Burlington City Council President Ben Traverse, a Democrat, announced on Friday that he’s running for mayor.
Traverse, who was first elected to the council in 2022, currently represents Burlington’s Ward 5 in the city’s South End. He works as a labor attorney for the University of Vermont Health Network.
“I'm here today because I love Burlington, because I believe deeply in this city's future,” Traverse told a crowd of supporters at Battery Park. “I believe if we work together, our best days are still ahead of us.”
Traverse has been a critic of Progressive Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak’s approach to running the city, particularly on public safety issues and policing. He was one of the authors of a resolution that seeks to crack down on public drug use, repeat offenders and homeless encampments. The proposal ignited a contentious debate between Mulvaney-Stanak's office and Progressives on the council who said the resolution criminalized people who struggled with housing insecurity and drugs.
For several months now, Democrats and Progressives on the city council have worked to develop a revised version of the so-called “Burlington Forward” resolution, but have yet to reach an agreement.
On Friday, Traverse said that addressing public safety concerns and expanding the police department were key issues for his campaign. But he said it wasn’t just about seeking greater accountability — the city, he said, needs to do more to expand social services for those struggling with substance use and homelessness.
“We must do more to address the number of people suffering on our streets,” Traverse said. “There is nothing progressive about allowing people to continue suffering without meaningful help.”
Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak, who was elected in 2024, has not yet said if she’ll seek reelection, but indicated Friday she'd announce her decision soon.
"I think it is good for democracy to have people interested in running to serve in any elected position," Mulvaney-Stanak said in a written statement. "I will be making an announcement about my decision regarding re-election in the next few days."
