Burlington City Council is at odds when it comes to what path they believe is best to establish community oversight of policing.On the ballot this Town Meeting Day, voters will decide whether or not to amend the city’s charter and create a Community Control Board. This body would be given the power to investigate misconduct, discipline or fire officers (including the chief), and form an investigative unit. At Monday’s regular council meeting, councilors voted 6-5 in favor of a resolution proposed in response to the Community Control Board ballot item. The goal of the resolution was for council to agree that the city would act on building community input and an oversight body if the ballot item were to fail in March. Supporters of the resolution were widely opposed to the Community Control Board. Ward 5 Councilor Democrat Ben Traverse believes this move to create a first-of-its-kind department could have adverse affects on public safety. “I want us to vote no on this ballot question,” Traverse said. “We are rebuilding a transformed police department and I’m concerned that if we keep experimenting with public safety it could take us a step backwards.”The board, if voted in, would have to be approved by the legislature and Governor. Councilor Traverse is not convinced the measure would pass through Montpelier.Councilors also worry about the regulation of what would be a new, independent city department. They said it isn’t guaranteed, that once in the State House, the proper “edits” to how the new department would run could clarify issues such as how to remove a member of the Community Control Board if they become unable to perform their role or if a member were to move outside of city limits, for example.Those in favor of the ballot item, including council progressives, believe this resolution does more harm than good with less than a month until voters hit the polls.The ballot item made it to Town Meeting Day after a petition received signatures from 5% (appx. 2,000) of registered voters in the city. Criticism of the resolution, the city administration and council democrats accused them of not using the last two years to bring forward a better solution than what is now on the ballot. ” blames us, the folks who have engaged with the public for over two years on this issue, for the lack of follow through on a promise to change the charter,” one public commenter said. “It says because of us you haven’t had the opportunity to hold meetings or receive input from the community as if us doing the work meant you couldn’t.”Ward 1 Progressive Councilor Zoraya Hightower echoed similar frustration in a statement sent to NBC5 on Monday:”I think this resolution is misguided. Thousands of residents signed a petition to vote on this and the council as a body shouldn’t tell people how to vote.”Further, the mayor’s office and city council have had over two years to come up with an alternative proposal for oversight, and we all agree it is needed. Yet, we didn’t have the political will to make it happen and yet these councilors want to undermine the most democratic process I’ve seen since joining the council. “If the council were going to act at all, I think we could provide guidance to the legislature on what our minimum viable oversight authority should be. The legislature is considering oversight in a variety of ways, including hopefully soon with the passage of this community process and could probably use our guidance in deliberation. This resolution doesn’t even attempt to do that. It just outlines a different process from the community-driven one.”
Burlington City Council is at odds when it comes to what path they believe is best to establish community oversight of policing.
On the ballot this Town Meeting Day, voters will decide whether or not to amend the city’s charter and create a Community Control Board. This body would be given the power to investigate misconduct, discipline or fire officers (including the chief), and form an investigative unit.
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At Monday’s regular council meeting, councilors voted 6-5 in favor of a resolution proposed in response to the Community Control Board ballot item.
The goal of the resolution was for council to agree that the city would act on building community input and an oversight body if the ballot item were to fail in March.
Supporters of the resolution were widely opposed to the Community Control Board. Ward 5 Councilor Democrat Ben Traverse believes this move to create a first-of-its-kind department could have adverse affects on public safety.
“I want us to vote no on this ballot question,” Traverse said. “We are rebuilding a transformed police department and I’m concerned that if we keep experimenting with public safety it could take us a step backwards.”
The board, if voted in, would have to be approved by the legislature and Governor. Councilor Traverse is not convinced the measure would pass through Montpelier.
Councilors also worry about the regulation of what would be a new, independent city department. They said it isn’t guaranteed, that once in the State House, the proper “edits” to how the new department would run could clarify issues such as how to remove a member of the Community Control Board if they become unable to perform their role or if a member were to move outside of city limits, for example.
Those in favor of the ballot item, including council progressives, believe this resolution does more harm than good with less than a month until voters hit the polls.
The ballot item made it to Town Meeting Day after a petition received signatures from 5% (appx. 2,000) of registered voters in the city.
Criticism of the resolution, the city administration and council democrats accused them of not using the last two years to bring forward a better solution than what is now on the ballot.
“[The resolution] blames us, the folks who have engaged with the public for over two years on this issue, for the lack of follow through on a promise to change the charter,” one public commenter said. “It says because of us you haven’t had the opportunity to hold meetings or receive input from the community as if us doing the work meant you couldn’t.”
Ward 1 Progressive Councilor Zoraya Hightower echoed similar frustration in a statement sent to NBC5 on Monday:
“I think this resolution is misguided. Thousands of residents signed a petition to vote on this and the council as a body shouldn’t tell people how to vote.
“Further, the mayor’s office and city council have had over two years to come up with an alternative proposal for oversight, and we all agree it is needed. Yet, we didn’t have the political will to make it happen and yet these councilors want to undermine the most democratic process I’ve seen since joining the council.
“If the council were going to act at all, I think we could provide guidance to the legislature on what our minimum viable oversight authority should be. The legislature is considering oversight in a variety of ways, including hopefully soon with the passage of this community process and could probably use our guidance in deliberation. This resolution doesn’t even attempt to do that. It just outlines a different process from the community-driven one.”
