Burlington's Statehouse Pick Sparks Backlash
- Burlington mayor picked someone to fill a vacant Statehouse seat, prompting local criticism. - Opponents criticize lack of public input and the appointee's policy positions on housing and policing. - Critics warn the appointment could influence upcoming votes, erode trust, and spur calls for procedural change (patch.com).
Gov. Phil Scott appointed retired Burlington police chief Kevin Scully to a vacant Burlington House seat on April 16, overruling the local Democrats’ recommended list. (vtdigger.org) Scully, a Democrat who led the Burlington Police Department from 1986 to 1998, was chosen to fill Chittenden-18 after Rep. Bob Hooper resigned in March. Hooper stepped down after the House Sexual Harassment Prevention Panel found he violated the chamber’s sexual-harassment rules. (mynbc5.com) (legislature.vermont.gov) Under Vermont law, the departing lawmaker’s party sends nominees to the governor for a vacancy. Vermont Public reported that Burlington Democrats submitted Amy Bielawski-Branch, Jim Holway and Elizabeth Krumholz, but Scott passed over all three. (vermontpublic.org) Scott’s office said it sought additional names as part of its vetting and did not require appointees to pledge support for any policy position. Jason Maulucci, the governor’s policy and legislative affairs director, told Vermont Public the administration has made more than 25 legislative appointments during Scott’s tenure. (vermontpublic.org) Democrats said the choice broke with the usual practice of selecting someone from the local party’s list and gave the governor extra leverage over the House’s ideological balance. Liam O’Sullivan of the Vermont Democratic Party told Vermont Public that the seat should reflect “the actual values” of Burlington voters. (vermontpublic.org) The Burlington seat matters because the House is closely divided after Republican gains in the 2024 election. Vermont Public reported that Democrats see vacancy appointments as one of the few ways a governor can shape votes inside the chamber mid-session. (vermontpublic.org 1) (vermontpublic.org 2) Scully was sworn in by April 16 and assigned to the House Committee on Government Operations and Military Affairs, the same panel Hooper left before resigning from the Legislature. The appointment lasts through the end of the session. (legislature.vermont.gov) (mynbc5.com) The dispute also lands in Burlington, where Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak has made housing and public safety central issues since taking office in April 2024. Her office this year rolled out a 2026 housing strategy and separate community-safety updates, the same policy areas critics have used to measure Scully’s fit for a Burlington seat. (burlingtonvt.gov 1) (burlingtonvt.gov 2) For now, the fight is less about whether Scully can serve and more about who gets to decide. Burlington Democrats are treating Scott’s April 16 appointment as a test case for whether Vermont should tighten the rules for filling Statehouse vacancies. (vtdigger.org) (vermontpublic.org)
