FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
June 5, 2020 
Contact: Olivia LaVecchia 
                (802) 734-0617 

Mayor Miro Weinberger and Chief Jennifer Morrison Release Updated Use of Force Policy and Urge Swift Adoption 

Administration will work closely with Police Commission as Commission convenes an emergency meeting next week to review new policy; New policy includes all use of force recommendations made by City’s Special Committee to Review Policing Policies; When adopted Burlington policy will include all of the #8CantWait reforms; Mayor Weinberger signs President Obama’s Mayors Pledge  

 
Burlington, VT -- Today, Mayor Miro Weinberger and Chief Jennifer Morrison released a draft, new Use of Force Policy and urged its swift adoption. The Administration will work closely with the Police Commission to adopt a new use of force policy as quickly as it can. The draft policy includes all of the recommendations made by the Burlington Special Committee to Review Policing Policies which met from August, 2019 through February, 2020. The Burlington Police Department's current use of force policy lags behind its training and practices, and the new draft policy is more consistent with the values of the Burlington community, is clearer for officers to follow, and incorporates many of the best practices of American policing – including all eight of the #8CantWait reforms on police use of force that are part of President Obama’s Mayors Pledge. 

“The killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers has again exposed that our country continues to be defined by deep and structural racism,” said Mayor Miro Weinberger. “It also has again brought into focus the many real problems that exist in American policing. In Burlington, we have for years been working to chart a different path, and build a police department that reflects the values of our community and embraces the forward-thinking policies and practices of 21st century policing. At the same time, we can and must do better. By adopting this new, clear, progressive use of force policy we take an immediate and meaningful additional step to improve our practices, and to show others the path toward better American policing. We are committed to additional critical improvements and further steps with the Council, Commission, and public in the months ahead.” 

“We have been working for months to develop this new Use of Force Directive for the Burlington Police Department, and believe that once adopted and implemented, it will be one of the most comprehensive and forward-thinking use of force policies in the nation,” said Chief of Police Jennifer Morrison. “This policy is the result of months of public engagement and work by the Special Committee to Review Policing Policies. I am looking forward to working with the Police Commission to adopt it as quickly as we can, because I agree with many in our community that these changes can no longer wait.” 

Mayor Weinberger, City Council President Max Tracy, Public Safety Committee Chair Perri Freeman, and multiple Police Commissioners have been in active communication this week to determine a path to finalizing the policy. The Police Commission will convene an emergency meeting next week to review, amend, and consider adopting this new use of force policy, even as the Commission or City Council may simultaneously launch a longer review to further refine the policy. 

Background and Key Elements of New Use of Force Policy 

From August 2019 to February 2020, the Special Committee to Review Policing Policies, a 14-person and multi-stakeholder group, held twice-monthly public meetings that focused in large part on reviewing and revising Burlington’s use of force policy. They delivered a report on their work to the City Council on February 18, but plans for a further report in March were interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic. The current draft use of force policy incorporates recommendations and corrections that were contained in the Committee’s presentation to the Council in February. 

The new policy contains many key elements, and incorporates clear requirements for de-escalation, duty to intervene, verbal warnings, and reporting all uses of force. These elements include: 

1) De-escalation: The new directive defines de-escalation at length, and states clearly: “When feasible, officers will use de-escalation and other techniques to reduce the immediacy of threats to peoples’ safety and stabilize incidents. Whenever possible, officers will seek to slow things down. Not every situation or subject can be deescalated. Conversely, officer behavior can escalate a situation. Officers should not intentionally escalate situations unnecessarily” (DD05.01 III.A). 

2) Chokeholds: The new directive states: “Any restraint or technique that applies pressure to the carotid artery, jugular vein, trachea, or the neck that may render the subject unconscious by restricting airflow or the flow of blood to and from the brain is to be AVOIDED and should be used ONLY under circumstances that would otherwise warrant the use of lethal force” (DD05.02 IV.B.1). 

3) Duty to intervene and excessive force: The new directive states: “Using excessive force is a ‘higher-level infraction’ as defined by the Agreement Between City of Burlington and the Burlington Police Officers’ Association. It may result in criminal and civil liability and will result in department discipline, up to and including termination” (DD05.05 II.G.1). The directive also clearly outlines that officers have a duty to intervene: Failure to intervene in the use of excessive force is a higher-level infraction as defined by the Agreement Between City of Burlington and the Burlington Police Officers’ Association. It may result in criminal and/or civil liability. It will result in department discipline, up to and including termination” (DD05.01 III.E). 

4) Shooting at moving vehicles: The new directive prohibits discharging a firearm at or from moving vehicles, with two extreme exceptions. It states: “An officer will not discharge a firearm at or from a moving vehicle unless: 1. The vehicle is operated in a manner deliberately intended to strike a person, and all other reasonable means of defense have been exhausted (or are not present or practical), which includes moving out of the path of the vehicle; or 2. A person in the vehicle is threatening the officer or another person with deadly force by means other than the vehicle” (DD05.03 IV.B). 

5) Force continuum: The new directive outlines a seven-step continuum, beginning at “officer presence/verbal commands” and culminating in “firearms or other lethal force.” It also states: “When an officer determines that the use of force is necessary and appropriate to respond to resistance, keep people safe, and/or accomplish lawful law-enforcement objectives, the officer shall only use objectively reasonable force as determined by totality of circumstance” (DD05.02 IV). 

6) Exhaust all reasonable means prior to deadly force: The new directive states clearly, “Lethal force should be a last resort. When time permits, officers should exhaust all other reasonable means, or a situation must exclude all other reasonable means.” 

7) Verbal warnings prior to the use of force: The new directive requires verbal warnings prior to use of force. It states: “When time permits and it is safe to do so, an officer should: 1. Make reasonable efforts to identify himself/herself as a police officer; 2. Inform the subject of the reason for the law-enforcement encounter; 3. State by what authority the subject is being detained, arrested, or otherwise taken into custody; 4. Offer clear instructions describing what the subject must do to comply; 5. Make clear statements about what consequences may attach for lack of compliance; 6. Warn that force may be used, unless the officer has the objectively reasonable belief that verbal warning will jeopardize the officer or another person; 7. Document their verbal commands; When multiple officers are at an incident, verbal commands work best when delivered by one designated officer, or ‘contact officer’” (DD05.02 IV.A).

