Progressive to Challenge Burlington City Council President

Burlington City Councilor Carter Neubieser (P-Ward 1) is running for city council president.

The first-term councilor said on Wednesday that he is challenging sitting Council President Ben Traverse (D-Ward 5), who has held the post for the last year.

But Neubieser’s efforts may be futile: Traverse says the seven Democrats on the incoming council have already pledged to vote for him, giving him the margin needed to win the race.

“I respect Councilor Neubieser’s ambition, and I respect that any councilor can throw their hat in the ring here, but I know I’ll be council president again,” Traverse said. “There is no question.”

Neubieser, however, appears undeterred. At a press conference on Wednesday, he said he’s appealing to every councilor for their vote. If he prevails, Neubieser said he would be “laser-focused” on ending the partisanship that divides the council.

“It’s time for a new generation of council leadership focused on increasing collaboration and delivering results for the residents of Burlington,” he said.

Neubieser wouldn’t criticize Traverse’s track record, instead opting to describe his priorities if elected. Topping the list is requiring “significant resolutions” to be reviewed with each council caucus before being introduced on the floor. As it stands, Progressives sometimes find out about controversial proposals when the agenda is posted a few days before a meeting — a tactic Neubieser said breeds distrust among his caucus and Burlington residents.

Meaty resolutions should also be hashed out in committee before coming to the full council, Neubieser said. That includes proposals vetted by the council’s Ordinance and Charter Change committees, which have the heaviest workload and craft some of the city’s most consequential legislation. Both of those committees should be increased from three to four members, two from each party, Neubieser said.

Council meetings would look slightly different under Neubieser’s leadership. Public forum would begin at the same time every meeting instead of any time between 6 and 7 p.m., as council rules now state. Agenda items that require city staff to attend would be considered earlier in the meeting, if possible.

“Truly, I’m not worried about how this will benefit one political party or another,” Neubieser said. “I’m the right person for the job and well positioned within the council to serve in this role.”

The partisan divide on the council is glaringly apparent at public meetings. Members of both parties trade barbs on the council floor, prompting Traverse to remind them not to “impugn the motives” of their peers. And, as detailed in a Seven Days story last week, both Progs and Dems text one another during meetings, in some cases to keep score of their political wins. Over the last year, Democrats in particular have used the group chats to gossip about their colleagues and trash-talk Progressive proposals.

Councilor Marek Broderick (P-Ward 8), who attended Wednesday’s presser, is supporting Neubieser’s bid, saying that offering an alternative for council president is a means of registering disappointment with Democratic leadership. Like Neubieser, he criticized Dems for introducing substantive resolutions without first reaching across the aisle.

Some of that “is just the reality of politics,” Broderick said. “But it is a disservice for allowing proper deliberation and debate for resolutions to be going up so late.”

Traverse said he encourages fellow Dems to share ideas with Progs before introducing resolutions. But he said that may not always happen, regardless of who’s council president.

Traverse also questioned how Neubieser’s bid to unseat him serves his goal of promoting collaboration on the council. The move “tees up a political fight at our first meeting as a new council,” Traverse said.

“Nonetheless, I respect what Councilor Neubieser is doing,” he added. “I respect his advocacy and work on the council, and I’ll look forward to continuing to work with him after I’m reelected.”

The seat will officially be decided on April 7, the council’s “Organization Day.” The meeting will also feature Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak’s annual State of the City address.