Gov. Phil Scott vowed on Wednesday to work with Burlington leaders to resolve the “crisis” the city faces around public safety and homelessness.
At his weekly press conference, the governor said he’d met with local business leaders on Tuesday to “learn what they think is the issue and how we can fix it.”
“I think there is a path forward,” Scott told reporters. “We’ll be putting together a plan over the next couple of weeks and present something to the mayor and to the council for their consideration.”
Scott’s words were encouraging to Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak, who, in a statement on Thursday, noted that the challenges in Burlington are not unique to it. Seven Days has previously reported on how towns big and small are now grappling with a rise in homelessness, for instance.
“The City is also developing a list of specific requests where we believe State support and coordination would complement our approaches to addressing health and safety challenges, and we are engaging with community partners to ensure their perspectives are reflected in those requests,” she said in a statement. Progressive and Democratic city councilors contacted by Seven Days on Thursday were also encouraged by the governor’s comments.
“I look forward to meeting with the Governor to discuss our respective ideas and identify areas for deeper collaboration and coordination on both immediate and longer term solutions,” Mulvaney-Stanak wrote.
The apparent détente between Mulvaney-Stanak and Scott comes after the two had been publicly at odds in recent weeks. In an August 14 Seven Days cover story, the mayor said Scott had not accepted her invitation to tour the city, even though local leaders needed “strong state partnerships” to help tackle seemingly intractable problems. She and other municipal leaders have also pointed to the governor’s repeated rollbacks of the state’s emergency housing program as one reason homelessness continues to rise.
A Scott spokesperson, in response, blamed the city’s “failed progressive policies” for the conditions on the streets.
“Pairing pro-housing, pro-affordability policies, committing to strong community policing, and holding repeat offenders more accountable are the clear solutions to this problem,” Dustin Degree wrote.
At Wednesday’s press conference, Scott said his meeting with Burlington business owners reflected concerns he’s heard about public safety.
“They were all speaking with pretty much one voice — they want action,” the governor said. “They want to see something done.”
City councilors have also tried to appease angry business owners and residents. A resolution passed late last month ordered an increased police presence in downtown City Hall Park, where open drug use and dealing is commonplace. The resolution also calls for authorities to “make all reasonable efforts” to ensure homeless people don’t sleep there at night.
The measure was passed not long after a midday assault that authorities say stemmed from a drug debt left one person dead.
In the coming weeks, Scott said on Wednesday, he’d also like to meet with residents, elected officials and administrators at the University of Vermont and Champlain College. The idea is to get “a flavor” of what the problems are so the state can create a “blueprint” for solving them, he said — with both short- and long-term solutions. Any proposal would be a collaborative effort, not something forced, Scott said.
“I look at this as like a crisis that they’re facing, much like a flood,” he said. “The first thing we need to do is respond to the flooding and help people. And then the recovery part after. It will be a two-step process, but first things first.”
Courtney Lamdin contributed reporting.