8) Reporting every use of force: The new directive states: “Officers have an affirmative duty to report all uses of force. Accurate, timely reporting facilitates ethical leadership and oversight. Officers also have a duty to report force used against them, in order to paint an accurate picture of the risks they face and of subjects’ behavior. Reporting officers’ uses of force and subjects’ resistance enhances transparency, which is a key part of maintaining community trust and police legitimacy” (DD05.01 III.H). Because pointing a firearm or TASER is considered a use of force, we also require reporting those “threats” of force. 

Burlington Seeks to Do Policing Differently 

This policy follows years of work to address the real problems that exist in American policing, and seek to do policing differently here in Burlington. In recent years, the Burlington Police Department has taken a number of actions to embrace the principles of 21st century policing, including: 

• Overhauling how BPD responds to acute mental health episodes following the troubling officer-involved death of Phil Grenon in 2016, including through policy, training, and acquisition of specialized equipment; 
• Dramatically changing how BPD does traffic stops in order to better allocate officers’ time and reduce racial disparities in traffic stops; 
• Collaborating with the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and other agencies to create 10 Standards of Care for Policing the Opioid Epidemic, and establishing CommunityStat, a robust, multi-agency response to the opioid epidemic led by the Department and the Mayor that has contributed to a dramatic reduction in area overdose deaths over the last two years; 

• Undertaking and publishing a major study of the recruitment and training of police officers of color; 
• Making it easier for people to issue complaints about the conduct of police officers through an online form and in-person options available through community partners; 
• Increasing the size of our civilian Police Commission in order to accelerating diversifying this group; 
• Advocating for reforms in how new police officers are trained at the statewide Vermont Police Academy; 
• Severing ties between the Burlington Police Department and the U.S. Department of Defense, so that unlike many police departments, the BPD does not accept any specialized military equipment; 

• Codifying Burlington’s long-standing policy of not inquiring about immigration status while conducting routine policing 
• Assigning an officer to be a Domestic Violence specialist within the department; 
• And many others. 

Most recently, this week, Chief Morrison, at the request of Mayor Weinberger, also made explicit by order that going forward Burlington officers will have a duty to intervene if they witness misconduct, excessive use of force, or any other violation of department rule or policy. This “duty to intervene” is also part of the new use of force policy. 

This new use of force policy is an important next step. At the same time, having policies written down is not enough. For such policies to be meaningful, they must be backed by training and departmental culture. On top of formal trainings, officers have daily meetings with leadership and often analyze recent interactions together in order to learn from each other and ensure consistent conduct.  

Mayor Weinberger Signs On to President Obama’s Mayors Pledge, and New Policy Incorporates All Eight of the #8CantWait Reforms 

Today, Mayor Weinberger also announced that he has signed on to President Barack Obama’s Mayors Pledge. Dozens of constituents reached out to the Mayor’s Office asking Mayor Weinberger to sign on, and as discussed above, Burlington has already been engaged in a months-long process to take the actions that the pledge outlines: 1) Review police use of force policies, 2) Engage the community by including a diverse range of input, experiences, and stories in the review, 3) Report the findings of the review to the community and seek feedback, and 4) Reform police use of force policies. 

Following the process with the Special Committee to Review Policing Policies, and further process that will occur with the Burlington Police Commission, Burlington is now at step four: reform police use of force policies. The new policy incorporates all eight of Campaign Zero and the Police Use of Force Project’s #8CantWait reforms. 

Please see: 
- Draft use of force policy [PDF]

Watch the recording of the press conference:

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
June 5, 2020 
Contact: Olivia LaVecchia 
                (802) 734-0617 

Mayor Miro Weinberger Announces Eight-Point Plan to Protect BIPOC Communities and Ensure a Racially Just Recovery 

Burlington, VT – This week, Mayor Miro Weinberger and Tyeastia Green, the City’s Director of Racial Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging, announced an eight-point plan to protect black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) communities and ensure a racially just recovery from the coronavirus. The full plan is summarized below. 

“As a result of generations of structural racism, black Americans are dying at nearly two and a half times the rate of whites in this pandemic,” said Mayor Miro Weinberger. “Until the pandemic ends, we must do all we can to protect our BIPOC communities from the virus, ensure that our relief and recovery efforts get these communities the emergency resources they need, and work for a future in which black lives no longer face such exceptional and disparate risks. I am grateful to the City’s first director of Racial Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging, Tyeastia Green, for jumping right in and leading this work.” 

“We are living through a chapter of history that will be studied by our grandchildren, and how we respond to what’s happening now will undoubtedly be under a microscope for years to come,” said Tyeastia Green, the City’s Director of Racial Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging. “Burlington will be on the right side of history. This is our moment to break down those structures of racial inequality that we’ve all gotten too comfortable with. We are taking actionable steps to weed out any structure, process, policy, or institution that is inherently racist, whether intentionally or not.” 

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Eight-Point Plan to Protect BIPOC Communities and Ensure a Racially Just Recovery 

The City of Burlington’s response to the coronavirus must include deliberate steps to protect those who are medically vulnerable, as well as those who have experienced systemic inequalities based on socioeconomic status, historical injustice, and race and ethnicity. To ensure that, this eight point plan is the framework that will guide Burlington’s efforts throughout this emergency.1 Each area incorporates work that the City has already begun in its response to the coronavirus, as well as a vision for future work in these areas. Along with this plan, the City also is forming a Racial Equity Rapid Response Team to guide this work and ensure that it is responsive to the needs of the communities it is intended to support. 

1. 1. Support robust efforts to “Box In” the virus 

By working to “box in” the virus through the strategies of testing, isolation, tracing, and quarantine, we can continue to limit the spread of the coronavirus in Burlington – which in turn keeps our entire community safe. This is particularly true for the members of our community most impacted by the virus, including those who are people of color, work in front-line jobs, have underlying health conditions, or are seniors. This is why the City of Burlington has worked with the State of Vermont, the University of Vermont, and Champlain College to develop a local version of the “Box It In” plan, and why the City has launched the Supportive Quarantine Pilot Program to help ensure that people returning to town, including students, have the information and supports that they need to quarantine safely. 

2. 2. Track data on COVID-19 cases by race, ethnicity, and geography 

By tracking disaggregated data, we can better understand which groups are most affected and inform our decisions about where to invest resources such as testing, personal protective equipment, and social services. We are working with the Vermont Department of Health to expand the publicly available disaggregated race data for Burlington and Chittenden County, and will highlight this data on the City’s COVID-19 dashboard. 

