Open Letter to Burlington about the Downtown

October/November 2024

This is an optimistic letter. The challenges that we face in Burlington are problems we can improve with the resources and skills we have as a community. And now is the time to act.

Our local, State, and Federal leaders are already doing lots of work on the sometimes-overlapping issues of drug addiction, homelessness, and mental health. As a community, we can help by bringing forward new ideas for discussion because there are opportunities to change things for the better.

Each of the six ideas below is practical, do-able, and designed to impact at least one part of the inter-related challenges we face. Each idea also brings people together in a different way to tap into the energy and skill we have as a community. In combination with all the work already underway, new action on these ideas could contribute to a sense of forward momentum in our city.

The ideas in this letter come from many different people. And the idea of an open letter was inspired by the non-partisan public safety letter written one year ago (link here). This letter is offered in the same spirit of practical action toward shared goals.

This is an incredible community to live in. Collectively, we can take some steps to improve it. Please consider signing your name if you want to see further discussion of some or all of these ideas.

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Establish the First Blue Ribbon Commission in 15 Years

Action: Ask the Mayor and City Council to appoint an independent Blue-Ribbon Commission to evaluate how the legal system and law enforcement interact at the local level regarding drug-related criminal behavior.

A Blue-Ribbon Commission can be a helpful tool when you have a complex topic that requires expert knowledge but is also an issue of significant public controversy. Burlington last appointed a Blue-Ribbon Commission to understand the potential paths forward following the Burlington Telecom scandal in 2009. This new Commission should have 10 members representing the U.S. Attorney, the Attorney General, the State’s Attorney, the State Department of Public Safety, the UVM Division of Safety & Compliance (responsible for ~12,000 students’ safety), a leader from the direct-service non-profit sector, a leader with judicial experience, and the Burlington Police Department as well as two other at-large members (one appointed by the Mayor and one by the City Council President).

How the legal and law enforcement systems interact at the local level is a fraught topic, and a letter like this is not a reasonable place to evaluate these professional and technical relationships – even if we had the expertise to do so. A Blue-Ribbon Commission can help this conversation unfold publicly in a productive way on a topic that remains divisive in our community. Many residents have starkly different opinions about how, for example, the Burlington Police and State’s Attorney’s Office do their important jobs in the delivery of public safety. Public trust relies on these entities working together to serve the community.

We should understand the actual issues facing both entities before leaping to a conclusion. A Blue-Ribbon Commission structure can allow outside experts without personal interest to join an examination this complex topic and make fact-based recommendations. Such a Commission could hold a series of public meetings over 3 months and provide a public report on the relevant findings no later than 4 months after being appointed.

Invite Our Neighbors To the Table

Action: Organize a cross-community, multi-disciplinary criminal justice coordination effort to focus attention on those individuals who have a high number of police contacts across Burlington and surrounding communities.

Burlington should host a regular meeting with the leadership from the surrounding towns’ police forces and representatives from the State’s Attorney’s Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and representatives from other vital organizations as the group feels is necessary (like the Drug Court, Community Justice Center, the Public Defender’s Office, county-level service providers, community liaisons, or the drug task force). This effort could be convened by the Mayor’s Community Safety Advisor, who has experience at the State level.

Some coordination already occurs, but this effort would be different in two ways: First, the meetings should focus on individuals with dozens or hundreds of police contacts who are impacting our communities in multiple damaging ways, since there are already separate task forces looking at, for example, major drug trafficking in our region. Second, the high-level attention of local police chiefs, the Mayor’s team, and surrounding town & city managers as applicable (each community can decide for themselves who to send!) can help elevate issues and divide work effectively.

There is a limited universe of people with dozens or hundreds of police contacts, but some within that universe contribute to a sense of insecurity across multiple towns. Coordinating investigative work for ongoing cases – knowing who is doing what, who is leading on which case, and sharing information and evidence where appropriate – could help reduce the burden on the very small teams of detectives working independently in each town.

These meetings may further identify data patterns or potential policy changes that could help focus resources effectively, could support work the Mayor is doing with regional partners, or it could create new communication channels. This is also a useful way to engage other communities and their talented personnel in the challenges we are facing together. If it can produce results that benefit each community, it may make it easier to advance the necessary conversation about sharing the service burden Burlington carries.

