FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 20, 2019

Contact:  Olivia LaVecchia

                   (802) 734-0617

Mayor Weinberger Appoints Deanna Paluba as New Director to Lead the City’s Human Resources Department

Burlington, VT – Mayor Miro Weinberger today announced the appointment of Deanna Paluba as the new Director of the City’s Department of Human Resources (HR). Deanna brings over 20 years of experience to the position, including three years as the Director of Employee Relations at Gilead Sciences and 12 years in Human Resources at IBM. Mayor Weinberger has asked the City Council to confirm Deanna’s appointment at its meeting on Monday, March 25.

“One of Burlington’s great strengths is the talent and commitment of the people who work for our City, and I am confident that Deanna’s experience and abilities will help us continue to recruit and retain an outstanding City team,” said Mayor Miro Weinberger. “Following City Council’s consideration of this appointment, I am looking forward to the opportunity to work with Deanna to make the City’s workforce even stronger and to make the City an even better employer. As we welcome Deanna, I also want to thank Stephanie Reid for her skilled service as Acting HR Director, and thank our HR team for their hard work throughout this transition period. I am excited about the future of our HR Department.”

“I am truly honored and excited to have the opportunity to join the City of Burlington team and accept the role of Director of Human Resources,” said Deanna Paluba. “I look forward to continuing the City’s commitment to creating a diverse and inclusive workforce, and to ensuring that the City of Burlington is a great place to work.”

“In meeting with Deanna, I was impressed by her energy and commitment,” said Karen Paul, City Councilor for Ward 6 and Chair of the City Council’s Institutions/Human Resources Committee. “I look forward to working with Deanna to strengthen the City’s workforce, grow our cultural diversity, and cultivate the City as an outstanding and fair workplace for employees.”

Background

During Deanna’s 20-year tenure at IBM she held a variety of roles, including HR Business Partner, Business Manager, and Employee Relations. Most recently, Deanna held the position of the Director of Employee Relations at Gilead Sciences, a biotech company based in San Francisco. In that capacity, Deanna led the establishment of the Employee Relations team and the expansion of the organization as it grew from 4,000 to 10,000 employees.

Deanna has championed many employee engagement programs throughout her career, including creating mentoring programs to promote career development, leading employee engagement teams, and establishing employee resource groups in order to create a more diverse and inclusive workplaces. Under her leadership, Gilead was recognized by Forbes as a “Best Employer for Diversity.” Deanna has extensive experience and expertise in developing HR policy and conducting workplace investigations, and Deanna’s references confirmed that she is known for being a collaborative leader who is committed to creating an inclusive culture and a great place to work.

Deanna’s family moved to Colchester in 1979, and she currently lives in the same home she grew up in. Deanna has been married to her husband, Wayne, for 32 years, and they have three adult children, one of whom lives locally in Colchester. She attended Colchester public schools and attended Champlain College for her undergraduate degree, as well as for a Master’s Certificate in Mediation. Deanna will soon be completing a graduate program at Champlain College for Human Relations and Organizational Development.

Search Process and Next Steps

The national search for the new HR Director was conducted by a committee that reviewed dozens of applications from across the country in January and February, and ultimately recommended three finalists out of more than 50 candidates to the Mayor at the end of February. If confirmed by the Council on March 25, Deanna will begin her service to the City immediately.

Please see the below documents for more information:

• Memorandum from Mayor Miro Weinberger to City Council requesting approval of the appointment of Deanna Paluba
• Resume of Deanna Paluba
• Two photos: The first of (l-r) Mayor Miro Weinberger, Deanna Paluba, Stephanie Reid, and City Councilor Karen Paul, and the second of (l-r) Mayor Miro Weinberger and Deanna Paluba.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 15, 2019

Contact: Jordan Redell

                (802) 881-7020

Burlington - Today, Mayor Miro Weinberger released the following statement in response to the death of former Burlington Mayor Francis J. Cain, who served as Mayor 1965–1971:

“I am deeply saddened to share the news that last night, former Burlington Mayor Frank Cain passed peacefully in his home, surrounded by family and loved ones. During my time as mayor, I have come to know Mayor Cain personally as a wonderful friend and have also developed a great respect for his accomplishments as Mayor. Mayor Cain was a proud but humble man, and always very understated about the important role he played in creating the Burlington that we have today. He revered his wife of 72 years, Mary Jane, their ten children, twenty-seven grandchildren, and twenty-one great grandchildren.  He was impeccable in his style, and always curious and interested in hearing about the City’s work and the progress we have made since his time as Mayor, including by attending every annual State of the City address.

“Mayor Cain will be remembered for recognizing the possibility and importance of developing a connection between the downtown and Lake Champlain, pursing innovative and tough legal strategies to remove the gas and oil tanks and beginning the transformation of Burlington’s waterfront. He was also very dedicated to growing the City’s parks system, skillfully negotiating the City’s acquisition of what is now Oakledge Park and starting the effort to acquire what is now Leddy Park, which was successfully completed by his successor, Mayor Gordon Paquette. In this regard, he is truly the godfather of what is modern Burlington.

