our first responders, local and state officials, mental health and addiction specialists, and critically, you, members of the community. Together we developed a plan that focuses on four key areas, deterrence, treatment, housing, and justice. To achieve public safety for everyone, we need a healthy community. We need functioning physical health, mental health, and addiction treatment systems so that those suffering the most in our community can get well and contribute positively to our social fabric. There is good news. Our challenges are of a scale that we can manage and address, and our small city retains all the assets that have always made her the city we love. The lake, the mountains, and our shared values. I love the spirit of our city, and together, we will make the progress that we need. Thank you. All right, thank you for that. As we said, the order will be done now. Time for a nomination for CD Madison. I'd like to see if there's anyone that would nominate. Yes, come on up. Oh no, I have Mary Sullivan. Where's Mary? I have the name, I should have. Come on up, Mary. Some eager beavers. Hi, I'm Mary Sullivan. I think I know a lot about you, many of you. I've been very involved in the city, the county, and the state level for decades. I really take our democracy very seriously. I met CD Madison years ago, and have long been impressed with her knowledge of public policy, with her very creative thinking, and maybe most importantly, with her wonderful problem-solving skills. We are going to need a creative problem solver to lead us forward. Not someone who has all the answers to everything right away, no one does, but someone who knows how to bring people together, knows who needs to be at the table, and who needs to be part of the discussion in order to find solutions that work for Burlington. We all know that we have a housing crisis, we have a substance use disorder crisis, we have increasing crime, people don't feel safe, our lake is polluted, and our businesses are struggling. At the same time, we have so much to celebrate and nurture. Our creative arts, music, and culture, our wonderful parks, our diverse neighborhoods, and schools, our caring culture, our innovative entrepreneurs, our amazing restaurants. Madison has the skills, compassion, experience, and knowledge to solve today's problems, celebrate our richness, and inspire our future. Madison is what we need for this moment to move us forward together as one Burlington. I'm thrilled to place the name of C.D. Madison in nomination at this Democratic Caucus for mayor of Burlington. Thank you. Thank you, Mary. Thank you for your trust and your confidence. Friends and neighbors, it has been the honor of my life to meet with so many of you. At our core, we all share the same values and desires, being safe, the well-being of our families, and pride in calling Burlington home. Today, as we stand together, I wanna talk about our journey and the choices we get to make on this journey. It's a path through challenges, opportunities, and discovery. Here in Burlington, with our tapestry of cultures, our wealth of ideas, and our indomitable spirit, we have the tools to navigate this journey and even blaze new trails and paths. We find ourselves at a fork in that path right now. We can go on the way we've been going. We can decide that the way things are is good enough. We can look around and say, this is the best we can do. Or we can envision a new path. We can decide to reinvigorate our community and to ensure every person and every neighborhood in Burlington feels that they are a vital part of this journey. We're not just dreaming of a safe and energetic Burlington. We're envisioning a city that's compassionate, just, meets people where they are, and is always one step ahead. We're not alone in the need to meet our challenges and envision new paths and opportunities for our city in moving us forward. Let's consider stories from cities like Houston and Omaha. Their triumphs in addressing complex social issues of homelessness and gun violence aren't just inspiring. They are compelling, evidence that great challenges can be met with equally great and innovative solutions. And right here in our own backyard, from the revival of our waterfront to the swift action of our fire department, when they stood up the community response team in just three days, we see proof that bold ideas can indeed become realities. So let's talk about the status quo, the path we're on right now. My opponents have served on city council for over a decade each. And a lot has happened in that time. They've had their opportunity to shape this city and it's become evident that we can no longer tread the same worn path that got us to where we are today. I hear your frustrations about how leaders speak without listening, about how we need meaningful action over mere words, about divisiveness and dismissal when we need to come together. What Burlington needs is a fresh perspective, one that recognizes the nuances and complexities of life and brings a new kind of energy to the work we need to do together. Looking forward, let's be the authors of our own success story. We're ready to start a new chapter, one that delivers on public safety because when you call 911, you should get a response. And I want to empower our police with the data and tools they need to do their jobs, to be accountable and serve our community. We must also deliver on climate action, tax and rent stabilization, affordable and population responsive housing and transportation and environmental stewardship of the land and lake that we love. A chapter where every member of our community receives the support they need. Look around, you can feel it. The anticipation, the desire for change. Democrats of Burlington, we are at a significant crossroad, a fork in that path. Our city has everything it needs to thrive, dedicated citizens, natural beauty, a vibrant culture, dynamic communities, world-class businesses and education institutions and a spirit of innovation. Our city is looking at the voters of this caucus and wondering will we continue with the status quo that God is here or will we make a new choice? A choice for progress, for a bold new audacious direction, for a Burlington that sets an example for others. I ask you to believe in this city and its untapped potential, its people, its future. What this city needs now is new leadership, leadership that is pragmatic, accountable, invites everyone in and is full of energy. Leadership that not only inspires, but listens and delivers. Voters of Burlington, we need new leadership. So my fellow Democrats, let's embrace this moment. Let's make history. Believe in Burlington and vote for a brighter, more sustainable future for all of us. Vote for change, vote for a new direction. Vote for something and someone new. Vote for Burlington, vote for me, Madison. Thank you. How's the sound, everyone? Can everyone hear in the back? Yeah, I'm seeing thumbs up, that's good. So up next, we'll be looking for a nomination from Karen Paul. There will be a video played for those streaming from that nominator, Phil Baruth. And also, I'm gonna invite up Councillor Ali Dang to read that statement for those in the room. So I will look to channel 17 for the thumbs up.  