3. 3. Communicate and build trust with communities of color 

We need to ensure that information about the pandemic is reaching BIPOC communities, and hear from them about the impacts. To address this need, in April, the City launched the Trusted Community Voices program to employ individuals who will help us improve two-way communications with immigrant and refugee communities in Burlington – through the COVID-19 emergency and beyond. Additionally, we will soon be announcing a new Racial Equity Rapid Response Team, made up of City staff and community members, to help us build stronger communications with all communities of color for the remainder of this emergency. 

4. 4. Enhance access to testing and health care 

BIPOC communities are historically less likely to get referrals for testing, and more likely to mistrust institutions due to discriminatory experiences. We are working with the University of Vermont Medical Center (UVMMC) and Community Health Centers of Burlington (CHCB) to ensure that BIPOC individuals have the access to health care that they need during this crisis. This includes working with CHCB to evaluate the capacity of its mobile testing unit and a possible expansion, helping to translate and disseminate information about health, and working with BIPOC communities to emphasize preventative healthcare.  We also will work with medical partners to root out structural racism in the medical profession to ensure that BIPOC communities receive equitable medical and public health care going forward.  

5. 5. Protect essential and low-wage workers 

Individuals from BIPOC communities are more likely to work in jobs that are considered essential or pay lower wages. The City has been working from the first weeks of this pandemic to provide masks and other supplies to essential workers, and is considering other ways to encourage sick leave and testing policies. Already, through the BTV Community Mask Initiative, the City worked to produce and distribute more than 20,000 free, high-quality masks. These masks were first available to any essential worker in Burlington who requested one for themselves or on behalf of their organization, and the City distributed masks to more than 80 organizations, including grocery stores, health care providers, and non-profit housing agencies. The City also procured and distributed over 100 touchless thermometers to essential organizations early in the crisis when these items were difficult to secure to keep those facilities and their workers safe. 

6. 6. Provide social services to keep vulnerable groups safe 

The members of our community who are most impacted by the coronavirus include BIPOC individuals, immigrants, seniors, and those with low incomes who may not be able to practice physical distancing. The City can support these groups with access to food, shelter, transportation, and medical care. This component of the plan includes several key areas: 

Food security – Many in our community are experiencing food insecurity right now. Organizations in Burlington are working to meet this need, including the Burlington School Food Project, Feeding Chittenden, and Age Well’s Meals on Wheels program. The City has also launched several initiatives to supplement these efforts, including the Burlington Food Relief Program to organize local restaurants to cook 750 meals per week for local non-profits, and Plant for the People to collect 100,000 pounds of additional produce as a community this growing season for our local food shelf.  

Housing – The City is dedicating half of its federal CDBG-Coronavirus allocation to provide rent relief for low-to-moderate-income individuals and families who have been impacted by the coronavirus. 

Education and job training – The City is at work developing initiatives to help ensure that BIPOC students aren’t left behind during this crisis, and to help BIPOC community members train for higher-paying jobs. 

Childcare – The City’s Early Learning Initiative focuses on increasing the availability and affordability of childcare. At the end of May, the City re-launched the applications for the second year of the initiative’s scholarship program. 

Transportation – We continue to work to evaluate how the City can help ensure that public transportation is safe and available during this pandemic. 

7. 7. Ensure communities of color have access to and receive targeted, equitable share of economic relief and recovery resources 

BIPOC entrepreneurs have fewer financial resources to start or sustain a business, and BIPOC communities need assistance with the economic disruption of COVID-19. These efforts are ongoing and continue to be developed, but include the Resource & Recovery Center’s work to help unbanked businesses access federal grant and loan programs, the rent relief program discussed above, and other initiatives. 

8. 8. Identify structural progress that we can achieve with the emergency response 

We are working to make sure that Burlington not only emerges from this pandemic, but does so as an even stronger and more just community. In this category, the City is working on initiatives that include progress toward the long-held goal of creating a year-round low-barrier shelter for people who are experiencing homelessness, creating more housing throughout the City, and working to address the root causes of social and structural racism. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 29, 2020
Contact: Olivia LaVecchia
(802) 734-0617

Statements from Mayor Weinberger and Chief Morrison Condemning the Killing of George Floyd and Promoting Racial Justice in Burlington

Burlington, VT – At his public briefing earlier today, Mayor Weinberger shared the following statement condemning the killing of George Floyd and recommitting to the work of promoting racial justice in Burlington. The Mayor was joined by Chief of Police Jennifer Morrison, whose statement also is below.

Statement from Mayor Weinberger:

“I want to start today by looking outside of Burlington’s borders and condemning, in the strongest possible terms, the actions that led to the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers earlier this week.

“I have watched the videos and seen photos of the encounter between Mr. Floyd and the officers. The images are horrific and the conduct intolerable. I fully support the immediate dismissal of the officers involved and the arrest of the lead officer earlier today. 

“Criminal conduct has to have criminal sanctions. And in more and more cases, that’s what’s happening. That’s a good thing. But it also is unacceptable that five years after the national reckoning sparked by events in Ferguson, Baltimore, Cleveland, and elsewhere, the total number of Americans killed by police has stayed the same, year after year, and that our communities have failed to prevent more of these needless killings. The fact that George Floyd’s killing occurred amid a pandemic that is taking the lives of black Americans at far higher rates than it is white Americans because of structural, multi-generational racism casts an even darker shadow on his death.

“What must we do here in Burlington? Certainly we must continue with and recommit ourselves to the work we have been pursuing for years, which is meant to ensure that no one who wears the Burlington Police Department uniform ever commits such a heinous act, and that roots out racism and implicit bias in all its forms. This work is ongoing, and must remain a high priority even at during a time of Police Department leadership transition and public health crisis.

“But, that is not enough. We also must condemn such racial injustices wherever and whenever they happen. I take heart, at least, in that something unusual is happening this week. Activists and political leaders are rightly speaking out. And they are not alone: America’s police chiefs also are denouncing the behavior of the Minneapolis officers, including our own Chief Jennifer Morrison, who is here to share her perspective on this difficult week.”

Statement from Chief Morrison:

“The death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers is an atrocity. It is horrifying and a perversion of everything that American police are meant to do. It is the antithesis of protecting and serving and goes against every piece of training I have had or overseen in my 30 years on the job. I am outraged and sick and frustrated by this incident. 

