FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 19, 2021
Contact: Olivia LaVecchia
(802) 734-0617
Mayor Miro Weinberger Responds to Councilor Ali Dieng’s Proposal to Delay Administration’s Public Safety Plan
Burlington, VT – At the December 21, 2020 City Council meeting, the Weinberger Administration presented a plan to raise the cap of sworn police officers to 84 and authorize the hiring of additional public safety personnel. That plan is scheduled to come to the Council for approval on Monday, January 25. Now, Councilor Ali Dieng has introduced a resolution that is on the agenda at tonight’s Council meeting that would defer action on this proposal until after Town Meeting Day. In response, Mayor Miro Weinberger released the following statement:
“Progressive City Councilors have created a crisis in public safety in Burlington, over my strenuous objection, by lowering the cap on sworn officers by 30 percent without a plan for how public safety would be staffed in the aftermath of this decision. Having heard from so many Burlingtonians on this important issue, I am confident that voters support my position to keep the cap at 84 or higher. I oppose Councilor Dieng’s proposal to delay action and dodge Council responsibility for fixing the problem it created. The City Council should not need a vote of the public to understand that we need a well-resourced and professional police department to respond to the approximately 30,000 calls for service the City receives every year, even as we explore the possibility of responding to some of these calls in new and different ways. The Council should not wait until after Town Meeting Day to approve my Administration’s proposal on this urgent public safety matter.”
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