Hey, everybody. I'm Phil Baruth, one of Burlington's state senators and a longtime Ward 4 resident. It is my distinct honor this afternoon to nominate City Council President Karen Paul to become the next mayor of the Queen City of Burlington. This is a race that will turn on very, very important questions of public safety. Like me, I imagine most of you want a mayor who will make an immediate dramatic difference in the city's approach to drug use, crime, and homelessness. Karen Paul is that mayor. If you've gone to Karen's campaign website, you've seen her plan to meet this crisis. Among those changes, Karen wants to significantly expand the Howard Center's street outreach efforts. She also plans to expand the Fire Department's crisis response team and stand up a new street crime task force with voluntary overtime officers. It's a fantastic plan, and I have confidence in it, but you know as well as I do that Burlington is very often a city of two mines, sometimes three or four mines. So the next mayor will need to be a woman extremely skilled in navigating the three political parties that make up our city. In addition to being tough, she'll need to be a consummate diplomat. And I can tell you this, no one becomes president of the Burlington City Council without learning to bring Democrats, progressives, and Republicans together for the public good. I have no doubt that Karen will make us proud as the first woman elected to run the city of Burlington. And Madeleine Cunin, our first and still our only female governor, thinks so too. It matters deeply to me that our next mayor be prepared to take on the huge challenges we know she'll face. Karen is absolutely ready for this moment. I trust her. I trust her to lead this city, the city that I love, and where she leads, I will follow. And where she leads, I follow. This is from Filbert. Please join me in welcoming Karen Paul, the next mayor of the city of Burlington. Thank you. Thank you, Senator Baruth and Councillor Jang. Good afternoon, fellow Burlington Democrats. Amidst much we have to be proud of in Burlington, we are faced with serious challenges. I have never been more optimistic that we can overcome them. My name is Karen Paul, and I am running for mayor because I want to see us become a safer, more inclusive, stronger community. That's the Burlington that I want to build with you. Others have talked about the public safety crisis in order to point fingers. But placing blame does absolutely nothing to move our city forward. We need bold solutions, and we need them right away. That's why five days after my campaign launch, I came forward with a comprehensive three-year, month-by-month plan for public safety. Bold steps, actionable steps, to address the retail theft, larceny, and other crimes that are plaguing our city, to improve our laws to protect our community. I've already begun putting this plan into action by securing $100,000 in funding for security for our downtown during this critical holiday season. Of the three candidates who will ask you for your support today, I am the only leader in this race with an actionable vision, and I am the only leader with the expertise and the earned connections to implement it. What we need is a mayor who knows how to genuinely empower people, who understands our city, our budget, and our city departments, and how it all comes together. As a CPA with decades of experience in management and city government, I am the only candidate in this race who can truly hit the ground running on day one. I am the candidate in this race who has proven that she is a bridge builder. I was voted into the position of city council president unanimously, and I am deeply honored to have earned the respect and the support of my council colleagues. Sarah Carpenter and Ali Zhang in the new north end and Ben Travers in the south end have all worked with me to address our city's most pressing challenges. And although we have not agreed on every vote, they believe that I am the right choice for mayor because they know that I have the integrity, the credibility, and a proven track record of authentic leadership. Ruth Bader Ginsburg said it best, fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you. This core value has served me well in bringing the city council together and will serve me well in bringing the city together. When we have a mayor with a 15 year history of showing up for constituents, a deep knowledge of how the city's functions and a wide network of relationships across the city and state, we can make it to the other side. Phil Baruth, Howard Dean, and Madeleine Cunin have voiced their support for my campaign, and today I would be honored to receive your support as well. I need your vote to move forward in this race, to mobilize our brilliant city in tackling the complex issues that we face. Burlington is my home. It was my parents' home, and it was my grandparents' home before me.  Let's meet this moment together. Vote for me, work with me. Let's inspire one another. Let's bring out the best in one another. I'll say it again, amidst much we have to be proud of in Burlington, we are faced with serious challenges. My name is Karen Paul, and I have never been more optimistic that we can overcome them together. Thank you. What a round of applause for our three amazing candidates for mayor. All right, now let's move forward. For City Council, we're going to go in order from Ward 1 through Ward 8, and so I will open up an ask for a nomination for Jeff Hand for City Council from Ward 1, Molly Loomis. My name is Molly Loomis. I am a non-profit consultant, a parent of three kids at the Integrated Arts Academy and the president of the PTO there, and I'm here to nominate Jeff Hand for City Council. I've known Jeff for 30 years, first as freshman dorm mates in college, and we've been next door neighbors now for 13 years in Ward 1. Jeff is one of the most thoughtful, hospitable, and community-minded people you will ever meet. On Henry Street, he's organized countless neighborhood dinners, street parties, and opportunities for families to connect. In our community, Jeff has been a long-term volunteer with the Boys and Girls Club, the Burlington Football Club, and the Development Review Board. He's also one of Vermont's most respected environmental lawyers. So Jeff is a great neighbor, and he's someone who I trust deeply. He's smart, he's compassionate, and he's committed to our community. As we've heard, nobody has all the answers to the challenges our city faces right now, but I can't think of anyone more qualified to share their support, their time, and expertise, and compassion to help us find solutions together. So I hope you'll join me in supporting Jeff Hand. Thank you. Good afternoon. Thank you, Molly, so much. I really appreciate your kind words and your friendship over the years, and all the work you've done on behalf of our community. It's the head of the PTO at IAAA. And thank you all for being here in person and virtually today. It's really wonderful to see so many people involved in the caucus. I think the total is over 4,000, which is amazing. It gives me really great hope for the future of our community. I also want to start by thanking, again, the three mayoral candidates we just heard from. We have a great slate, a very passionate, dedicated, and involved women. They each have given so much to our community, and each brings their own valuable perspective to our challenges. We're lucky to have their commitment to public service, and I personally am looking forward to working together with whomever the nominee is to elect the first woman mayor in Burlington. Let's give them another round of applause. I am here for the same important reasons that I know Madison, Karen, and Joan are all here. I love Burlington. My wife, Raina, and I have lived on Henry Street for 20 years. Our two boys attend BHS. We feel very lucky to call this neighborhood our home. For those of you who don't know me, I work as an attorney at a small, mission-driven firm downtown, where I focus on environmental, renewable energy, climate change, housing, and non-profit issues. Raina is a veterinarian in South Burlington. Over the past two decades, I've had the opportunity to work with many of you directly through many different local community organizations. When our kids were young, I served on the Ward 1 Steering Committee, working on issues affecting our neighborhood from relationships with UVM and balancing both the benefits and challenges we have from living in a university town to improving local parks, helping to recommend where community block grants are invested in our work to make it more vibrant and many more things. Over the past eight years, I've