“On behalf of the City of Burlington, I would like to officially thank and commend Mayor Cain for his public service to the City and send our condolences to his wife Mary Jane and the entirety of his wonderful family. I happily remember dedicating the Battery Park Overlook to Mayor Cain and was able to meet many members of the Cain family at that celebration. I know that this St. Patrick’s Day, Mayor Cain’s Irish family and many, many friends will be celebrating his full and accomplished life and his enduring legacy.”

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Francis J. Cain was born in and grew up in Burlington, Vermont. He graduated from St. Michael’s College in 1943 and served in the Navy for three years. Before Mr. Cain became Mayor of Burlington, he was the owner of an insurance business. He served as mayor from 1965 to 1971. During his six year term, he was involved in public housing and acquiring the land along the lakefront for public use. Upon his retirement from office, the Burlington Free Press wrote, “Mayor Cain is an honest and realistic executive who perhaps has accomplished more for this City during his tenure than any other Mayor in the Queen City’s history.”

Calling hours will be at the Lavigne Funeral Home in Winooski on Thursday, March 21 from 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm. A celebration of his life will take place at the St. Michael’s College Chapel on Friday, March 22 at 1:00 pm.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 13, 2019
Contact:  Olivia LaVecchia
(802) 734-0617

City Delivers on Promise to Resolve Burlington Telecom Crisis

Citibank fully releases Burlington from $33.5+ million lawsuit; City recovers nearly $7 million of lost taxpayer funds; City ensures high-speed broadband choice for Burlingtonians in perpetuity

Burlington, VT – Over today and yesterday, the City of Burlington closed on the transfer of Burlington Telecom to Schurz Communications, marking the final step in the resolution of the City’s years-long financial crisis. The closing follows the City Council’s 2014 unanimous decision to transfer Burlington Telecom to Blue Water LLC as part of the settlement agreement with Citibank; the Vermont Public Utility Commission’s February 19, 2019 order to grant certificates of public good and approve the sale; and Monday’s strong City Council vote to authorize the final transaction between Blue Water LLC and Champlain Broadband, which is the local affiliate of Schurz Communications.

“After years of work, today we have made good on all of the goals that we set out to achieve at the beginning of this process, which include restoring the City of Burlington’s financial health, recovering as much of the lost taxpayer funds as possible, and ensuring that Burlingtonians continue to benefit from high-speed fiber optic internet,” said Mayor Miro Weinberger. “This outcome represents hard-earned progress far better than was thought possible seven years ago. I want to thank all of the employees of Burlington Telecom who have worked hard throughout this process. I also want to thank Schurz Communications for their commitment to Burlington and wish them well in their new community role.”

With this transfer, the City has accomplished the following:

• Brought full and final resolution to the $33.5+ million Burlington Telecom lawsuit with Citibank, as until today’s closing, Citibank retained the ability to re-open its lawsuit;  Citibank’s full release of the City from further BT liability is attached;
• Recovered at least $6.97 million of the $17 million improperly spent by the City prior to 2010 (an additional recovery of up to $500,000 in the future is possible); In addition, with today’s resolution, the City retains ownership of the building that houses Burlington Telecom and will begin receiving rental payments of $115,000 a year and tax payments of $18,000 annually;
• Ensured that the City’s financial recovery and improved credit rating will continue.  To date the financial improvement has resulted in total net savings for Burlingtonians estimated at more than $15 million in current dollars, according to the included 2019 Fiscal Health Report from the City Clerk/Treasurer’s Office;
• Ensured the continued stable operations of Burlington Telecom, allowing Burlingtonians to continue to benefit from the powerful fiber optic infrastructure installed by BT; and

• Secured numerous ongoing community benefits, including retaining the power to shape the future of Burlington Telecom through the authority, in perpetuity, to block a future sale to a telecommunications monopoly. A summary of the community benefits ensured by today’s closing is below. 

Transfer includes strong regulatory and contractual protections for public and BT users

Despite being in default on its lease and not owning BT’s assets, in the 2014 Settlement Agreement with Citibank the City secured the ability to direct the sale of BT to a new operator.  This ability allowed the City to lead a public engagement process and competitive sale process that resulted in a final agreement with Schurz Communications that includes many benefits and protections for the public and BT users. These benefits and protections include:

• Commitment not to increase prices to customers of broadband for 60 months;
• Commitment to anti-monopoly future sales restriction by granting the City the authority to block a future sale to a telecommunications monopoly;
• Commitment to the full, rapid build-out of fiber optic infrastructure of Burlington;
• Commitment to net neutrality and to maintain BT’s historic privacy policy;
• Right for the City of Burlington to roll over cash proceeds from the sale into a minority ownership interest in the new BT, and to add a local Board representative; and
• Annual contributions of $300,000 a year for at least 10 years to grow the local tech economy and invest in digital divide initiatives and other community needs.

Background: Resolution of decade-long financial crisis

Today’s closing fully resolves the greatest financial crisis in the City’s history. This crisis has been ongoing since late 2009, when it became publicly known that BT was unable to make payments on the City’s $33.5 million lease with Citibank or return $17 million of City general fund dollars improperly spent on BT by the prior administration.  These events resulted in a federal lawsuit with Citibank, six steps of downgrades in the City’s credit rating from 2010 to 2012 to the edge of junk bond status, and a lack of liquidity that put the City’s continued operations of core municipal functions at risk.