Youth-Adult Partnership as Wind in the Sails

Action#1: Infuse a working group of AALV, the Boys & Girls Club, King Street Center, and the Burlington School District with a data-focused pre-intervention goal to identify students facing significant risks and expand resources that support them.

We are lucky to have dedicated service providers and a school district that cares deeply about our youth. We also live in a relatively small community. Each organization that serves our youth has its own data and its own relationships. There may be ways to focus the attention among this group of service providers and the school district on a specific charge to use the data they possess separately to collectively identify students facing significant risks and proactively link students with additional support where possible.

Action #2: Establish a regular meeting that centers a representative group of youth, in partnership with nonprofits, donors & philanthropists, and City officials, to focus on youth crime.

Although youth crime has recently made headlines, the vast majority of student-age residents are in the same position in which Burlington adults find themselves: Witnesses sometimes harmed by the growing crisis of public suffering, addiction, and safety. These young people have unique insight and wisdom to share, and their voices are rarely heard. Instead of jumping to a conclusion regarding Burlington youth, we have an opportunity to coordinate resources, attention, and decision-making with the true experts on the issue – youth themselves.

Burlington has many organizations that are well-positioned to elevate young people’s perspectives. Nonprofits such as King Street Center, the Boys & Girls Club, AALV, Spectrum, and others are trusted spaces for youth. In addition, the Burlington City & Lake Semester is invested in youth-adult partnerships and has experience facilitating student engagement directly with City departments over extended periods of time. Bringing these groups together, along with potential donors, would respond to the evolving experience and needs of the city’s youth while also focusing attention and potentially funding in effective directions. While the initial focus may be on crime, the group may choose to prioritize other issues over time.

Chart a New Vision for Our Rapidly Evolving Downtown

Action: Start a community process around the new downtown streets

At first glance, this suggestion may seem out of place. However, as the hundreds of new “CityPlace” apartments and retail shops open their doors where the old mall used to be and Pine Street and St. Paul Street are reconnected, downtown Burlington’s center of gravity will shift slightly west from Church Street. How will this impact our community? What do we want in terms of services, opportunities, and activities downtown? There is lots of evidence, most famously from the great Jane Jacobs, that eyes on the street – lots of people walking and lots of small activities that bring different generations together on city streets – can help improve community safety and connection.

Further, specific to Church Street, the tax and fee burden that many businesses pay for that location is significant. Current crime levels around retail theft in particular can make that burden feel heavier still – and because the number of businesses on Church Street is relatively small, there is a limit to services those taxes and fees can support. The new streets and hundreds of new apartments scheduled to open over the next two or three years could open the door for a more vibrant, equitable future. For example, maybe a different payment structure that supports not only Church Street but the newly connected City blocks could spread the cost burden and allow for more and different services. That might mean an expanded ambassador program modeled on how other cities are helping people in need connect to services, direct tourists, and support locals – or it could be something completely different! This is an opportunity to engage the creativity of residents and businesses and think differently about the future of our downtown in a positive way.

Strengthen a Coalition for More Realistic Treatment Options

Action: Signal support for the August 26, 2024 “step-down” letter to State & elected officials

In an August 26, 2024 letter to the Governor, a group of community leaders who have dedicated significant parts of their lives to understanding and improving the lives of Vermonters struggling with addiction identified what they believe is the single most important intervention we can make: Vermont does not have the capacity to treat people struggling with addiction in a consistently effective way. So, the group calls for new “step-down” facilities to complement existing institutions and give those in recovery a better chance to rebuild their lives.

As with any meaningful change in response to evolving reality, this new approach requires adapting our habits and allocating or re-allocating funding – both very difficult things for us as a society to discuss, let alone act on. The Governor’s team has formed an internal working group on this question, and significant public discussion or support of this approach could help a necessary but complicated conversation advance. The alternative, of maintaining the status quo, is grim to contemplate. Highlighting the importance of this work to your state-level representatives is one way to keep attention on this topic.

Refuse to Accept the Total Neglect of Property in Our Downtown

Action: Encourage the City Council to Review Ordinances Related to Abandoned or Neglected Property.

