Issues with Solutions
Public Safety​
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Rebuilding relationships between our communities and our police department would be a paramount priority for me as a city councilor. The only way we can build those relationships is by securing appropriate staffing goals to allow for our uniformed officers to be present in our communities. Achieving our staffing goals is a crucial component to being able to bring back BPD community foot patrols which will organically begin the process of rebuilding trust and re-opening lines of communication to ensure that every resident in every neighborhood feels heard, seen and protected.
I continue to advocate for a Positive Policing Policy that restores the number of sworn officers to 86-88 active members including a BPD/ASPCA sworn officer specifically for investigating cases of animal cruelty.
Training of new officers takes time and we will continue to welcome all who are willing and qualified to serve as law enforcement– however, in order to rapidly and responsibly restore the number of active duty officers we must dramatically increase our recruitment and hiring of “lateral transfers” of experienced sworn officers.
I continue to advocate for increased staffing for our Community Service Officers and Community Service Liaisons (CSO/CSL). I continue to support our city’s Crisis Advocacy Intervention Program (CAIP) and Crisis Assessment Response and Engagement Services (CARES) street outreach programs.
We must continue our efforts to provide impartial & effective community oversight of all first responders: police, fire, emts.
We must also recognize that our criminal justice system is in need of serious reforms. These reforms require us to take legislative action to provide our elected prosecutors and judges the proper tools - within constitutional guardrails - to restore law and order in our city, county and state.
Housing
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First and foremost - NOBODY should be forced to sleep on our streets. The solutions to our homeless crisis will come from legislative action and executive branch effectively executing a coordinated response - However, until that time comes the City of Burlington should immediately open the Old North End Community Center auditorium and the Miller Center Gymnasium as an emergency night time shelter for people who are without homes.
We recognize the chain effect in housing and the importance of fostering an economic environment that expands access and available opportunities in every link in the chain: from shelters, halfway houses, group home settings, subsidized housing, market rate rentals, condominiums, and homeownership.
Regardless of what the current administration believes, the “missing middle” of housing in our city is not more market rate 1 & 2 bedroom rental apartments. The true missing-middle housing is homeownership opportunities. Again, many effective solutions to actualize this reality will be legislative reforms.
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The city has taken a significant first step with the new neighborhood code policy. However, it is still inadequate to combat our housing crisis and we must not relent in our push to radically reform our onerous regulations to retard residential development. Further zoning reforms are crucial for turning around our housing market, stabilizing rental prices, providing housing that people can afford, and prudent, proper development for the next 25 years.
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Residential Medium (RM) density should be the mandated norm for 80% of the city.
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Allow Auxiliary Dwelling Units (ADUs) in RM zoned to permit the same size ADUs in RL zoned - Currently 900 sq ft for RM ADUs, 1,100 sq ft for RL ADUs.
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Repeal the city condo conversion penalty for all residential property buildings that are >60 years old.
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Repeal Burlington’s Inclusionary Zoning ordinance.
Addiction and Recovery
We want to create a system that is capable of rising to the occasion to combat our devastating drug epidemic. Our state must take direct and decisive action to ensure that those who are suffering from addiction’s cycle of abuse can have access to the care, treatment and wraparound support services that have a demonstrative history of providing lasting recovery.
This includes:
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Legislative action to expand Medicaid coverage to a full 28 days of inpatient treatment
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Reform to foster an economic environment which welcomes new inpatient treatment facilities operating throughout Vermont
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Halfway houses provide crucial support services for those new to recovery. In the last few years, two halfway houses in Burlington have closed down. The ramifications of this have been massive. Halfway houses provide a structured environment for those new to recovery to reenter society in a safe and supportive environment.
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Oxford Houses & Recovery Houses, as a city we must reform our zoning ordinances to facilitate the operation of Oxford/Recovery Houses. These independent group homes are for individuals who are in recovery to have housing options that support their sobriety.
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Increased access to emergency mental health care and inpatient treatment for people suffering from mental illnesses and in need of a compassionate custodial care setting for treatment.
Taxes and Affordability
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Every tax increase, every rate increase impacts renters in our city hardest. Our residents cannot keep getting squeezed out of our city simply because our leaders cannot rein in wasteful spending.
I pledge to not support any increases in residential property taxes, utility rates or fees for my entire 2 year term. Furthermore, I am committed to fighting to cut the bloat and wasteful spending in the city budget.
We must reallocate wasteful spending to delayed city infrastructure maintenance projects.