served on the Development Review Board, and in that role, I've had a clear view of both the challenges and critical importance of increasing housing of all types in our community. We're making progress, but we need to do much, much more. And in my personal time, I volunteer for organizations that are focused on increasing and improving opportunities for kids in our community. As Molly mentioned, I've served on the board of the Burlington Boys and Girls Club for almost two decades, and also for inclusive arts Vermont. Our own kids grew up playing Little League at Center City at Roosevelt Park, where I enjoyed coaching a very rambunctious group of neighborhood kids, and I more recently helped found and serve as the treasurer of Burlington Football Club, which is dedicated to increasing access for kids regardless of their ability to pay. Maureen and I cherish the friendships and relationships we've built here in our community through these pursuits, and there are many things to be proud of in our community. But like many of you, we're concerned about the current state of our city. All three mayoral candidates here today have spoken about public health and public safety crises that we're facing in our community. I see the effects of that every day while cleaning up needles at our office downtown, while talking to people on the street who don't have a place to call home, and while talking to our kids about the interactions they have walking home from school. Underneath all of this, I know Burlington remains a wonderful place with a bright future, and I'm optimistic that we can change our current direction, but we have to act urgently on these issues. Doing so will require more compassion and support for our neighbors who are struggling with illness and addiction, including increased investments and harm reduction strategies that have been proven to work. We at the same time must also increase our focus on deterrence that are unholding people accountable when they break the law. And we must commit ourselves to working with state and federal and non-profit partners to address the underlying issues that are driving these crises, substance abuse, lack of housing, lack of mental health services, and the need for dire social services for those who are unhoused. I feel compelled to serve because I'm hopeful that a steady, deliberate and thoughtful approach from our city counselors can see us through these challenges. And what you will see from me in the next months ahead is a campaign based on practical approaches to these issues, an unwavering sense of hope for the future of our community, and a promise to listen to and work hard for all the residents of Ward 1. If you share that sense of hope, I encourage you to reach out and get involved. Much more to come, and I look forward to connecting with and working with all of you in the months ahead. Thank you. Thank you, Jeff, and thank you, Molly. All right, on to Ward 3 to nominate Malik Mines. I'm gonna ask Tyler Litwin to come on up. Hello, my name is Tyler Litwin. If you are a parent in Burlington or know anyone who has kids in Burlington, there's a very good chance you either know or have heard of Malik Mines, AKA Mr. Malik. I met Malik when he was working in the after-school program at Champlain Elementary School, and I was immediately struck by his genuine understanding and concern and connection with every kid and family in the program. I saw firsthand how one person with real patience and listening and a sense of humor can set the tone for a whole community and bring everyone along for the ride. Malik has continued this critical work of connection at the King Street Center as an after-school coordinator in summer school programs and as a mentor to innumerable kids of all ages. Now, maybe more than ever, we need leaders who believe in community, not just as a concept, but as a real and an essential source of strength and joy and progress, and that, to me, is Malik Mines. It is my great honor to nominate him for Ward 3 City Councilor. Well, hello, first off, everyone. I like to say that over these past few weeks of deciding to run and then getting to know everybody that I feel stronger now than ever on my decision to actually run for City Council on Ward 3. Yeah, so having lived and worked in Burlington for 10 years, I've taken on many different roles from an early childhood educator to after-school director to late-night pizza chef, to a bouncer, to managing a store on Church Street, to now working at the Department of Education at the University of Vermont, many, many more in between. I have seen firsthand all the wonderful opportunities that the City has offered, and at the same time, I have seen firsthand many areas where this City can continue to grow and improve. Housing, mental health emergencies, substance abuse, and public safety are all things that we can overcome together. I hope to bring to Ward 3 leadership that accounts for all of its vibrant perspectives, listens to its neighbors on all fronts. I love this City, and I'm hopeful for this City, and together we can keep pushing Burlington forward. Thank you. Thank you, Malik. All right, moving on to Ward 4, up in the New North End, a nomination for current City Councilor, Sarah Carpenter, Martine Gulick. Hello, Burlington Democrats. My name's Martine LaRocque-Gulick. I represent all of you in the Vermont State Senate and on the Burlington School Board. I'm proud to have the opportunity to nominate Sarah Carpenter to another term on the Burlington City Council representing Ward 4. Sarah was first elected to the City Council in March of 2020, and she's currently the Chair of the Human Resources Committee. As many of you know, she has years of housing expertise, having been Executive Director of both VHFA and Cathedral Square. Now more than ever, we need someone with Sarah's broad knowledge working to meet Burlington's many urgent needs, as we've said before. Sarah responds to constituents. She worked so hard for Burlington. Last year, she spent time in the State House, forging relationships, and seeking answers to complex problems that actually require assistance beyond our own municipality. That's the kind of effort we need in our city leaders. I'm so grateful that Sarah has stepped up to serve our community for another term, and I hope you join me, Ward 4 voters, in supporting Sarah. Sarah Carpenter. Thank you, Martine, and thank you, everybody, who's put so much effort into organizing this caucus. What a feat. It's pretty interesting for me to have it here in Edmunds, my alma mater, my family's alma mater. I'm getting a little flashback, though, of having run for City Council, so I've gotta kind of set that aside. And I also sit in this gym and keep thinking of those blue gym suits, and we gotta get over that. This last four years has really flown by for me, with so much happening, but it's a fabulous retirement job, and I'm so pleased to continue to be involved in city governance. I remember standing outside in front of St. Mark's on a very cold day in March 3rd, 2020, reaching out to everybody in person, shaking your hand. The next week, the world closed down to COVID. My first City Council meeting was Zoom, but coming out of all of that, I feel like we're recovering, and it is a time for us to be optimistic. Nonetheless, we've got so many issues to face, public safety, housing being the most daunting, and we need to continue to make those our top priority. We need to continue to do whatever we can to staff our police and fire departments properly. Our building plan is getting stronger, and I have supported all of those efforts, but we must be creative in how we recruit staff to our first responders, the police department, and all of our departments. As Chair of the Human Resources Committee, I will focus on that. Our employees are our most valuable asset, and we must continue to remember that. As others have mentioned, the state in Burlington are being crippled by rampant drug