“Kudos to Chief Arradondo for firing the officers involved without waiting for cumbersome and lengthy investigations. Normally, I am all about ‘process’ but in this case, swift, decisive, and meaningful action was appropriate.

“I have struggled to create a coherent message so far because everything I feel and am struggling with is a tiny fraction of the reality that people of color must feel, particularly in places where police-community relations are frayed or just plain bad. I'm wrestling with not wanting my opinions to take up air time when the voices we should be listening to right now are those of the folks most impacted by this. Right now I, and we, need to do more listening and less talking. 

“We need to listen to our community and vow to never let an incident like this happen here. We are committed to continuing to work with community partners, including communities of color, to make police-community relations in Burlington as strong as possible. Working together, we can build a stronger and more just community. The men and women of BPD are professionals who take their oath to protect and serve very seriously. The events that happened in Minneapolis have no place in professional policing and I condemn them in the strongest possible way.”

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Tuesday, May 12, 2020

5:10 p.m.

On Tuesday, Mayor Miro Weinberger hosted a Telephone Town Hall to discuss what's next in our response to the COVID-19 emergency. Mayor Weinberger was joined by two exciting guests: 
- Dr. Joshua Sharfstein of the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. Dr. Sharfstein oversees the Office of Public Health Practice and Training at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and directs the Bloomberg American Health Initiative. He previously served as Commissioner of Health for the City of Baltimore, among many other roles.
- Dr. Stephen Leffler, President and Chief Operating Officer of the University of Vermont Medical Center
 

After an overview of strategies for the road ahead, Mayor Weinberger, Dr. Sharfstein, and Dr. Leffler responded to questions from Burlingtonians. View the recording of the Town Hall Meeting:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 8, 2020
Contact: Olivia LaVecchia
                 (802) 734-0617

Statement in Response to Arrest of Second Individual Involved in Homicide

Burlington, VT – Today, the Burlington Police Department announced the arrest of a second individual involved in the April 26, 2020 homicide on North Avenue. In response, Mayor Miro Weinberger released the following statement:

“Two weeks ago, a 38-year-old Burlingtonian named Steven Martin died in an exchange of gunfire on North Avenue. In the days since, our Burlington Police Department has worked relentlessly with State and Federal partners to collect evidence, identify witnesses and suspects, build cases, and find and arrest both individuals. While only one suspect has been charged with homicide in State court at this point, we anticipate the second individual will be arraigned on similar charges in the near future. For now, he is in custody on other State and Federal charges and is not a danger to the public.

“I am grateful to our officers for putting in many long days and nights on this case, and appreciative, as always, for the dedication and skill of our Police Department. These kinds of tragedies don’t happen often here in Burlington, but when they do, we work relentlessly to bring them to resolution and seek justice.”

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 6, 2020
Contact: Olivia LaVecchia
                (802) 734-0617

Human Resources Director Deanna Paluba to Begin Position as U.S. Employee Relations Manager at Global Foundries

Burlington, VT – Mayor Miro Weinberger announced today that Deanna Paluba, the City’s Human Resources Director, has accepted the position of U.S. Employee Relations Manager at Global Foundries and will leave her position as the City’s Director of Human Resources on May 12. In Deanna’s time with the City, she established the Belonging, Equity, and Inclusion Employee Resources Group, played a key role in the creation and hiring of the City’s first Racial Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Director, and developed and updated several important City personnel policies. Deanna also created the Talent, Diversity, and Development role and established new processes for how we hire, recruit, and develop City employees. 

“It has been an honor and a privilege to be a part of the City of Burlington’s leadership team and to support the hard working and dedicated employees of the City,” said Deanna Paluba.

“I am grateful for Deanna’s service to the City,” said Mayor Weinberger. “Deanna played a crucial role in strengthening the City’s HR processes and moving forward our work to become a more equitable and inclusive City, while establishing a foundation for the City to make further progress.”

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 23, 2020
Contact:  Olivia LaVecchia
                 (802) 734-0617

Statement from Mayor Miro Weinberger on Shooting at Champlain Farms

Burlington, VT – In response to the shooting at the Champlain Farms located at 219 Main Street on Wednesday, Mayor Miro Weinberger released the following statement:

"This incident is a highly troubling reminder of the widespread threat of gun violence in this country, and the great challenges our system has stopping dangerous, unstable behavior. Passersby near the shooter feared for their lives in a way that no Burlingtonian should ever have to endure. Thankfully, due in large part to the bravery and decisive action of Luz Winters — an officer with less than two years of service with the department — the shooter was taken into custody peacefully and no one was hurt. We are fortunate to have such skilled and committed public safety officers.”

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 6, 2020
Contact:  Olivia LaVecchia
                 (802) 734-0617

Mayor Miro Weinberger Declares that the State of the City Is a State of Emergency

In annual State of the City address, Mayor Weinberger outlines the challenges in the months ahead in response to COVID-19, the steps City government will take to get through this crisis, and a vision for Burlington’s future

Burlington, VT – Tonight, Mayor Miro Weinberger delivered the annual State of the City address through the online platform Zoom, during which he reported that the State of the City is a State of Emergency. The Mayor outlined the crisis that we face in our response to the COVID-19 coronavirus, how we can start thinking about what the months ahead will hold, the work that City government has done and will continue to do through this pandemic, and a vision for how Burlington can emerge from this crisis as an even stronger and more just community.

“The State of the City is a state of emergency,” Mayor Weinberger said at the beginning of the address. “It is an emergency that is likely to last in some form for many months and that threatens us all, regardless of class, race, or age. And it is an emergency in which we each have a role to perform to save as many of our neighbors as possible, and to ensure that the Burlington of tomorrow is a city that emerges with renewed and even increased strength and vitality.”

