[B]URLINGTON — The City Council approved Noelle MacKay’s nomination to head the Community and Economic Development Office but had a more contentious time deciding to waive a city ordinance requiring her to live in the Queen City.
Mayor Miro Weinberger announced his choice of MacKay last week. She will leave her job as commissioner of the state Department of Housing and Community Development; her new post with the city starts Aug. 1 at a salary of $98,274.
The council voted 9 to 4 on Monday evening to grant MacKay a “personal hardship” exemption from an ordinance that requires heads of city departments to be legal voters in the city. MacKay said moving from Shelburne, where she and her partner own their home, would be too expensive.
“The financial loss is just not something we can take,” she said.
No councilor questioned MacKay’s experience, but they debated the conflict between the challenge of finding good appointees who are willing to relocate to Burlington, and respecting the will of the voters, who were said to generally support the residency requirement.
“This has been an issue that has plagued many mayors who have tried to appoint the best people for the job,” said council member Joan Shannon, D-South District. “It’s certainly difficult to buy or rent property in Burlington. We have a housing crisis in this city.”
Max Tracy, P-Ward 2, was the only councilor to vote against her nomination. He also voted against granting the residency exemption. He based his vote on principle, he said.
“Quite frankly, the residency requirement as it’s currently interpreted is a mess. It’s inconsistent, and it’s not fair,” said Tracy. “I’m not in favor of relaxing the residency requirement.”
Tracy called the notion that it’s hard to find housing in Burlington “ludicrous.” He also noted that the new superintendent of Burlington schools, Yaw Obeng, had initially told the council he was going to live in Burlington but then decided not to and was granted a hardship exemption. That has affected how people who live in Burlington perceive Obeng’s priorities, Tracy said.
“We have heard and seen comments from people saying, ‘What does he care? He doesn’t live in Burlington,’” Tracy said. “We should establish a consistent standard.”
The other councilors opposing the exemption for MacKay were Sharon Foley Bushor, I-Ward 1; Karen Paul, D-Ward 6; and William “Chip” Mason, D-Ward 5.
CEDO Assistant Director for Community Development Marcy Esbjerg will serve as acting director until MacKay takes over. The previous director, Peter Owens, left the job early this month.