use, particularly that from the deadly effects of newer synthetic drugs. We must find more ways to reach into the community for treatment. I would like us to have many more opportunities for mobile and expanded clinics, see the addition of an overdose prevention site, and more outreach staff on the ground to work with those with substance use disorder. I look forward to a fully operational community advocacy intervention program department that really can help better coordinate all of our community responses. And with that, we need the State of Vermont Department of Health and our healthcare system to lean in with many more treatment options. Burlington has been disproportionately born the brunt of unsheltered, unhoused people in Burlington. This is a regional and statewide problem, and we need to involve our neighboring communities to tackle this. And we need to really engage the state, who in Vermont is the entity that controls human service and housing programs. I am old enough to remember when, in fact, municipalities and counties used to do more of it, but that's not the system. The system is a state system, and we need to engage them. And it's a problem all over the state, but Burlington, for many reasons, has folks stating here now that have no shelter at all, no service options, and we need to make that our top priority, and we cannot do it alone. On housing, I have a long record of being a very strong advocate, and I'm very pleased to be a current member of the Ordinance Committee and done some of the hard work on the South End Innovation District, which over time will produce hundreds and hundreds of new units of housing. Currently, I'm working on the neighborhood code zoning changes, which will allow more housing in all districts of our city. And I think that's something we really have to look forward to. And I look forward to welcoming many new residents at Cambrian Rise City Place, and of course, I also look forward to a stronger housing agreement with the University of Vermont. I know that many of you, I talk with you, have been plagued with quality of life issues. Some of that can and will be assisted by more personnel, but we also need to reform our trust pass and theft laws and get more accountability for those crimes. We need much better coordination between the city, the state's attorney's offices and established restorative justice programs. In fact, this month we plan to sponsor a resolution to address some of that. Something I plan on doing this next year, my colleagues, is to in fact spend more time in the state house. We need a presence there. All of us as citizens need to be more involved. And certainly this is something I did in my 20 years as executive director with Vermont Housing Finance, and I think our Wellington legislature are poised to engage us, but we've got to reach out beyond that. We've got to get to some of the other county representatives and that's a primary task for next season. And there's a whole list of regional issues like like health climate change that needed a holistic approach. And again, we've got to work together on getting those solved. The list is long, but I promise to be as responsive and transparent as I can. And hope that you will contact me as you do. I try to address your concerns as they come in and look forward to continuing to represent you for this next two years. Thank you so much. All right, from the North end to the South end, ward five, looking for Lenora Travis to nominate Councillor Ben Travis. Please come on up. Good afternoon, everybody. My name is Lenora Travis and I'm here to nominate my friend, Ben Travis. I met Ben when I knew just a little bit about him, but me and Farid were running against him, but to my, he is city council and I would like to say that I'm not running against him. I'm running with him. I'm running for all that Ben stands for and especially for the fact that Ben came out and helped me and tried to help other residents when we had the fire at five, six, seven St. Paul Street, where Joe Handy wouldn't do anything, but Ben stepped up and backed myself and my son who was trying to help me. He stood up for us and he saw to it that him knowing the city ordinances that the city had to come and step up and take care of all of our bills, which is what they were supposed to be doing but it was a fight, it was a struggle. But I had been on my side and I know that Ben doing this for me and trying to help other residents that were victims of five, six, seven St. Paul Street that he would do the same for any one of you. I nominate my friend Ben Travis for city council. Lenora, thank you very much nearly two years ago. As you mentioned, we ran against each other. I'm honored and grateful that since that time I've earned your trust and support. Thank you for being here today to nominate me for a second term. Thank you as well to the Burlington Democrats and the executive team for putting on this great caucus, having run our last mayoral caucus. I know the hard work that goes into it and appreciate all the efforts you've put into today. As an introduction to the hundreds of you I may be meeting today for the first time. My name is Ben Travis. I'm the city councilor representing ward five in the south end. I practice as an attorney by day and a dad by night. I ran for city council two years ago because of our community and because of our kids. My eight year old Lola and my six year old Jack are a third grader and kindergartener at Champlain Elementary. My two year old Zoe goes to preschool on North Prospect Street. My kids and our community deserve effective local government. Under Mayor Weinberger's leadership, Zoe's preschool was able to expand to take on new kids because of a grant from the early learning initiative program. Jack and Lola are now able to play in the new universally accessible playground at Oakledge Park. When my wife Becky or I need to decompress with a run, our community now has a fully completed greenway and new shared use paths right in our backyards. The road before us though, is not just limited to traditional issues like our schools, parks, roads and sidewalks. As we've heard from other candidates today, Burlington is at an inflection point. We are understandably concerned about the state of public safety, the drug and overdose crisis, the number of people in our community who are without housing and the affordability of living in Burlington. When I first ran for city council, I committed to voters that I would work to build relationships, cut through political divides and collaborate with those who are similarly willing to partner in building a better Burlington. Through these partnerships, we have made significant accomplishments over the last two years to address public safety, housing and affordability. There is much left to do though. The Burlington Police Department just graduated one of the largest academy classes in recent memory and we need to continue efforts to rebuild our police department and support Burlington's other first responders, including the excellent professionals at the Burlington Fire Department. We must continue to support our business community with stronger ordinances and initiatives to keep our downtown safe. We need to collectively call on our friends in Montpelier to take action this upcoming legislative session to strengthen statutes on crimes like organized theft and gun violence. We also need our friends in Montpelier to support more harm reduction and the creative innovative approaches Burlington is ready and willing to take on to save lives being lost to overdose. In the coming months, Burlington will be opening dozens of new beds for our homeless neighbors and we need to continue our efforts to partner with surrounding communities on long-term housing solutions. And the city council has acted this past year to remove barriers to more housing development, including by rezoning our new self-end innovation district and supporting the hundreds of new housing units