Longtime Burlington musician Kevin Bloom is trying their hand at politics, announcing their early bid for Chittenden County sheriff on Sept. 9. After landing on the ballot for the 2026 race, Bloom has carried on collecting signatures across the county as means of getting the word out about their campaign.
As of Monday, Bloom, 31, has garnered 168 signatures from 14 of the 18 municipalities in the county: Burlington, South Burlington, Winooski, Williston, Colchester, Essex, Essex Junction, St. George, Huntington, Shelburne, Richmond, Jericho, Hinesburg and Charlotte.
“It’s been amazing. I’ve been going around to different towns and just talking to people,” Bloom said. “I’ve talked to a bunch of landlords. I’ve talked to tenants. I’ve talked to young people. Older people. People my age. People who have lived here for a while. People who just moved here. Immigrants to America. People whose families have been here for a while.”
Bloom’s main platform as a Democratic candidate for Chittenden County sheriff is to end the blanket enforcement of evictions, which they called “a radical investment in our community, that would have some pretty profound results.” Bloom said they would like to cultivate relationships with tenants, landlords, housing developers and community organizations, and connect people with resources to prevent them from losing housing.
“What’s affecting everyone in the county is the housing crisis, and so people who I have talked to on all ends of the political spectrum have agreed that this is a pretty serious problem that’s affecting people in our community in immeasurably negative ways,” Bloom said. “A common theme has been a real resonance with the idea that we should address the problem and stop throwing people out into the street, especially families and especially children.”
Bloom said they did not support people withholding rent, and acknowledged there are some uncommon circumstances where eviction may be necessary.
But Bloom said eviction could be avoided in the vast majority of cases if people were connected with new housing options, job support or other resources. In the usual situation where an eviction is necessary, Bloom said that there should be more of an effort to connect people with help rather than letting them slip through the cracks.
Along with addressing the “omnipresent” housing issue in Chittenden County, Bloom said they would like to be a resource to community members facing wage theft, hate crimes, racial profiling, and violence against the unhoused, helping connect people to the right entities to report crimes and gain justice.
“These are small or large acts of violence against a community that people just in power seem to not really care about,” Bloom said.
Bloom said they would not assist federal Immigration, Customs and Enforcement officials’ actions in the county if requested. Bloom also said they want to serve as a mechanism of police oversight to provide accountability to address cases like Burlington police officers being accused of using excessive force this year and in previous years.
Acknowledging the fear many may feel around law enforcement, Bloom said they want to change the relationship between the community and the Chittenden County Sheriff’s Office, if elected, by listening to residents’ needs.
Bloom also heads the Burlington-based experimental, psych-rock band The Dead Shakers, which released their sixth album, “Now That’s What I Call Missiles & Bombs 4 Kidz!,” on Sept. 19. With songs titled “To Conflate Jewishness With Zionism Is Itself A Profoundly Anti-Semetic Act, And I Question The Motives of Those Who Do Things Like This“ and “Silence is Violence,” Bloom said they worked to ensure their songs were “unco-optible into anything other than political statements.”
But Bloom said they view their music and creative expression about global issues — like what Bloom and the Vermont congressional delegation recognize as a genocide in Gaza — as important but separate from the everyday work of a sheriff candidate doing local outreach.
Bloom takes issue with the current direction of the sheriff’s office led by Daniel Gamelin, who has increasingly offered private businesses security services for hire, racking up hundreds of thousands of dollars for the department in 2024, according to Seven Days reporting.
“The difference between a sheriff’s deputy and a private security guard is that the sheriff’s deputy is allowed to shoot someone if they deem it necessary, and I just don’t think that’s a service that should be offered by the state,” Bloom said.
In the past election cycle, Gamelin was uncontested for the role in both the primary and general election, so Bloom said they are offering the county an alternative.
Gamelin wrote in an email Friday that he intends on running as an incumbent in 2026 but did not immediately respond to VTDigger for more information on his platform.
“I want to continue the proud tradition of the Chittenden County Sheriff Office,” Gamelin wrote. “I have a great team here in Burlington and want to continue to build on that.”
Bloom is not collecting campaign donations, believing word of mouth is powerful enough to spread their message. Bloom said the funds would be “better spent buying a meal for someone living on the street and handing it to them.”
“That would have a much bigger impact immediately,” Bloom said.
Until Election Day in 2026, Bloom said their goal is to talk with constituents to generate ideas on how to help individuals and the county thrive.
“I think community interaction is a huge component that they’re just not doing right now,” Bloom said. “The Sheriff’s Department could be such a resource for the community.”