Some of the highlights in each of the four main parts of the speech included:

• Our current moment:
  • “We believe we are approaching the crest of the public health emergency… We know that the number of deaths is very likely to rise… yet, at the same time, it is clear today that, thanks to the commitment and effort of the overwhelming majority of Burlington and Chittenden County residents, we are succeeding in flattening the curve.”
• What the months ahead may hold:
  • “The future still remains very uncertain. However, the major outlines of the months ahead are beginning to take shape… public health experts expect that there will be three major stages of responding to this pandemic.”
  • “Stage One is our current stage, the Stay Home stage, where slowing the spread of the virus can only be achieved through extreme physical distancing measures. We will probably need to stay in this posture until two big things happen: 1) the State reports sustained reduction in cases for approximately two weeks, and 2) we dramatically expand our capacity to battle the virus.”
  • “Stage Two of our COVID-19 response will involve a planned, phased, and strategic, reopening of society, even as the threat of the virus remains… Here’s the hard reality: public health experts believe that Stage Two will probably last for 12-18 months.”
  • “Stage Three will be essentially going back to our lives before coronavirus, and we are unlikely to be able to get there until a vaccine has been developed and most people can be immunized.”
  • “This virus makes clear to us that we must all work collectively for the common good; that the steps we take to protect ourselves also support our neighbors; and, in short, that we are only as strong as our community. I have seen this spirit in Burlington in countless ways in recent weeks.”
• How City government has responded and will respond to get through this disaster:
  • “Since we first began preparing for the arrival of the virus in February, we have been guided by the evidence that in global pandemics, local actions matter. As a result, we have dramatically reorganized City government to respond to this challenge.”
  • “Among the many efforts the City is pursuing, there are three major initiatives underway.” These are a community mask production initiative, the Resource & Recovery Center’s work to help Burlingtonians who need it, and action to give property taxpayers and their residential and commercial tenants who need it more time to respond to this crisis without additional costs.
  • “In order to undertake these and other major initiatives, and to otherwise mount the emergency response to this crisis, and to recognize the new financial realities the City itself is facing, the City will need focus, sacrifice, and prioritize. We are anticipating a revenue shortfall of $5 million in the fourth quarter of this fiscal year alone, and even larger losses in Fiscal Year 21… Even as we will have to make sacrifices, though, we will not compromise on or defer core Burlington values.”
• How Burlington can emerge from this crisis as an even better, stronger, and more just community:
  • “While crises hold tragedy, loss, and hardship, they also can be times of transformation. In being forced to remake so much of our reality to respond to this pandemic, we also have the opportunity to remake parts of our future. I believe that we can find some lasting good in our response to COVID-19.”

Mayor Weinberger closed the address with gratitude.

“Above all, I am grateful for our Burlington community. This crisis has, already, reshaped so much of what was familiar to us just a month ago,” he said. “One thing, though, hasn’t changed. Burlington continues to be a place where we leave chalk messages of greeting on the sidewalk for our neighbors walking by, where we volunteer to deliver meals to the front doors of seniors, and where, quite simply, we look out for each other. I know that we will get through these weeks and months ahead the same way we’ve gotten through the past few – together.”

Please see the complete 2020 State of the City address below.

Good evening residents of Burlington and City Councilors.

We meet tonight remotely, at a time of disruption and uncertainty with little precedent in our memories.

Our City, and the globe, are under deadly assault from a foe, the COVID-19 coronavirus, that we cannot see and still do not fully understand.

Our schools are closed and our college campuses are quiet.

The Church Street Marketplace, the hub of daily Burlington life for nearly 40 years, is empty, and only businesses essential for sustaining life remain open.

Our residents are under order from the Governor to Stay Home and are advised to cover their faces for safety when on the street pursuing essential tasks.

We look out our windows and see sprouting lily bulbs, robins, and neighbors on bikes – but these signs do not carry the sense of renewal and life of a typical spring.

In the last 19 days, we have lost at least nine Burlingtonians, and dozens more are battling the virus as I speak.

Those of us who have older parents fear for them, communicate with them through closed glass windows and online cameras, and wonder how long it will be before we can embrace them again.

Just behind this crisis of health, there also looms a crisis of economic disruption. Thousands of Burlingtonians have lost their jobs in recent weeks as massive sectors of the economy have ground to a halt. Renter or owner, employee or employer, all fear for the future of our homes, jobs, and businesses.

In short, the state of the City is a state of emergency. It is an emergency that is likely to last in some form for many months and that threatens us all, regardless of class, race, or age. And it is an emergency in which we each have a role to perform to save as many of our neighbors as possible, and to ensure that the Burlington of tomorrow is a city that emerges with renewed and even increased strength and vitality.

This is my ninth State of the City address, an annual speech that is required of the mayor by the City Charter. Tonight’s, though, is unique in many ways, including that my entire address will be about the COVID-19 emergency and how we will get through it.

Throughout this emergency, I have attempted to communicate daily with details and facts about the local response to COVID-19. In this address tonight, I plan to speak to four key pieces of the road ahead.

First, I will outline my thoughts on the context of our current moment.

Second, I will speak to the challenges I believe we may face for the next 12-18 months.

Third, I will summarize how we have reshaped City government over the last month and the steps we have and will take to ensure that we get through this crisis.

And fourth, I will share a vision for how Burlington can emerge as an even better, stronger, and more just community.

I will begin with our current moment.

Tonight, we believe we are approaching the crest of the public health emergency. The State is projecting that the crisis will peak sometime this month. Yesterday, the country’s Surgeon General warned that, "This is going to be the hardest and the saddest week of most Americans’ lives.”

Here in Burlington, we know that the number of deaths is very likely to rise. We wish great strength to the dozens of our neighbors who are currently battling infections and to their families and loved ones.

And yet, at the same time, it is clear today that, thanks to the commitment and effort of the overwhelming majority of Burlington and Chittenden County residents, we are succeeding in flattening the curve. Barring an unlikely change of events, we are on course to stay well within the capacity of our health care system– which has been our paramount goal since this emergency began. Even amid the tragedy that our current moment holds, we also should recognize that together we have achieved a significant accomplishment, that was by no means assured one month ago.

Where do we go as a community from here? The future still remains very uncertain. However, the major outlines of the months ahead are beginning to take shape. We all are hungry to start thinking about what lies ahead, and need to start planning for it. I am going to do my best to level with you tonight about how I am thinking about what is before us, despite the risk that some of what I say may turn out to be wrong. Good outcomes in the months ahead will require both continued urgent government planning and action, and all of us to understand and commit to still more sacrifice and cooperation.

Public health experts expect that there will be three major stages of responding to this pandemic.

Stage One is our current stage, the Stay Home stage, where slowing the spread of the virus can only be achieved through extreme physical distancing measures. We will probably need to stay in this posture until two big things happen: 1) the State reports sustained reduction in cases for approximately two weeks, and 2) we dramatically expand our capacity to battle the virus.

