Candidacy endorsed by Gov. Madeleine Kunin, Gov. Howard Dean, Sen. Philip Baruth
Vermont Business Magazine Alongside her family, neighbors and a host of enthusiastic supporters, City Council President Karen Paul on Thursday announced her candidacy for Mayor of Burlington.
“With a decade and a half of public service behind me, as a councilor and now City Council President, it is with a humble heart that I announce, today, my candidacy for Mayor of Burlington,” Karen Paul told the assembled crowd on Church Street.
State Representative Emma Mulvaney-Stanak, a Burlington Progressive, was the first and so far only other candidate. She announced her campaign on October 16. Other candidates are expected to join the race after Mayor Miro Weinberger announced in late September his decision not to seek a fifth term. The mayoral election will be held on March 5, 2024.
Paul is from a prominent Burlington family has been a long-serving member of the City Council. She is frequently at Weinberger's side during press conferences and other events.
Karen Paul, center, with Rob Meehan of Feeding Chittenden and Mayor Weinberger in February 2023. File photo.
The event was kicked off by Vermont Senate President Pro Tempore, Philip Baruth, who enthusiastically endorsed his long-time friend’s candidacy.
“As City Council President, Karen has handled tough issues, tougher budgets, and she’s brought a coalition for change along with her. She’s a bridge builder - not a bridge burner - and in this particular moment we’re lucky to have her stepping into the race. I trust her to lead the city I love, and where she leads, I will follow.”
Senator Baruth’s comments were followed by former Vermont governor and longtime Burlington resident Howard Dean. “We can’t solve the problems of Burlington unless we are working together. Karen will be a leader who brings people together,” Dean said. “Karen is the leader Burlington needs.”
Ward 4 City Councilor, Sarah Carpenter, spoke after Howard Dean. She announced her support for Karen, and read an endorsement from former Vermont governor Madeleine Kunin.
“I am happy to endorse Burlington's City Council President, Karen Paul, to be the next mayor and the first woman mayor of Burlington,” Kunin’s statement said. “She has the vision and the professional and political capabilities to be a new and effective leader for the Queen City. She was unanimously elected Council President proving her ability to work with all parties. I have known Karen for years, and know she will follow through on her promises to the people of Burlington.”
Adam Saba, one of Paul’s three children, then introduced his mother to the stage, saying, “It is through this collaboration and a tireless passion for community that I know my mother will make a wonderful mayor. It is seen in the way that she approaches challenges, the high standards she has, and the way she speaks with neighbors across the city.”
Karen Paul has served on the Burlington City Council since 2008. She was unanimously elected as President of the City Council in 2022. A certified public accountant, Paul has decades of experience in the financial industry. She is a lifelong Burlingtonian, who has raised her three kids in Burlington.
Karen Paul’s complete remarks can be found below:
“Let’s cut to the chase. Here is why I am running, and here is why I am running now. Amidst much to be proud of in our city, we are faced with serious challenges. And serious challenges call for serious solutions.
At a recent City Council meeting, I introduced a resolution proclaiming the drug crisis to be our top public safety and health priority, and that evening I said: “We all want those suffering from substance use disorder to get well and to be safe. My track record on harm reduction is unequivocal, having been on the record in broad support of public health.
We ALSO want our greater community to be safe. And right now, we know many people do not feel that sense of safety.”
We are witnessing an unprecedented increase in crime. Every day, I hear from families who are weathering the psychological erosion that comes from feeling unsafe in one’s home and neighborhood; businesses are feeling the economic impacts, which is alarming.
It is well understood that if public behavior like what we are seeing is allowed to continue, it will become the norm. That is unacceptable.
So I am running for mayor to change it. I am running for mayor to ensure that what we see in our city is consistent with our values as a community. I am running for mayor because Burlington deserves a mayor who has a track record of saying what she will do, and then doing it. I will be that mayor.
I am the only candidate with the professional and political background to hit the ground running with a plan that is bold, actionable, and effective. And a plan that galvanizes our full community to action.
Because I have a track record of bridging divides - not in words, but in actions. As City Council President, I inherited a council fraught with contentiousness. And today, I’ve cultivated working relationships - and real esteem - for each of my colleagues, across our political spectrum. I was proud to have been elected unanimously as City Council President in a time of political division in our city. Despite our differences, we are united in our sincere love for this city, respect for the democratic process, and our dedication to the offices we hold.
I know I can bring that same integrity to the office of mayor.
Because that’s what our city deserves: a government with integrity. A government that does the good, hard work of collaboration - and make no mistake, collaboration is extremely hard work. To find common ground with those you disagree with. To painstakingly cultivate trust by listening and delivering, time and again. The solution that emerges from the hard work of collaboration will ALWAYS be stronger than any one person’s opinion, even my own.
Tackling our challenges will require new, visionary solutions - many solutions - which will only emerge if we hear from each and every voice from every corner of our community. This will take relationships at all levels of government, private industry and within our community. Burlington deserves a mayor who can make that collaboration happen. I am that mayor.
I have never been more optimistic that we can overcome our challenges than I am in this very minute. I know it, I feel it in my heart and being and I am fired up and ready to take them on at this pivotal time in our city’s history.
My parents raised me to never run from who I am - to claim it, to celebrate it. Burlington is who I am. Burlington is my home, my family. And whether you’ve been here four months, four years, or four generations, as your mayor - as your first woman mayor - I will go to bat for you every day.
This is our time. The future of Burlington is in our hands. I ask you to please be part of this moment, please join me in this journey. There is room for everyone under this big tent. Together, there is nothing we can’t do, no problem we can’t solve, nothing we can’t overcome. If we can see it, imagine it, we can make it happen. And we haven’t a moment to spare. This is our time. This is our moment. Let’s get it done.”