that are now rising over our downtown. We need to continue these efforts. We need to continue to remove barriers to development. We need to secure more affordable housing, more home ownership opportunities and for renters like Lenora, stronger minimum housing standards that ensure all the housing in our community is safe to live in. Burlington is at an inflection point, but as we look towards the future, I believe we have many more reasons to be hopeful than fearful. I ask for your support and making sure our collective hopes become reality in the months and years to come. Thank you. All right, sticking in the south end, we do have two candidates seeking the nomination for award six. First will be a nomination for Romeo von Hermann from my good friend Keith Pillsbury. Come on up. Fellow Democrats, I'm Keith Pillsbury. My wife and I are celebrating our 50th year of wedding, of marriage, and living in our same house for 50 years on University Terrace because we love that street and we love Burlington. It is a pleasure today to nominate my neighbor across the street, Romeo von Hermann. He, my wife, Penny, and I have had many chats on our front porch for the last several years about the drug use in downtown, homelessness, and the loss of family housing to university student rentals in our area, in addition to all the things we love about Burlington. He lives in works where public safety issues and student rentals are most prevalent. He experiences a situation on Church Street as supervisor of the Green Mountain Transit Center on Cherry Street. Daily, he is called to maintain peace and safety for passengers while waiting for buses or just hanging out in the terminal. He lives on a street that has a student majority population. His experiences enhance his work as a Church Street marketplace commissioner and will inform him as our city counselor. Romeo and I have worked on the NPA Steering Committee for Ward 8, setting agendas and facilitating meeting discussions. As a facilitator in meetings, he is adept at keeping the discussion calm and making participants feel heard. He connects well with neighbors, other people by listening, asking questions, and showing empathy. In addition, Romeo is the recording officer for the Burlington Democratic Party. I am pleased to nominate my neighbor, the Ward 6 city counselor, Romeo Von Herman. Thank you, Keith, I appreciate it. I just want to make a quick correction. I stepped to the site while I'm running for office for the Burlington Democratic Party as a recording officer as that is the policy to make sure that it's fair and balanced. I want to take a first and foremost chance to thank the Democratic Party, fellow Burlingtonians, for giving me the chance to be here before you, to represent your voice at the council. As President Obama once said, democracy more than any other form of government delivers for its citizens. And as such, today, it's taken me nearly over 30 years to be able to practice democracy as an act before you. Born and raised in Mogadishah Somalia in East Africa, it's been a long, long journey. And I'm glad to be here. Neighbors, fellow Burlingtonians, my name, as you heard multiple times, is Romeo Von Herman. I'm a resident of Ward 6 right now. I work at the Green Mountain Transit Station. I was the station's customer services supervisor. I manage our only downtown transit center, which I suspect many of you do use the bus and go through our transit center. I also serve at the Church Street Marketplace Commission. As your commissioner representing the voices of residents, merchants, including mom-and-pop shops, shoppers, visitors alike for a safe and wonderful shopping experience at the downtown district. That being said, I'm excited to share about my candidacy for the Burlington Democratic Party Ward 6 City Council seat. I'm seeking your vote today, neighbors and community members, including the transit customers that send me out here, because I do care about the public safety issue that we do all face. I'm also seeking your vote because I heard from our customers, community members, law enforcement members, social services workers, city leaders, most vulnerable members of our city, residents and unhoused members that stated that they need a voice at the city council, somebody whom they see every single day, five days a week to six days a week. As such, they asked me to be that voice at the city council for a tangible change. As a municipal employee at Green Mountain Transit, I built strong working relationships and trust to represent my neighbors and the community. At my current job managing at the transit center, I deal with everyday issues in real time, such as public safety, overdoses, unused needles, unused needles that are left behind for us to pick up. I've also dealt with folks that are suffering from mental health issues, substance abuse disorders, and I do not give up or do not waver. I've also mentioned this to my council members, and I wanna emphasize on something very important. Running forward six city council is not an easy task. It's a big choose to fill because we have an amazing city counciler that represents us by the name current Paul. And I know that it's gonna be a tall order in doing so. That being said, the issues that I'm running on today as many of you are aware, number one is public safety. Ensuring a robust public safety is a top priority for me as somebody who experiences everyday in and out. As a result, I'm gonna work with our incoming Democratic mayor, city councilors, and push for increased number of police officers that to be increased at the police department from what it is right now about 80 plus to over 100 plus. I know that's gonna be difficult to do it, but we will get it done at the council. Through sign up bonuses, relocation, housing assistance, additional bonuses for services rendered, we will make sure that happens. I'm also gonna push for crime prevention programs between the city, social services, organizations, the police department, the fire department, including enhanced incidence response time, regardless of the crime being committed, data-driven policing, prevent catch and release programs that provide aid and comfort to folks that are stealing from retail stores, creating drug sales, car parking breakings, or car breakings rather, to name a few. Secondly, I wanna work on developing the downtown core. The downtown core, which I personally work which I'm certain some of you work down there, is a pretty important to me. Our downtown core is the heart of our city. As such, I support an expedited development that does not take forever. There is a tendency that our city projects takes forever to be completed and that it takes forever and years for the public to see the benefits of these projects done. I equally aim to, for a responsible development project that revitalized the downtown district, making it more safe, vibrant, well-lit, and let me say that again, well-lit downtown district that is vibrant, accessible, and appealing to all residents and visitors alike. I do apologize if I sound rather a little bit because I'm wearing my aligners. So that being said, I also wanna address neglected sites throughout the city, which I think many of you are aware when you do drive around the city. There are quite a number of vacant, both public and private buildings. That's it idly in disrepair. For many years, are also not only an eyesore, but post a public safety hazard, which we've spoken many times about. It is very important to understand that these sites are a magnet for drug sales, vulgar curvities, and used needles and human waste. We need to restore these neglected sites with beneficial use for housing, retail spaces, for local mom-pop shops, as well as community art spaces. I think that is incredibly important because if you do drive on a shell burn, you probably see those buildings sitting idly around. That being said, also for somebody who doesn't work at the transit center and the transit system, I