Burlington City Councilor Chip Mason announced he will not seek reelection in 2022, leaving a spot open on the 12-member body for another resident from the South End.
The Ward 5 Democrat, who has held the seat for a decade, said he would bow out of another run, in part, because of the increasingly significant time commitment the office demands.
“It’s three days a week that you can’t spend with your family,” the 52-year-old said in an interview.
Mason — a more reserved voice on the council who always attends meetings in a sport coat and tie — also cited the body’s increased uptake of charged issues as a factor in his decision to step down.
“Local polarization on issues has mirrored that of national politics and meetings have become increasingly uncivil,” Mason said in a statement announcing his decision.
Mason’s frustrations were evident at last week’s City Council meeting when he tore into a few dozen attendees for raucously heckling councilors as they debated a mask mandate.
“The shouting back and forth — sitting on this side of the table — it doesn’t help,” he said at the Dec. 1 meeting. “It makes me want to leave the room.”
Mayor Miro Weinberger, a fellow Democrat who also was elected in 2012, praised Mason for his time helming the council’s ordinance committee.
“I congratulate Chip on his distinguished, impactful service to the City through one of the most challenging decades that the City has ever faced,” Weinberger said in a statement.
The council’s only lawyer, Mason has endorsed another attorney — Ben Traverse, who chairs the city’s parks and recreation commission — to fill his seat.
“I do think lawyers bring a unique perspective to the council,” Mason said in an interview, pointing out that councilors constantly approve contracts on behalf of the city.
Mason and Traverse, who are neighbors, both work for prominent law firms on the Burlington scene. Mason is a partner with Gravel and Shea, while Traverse is an associate with Downs Rachlin Martin.
In a press release announcing his candidacy, Traverse emphasized his experience on various city boards, such as the Housing Board of Review and the Ward 5 Neighborhood Planning Assembly, as a reason for voters to trust him.
“I aim to continue in service to our community as a City Councilor representing a new generation of leadership, learning and listening to the needs of my Burlington neighbors,” Traverse said.
In an interview with VTDigger, Traverse also said he would seek to listen to other city councilors if elected, even when they disagreed on certain issues.
“I actually think the folks on the council now … share a lot of common goals for the community,” Traverse said.
One issue where Traverse said councilors can come together is the future of the Sears Lane encampment, a city-owned lot in Ward 5 where people without permanent housing continue to shelter despite demands from city officials to leave. The issue has generated conflict at recent council meetings.
“I would hope to work with fellow councilors to develop more … long-term stable housing for folks who are suffering from homelessness in the neighborhood,” Traverse told VTDigger.
Traverse said he agreed with Mayor Miro Weinberger’s decision to move campers off the site, since the property is slated for other purposes as part of a larger plan to develop the South End.
“If we allow the community to stay there, ultimately it’s going to wind up in the same place again,” with residents having to vacate to make room for the intended projects, Traverse said.
In addition to Mason, Rep. Tiff Bluemle, D-Burlington, one of the South End’s two state representatives, has endorsed Traverse, the candidate said in his statement.
Burlington Democrats will select their nominees for the March 2022 City Council races at a Dec. 19 caucus.
The eight City Council seats that represent wards are all up for reelection this year. That means the seats of councilors Zoraya Hightower, P-Ward 1; Joe Magee, P-Ward-3; Sarah Carpenter, D-Ward 4; Karen Paul, D-Ward 6; Ali Dieng, I-Ward 7; Jane Stromberg, P-Ward 8; and Council President Max Tracy, P-Ward 2, also are on the ballot March 1.
Magee told VTDigger Wednesday that they intend to run for reelection. Hannah King, a senior at the University of Vermont, announced last month that she will challenge Stromberg for the Ward 8 seat.