The Weinberger Administration and the City Council took decisive action in the years 2012 – 2015 to stabilize this crisis including:

• Securing voter approval in November 2012 for the $9 million Fiscal Stability Bond that addressed the City’s liquidity crisis;
• Securing the February 2014 settlement agreement with Citibank, which began the process of settling the $33.5+ million lawsuit for $10.5 million plus a share of the future value of BT and allowed the City to direct the transfer of BT to the right partner, and was unanimously approved by the City Council; and
• Securing local bridge financing through Blue Water LLC to implement the settlement agreement.

Please see the full history in the included timeline.

Today’s closing completes this process, and marks the full and final resolution of this years-long financial crisis.

For additional information, please see:

• A timeline of the Burlington Telecom financial crisis;
• Citibank’s full release of the City from further BT liability;
• A summary of the settlement statement that breaks down the final proceeds of the sale;
• The City Clerk/Treasurer’s Office’s 2019 Fiscal Health Report; and
• Twenty documents related to the closing, which were publicly posted in advance of Monday evening’s City Council agenda.

Photo: Mayor Miro Weinberger announcing the closing.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 27, 2019

Contact:  Olivia LaVecchia
                  (802) 734-0617

Mayor Weinberger, Community Leaders Announce Launch of the Burlington Early Learning Initiative’s First Steps Scholarship Program

The scholarship program will be accepting applications from March 1 to April 5 for Fall 2019 enrollment, marking a new program of this innovative City initiative to expand high-quality childcare opportunities for Burlington children.

Burlington, VT – Mayor Miro Weinberger today announced that on March 1, the City of Burlington will open the application process for the Burlington Early Learning Initiative’s “First Steps Scholarship Program,” which is designed to place 20 or more low-income Burlington children into high-quality child care in its pilot year. Mayor Weinberger was joined in the announcement by City Councilor Jane Knodell, City Councilor Dave Hartnett, Greater Burlington YMCA CEO Kyle Dodson, Let’s Grow Kids Interim CEO Janet McLaughlin, and Family Room Executive Director Josh Miller.

“I am proud to announce the launch of the ELI First Steps Scholarship Program, which will give more of our youngest Burlingtonians a more equal start in life, and strengthen the system for all parents, children, and childcare providers,” said Mayor Miro Weinberger. “Expanding access to high-quality childcare – without increasing the City’s operating costs – is one of the best investments we can make to reduce future public spending and ensure that Burlington is a city where every child has the opportunity to succeed.”

The ELI First Steps Scholarship Program builds off of the past work of the Burlington Early Learning Initiative (ELI), including a first two rounds of capacity grants that the City awarded to childcare providers in 2018, which directly support the creation of 62 new spaces that have begun coming online. While the capacity grant component of ELI helps create new high-quality childcare spots in Burlington, the ELI First Steps Scholarship Program will focus on connecting children from low-income families with that care and new capacity. The City has developed this approach in response to input from a wide range of community stakeholders, and with it, is implementing a multi-pronged approach in order to tackle a many-layered problem.

How the ELI First Steps Scholarship Program Works

The application window for the ELI First Steps Scholarship Program will open on March 1, 2019 and run through April 5, 2019, with one-year scholarships awarded for Fall 2019 enrollment. In the pilot year of the scholarship program, the City’s aim is to provide scholarships for 20 or more Burlington families, focusing on those children born between August 31, 2017 and July 1, 2019. Building on what is learned in the pilot year, the City plans to expand the program in future years.

Who is eligible:

• Burlington children not currently receiving Child Care Financial Assistance Program (CCFAP) benefits with a family income at or less than 65 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI), which equals $59,670 for a family of four.
• The program will also help enroll those children in CCFAP to secure additional available funding that benefits the child and supports the operations of the childcare program, though children do not have to be eligible for CCFAP funding to apply.

About the scholarship amounts:

• The City will invest up to $210,000 in the first year of the program, depending on the size and needs of scholarship recipients.
• The amount of awards will be based on the average cost of high-quality programs surveyed by Let’s Grow Kids in and around Burlington. The scholarship award is thus designed to be set at a level that is closer to the true cost of care.
• Between the City scholarship and leveraged CCFAP funds, the ELI First Steps Scholarship Program will provide up to $16,900 annually per child, or $325 per week payment rate.
• The total value of an individual ELI First Steps Scholarship will vary based on different families’ financial circumstance and the number of STARS the childcare center has (4 or 5 STARS), but will provide sufficient funding in combination with CCFAP benefits to enable access to high-quality care for Burlington’s most vulnerable children.
• Please see the included Appendix A for details on the value of the City scholarship and how it leverages CCFAP funding at different income levels.

How the program will make awards:

• If more than 20 children apply and meet these criteria, awardees would be selected on a lottery basis. This is the most equitable way to distribute scholarships, and it follows local precedent: Until 2016, the Burlington School District used a lottery system to apportion 3 – 5-year old early education slots.
• If fewer than 20 children apply, the remaining slots would be apportioned on a first come, first-serve basis. Scholarship recipients must be Burlington residents, but to ensure that families are able to access care that meets their needs, scholarships can be used outside of Burlington at any qualifying high-quality program that meets the pilot criteria and enters into an agreement with the City.

The program design has benefited substantially from the input of many community stakeholders, including representatives from the Burlington School District, the UVM Medical Center, Head Start, the Vermont Community Loan Foundation, and many childcare providers.