During this period, we must use this time to our advantage. We have a lot of work to do to quickly develop new capacities to detect and test for COVID-19, to contact trace, to safely and supportively isolate individuals who test positive, and to ensure our health care system has everything it needs to sustain high levels of COVID-19 care. Burlington will continue to work closely with the Governor’s team in the weeks ahead to ensure that government is collectively ready when conditions allow us to move to the next phase.

If we remain committed to social distancing and the current trends reported by the Department of Health continue, hopefully we could drive down new cases to the levels we need sometime in the next one to two months. The better we each do our part, the less transmission there will be, and the sooner we can start re-opening parts of society and the economy.

Stage Two of our COVID-19 response will involve a planned, phased, and strategic, reopening of society, even as the threat of the virus remains. 

Vulnerable facilities, like nursing homes, will need to remain restricted and highly vigilant during this period. With each new sector of society that re-opens, we will need to watch carefully for new infections and work very hard to contain them when they do occur.

During Stage Two, as we live with the threat of the virus, we will need to continue hand-washing, avoiding touching our faces, capturing coughs and sneezes, cleaning surfaces frequently, and the other strategies that have become such a large part of our lives over the last month. Face masks also will be an important part of slowing the virus in the months ahead – more on that in a minute.

If virus spread within the community again becomes uncontrolled, we may need to re-impose some or all of the Stage One restrictions until the virus is suppressed again.

Here’s the hard reality: public health experts believe that Stage Two will probably last for 12-18 months.

Stage Three will be essentially going back to our lives before coronavirus, and we are unlikely to be able to get there until a vaccine has been developed and most people can be immunized.  Perhaps we will get relief sooner – many viruses do not do well in the summer heat, and it is possible that innovative medical treatments or even a vaccine could become available more quickly.  While we can reasonably hope for better, we should plan and prepare ourselves for a long, challenging fight.

Throughout Stages One and Two, concerns about the virus will impact our economy significantly. It is important to recognize, however, that successful social distancing, hygiene, and virus fighting strategies are not only our best public health tools, until we develop a vaccine or therapies, they also represent our only path for re-establishing the widespread public confidence in leaving our homes that is necessary to truly restart the economy.

This vision of the next year or more and its financial implications are daunting. Though the challenge is great, we will work our way through these questions with the same resourcefulness, commitment, and compassion that earlier generations brought to their defining moments. During World War II, Winston Churchill told his country: “The future is unknowable but the past should give us hope.”

What hope can we derive from history for our current moment? We can see that though the influenza of 1918-1919 was devastating, the world survived it and ultimately thrived again. In our recent history, we can see communities returning with resilience after being physically devastated by natural disasters – from Hurricane Irene to Superstorm Sandy. In this case, it should give us confidence to know that we will emerge from this storm with our buildings standing and infrastructure intact.

Looking just weeks into the past, we see multiple countries in Asia that are already well into Stage Two, having mobilized a massive virus fighting effort while re-opening (or in some cases never closing) much of their society.

Locally, we should take considerable hope from our actions over the last month to successfully flatten the curve. We have accomplished this to date by acting together. This virus makes clear to us that we must all work collectively for the common good; that the steps we take to protect ourselves also support our neighbors; and, in short, that we are only as strong as our community.

I have seen this spirit in Burlington in countless ways in recent weeks.

I saw it when I visited one of the 11 sites around Burlington where the Burlington School Food Project has been distributing free breakfasts and lunches to anyone under age 18 since schools were closed by this virus. BSFP has done this work in collaboration with partners, including our own Burlington Parks, Recreation & Waterfront Department. Thank you to Doug Davis, who leads the BSFP with great skill and compassion, and this entire team.

I saw it, too, when I was at the City’s North Beach Campground on the night that more than two dozen people experiencing homelessness got keys to individual campers to stay in. This group had been staying at the low-barrier shelter that we launched downtown six years ago, but there isn’t enough room at that facility for the social distance that is necessary right now. So, the City, the State’s Department of Children and Families, and the organization ANEW Place came together, and now, this vulnerable group in our community is in a safer place, and we all are safer too as a result. I want to particularly recognize Heather Bush from ANEW Place for her tireless work in this effort.

I know that there are many more heroes like Doug and Heather, and many more efforts like these two. These heroes are also every nurse who has been caring for patients at the University of Vermont Medical Center, every teacher who is adapting lessons to teach online, and every person who has put stuffed bears in their windows to make their neighbors smile. I know, too, that there will be many more Burlington heroes in the weeks and months ahead.

Next, I will speak to the work that City government has done and will continue to do in order to ensure that we get through this disaster.

Since we first began preparing for the arrival of the virus in February, we have been guided by the evidence that in global pandemics, local actions matter. As a result, we have dramatically reorganized City government to respond to this challenge.

On March 13, we activated our Emergency Operations Center, and that center now manages the decisions and actions that are related to this crisis. I want to thank our Fire Chief and Emergency Services Director Chief Steven Locke for his outstanding skill, commitment, and leadership through these first, key weeks.

On March 23, two weeks ago, we created the virtual COVID-19 Resource & Recovery Center, or RRC, to provide relief to all Burlingtonians who need it during this crisis. We’ve repurposed much of our CEDO team, as well as parts of the Burlington Electric Department and other City departments, to staff the RRC, and in their new roles this team is working to connect residents with resources, provide one-on-one consultation and support, analyze what big packages of federal legislation mean for Burlingtonians, and much more. Already, the team has responded to more than 200 individual requests for help, created 10 different program areas, and launched new programs like the Burlington food relief pilot program.

Elsewhere too, our City team is gamely, and with great flexibility and heart, taking on new assignments and functions. We also have repurposed the time of 10 City employees across five departments with research, epidemiology, and policy skills to form a City Analytics Team, in order to analyze a large volume of information about COVID-19, identify best practices, and use their insights to inform our emergency decision-making.

On other fronts, our cultural team of Burlington City Arts, the Fletcher Free Library, and Parks, Recreation & Waterfront is creating new online programming to support our community in this time of isolation and stress, and help us spark creativity and imagination from our kitchen tables. Our Department of Public Works is focused on the essential emergency work of keeping our water and sewer plants secure and functioning through this emergency, and transforming many streets into additional open spaces for social distancing. And so much more.

With all of this going on, and with staying connected and informed more important than ever, for the last two weeks, we have started holding daily public briefings to communicate the latest updates in the City. We plan to keep this up for as long as this crisis continues at its current pace.

Among the many efforts the City is pursuing, there are three major initiatives underway that I want to discuss here with you tonight.