wanna push for a robust public transit system. I suspect many of you, when you do stand out there in the street waiting for your bus, you do want a sheltered bus system as well as a well-lit area that you can take your bus on time as well. As such, I'm gonna be pushing for a robust public transit system, connecting our residents across the city with predicted frequency, better sheltered buses, well-lit stops, and seek local and state government support for more robust public transit system. Six point is that I wanna focus and make sure that we are the city council that we're focused on local issues. As I've been observing at the city council when I go to these meetings, I've noticed that from time to time through deliberative or consent agendas, there are issues that are not necessarily related rather to local issues that are brought up. And I think that is a disservice to our city. It is important that local issues that we address at the city council do affect directly our lives that we live here. And that as such, I will prioritize and make sure that issues that are focused in the council are issues that happened right here in Burlington. On that note, I wanna thank the Burlington Democratic Party for giving me a lifetime of opportunity to be part of experiencing democracy. Thank you. All right, up next, we're moving along. A nomination for Becca Brown-McNight, Megan Minan. Good afternoon, fellow Burlington Democrats. My name is Megan Minan, and it is with great joy that I am nominating my dear friend, Becca Brown-McNight for Ward 6 City Council. Becca and I have known each other since our kids started kindergarten at Edmunds Elementary four years ago. And we've gotten to know each other even better through walks around Burlington. Here's what I know about this incredible human. Becca listens. She remembers and she follows up. She recalls our past conversations and she checks in. Becca notices and stops. Recently on a walk, we noticed some dogs loose on Pearl Street. Becca stopped, engaged those that were around and solved the problem quickly, making sure that the dogs and those people around were all safe. Becca takes action. She doesn't just talk about gun safety, but she advocates and she works for change. Becca is committed. She works hard at whatever is before her, whether that is the business that she started, the beautiful garden that she tends, a project for our kids' school, or a tasty dinner that she's preparing for friends. She's a creative problem solver who is excellent at wearing all sorts of different hats. And most importantly, Becca truly loves Burlington. And we'll continue to do that as Ward 6 City Councilor. Please join me in supporting Becca Brown McKnight. Thank you. Thank you, Megan, and thank you all. It's an honor to be with you on this historic day for Burlington. I'm Becca Brown McKnight and I'm seeking the nomination for Ward 6. I'll start out by telling you a little about myself and then share my approach to some of our current challenges. I'm running because I love Burlington. As a parent, I'm so grateful to be raising kids here. They're right over there. As a businesswoman, I see all of our exciting economic opportunities. And as an almost lifetime for Monter, I know I'm here to stay. Our city is exceptional, but we're not reaching our potential. We're facing tough challenges, many of which are rooted far outside our city limits, but still need bold, local solutions. I hope to offer a new voice to shape a brighter future. I'm new to government, but not to the concept of improving the world. For nearly 10 years in my marketing business, I've helped clients amplify their vision to make the world a better place. Before that, I used my degrees in political science and an MBA to work in Washington to advocate for positive agricultural change. I'm used to being a fresh set of eyes in a challenging situation, to being the first to call out problems, as well as to the responsibility of coming to the table with innovative solutions. These are all skills I'll bring to the city council. But enough about me for now. I've spoken with over 100 of you in the weeks leading up to today. And while your lived experiences vary greatly as do your political views, there is clear consensus on our need to improve public safety. We are living in an era of both and, not either or. We need firmer boundaries and we need to lead with empathy and equity. I will work to ensure our police department is well resourced, plentifully numbered and supported. And I will also seek to improve the trust that citizens have in that department as well as the quality of service they receive. It is not okay for our cops who risk their lives on our behalf to feel like everyone hates them or to worry that the rug will be pulled from underneath them. It is also not okay for a citizen to call to report a crime and be told there's no one to help or to worry because of the color of their skin. It's not okay for kids to stumble over needles on their walk home from school. And it's also not okay that so many of us can't find the treatment we need. I am ready to face these challenges head on and to advocate for an increase in state and federal resources. We're the biggest population center in the state and I think that Burlington needs to get down to Montpelier and start making some noise. I wanna use my remaining time to underline a particularly grave issue and that's gun violence. For the past two years, Burlington has had a gun violence incident every two to three weeks with disturbing regularity. Nationwide, guns are the number one cause of death in children. Living in a picturesque town like Burlington does not make us immune to this threat. This was bought home just two weeks ago with the most recent particularly heartbreaking and horrifying incident that took place just a few blocks from this school. So that happened two weeks ago, which according to our track record means the next shooting will likely occur within just a few days or weeks. I find this chilling and unacceptable but what it is not is shocking. It's actually business as usual and it's not something that's passively happening to us. It is happening because we are actively allowing it to. Personally, I refuse to accept this as the status quo. I mean, come on, this is not the world that we all want to live in and raise our children in. And with respect, one city council resolution in two years as we saw in 2022 is not enough to combat this issue. It's something that demands our continuous attention. If elected, I will make that a top priority. I will seek our creative ways to make a difference and I'll communicate with you all about our progress as well as any roadblocks we might face on a state and national level because those are very real. Citizens of Burlington need to be informed so that we can raise up our voices and advocate for change. I'm Becca and I'm seeking your vote for Ward 6. It would be an honor to represent you. Thank you. All right, moving along back up to the north side of town, we're into looking for a nomination for Lee Morgan from Muffy Millens. Here's Muffy. Hi, my name is Muffy Mylens and I am so excited and proud to nominate my friend, Lee Morgan for Burlington City Council. I first met Lee when we both served on the Community Development Block Grant Advisory Board. Lee impressed me immediately with their dedication and commitment. After seeing their work in our community as a member of the Parks and Recreation Commission, now in their second term, I know Lee is ready to take the next step of serving on the council. I want a counselor who will be responsive, compassionate and honest. I know I'll get that from Lee. In such a critical election year for our city, I trust Lee to support our first responders, work for more affordable housing in Burlington and show up for our neighborhood. I'm asking you to support Lee so that we have representation that we can all be proud of. So I hope you will join me in supporting Lee. Thank you. Good afternoon. Thank you, Muffy, for your kind words and thank you to the Burlington Democrats for putting on this great event. You've done an incredible job. My name is Lee Morgan and I am running to be your next city counselor from Ward 7 to build a Burlington that is safe, secure and so, everyone can feel safe, secure and supported.  