Evaluation, Potential Future Expansion, and Value of the Investment

The ELI capacity grants and ELI First Steps Scholarship Program will be rigorously evaluated over time. The program aspires to become a model for investments in early learning that result in measurable benefits that convince other funders to participate in affecting long-lasting changes. The City has worked with Let’s Grow Kids and other community partners to design the evaluation effort and criteria.

Based on the results of the pilot year and the evaluation process, the City intends to leverage significant additional funding from other private, institutional, and public sources to provide scholarships for high-quality early care to young children living in poverty to expand the impact and public returns of the ELI effort. A 2017 study facilitated by the Vermont Business Roundtable found that every dollar invested to expand Vermont’s high-quality early care and learning programs will yield a return of $3.08 (view the full report at: https://vtroundtable.org/vbr-foundation-releases-report-vermonts-early-care-learning-dividend-2-6-17/). Other studies across the country put the return even higher per dollar invested. These returns are generated by healthier children and healthier families better able to learn and contribute to our community.

Background on the Burlington Early Learning Initiative

Mayor Weinberger began the Burlington Early Learning Initiative in February 2015 with a community-oriented design process to expand high-quality childcare for Burlington children from birth to age three. Based on that design work, the Mayor and City Council committed $500,000 of existing revenue to support the ELI in the City’s Fiscal Year 2018 budget, which continued with the FY2019 budget.  After a competitive process, in July 2018, the City awarded capacity grants to childcare providers in order to support the creation of new high-quality childcare spaces in Burlington, and 62 new spaces directly supported by those grants have begun coming online. The City plans to award a second year of capacity grants in coming months.

Through this innovative municipal initiative, the City aims to address the opportunity gap faced by low-income children across the country and also here in Burlington. Research has consistently shown the benefits of investments in early childhood education to address this gap, and lead to improvements in a wide range of social, economic, health, and education-related outcomes. However, there are many barriers to the access and affordability of high-quality care, one of which is simply that there are not enough spaces available. The City’s research has shown that though about 350 children are born in Burlington each year, fewer than 200 childcare spaces are available for children from birth through age three.

As access to and affordability of high-quality childhood education has been identified as a critical issue nationwide, cities around the country have been grappling with how to develop potential solutions. The Burlington Early Learning Initiative is among leaders nationally in its focus on infants and toddlers, and aims to address the particularly severe shortage of high-quality and affordable early care and learning spaces for children from birth through age three.

The long-term goal of the program is to ensure that all Burlington children have the opportunity to succeed regardless of family income level.

For additional information about the ELI First Steps Scholarship Program, please see the following:

• The ELI website: www.burlingtonvt.gov/it/earlylearning
• Appendix A: Financial Model for the ELI First Steps Scholarship Program
• Appendix B: Scholarship Application
• Appendix C: ELI First Steps Scholarship Program FAQ
• Appendix D: ELI First Steps Scholarship Program informational flyer

Community Leaders Share Responses to the Launch of the ELI First Steps Scholarship Program

“I'm proud to be here today as part of the launch of Burlington's Early Learning Initiative Scholarship Program,” said City Councilor Jane Knodell, Central District. “We in city government have taken the time to listen to Burlington's early childhood education providers and others to craft a program designed for Burlington's families struggling to find and afford high-quality early education for their young children. Closing the achievement gap in education starts with early childhood, and may be the single most important strategy available to local government for building a local economy that works for everyone.”

“I am glad to see the scholarship program beginning – it will help strengthen Burlington families, our schools, and our community,” said City Councilor Dave Hartnett, Ward 4. “All of us want to do what is best for our children, and this program makes it possible for many families in our community to find and afford high-quality child care. This is important work, and I am also pleased that the program does not add to the burden on the City’s taxpayers.”

"The Early Learning Initiative's capacity grant provided important funding to help the Y conclude our capital campaign and start construction on a new facility.  Our new home will include expanded, dedicated space for early learning, allowing us to provide care for 50 additional infants/toddlers, which is the age range where the community's supply shortage is most acute" said Greater Burlington YMCA President and CEO Kyle Dodson. "I am grateful for that support, and am pleased to see the City following through on its commitment to begin a scholarship program focused on the community's most vulnerable children. I look forward to partnering on this effort in the years to come."

“The Burlington Early Learning Initiative is an important local example of the work Let’s Grow Kids is engaged in across the state with our Make Way for Kids program which provides grant funding and coaching to help child care providers offer high-quality child care to more children in their local communities,” said Let’s Grow Kids Interim CEO Janet McLaughlin. “Let’s Grow Kids is excited to partner with the City of Burlington as we work toward our mission to ensure all Vermont families have affordable access to high-quality child care by 2025. We commend the Mayor for showing leadership on this issue and finding local resources to support Burlington children with better access to high-quality early care and learning that will set them up for future success.”

"The Family Room recognizes the importance of high-quality child care for parents and is excited to see this as a priority for the City,” said Josh Miller, Executive Director of the JSM Family Room. “We look forward to working together to help connect the families who need it most with these new scholarships."