The first is an initiative to supply masks to members of our community. Nearly three weeks ago, the City anticipated that masking strategies would be important, and started worked to see how we might be able to help produce masks.

At the end of last week, the federal government and the State announced new guidance encouraging everyone to wear masks outside the home. By that point, we had already had conversations with regional medical partners, sourced 1,400 yards of a thick fabric using the emergency allocation the Council approved the last time we met in partnership with local store Rags & Riches, partnered with the Lyric Theatre Company and Milton Artists’ Guild to help us create prototype masks, and begun getting masks into production with additional partners including outstanding community sewists, Vermont Teddy Bear, and Queen City Dry Goods.

Over the weekend, we started distributing the first run of these high-quality masks   to essential workers who need them at organizations ranging from Hannaford to Feeding Chittenden. I am now announcing two new goals.

First, we will work to provide these Burlington Community Masks to all of the essential workers who want them as soon as possible. If your organization is doing essential work, and you want masks, please email the RRC at recovery@burlingtonvt.gov.

Next, we will continue to work with partners to scale our production to create tens of thousands of masks by May 1, so that every Burlington resident who wants one can have a high-quality masks when we move to Stage Two and start re-opening parts of the city.

The second major City initiative that I want to speak to tonight is part of our COVID-19 Resource & Recovery Center, or RRC. A key function of the RRC is to work with Burlingtonians to help our residents access the relief resources available to them as quickly as possible.

I want to give you an example of what I mean by speaking directly to the thousands of people within our community who have lost their job or are worried they soon will, and have no idea how they will pay for their rent or mortgage, groceries or healthcare, or other essential needs in the months ahead.

I want you to know that the City has been fighting for you through this crisis, and will keep fighting for you. From the beginning of this, I have made clear that no one should lose their home during a public health crisis that requires people to Stay Home. Last week, thankfully, Superior Court Judge Helen Toor took unprecedented action to essentially stop all evictions and foreclosures in Chittenden County for 90 days. I also testified to State legislators on this issue and they are moving forward with a bill to solidify these protections.

Now, I know that these actions alone don’t address the question of how you will pay your rent, mortgage, or other bills. We know that massive help is on its way from the federal government, and the RRC is here make sure all Burlingtonians get any assistance they need to access that aid, through web resources, adding capacity to the state Department of Labor, and, if necessary, through detailed one-to-one consultations.

Some of that aid will take time to get here, and that leads to the third major City initiative that I will discuss here tonight, which is all about giving City property taxpayers months of additional time to get help and figure out a personal path forward.

Already, before tonight, the City has suspended many fees and penalties, a summary of which is on the City website.

Tonight, the Administration is taking the rare step of asking the City Council to take action on Organization Day in order to add to this relief, and give our property taxpayers and their residential and commercial tenants more time to respond to the COVID-19 crisis without additional costs. We have put in front of the Council a $20 million plan to allow all property taxpayers who need it two additional months to make their June quarterly property tax payment without incurring penalties or interest. With our credit rating strong and the cost of large borrowing very small, we can take this unprecedented action to support our residents and workers at low cost and with limited financial risk.

In order to undertake these and other major initiatives, and to otherwise mount the emergency response to this crisis, and to recognize the new financial realities the City itself is facing, the City will need focus, sacrifice, and prioritize. We are anticipating a revenue shortfall of $5 million in the fourth quarter of this fiscal year alone, and even larger losses in Fiscal Year 21.

I want to be direct about what this means. As a result of this financial impact and focus on the COVID-19 emergency, we will need to delay or perhaps even let go of some of the city goals that we had prior to this crisis. By the end of April, we intend to bring a first phase of a COVID-19 Emergency City Financial Plan to the City Council in order to outline in more detail the City’s financial position and what we will need to do.

Even as we will have to make sacrifices, though, we will not compromise on or defer core Burlington values.

One of these core values is inclusion and belonging. Today happens to be the very first day on the job for the City’s first-ever Director of Racial Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging, Tyeastia Green. Tyeastia recently has relocated to Burlington from Minneapolis, and brings experience with and passion for developing racial equity programs for municipalities. With Tyeastia’s arrival, we have created new capacity in the City to break down the barriers of institutional racism and implicit bias. Tyeastia, welcome, and I am excited to advance this critical work with you.

Another core value is that Burlington continue to lead the way in responding to our other declared crisis: our climate emergency. To the greatest degree possible, we will pursue solutions that address both emergencies. To that end, tonight, I am glad to announce a Burlington Green Stimulus Package that will help support both our economic recovery from this pandemic and our transition to becoming a Net Zero Energy City.

Working through our outstanding municipal electric utility, the Burlington Electric Department (BED), we will redirect hundreds of thousands of dollars in existing efficiency funds to support a range of expanded or new programs, including initiatives to help lower energy bills for renters and low-and-moderate income households, boost incentives to help put local contractors and businesses back to work and support weatherization and heat pump installation, increase EV incentives, create a limited-time cash-for-residential-appliances program to incentivize a switch to efficient appliances, and assist with the cost of replacing commercial heating or cooling systems that fail in the months ahead. At our daily briefing tomorrow we will release details of this Green Stimulus Package.

Both of these examples lead me to the final topic that I want to speak with you about tonight: a vision for how Burlington can emerge from this crisis as an even better, stronger, and more just community.

While crises hold tragedy, loss, and hardship, they also can be times of transformation. In being forced to remake so much of our reality to respond to this pandemic, we also have the opportunity to remake parts of our future. I believe that we can find some lasting good in our response to COVID-19. Here are a few examples of what I mean by that.

First, we should build on the success of creating a low-barrier site at the North Beach Campground and emerge from this crisis taking better care of those in our community who are experiencing homelessness. We must be a community where all people can find shelter when they need it year-round.

Second, during this crisis, we are expanding our work to translate essential materials into languages other than English. In addition, before the end of this week, CEDO and the RRC will be announcing details of a new "trusted community voices" program to help share and disseminate important information across our City to people who speak different languages. This essential work of access and inclusion must continue beyond this crisis.

Third, so far in this crisis, we have used technology in new ways to track constituent requests, issue City permits, and expand public accessibility to public meetings. The use of these tools, and this broader spirit of innovation, should continue.

Fourth, through this emergency, I have seen a spirit of appreciation for each other and for our public employees that I have been heartened by. This moment of collective coming together has been an uplifting of our public dialogue, and a reminder of the value of expertise and competence in government. Even while the Trump Administration remains in the White House, I hope that we can hold on to this change in our civic discussion at the local level, and appreciation for the public employees who serve our city and state.

