Ed Adrian, a Burlington city councilor for more than five years and current vice chairman of the city’s Democratic Party, announced his resignation on Thursday, effective at the end of September.
Earlier this year, Adrian was unopposed when he sought his third term on the council representing Ward 1. Shortly after that victory he announced plans to run for the state Senate, then abruptly withdrew in late July.
After the March 2012 local elections, when Miro Weinberger became the first Democratic mayor in 31 years, Adrian was also rumored to be in the running for City Attorney. He is a Vermont Law School graduate and has worked as a prosecutor for the Secretary of State, handling oversight of professions from dentists and architects to tattoists.
In a letter of resignation to City Council President Joan Shannon, Adrian gave no specific reason for the decision. However, a July 27 message on his Senate campaign website explained that being a father and husband as well as a lawyer and elected official demanded “more of my time and energy than I care to admit.”
During his years on the council Adrian became known for a blunt style, a willingness to take independent stands, and frequent tweets during meetings that described the proceedings to his followers. Last November, he successfully defended the use of Twitter when the council considered a ban on the use of electronic devices during meetings.
After the change was defeated, Adrian not only tweeted the outcome but also took a shot at Kurt Wright, a sponsor, as “a man with something to hide” and argued that “people should not make assumptions about what people are or are not absorbing.”
In 2010, a headline in the weekly Seven Days described him as “Burlington’s Political Provocateur,” someone who seemed “to thrive on the chaos” surrounding the last years of the Kiss administration.
Adrian chaired the council’s Public Safety, Charter Change and Community and Economic Development committees, and served on the Parks, Arts and Culture, and Human Resources and Institutions committees.
He spoke out early about the handling of Burlington Telecom finances and cast the only no vote when the council approved an exemption permitting the use of city funds. The subsequent transfer of almost $17 million to BT became one of the city’s biggest fiscal problems.
He was occasionally also a critic of Burlington City Arts, declining last year to support a resolution expressing appreciation for its 30-year record. Although acknowledging that BCA’s contribution was “just as important as the Fire Department,” Adrian felt that more needed to be known about how it handles public and private funds.
His letter to Shannon expressed the hope “to continue to weigh-in on the topics of the day, both in spirit and virtually.” In typical Adrian style, it also posed several questions about the timeline for his replacement and requested that the City Attorney’s office immediately clarify the process.