Neglected buildings contribute to a sense that people don’t care about downtown Burlington – and that is both corrosive and untrue. Seven Days reporting about a year ago raised a couple different ideas about how this could be changed. One person suggested taxing these vacant or neglected buildings at a different rate than other buildings. Another person in the story – who leads the City’s Code Enforcement operation – suggested Burlington could do what at least one other community does and double vacant building fees on neglected property annually, up to a certain cap. The City Council is already considering taking up this issue as soon as November 2024 – please encourage your Councilors to discuss this topic.

Signatures

Brian Lowe

Catherine Foley

Dov Stucker

Tiffany Bluemle

Victor Prussack

Emma Balón

Al Gobeille

Jane Knodell

Andy Vota

Mike Schirling

Beth Anderson

Pamela Unsworth

Sandi Niquette

Jennifer Adams

Ryan Nick

Eileen Blackwood

Michael Green

Sarah Muyskens

Jake Perkinson

Linda Feist

Tinotenda Rutanhira

Lisa DeNatale

Kathy Connolly

Sam Osborne

Jay Jacobs

Daniel Smith

Michele Asch

Ann McKay

Heidi Tappan

Deb Caulo

Steve Boutcher

Lucas Jenson

Joyce Hagan

Bram Kleppner

Amy Mellencamp

Milissa O'Brien

Llu Mulvaney-Stanak

Cate MacLachlan

Christine Dodson

James Unsworth

Steve Donahue

Mary-Katherine Stone

Mary Sullivan

Tom Freiheit

Bernard J. Picchi

Morgan Hillenbrand

John Caulo

Samantha Green

Zoe Richards

Karen Paul

Scott Baldwin

Bill O'Connor

Michael Monte

Tanya Benosky

Ernie Pomerleau

John Davis

Kendra Sowers

John Wadhams

Alex Bunten

Michael Gaughan

Fernand Crete

John Cammack

Debby Hanley

Abbey Duke

Shireen Hart

Peter McConville

Susannah Offenhartz

Jeff Schulman

Deb Lichtenfeld

John A. Beal

Tom Weaver

Charlie Smith

Matt Gallagher

Matt Grady

Todd Sarandos

Mindy Clawson

Hope Green

Mark Howe

Neale Lunderville

Marcantonio Rendino

Andrea Rogers

Kathleen Manning

Sarah Howe

Suzy Comerford

Dale Wadhams

Colleen Perron

Brooke Gillman

Joe Giallanella

Aimee Gaffney

Hillary Anderson

Russ Scully

Rob Lair

Lisa Schamberg

Emily Gallagher

Colleen Syron

MaryAnn Bock

Tim Wall

Adrie Kusserow

Roxanne Scully

Fred Castiglia

Wanda Stetson

Lynn Goyette

Ana Ruesink

Andy Barker

Art Frank

Martha Frank

Kathleen Donohue

Alden Cadwell

Ellen Kirschner

Peggy O'Neill-Vivanco

Mark Redmond

Benjamin Roesch

C.J. Spirito

Kate Hunter

Lisa Schnell

Sue Chayer

Barbara Wager

Greta Spottswood

Bill Harvey

Meghan Fitzpatrick

Jeanne Landau

Leigh Steele

Amy Lilly

Jay Ashman

Sara Puretz

Scott Richards

Hilary Stanton-Geddes

Carolyn Hanson

Dana Poverman

Kathleen Schaffner

David Bardaglio

Stephanie Mueller

Betsy Rosenbluth

Mary Ann Ficociello

Donna Sutton Fay

Don Slish

Jason Van Driesche

Cayenne MacHarg

Kathleen Laramee

Rich Kowalski

Robin Kowalski

Dylan Farnsworth

Graham MacHarg

Thomas Leavitt

Ann Guillot

Gabe Arnold

Jerry Tarrant

Keith Tarr-Whelan

John Berlind

Kim Fitzgerald

Linda Tarr-Whelan

Charles Clarke

Lindsay DesLauriers

Thomas Hyde

William D. Riley

Trudy Richmond

Julie Devins