I want to close with gratitude. After I conclude this speech, we will be moving into the City Council meeting, and I am grateful for our City Council – your partnership, your challenges, your ideas, and throughout, the deliberative and democratic process that makes policy better. Together, with the twelve of you and the Administration, I know that we will head forward into these uncertain waters and find ways to guide Burlington’s ship to shore. I also want to congratulate again the three new City Councilors who were just sworn in for the first time: Sarah Carpenter, Jane Stromberg, and Zoraya Hightower. I particularly want congratulate Zoraya on her accomplishment of being the first woman of color ever elected to this body. I look forward to working with you for the betterment of our city.

I am grateful, too, for the three City Councilors whose service in that role concluded tonight. Councilor Adam Roof, I will miss your distinct perspective and thoughtful arguments. To long-serving Councilor and departing President Kurt Wright, I am grateful for our evolution from campaign opponents to trusted friends and colleagues, and I look forward to continuing to talk at least once a month when I join your radio show.

Finally, Councilor Sharon Bushor, in your 34 years of service to this City, you distinguished yourself as the longest-serving City Councilor in Burlington history, and someone who has shaped what this City is today in so many ways. Along the way, you have sat through many evening meetings here in City Hall. Today, I’m pleased to announce that in recognition of your long service and devotion to Burlington, we are hereby renaming City Hall Conference Room 12 with the much improved title of the Bushor Conference Room.

I am deeply grateful for our City’s outstanding team of Department Heads. Your skill, leadership, and deep care is a key piece of what makes our City work. In this crisis more than ever, I have been so appreciative of having all of you by my side as we think creatively and, simply, work hard for the people of Burlington.

I am also grateful that, even amid this crisis, signs of hope and the continuation of the rest of our lives still persist. Here is one of these examples: When I gave this address back in 2017, I shared the story of a woman named Alicia Sherman, who had come to a Town Hall Meeting we’d held that year on the opioid epidemic and described her experience with addiction and recovery. She had begun her journey as a competitive athlete taking prescribed pain medication, at one point landed in a hospital bed with a serious infection for 90 days, and from there, was able to break her opioid use disorder and rebuild her life. I heard from Alicia recently that on March 27, during the storm of COVID-19, Alicia and her husband Seth welcomed their daughter Arielle to the world. Congratulations to all three of you – stories like yours remind us of all of the life and hope that exists even amid this pandemic.

I am grateful that here on Zoom tonight we have Mary Jane Cain. Mary Jane and former Burlington Mayor Frank Cain attended my first seven State of the City addresses. Tonight, we also remember Frank and are so appreciative of the service that you and him have given to our community.

I am grateful for my family. Mom and Dad – thank you for all your guidance, encouragement, and love over the years. I look forward to being physically close to you again – I have some serious hugs for you. Stacy, Li Lin, and Ada – you are everything to me. I’m so fortunate to have a life partner like you, Stacy. Thank you for your unwavering support, wise counsel, and boundless love. Li Lin and Ada, thank you for being such wonderful daughters. Being your dad is awesome. Ada, I’m sure the tooth fairy already has heard that you lost your first tooth earlier this evening.

And finally, and above all, I am grateful for our Burlington community. This crisis has, already, reshaped so much of what was familiar to us just a month ago. One thing, though, hasn’t changed. Burlington continues to be a place where we leave chalk messages of greeting on the sidewalk for our neighbors walking by, where we volunteer to deliver meals to the front doors of seniors, and where, quite simply, we look out for each other. I know that we will get through these weeks and months ahead the same way we’ve gotten through the past few – together.

Thank you.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 5, 2020
Contact:  Jordan Redell
                 802-881-7020

Statement from Mayor Miro Weinberger Regarding Emergency Regulations

Burlington, VT – This week during daily public briefings, the City forecast that it would be issuing new enforcement measures and road closures consistent with the Governor’s Stay Home Stay Safe order. Late Friday, in order to have these measures in place for the weekend, and following the Attorney General’s afternoon release of a new directive for enforcement of the Governor’s COVID-19 executive order, the Mayor issued two emergency regulations with the goals of protecting public safety and creating more open space for people to do solitary exercise in compliance with social distancing guidelines.

Today the Mayor issued this statement regarding these new emergency regulations:

"I am grateful that the overwhelming majority of Burlingtonians are complying with the Stay Home Stay Safe order from the Governor. However, unfortunately, there are some individuals still choosing to put themselves and the greater public at risk with their actions, and the City has a responsibility to act to ensure public safety. The purpose of these citations is not to interfere in any way with people who are exercising outdoors, going to work, etc. in full compliance with the governor’s orders, but to address those who intentionally violate the orders, putting themselves and others at risk of spreading this disease.

"In response to overwhelming constituent outreach that the Bike Path and sidewalks were too crowded to stay compliant with social distancing guidelines, the City is limiting some streets to local traffic only in order to allow for individuals or households taking walks and exercising to more easily keep a 6-foot distance with others. These temporary measures will start this weekend and be expanded next weekend, and are intended to be in place only during the public health emergency.  Public feedback on these measures is welcome and the City will consider making adjustments as this emergency evolves.”

For additional information, please see the Mayor’s daily briefings from Thursday, April 2 and Friday, April 3.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 30, 2020
Contact: Olivia LaVecchia
                (802) 734-0617

Statement from Mayor Miro Weinberger in Response to Court Order on Evictions and Foreclosures

Burlington, VT – Today, Mayor Weinberger released the following statement in response to Judge Helen Toor’s order on evictions and foreclosures [PDF].

“Since this emergency began I have been clear: no one should lose their housing in the middle of a pandemic that requires everyone to Stay Home. While the City has no direct role in eviction or foreclosure proceedings, I have been urging the Court and legislature to take action to keep Vermonters in their homes, and have told all Burlingtonians that if they fear losing their housing they should contact the City’s Resource and Recovery Center.

"Thank you to Superior Court Judge Helen Toor for recognizing that we are “facing unprecedented times” and taking swift action to protect Chittenden County residents from eviction and foreclosure for 90 days, with little exception. There will be complex financial and policy questions that we must still work through, and we will. For now, though, Judge Toor’s order is an important next step and reflects that our priority as a community is protecting health, life, and all of our neighbors.”

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