“The underfunding of the early care and education system is a national issue that impacts quality, access and affordability,” said Sarah Adams-Kollitz, Executive Director of the Burlington Children’s Space. “It is tempting to turn away from this issue and allow families to struggle to find and afford care on their own. The Burlington Children’s Space applauds the Mayor’s office’s efforts to engage in the process of understanding how this issue impacts many aspects of livability and financial security for all residents. We are seeing the first steps in the city’s efforts to increase funding and capacity, with a focus on our community’s youngest and most vulnerable citizens. We look forward to continuing to work with the Mayor’s office to narrow the achievement gap and make Burlington a great place to raise a family.” 

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 19, 2019

Contact: Olivia LaVecchia

                  (802) 734-0617

Mayor Miro Weinberger Responds to Vermont Public Utility Commission Decision to Approve Sale of Burlington Telecom to Champlain Broadband

Burlington, VT – Today, the Vermont Public Utility Commission issued an order granting certificates of public good to Champlain Broadband, and approving the sale of Burlington Telecom to Champlain Broadband. This is the final stage of a process that the City began in 2014, with the resolution of the Citibank litigation and the transfer of assets to Blue Water Holdings, which allowed the City to stabilize its finances and improve its credit rating in order to save taxpayers millions. In response, Mayor Miro Weinberger issued the following statement:

“Today’s ruling from the Vermont Public Utility Commission regarding Burlington Telecom (BT) is excellent news that confirms the validity of the course that we have charted as a City, and helps turn what had been a great risk to the City into an enduring success. Seven years ago, this Administration and the City Council set out to find a resolution to the formidable Burlington Telecom lawsuit with Citibank that would ensure that current and future generations of Burlingtonians would continue to benefit from the powerful fiber optic resources installed by BT, protect against ever returning to the telecommunications monopoly that restricted Burlington’s service and choices prior to the creation of BT, and resolve the risk of liability while improving the City’s credit rating and recovering as much as we could of the $17 million spent by the City prior to 2010. Over the course of these seven years, we have had to make difficult decisions, but have been guided throughout by these goals. We welcome the regulatory decision announced today by the PUC, which keeps us on a path to permanently resolving this issue in a way that accomplishes all of these goals, and doing so while protecting this valuable asset and its benefits for Burlingtonians.”

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 14, 2019
Contact:  Olivia LaVecchia
                 (802) 734-0617

Mayor Miro Weinberger and Community Partners Announce 50 Percent Decline in Opioid-Related Overdose Fatalities in Chittenden County in 2018

While deaths continue at a heartbreaking and unacceptable rate, robust constellation of local interventions by many partners yields statistically significant advance; many of region’s interventions expand access to life-saving addiction medicines

Burlington, VT – Chittenden County experienced a 50 percent reduction in opioid-related overdose deaths in 2018, from 35 deaths in 2017 to 17 in 2018. This reduction marks a reversal of what has previously been a steady upward trend in overdose deaths since 2014, and the total was lower than in any year since the State began publishing county-by-county results in 2013. The City, State, and nation continue to contend with the lethal effects of fentanyl and other powerful opioids, and any significant reduction in fatal overdoses is both welcome news and a cause for hope and examination.

“While we continue to lose neighbors, coworkers, and children to this epidemic at a heartbreaking and unacceptable rate, and while our work is far from done, it is with great hope that we announce that the Vermont Department of Health has determined that Chittenden County opioid-related overdose deaths dropped by 50 percent in 2018,” said Mayor Miro Weinberger. “No one believes that our job is done. This long epidemic has shifted and evolved numerous times over the last decade, and all of us are concerned that new setbacks may be lurking right around the corner. At the same time, we have full confidence that there will be enduring value to Chittenden County’s full embrace of the life-saving potential of addiction medicines. Our work is based on past precedents, and we are hopeful that Chittenden County’s strategies can, in turn, be replicated and scaled in other regions with similar success.”

To announce this news, partners in this effort –  including the Chittenden County Opioid Alliance, Howard Center, University of Vermont Medical Center, Chittenden County State’s Attorney Sarah George, and others – gathered at the Burlington Electric Department Spark Space, the site of the monthly CommunityStat meetings. At these meetings, dozens of local stakeholders have convened each month for the past two and a half years, with the stated goal that, “We will be relentless until our City and its people are free from the grip of the opioid crisis.”

Analyses offer confidence that this 50 percent reduction in overdose deaths is statistically significant, and that the probability that it is due to chance is less than 1 in 100. While it is difficult to pinpoint precise cause of this reduction, the City believes the strongest contributors to this decline is likely to be the embrace of the life-saving potential of addiction medicines by all partners working in Chittenden County. Strategies to increase access to the use of medication assisted treatment (MAT) include:

• Eliminating the waiting list for MAT at the County level (i.e., an increase in the capacity of the County’s “hub” as part of the “hub and spoke” system created by the State);
• Rapidly growing the number of primary care physicians treating opioid addiction using medication (i.e., the expansion of the “spoke” capacity);
• Embracing of the Howard Center Safe Recovery syringe exchange as a trusted place for people with opioid use disorder (OUD) to come so that they can both obtain clean syringes and also promptly access addiction treatment;
• Leveraging Safe Recovery as a low-barrier site for the distribution of buprenorphine, the medicine of choice for treating opioid addiction and the symptoms of withdrawal;
• Commencing a low-barrier buprenorphine pilot at the University of Vermont Medical Center’s emergency department;
• Strongly supporting the 2018 Vermont statute requiring buprenorphine, methadone, and Vivitrol, a trio of lifesaving medicines, be provided to all state prisoners grappling with addiction who have a medical necessity for them; and
• Deciding, on the part of the Chief of Police and the Chittenden County State’s Attorney, to not arrest or charge individuals with possession of un-prescribed buprenorphine.

