Democrats picked up a seat on the Burlington City Council on Tuesday, expanding their plurality to six of the council’s 12 wards and districts.
The party previously held five seats, along with the council presidency. On Town Meeting Day, its candidates won a vacant seat representing Ward 8 and successfully defended the East District and South District.
Progressives will continue controlling four seats, having successfully defended the Central District. (The Progs previously held five seats, until former Ward 8 Councilor Ali House resigned in October.)
Independents will continue to represent two seats on the council. One of them, Mark Barlow, I-North District, was up for reelection but ran unopposed. (He was endorsed by the Democratic Party but remains an independent.)
Though the partisan leanings of the council shifted only slightly, the council will feature several new faces. Of the five races, three were won by newcomers and two by incumbents.
Full results of the races are as follows:
- Ward 8: Democrat Hannah King beat Progressive Rhone Allison 228 to 187 to fill the seat vacated last fall by former Councilor Ali House, a Progressive.
- South District: Veteran Councilor Joan Shannon, a Democrat, won 2,242 votes, easily defeating Progressive Will Anderson and independent FaRied Munarsyah. Anderson received 449 votes and Munarsyah 344.
- Central District: Progressive Melo Grant beat independent Avery Muzikar 1,413 to 706 to keep the council seat in the hands of Progressives. Muzikar was endorsed by the Democratic Party. Grant succeeds Councilor Perri Freeman, a fellow Prog who opted not to seek reelection.
- East District: Democrat Tim Doherty defeated Progressive Jake Schumann 747 to 643. Progressive Jack Hanson held the seat until resigning in September, after which Democrat Maea Brandt won a special election to represent the East District. Brandt chose not to seek reelection.
Democrats celebrated their success during a lively gathering at Halvorson’s Upstreet Cafe on Tuesday night.
Mayor Miro Weinberger, a Democrat who had previously grappled with Progressive pluralities, called the outcome of the city’s election “significant.” Including Barlow, the independent endorsed by Democrats, Weinberger said, “It's the first time there's been a Democratic majority in the 11 years that I've been in office.”
King, 22, said she was particularly excited to have won a seat on the council after falling short by just 43 votes last year.
“It took us two tries. We pulled it off on the second one,” she said at the Halvorson’s party. “I am really excited. It was a lot of work, and it wasn't easy to step up again.”
During a separate gathering at Drink, Vermont Progressive Party Executive Director Josh Wronski called the outcome “a mixed bag.” But, he said, he was “really excited” by Grant’s victory in the Central District.
Patrick Crowley contributed reporting.