Lisa Bridge

William Spencer

Patricia Pomerleau

Raquel Aronhime

Lindsay Jones

Jeff Nick

Kathleen Miles

Alison Abry

Kacie Lagun

Anna Drummond

Martine Larocque Gulick

Bethany Whitaker

Anna Grady

Ginny Memoe

Bill Bissonette

Shane Bissonette

Kevin Veller

Jesse Beck

Eric Farrell

Trina Zide

Gretchen Galbraith

Jim Cohen

Prospero Gogo

Hope Lindsay

Jane Smith

Megan Munson-Warnken

Joe Dery

Cindy Gerstl-Pepin

Sarah Beal

Kimberly Hunt

MaryBeth Nuovo

France O'Brien

Erica Gibson

David M. McKay

Peter Anderson

Alex Messinger

Jacquie Dragon

David Stiller

Adam Grundt

Andi Higbee

Lucia Campriello

Kathleen Ryan

Bethany Wolfe

Greg Hancock

Kate Belluche

Thomas Nuovo

Kathleen Baldwin

Sharon Beal

Brian Neufeld

Heather Fitzgerald

Sarah Sprayregen

Damon Savage

Marybeth Redmond

Natalie von Turkovich

Gordon MacFarland

Heidi Moreau

Gail Moreau

Jane Richardson

Kathleen Knauer

Mary Jane McMahon

Kim Brockway

Peggy Casper Horton

Cindy Shanks

Joe Larkin

Mary Tudhope

Kate Strotmeyer

Erik Hoekstra

Zoe Hardy

Chris Donnelly

Jeannie Waltz

Clare Wool

Mary M.

Adam Bluestein

David Bradbury

Erin Evarts

Ethan Brown

Andrew Savage

Christina Erickson

Hans van Wees

Erin Morgan Helpap

Elizabeth Seward

Evelyn Micelotta

Elinore Standard

Barbara Perry

Dale Azaria

Laura Allyn

Melissa Desautels

Kylee Heingartner

Llyndara Harbour

Alan Rubin

Ted Castle

Suki Rubin

Kaitlin Ryan

Nigel Mucklow

Susie Moakley

Allie Schachter

April Howard

Andrew LeStourgeon

Martha Whitney

J Ladd

Jim Foster

Jacob Shapiro

Chuck Ross

Diane Freiheit

Jim Lampman

Kate Marvin

Casie Winto

Mark Bouchett

Linda Oats

Noelle MacKay

Paige Farrington

George Martin

Jeff Buzas

Erin Kranichfeld

Mike Shanks

Jennifer Kaulius

Richard Moore

Teresa Palatino

Ben Doyle

Steven Murray

Deborah Lashman

Sara Fitch

John O’Leary

Jesse Curran

Greta Getlein

Karen Vincent

Kelly Kimball

John Lawlis

Kim Anderson

Beth Garbo

Michele Ready Ambrosino

Miranda Beverly-Whittemore

Nikki Stevens

Beth Reilly

Ben Blanchard

Jill Badolato

Shabnam Nolan

Ali Jalili

Amy Feeney

Helen Reid

Meg McGovern

Robert Hommel

Jim Lampman

Scott Connolly

Cathy Ruley Condon

Betsy Ferries

Peter Clavelle

French Brandon

Linda Pacheco

Will MacKinnon

Rick Stoner

Marc Wennberg

Barak Stevenson

Paige Ruffner

John Lawlis

Weiwei Wang

Megan J Humphrey

Greg Cluff

Paul Silber

Jasmine Lamb

Mieko A Ozeki

Jacqueline Maria

Stan Weinberger

Pat King

Kahlil Zaloom

Mike Rubinchuk

Sara Brown

Greg Cluff

Jeff Glassberg

Isaac Kaplan

Sandy Jacobs

Peter Brady

Colleen Brady

Kirstin Minton-Ellwood

Carol Shepherd

Jovial King

Valerie Esposito

Aly Richards

Carolyn Felix

Alex Germek

Adam Hudson

Kaitlyn Jewett

Sebastian Wittmann

Robert Ryan

Jonathon Weber

Sydney Streets

Alexandra Weinstein

Ada Case

Steve Lipkin

Nathaniel Gibson

Kiersten Kelly

Gordon MacMaster

Megan Carmichael

James Kelly

Johnathan Topol

Rob Conboy

Lexi Crook

Maxwell Newman

Maria Cochrane

Nat Caldwell

Matt Van Wagner

Spencer Dole

Geeda Searfoorce

Carol Ode

Paul Ode

Lydia Ode Slauson

Christine Beall