For a list of additional opioid interventions in Chittenden County since 2015, please see the included timeline.

Principles for consideration by other communities struggling with the opioid epidemic:

The City of Burlington has based much of its focus on lessons from Baltimore, MD and France where there are strong precedents for reducing opioid-overdose deaths through the widespread distribution of addiction-medicines. The medicines are proven to reduce mortality, treat addiction, and assist in recovery.  Other communities seeking to understand and replicate Chittenden County’s results should consider these principles:

• Make medicines readily available, especially both in prison and at places that people with opioid addiction trust;
• Allow people seeking treatment to get it immediately, and design treatment around the medicines that have been proven the most effective; encourage people to remain in treatment and on these medicines for as long as they feel the need to be, even if it is several years.
• Ensure that people are not punished for seeking them, even without a prescription;
• Make Naloxone universally available to everyone, at all times;
• Recognize that success is only possible when a wide range of stakeholders and leaders at every level of government make a true commitment to working together for the long haul.

As this work continues in 2019, the City of Burlington will persist in its focus on ending the opioid crisis.

For more information, please see the additional materials:

• Graph of opioid fatalities in Vermont and Chittenden County, 2013-2018
• Timeline of opioid interventions in Chittenden County since 2015
• Table of Fisher Tests for Significance of Proportional Change: Fatal Overdoses in Chittenden County, 2017 - 2018

In response to this progress, partners in this work shared the following statements:

Brandon del Pozo, Chief of Police, Burlington Police Department: “The opioid epidemic continues to evolve, and its threats may shift accordingly. We have already had opioid-related overdose deaths in 2019, and we have a very long way to go before this epidemic is behind us. Cutting deaths in half from one year to the next, while unprecedented in nearly all American communities, may well only be a temporary reprieve. But it is a signal that we are capable of making real progress when we are relentless in our approach.”

Scott Pavek: “As a person in recovery, I am heartened to see the policies and tools which would have benefited me while in active addiction – namely, low-barrier buprenorphine – are saving lives today. The reduction in opioid-related fatalities within Chittenden County this past year affirms the good work being done by the Chittenden County Opioid Alliance and its partners. The practices championed in Burlington must be replicated throughout the state, and we must continue to develop innovative approaches to reducing harm and treating substance use disorder."

Tom Dalton, Executive Director, Vermonters for Criminal Justice Reform: “I witnessed a remarkable acceleration in progress once the City of Burlington made addressing the opioid crisis a priority and took the lead in making change happen. Over one third of incarcerated Vermonters are now participating in drug treatment for opioid used disorder and they will be returning home to their families and communities in recovery and prepared for success.”

Sarah George, Chittenden County State’s Attorney: “It is my opinion that by criminalizing the possession of this life-saving medication we are telling the user that possessing suboxone is the same as possessing heroin. Then we are surprised that they pick the option that is cheaper and far easier to find. Individuals who are possessing misdemeanor amounts of this drug for personal use and committing no other crimes, should not be in our criminal justice system. We should be using those resources to fuel more mental health and addiction services in our community.”

Dr. Stephen Leffler, UVM Health Network Chief Population Health and Quality Officer and Emergency Department physician, University of Vermont Medical Center: “At the UVM Medical Center, we are proud of this community partnership. We must continue to diligently track our own prescribing habits, and innovate new ways to get people into treatment.”

Jesse Bridges, Chief Executive Officer, United Way of Northwest Vermont: “Our community has told us time and again that the opiate epidemic is a major priority for our work.  United Way’s more than 7,000 donors have provided resources to fund programs, strategic initiatives, pilots and staff time in order to make this positive progress possible.  We thank them as well as our partners for working with us in this continued fight to improve and positively impact people’s lives.” 

Bob Bick, Chief Executive Officer, Howard Center: “With the vision of our Board of Trustees and agency leaders in 2001 defining a path forward, and with the support, commitment, and perseverance of so many of our staff and community and state partners since, we have held fast to confronting stigma, keeping the focus on meeting the needs of those we serve, saving lives, supporting families, and strengthening our community.”

Jackie Corbally, Opioid Policy Manager, Burlington Police Department: “To change the tide of this deadly epidemic requires everyone. Communities everywhere must rethink how we approach this epidemic, and ours is doing just that. We will continue fighting for all of those who we have lost, and we will be relentless until we are no longer losing members of our community to this addiction.”

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 16, 2019

Contact: Olivia LaVecchia

                  (802) 734-0617

Mayor Miro Weinberger Responds to City Hall Park Petition, and Urges City Council to Continue to Move Forward with City Hall Park Improvements

Burlington, VT – Today, the advocacy group Keep the Park Green announced that it has secured additional signatures for a petition that asks the City Council to consider placing an advisory ballot item about City Hall Park on the Town Meeting Day ballot. The Clerk and Treasurer’s office will now review and validate these signatures, and determine whether this group has reached the five percent threshold of registered voters. In response to the announcement, Mayor Miro Weinberger released the following statement:

“Under our municipal charter, fairly written advisory ballot items often play an important role in clarifying voter preferences prior to a decision by the City Council. I welcome and encourage community input on issues important to our City, and I am appreciative of all of those who participated in multiple intensive rounds of public engagement on the plans for City Hall Park since 2011. This input has resulted in significant changes and improvements to the final park plan.