As someone who's formerly unhoused, I have seen the brutality of our systems and I know that we need to level the playing field to build a government that works for everybody. I knew as a kid and I know now that if I wanna see real change in my community, I have to step up and play a role in being a change maker. Since I found Burlington, my community has supported me and I have shown up for my community. I am proud to help manage millions of dollars of public funds on the Parks and Recreation Commission and to support our goals in innovating and our new priorities of public safety and syringe litter in which I have helped lead the charge. Both terms I have served, I am incredibly proud and honored to have been supported in a tripartisan effort of Democrats, independence and progressives. I believe that I was appointed because my record speaks for itself. I reach across party lines, building coalitions to get things done in Burlington. And that is important because it is more than who sits at the council table, it is about who we represent. And that is why I am seeking both nominations of the Democratic and Progressive Party because we need to rally a broad coalition of friends, neighbors and allies to get this done to work towards our goals of public safety, housing and affordability. That's who I am, that's where I've been in the community, working, talking to all of you. I am ready on day one to get things done, to hit the ground running and bring my experience and a long-term vision. So what does that look like? Well, that looks like data-driven public safety and supporting our first responders with the resources they need to do their important work. That looks like incentives to attract new police officers and retain the folks we have, while also staffing other departments. Our problems of the drug crisis and the safety of our city are interwoven. There is no simple solution. I believe part of that solution is centering harm reduction and providing people with the resources they need. It is not an either or. It is both. I have been talking to my neighbors and I feel it myself as I'm sure you all do that we are in a housing crisis that is very difficult. We have a broken housing market. Everyone needs a roof over their heads and we can make that happen. We need more sheltering options, more public options. We need to encourage higher density. We need to have zoning that empowers us to build for quality, affordable housing. Folks, let me be totally clear. We face immense challenges, but we can do this. We can build a better Burlington. I believe we can go forward together, building bridges among neighbors and bridging these divides we have. We need someone who brings the know-how, the experience, and the vision to get things done. This community has always embraced and supported me. Now I am asking for your vote in the Democratic Caucus so I can stand up and show up for you. Thank you. All right, for our second candidate in Ward 7, we're looking for a nomination for Evan Litwin and here she comes, Shereen Hart. Good afternoon, I am Shereen Hart, a parent of children who received an excellent education through Burlington schools, a downtown business owner, and yeah, we can give a shout out to the schools for sure. And a former Burlington police commissioner. I support Evan Litwin to become Ward 7's Democratic candidate for city council. Evan and I became friends over the past couple of years through his community building efforts in the New North End. During the bleakest days of COVID, when at best we communicated with neighbors from across the street while walking dogs, Evan started an online forum to help us connect with and check on each other. As any online forum proves, it was a thankless task, but he moderated it with respect for the varying views in our ward. I admire Evan's ability to collaborate with individuals along the political spectrum, even when he disagrees. He comes from a place of profound compassion, concern, and action for his neighbors, regardless of their politics. Friends, neighbors, and family in Ward 7, as a Democrat who is proud to have him as a personal friend, as a direct result of his community building efforts, I am excited to nominate Evan Litwin, a Democrat to be the Democratic candidate for Ward 7 City Councilor. Thank you. Thank you so much, Shereen. Those are moving words. And I'd like to thank everyone here, and I wish you all, if you celebrate, a happy Hanukkah. My name is Evan Litwin, and I'm seeking the Ward 7 nomination for City Council. It's humbling to consider stepping into a role that Councillor Ali-Jeng has faithfully served our community in, and not one I take lightly. My time as a teen in Montpelier was pivotal, growing up near our state house, where I showed up for every civil union debate, returning for the historic plaque dedication in 2017 with the adults who made that happen, and inspired me. And today, Burlington youth need their adults to show up for them, to provide inspiring spaces to learn, and safe streets. As a UVM student, I developed what became a lifelong passion for service through advocacy, standing up for important anti-discrimination practices, and dedicating my research scholarship to Burlington's changing social landscape and inequities that harm communities. I interned at the Burlington Probation Office, co-chair of the South Burlington Reparative Justice Board, and am now the vice chair of Burlington's Housing Board of Review. I believe in the transformative power of reparative community-led justice that centers support and accountability. After college, I entered operations management, coaching many teams of employees over the years, and this has taught me many skills, ranging from auditing and compliance investigation, to being a caring, capable, and collaborative leader. I then pursued my master's degree in a career in public service, and I have dedicated the last 11 years to doing just that, first in supporting students and alums at UVM, my alma mater, and now in public health and substance misuse prevention communications. I think about mental health, substance misuse, and our young people every day. We face complex problems that don't have simple solutions. Our downtown has increased vacancy rates. Business owners need our support to stay here. We are experiencing a public health and safety emergency, and our first responders need strong partners who will go to bat for them while expecting accountability in return. Drug manufacturing and dealing must be addressed with conviction, and those living with substance misuse disorder must have access to robust structured treatment. Those addressing the housing and affordability crisis need our support, and we need bold leaders to bring county and statewide partners to the table. All of this has to be managed while we face alarming rates, alarming increases to state property tax rates, rising rents with a 1% vacancy rate, the end of COVID relief funds, and a large expense revenue gap. We need leaders committed to smart civic management, and so if you elect me, you can expect the following. A commitment to take public trust seriously and to a high standard of ethics. My loyalty is to the people, and effective stewardship is my priority. Accountability for our public servants and also for ourselves as community members. We can't have accountability without robust data collection and analysis to inform our decision making. Respect for the rights of others to hold beliefs and opinions that differ from mine. I have always and will continue to stand up to all forms of hate and discrimination, and I am committed to a city that centers inclusivity