BURLINGTON — Democrat Joan Shannon on Thursday became the latest person to join the race to be the next mayor of Burlington, rallying with dozens of supporters on the steps of City Hall.
Shannon and her supporters emphasized a focus on public safety. She came prepared with a campaign slogan — “all hands on deck” — which she and the 60 or so people standing behind her echoed throughout her kickoff speech.
“The plan for public safety must be twofold — accountability and care,” Shannon said. “The bigger the challenge, the bigger the need for collaboration, and so to accomplish this, we will need …”
Shannon then paused and cued her supporters: “All hands on deck.”
The veteran city councilor said Burlington faces “enormous challenges” such as “a diminished police force, debilitating drug use and addiction, a significant increase in unhoused neighbors, theft, crime and other inappropriate behaviors.”
Shannon works as a real estate agent and has lived in Burlington since 1985. She recalled the different areas of the city in which she has lived — from Hungerford Terrace to the Old North End and finally the Lakeside neighborhood in the South End, where she lives today with husband Ken Grillo and daughter Julia Shannon-Grillo.
Shannon-Grillo introduced her mother, calling her “a person who has an unwavering moral compass.”
Shannon’s kickoff event also featured former city councilors, one of whom was elected as a Progressive. Jane Knodell, a 20-year member of the council, overlapped with Shannon for years.
“We found ourselves on opposite sides of many issues,” Knodell said. Despite that, she said, “For me, Joan is the leader that we need now.”
Dave Hartnett, a former Democratic councilor, also praised Shannon. He said “our next mayor needs to know the importance of what it means to have good community policing that will be held accountable” — and that Shannon would be that person.
Last week, fellow city councilor Karen Paul, D-Ward 6, announced her run for mayor at a downtown event.
Shannon and Paul have run against each other before. In 2013, the two competed for the role of council president, a position Shannon secured and served in for three years. Paul has held the council presidency since April 2022.
In lending her support, Knodell cited Shannon’s June 2020 vote over police staffing, when Shannon was one of three councilors to vote against a measure that capped the Burlington Police Department’s ranks at 79. Paul and eight other Democrats and Progressives voted to approve the cap.
The staffing vote has remained a point of contention in the city.
Knodell, who was not on the council at the time, said during her remarks Thursday that Shannon showed “good judgment to vote against this ill-advised action.”
Shannon said she saw that vote as a “distinction” in the mayoral race.
“Those were really hard times,” Shannon said of the 2020 vote. “And it really demonstrates how I will govern and that I will do my best to do what’s best for Burlington, and that involves listening to people but not always swaying with that political wind.”
While Shannon and Paul will be among those competing for the Democratic endorsement, State Rep. Emma Mulvaney-Stanak, running for mayor as a Progressive, is thus far the only prog to step forward.
Following Mayor Miro Weinberger’s decision to not seek a fifth term, the race to be mayor of the Queen City is open for the first time since 2012.
Party caucuses are expected to be held in December. A general election will take place on Town Meeting Day in March 2024.