“Unfortunately, the wording of the Keep the Park Green petition is misleading in multiple ways.* Further, it has been brought forward months after the City Council has already made the decision in question.

“Following a multi-month process last spring and summer between the City and the leaders of Keep the Park Green, the City Council voted 11-1 on June 25, 2018 to modify the City Hall Park plan to reflect additional compromises, and to proceed toward starting construction of this project in 2019. Pursuant to that decision, the City team has now completed construction documents, is out to bid on the construction contract, and is on track to give the notice to proceed with construction to the successful bidder in February.

“Putting the proposed question on the ballot at this late date for a March vote will, at best, delay the project by six to eight weeks. This delay will push the construction start to late spring, thereby risking substantially higher construction pricing and increasing disruption for the Farmers Market and other downtown stakeholders by extending construction into two seasons. Adding the question to the ballot will also cause enduring damage to the people of Burlington by sending the message to grant funders, donors, City staff, and other critical partners that no City Council decision is final, no matter how late a petition is made, and no matter the expense.

“I urge the City Council to stay the course and continue to support a plan that will make our central public space far more green, welcoming, and accessible for future generations.”

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*For example, the petition states that the plan “removes approximately 40% of the trees and increases paved area to cover about one-third of the park.” These statements are incomplete and misleading. In fact, the final plan for the park includes between 92% and 96% of the total number of trees in the park (which includes 18 new trees and between 29 and 31 existing trees, for a total of between 47 and 49 trees compared with the 51 trees that are in the park today; The range reflects some trees with health concerns). Furthermore, per professional studies, the park today effectively functions as though nearly 43% of it were covered with hard surface (the park today is 25.2% hardscape and 18.6% compacted soils). The plan for the park will improve soil and tree health through multiple strategies, modestly expand hardscape in order to increase accessibility and focus foot traffic away from grassy areas, and utilize permeable pavers for total impervious surface of 32.5% -- significantly less than exists in the park today.

For additional information about the park plan, please see: https://enjoyburlington.com/city-hall-parks-faqs/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 11, 2019

Contact: Olivia LaVecchia

                  (802) 734-0617

Mayor Miro Weinberger Calls on Vermont Criminal Justice Training Council to Ensure Impartial Investigation of Vermont Police Academy Training Practices

Burlington, VT – This week, Vermont Police Academy (VPA) Executive Director Richard Gauthier made public comments in response to a Burlington police officer’s lawsuit against the VPA that run counter to the findings of an investigation completed by the Burlington Police Department, and raise concerns about his ability to oversee an investigation into the harm caused by VPA’s training practices.

“I am troubled by Richard Gauthier’s statements this week,” said Mayor Miro Weinberger. “With these comments, Gauthier has loudly defended a practice that he has been directed to investigate and that a review by the Burlington Police Department has shown to have caused unnecessary and serious injury to our police officers. Today, I call on the Vermont Criminal Justice Training Council, which oversees the VPA, to make sure that Gauthier has no role in the supervision of this investigation, and that it is instead directed by someone we can trust to be thorough and impartial. Indeed, part of the investigation must be to examine the role that VPA leadership played in approving and sustaining this unacceptable practice.”

Gauthier’s comments this week include:

• In an interview with Vermont Public Radio, Gauthier said: “The strike is not a full force punch… it’s more of a swat, it’s an attention-getter.” This statement runs counter to the investigative statements of nearly every police officer who spoke with the Burlington Police Department about this practice, and does not align with the fact that multiple recruits have experienced significant brain trauma and head injuries that they link to this practice.
• Vermont Public Radio reports, “Gauthier said there have been no disciplinary actions taken related to the complaint.” However, in June, Gauthier directed the suspension from the VPA of a Burlington police officer who evaluated recruits at the Academy. The Burlington Police Department was told that this suspension was a result of this officer’s telling BPD that this training tactic involved excessive use of force.
• Vermont Public Radio reports, “The academy decided Monday to stop using the drill — but not because of safety concerns. Gauthier said due to all the press attention, the element of surprise in the drill was lost. ‘It’s same as if you took one of our criminal law quizzes and published,’ he said.” The right reason to end the use of this tactic is because it involved inappropriate use of force.
• In an interview with VT Digger, Gauthier stated, in response to a question about whether the academy thought the training exercise appropriate, “Obviously we did or we wouldn’t have used it."

“In his comments this week, Gauthier has continued to defend a violent training practice that has resulted in serious injury to multiple trainees, and that is not, to our knowledge, used by any other police academy,” said Mayor Weinberger. “I am thankful for Burlington Police Chief Brandon del Pozo’s persistent leadership over the last year to protect not only Burlington’s police officers, but all those across the state who are participating in Vermont Policy Academy training. Those of us responsible for leading and overseeing law enforcement must always make the safety of our police officers one of our highest priorities. We owe nothing less to the brave individuals who have committed their careers to keeping our communities safe.”