and where we ensure diverse voices are engaged, heard, and seated at the table. A leader who values input and perspective, I will establish ways of informing you of the issues and gathering your thoughts, welcoming the help of expertise of others, including those with different lived experience than mine to inform the work at hand, and an ideas guy that will look for creative solutions and problems with a holistic and careful approach. I believe I am the right choice for the problems of this moment, and I asked my Ward 7 neighbors to vote for me as the Democratic nominee, and let me end by saying democracy doesn't just happen, so please join me in thanking the many volunteers who gave countless hours, lost a lot of sleep on behalf of our party and our city to be able to manifest this record-shattering caucus. Thank you. All right, on to the last nomination of the afternoon, East District City Councilor Tim Doherty to endorse Ward 8 City Councilor Hannah King. Thanks, Adam, and like others before me, I do want to take a moment to thank all of the wonderful members of our Democratic party here in Burlington, who I know worked so incredibly hard to make this event happen, and I also want to thank the mayor for what I believe are 12 years of amazing tireless service to our city. Thank you again, man. It's truly a pleasure and an honor to nominate my friend and colleague, Hannah King, for the Ward 8 City Council candidacy. There are so many things that I want to say on behalf of Hannah's candidacy, but I've been urged to be very, very brief, including by Hannah herself, and I will try to be so. I represent the East District, which encompasses Ward 8, so Hannah and I have had the good fortune of working together. I've had the good fortune of working with Hannah on behalf of the same constituents since March of this year, and it's due to this work, principally, that Hannah deserves our nomination and our support in the forthcoming election. On literally a daily basis, I am witness to the tireless energy and devotion that Hannah brings to the City Council and to the city, generally, but to Ward 8 specifically. I cannot begin to describe the number of late night phone calls, weekend texts, meetings that I've had with Hannah since March to talk about the agenda, to talk about proposed resolutions, to talk about issues that constituents have raised. She shows up every single day on behalf of Ward 8 and brings to her role seriousness, a devotion, and an attention to detail that I think we need more of on the City Council and that I applaud and that I have learned a tremendous amount from. Hannah and I don't always agree on every single issue and on every single vote, and that's okay. The City Council faces incredibly difficult decisions and that it is right and appropriate that we sometimes disagree, but on every issue, Hannah looks at the details, she asks herself what's right for the Ward, what's right for the City. She takes seriously the ramifications, the long-term, medium-term, short-term ramifications of the decision in front of her and she brings an incredible amount of integrity to that decision-making process. And for those reasons, I am really, really proud to nominate Hannah and urge you all to support her going forward. Hannah. Sorry, I have to maneuver. Thank you, Tim, for your kind words and willingness to nominate me today. Representing Ward 8 with you is truly an honor. Thank you to the Burlington Democrats for organizing today's historic caucus. I would like to specifically shout out my friend, Sam Doherty, for his efforts. My name is Hannah King and I'm proud to be running for the Ward 8 City Council seat. As I stand here, seeking your support for the third consecutive year, I'm reminded of the profound responsibility and the aspirations that led me to run for the Ward 8 City Council seat three years ago. Before I speak to my time serving on council this past year, I want to share my story, the same story I have shared with all of you before, a story rooted in the very fabric of Ward 8. I'm the daughter of a single mother, a mom who has dedicated her life to serving as a healthcare worker and union steward. My father was a construction worker, someone who worked tirelessly while living with his own deep struggles. Things have not always been easy, growing up with three siblings and one parent often created challenges, challenges that I'm sure many of you feel each and every day. The realities of my upbringing have instilled in me an unwavering commitment to advocacy and progressive policy making. I intimately understand the challenges faced by our community because I've walked the same path. Serving as your Ward 8 Councilor has been nothing short of an honor and a responsibility I hold dear. Today I stand before you, not just seeking a nomination but asking you to entrust me with the opportunity to continue the work we've started. Burlington faces deep seated challenges, challenges that demand proactive engagement, collaboration and an unwavering commitment to our neighborhood. As your Councilor, I pledge to be that driving force. Every vote I cast is not merely a choice but a commitment to genuine leadership. I take the responsibility seriously and have shown I deeply value the importance of collaborating with every voice at the table. Neighbors, activists and every person invested in our community's well-being. I prioritize my constituents views, especially in our toughest votes because your concerns are at the forefront of my actions. Ward 8 deserves leadership that not only listens but remains steadfast. A Councilor committed to being present, engaged and dedicated to the betterment of our community. In the face of challenges, I believe Ward 8 deserves consistent leadership, leadership that doesn't waver, leadership that works tirelessly for your interests. I'm here to be that leader, to stand by you and to continue working relentlessly on behalf of Ward 8. Thank you for your consideration and continued support. This is going to be another tough fight but I can promise I will continue showing up and doing the work as I always have. Thank you. All right, how about a round of applause for all the candidates that we heard from today. Somehow, through the work of all the volunteers that have made this happen, we are on time. I don't know how that happened but thank you for everyone for being here and thank you for everyone at home or wherever you may be streaming live on channel 17. How about a round of applause for town meeting TV? So in just 10 minutes, the voting period will start at 3 p.m. promptly. You'll have two hours to cast your ballot. So we'll end at 5 p.m. We'll have the results soon thereafter. I will put them up on our website. We'll email the results out. I'll come and address the stream with the results. Might check in a few times within that two hours for reminders but channel 17 is also gonna put up some information for any voter at home. If you have any issues at all, email our help support team and we will get to you as soon as we can. Thank you all for being here. You're welcome to stay and hang out and mingle but for right now I'm gonna hand it off to channel 17 who will put up some information pretty soon and in 10 minutes, look for your ballot. If it's not there by 315, check your spam folder. If then you can't find it, email us. All right, thank you so much. We have the results, folks at home, folks in the room. For mayor, the votes cast were 3,333. In order to earn a nomination, you would need to earn 1,667. The results, Joan Shannon, 1,689. Karen Paul, 1,173. C.D. Madison, 471. Joan did earn the majority. Inward six, votes cast, 584. Needed to win, 239. Becca Brown, McKnight, 375. Romeo von Herman, 209. Congratulations to Becca. Inward seven, cast, votes 421. Needed to win, 211. Evan Litwin earned 288. Lee Morgan, 133. Congratulations Evan. That concludes the nominating caucus. Congratulations to all of our candidates. Thank you all and have a great night.