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 20, 2018

Contact:  Olivia LaVecchia

                   (802) 734-0617

Mayor Miro Weinberger Announces Signing of New Four-Year Contract with AFSCME

Contract supports City employees while also taking responsible steps to address challenging issues for the City’s finances.

Burlington, VT – Mayor Miro Weinberger today announced a new four-year contract between the City and City employees who are represented by Local 1343 of the American Federation of State, County, & Municipal Employees (AFSCME). The union represents more than 200 City employees who work across multiple City departments: Public Works; Parks, Recreation & Waterfront; the Airport; the Library; the Community and Economic Development Office; the Clerk and Treasurer’s Office; and civilian employees of the Burlington Police Department.

“With this contract, we were able to agree on terms that are supportive of City employees and at the same time take responsible steps to address challenging financial issues like the rising cost of healthcare and retirement,” said Mayor Weinberger. “I am particularly appreciative that we were again able to come to an agreement without arbitration. We’re fortunate to have outstanding, committed public employees here in Burlington, and I look forward to our ongoing work together.”

“AFSCME members work in almost all City departments and are a vital part of Burlington,” said Damion Gilbert, President of AFSCME Local 1343. “This contract does right by our members while also balancing the pressures on Burlington’s taxpayers. Thank you to the City Attorney and Mayor’s Office for working with us to have this contract settled before the upcoming holiday, and I’m glad to send our members into 2019 with these new terms.”

Highlights of the contract include:

• Cost-sharing for healthcare and retirement: This contract continues the work of past years to stabilize the City of Burlington’s retirement system and health care costs.
  
  • On retirement, this contract implements a new method of cost-sharing that has employees contributing 30 percent of the cost of the retirement system by the final year of the contract. (Prior to pension reform negotiated in the previous contract, City employees were contributing only approximately 20 percent of the cost of the retirement system, well below the national standards at that time). AFSCME employees have also agreed to greater flexibility around cost of living increases for retirees based on the performance and funding level of the City’s fund. 
  • On health care, this contract continues the cost-sharing method that has all employees contributing a set percentage of the City’s self-insured fund, culminating in employees’ covering 20 percent of the cost of healthcare by the contract’s final year. At the same time, the agreement continues to cap what any individual employee will pay. Changes to the City’s prescription plan will likely further the City’s efforts to contain health care costs.

• Compensation: The contract includes annual cost of living increases for AFSCME employees that total 10 percent over the four years of the contract. It also increases on-call pay from $30 per day up to $40 per day by the end of the contract.

• Other benefits: The contract includes a number of other updates and provisions, including measures to comply with the State of Vermont’s new sick leave law and measures to be welcoming to all City employees by using gender-neutral pronouns throughout.

The new contract covers the period July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2022. The previous AFSCME contract was effective from July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2018.

City employees are represented by four unions, with the other three being the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), the Burlington Police Officers Association, and the Burlington Firefighters Association. The City settled a new four-year contract with IBEW earlier this year, and continues negotiations with the police and fire unions. During the previous round of union negotiations, in 2015, the City was able to settle all four of its union contracts without resorting to arbitration for the first time in many years.

Please see attached photo: Mayor Miro Weinberger and AFSCME Local 1343 President Damion Gilbert at contract signing.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 19, 2018
Contact:  Olivia LaVecchia
                  (802) 734-0617

Mayor Miro Weinberger Appoints David E. White as Acting Director of the Community and Economic Development Office

Burlington, VT – Mayor Miro Weinberger today announced the appointment of David E. White, FAICP as the acting Director of the Community and Economic Development Office (CEDO), replacing the outgoing interim CEDO Director, Neale Lunderville. White has served as Burlington’s Planning and Zoning Director for 11 years, after having been the City’s Assistant Planner for 12 years, and will continue serving as the Planning and Zoning Director for the duration of this appointment. White was recently named to the American Institute of Certified Planners College of Fellows.

“I am pleased that David has agreed to serve in this capacity during this transition,” said Mayor Weinberger. “David is a dedicated public servant, with outstanding institutional knowledge, community respect, and commitment to making Burlington a vibrant, affordable, and sustainable City.”

“I greatly appreciate the opportunity to work more closely with the CEDO team,” said White. “They are extremely dedicated to this city and their mission, and I have deep respect for the passion they bring to making Burlington the most livable, just, and connected community in America. Over the coming weeks we will work together to advance their new strategic plan, and secure the resources necessary to ensure CEDO’s capacity to create more housing and economic opportunity.”

Recently, White played a leadership role in the proposal to create a new Permitting and Inspections Department, which was forwarded by the City Council at its December 17 meeting with a 10-2 vote to Burlington’s Town Meeting Day ballot. As part of the process to shift the City’s zoning responsibilities and staff to this new department, the Administration has proposed that Planning remain a stand-alone Department co-located with CEDO, which would help join together the development of plans and policies (Planning) with a key partner in their implementation (CEDO).

This proposal would bring together two departments with overlapping missions and functions and institutionalize current collaborations and relationships, creating efficiencies and expanding capabilities and effectiveness. As a function of the plans to co-locate CEDO and Planning, White has already been involved with CEDO’s Strategic Planning and the efforts to revitalize and strengthen CEDO.

In coming weeks, the City will publicly post the CEDO Director position and conduct a national search for a permanent CEDO Director.

Please see the following: Resume of David E. White.

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