The Burlington Progressive Party has struggled to distinguish itself as the party of financial accountability. This needs to change.

Part of the negative perception of Burlington Progressives can be attributed to a 2009 discovery that then-Mayor Bob Kiss diverted city funds in an attempt to save the city-owned telecom provider, Burlington Telecom. 

Kiss’ attempt to financially support Burlington Telecom failed and the city’s credit rating tanked as a result. This decision left Progressives reeling and damaged the party’s reputation, according to a March 2, 2011 article in Seven Days.

In the following mayoral election, voters elected a Democrat as mayor for the first time in over 30 years, according to a March 7, 2012 VTDigger article.

This new Democratic mayor, Miro Weinberger, promised an agenda guided by fiscal responsibility. Thirteen years later, this promise has never come to fruition. 

While Weinberger accumulated $16 million in city reserves and boosted the city’s credit rating, Democrats continued to blunder city finances. 

In recent city elections, Democrats have continued to campaign as the party of fiscal responsibility, according to a Jan. 9 WAMC Northeast Public Radio segment. 

However, it has been the Progressive Party who have opposed wasteful spending projects.

In 2014, Weinberger announced a proposal to redevelop the Burlington Town Center, according to a Nov. 24, 2014 VTDigger article. Burlington voters approved the plan in November 2016.

However, Don Sinex, who was tasked with leading the project, withheld information from city partners, according to a Dec. 26, 2018, Burlington Free Press article. 

The project stalled for four years until his stake in the project was bought out and construction finally started in 2022.

Scheduled to be finished between late 2026 or early 2027, the project has the potential to be transformative for the city. However, Democrats misplaced trust in Sinex tarnished the city’s fiscal image and left an empty dirt lot in the heart of downtown. 

Another financial mistake came in 2019 when the Burlington City Council voted to renovate City Hall Park, according to a March 26, 2019 Seven Days article.

The city requested just $500,000 to repair the park’s stormwater runoff system, however, the approved plan cost the city over $4 million, according to a March 26, 2019 VTDigger article.

The Burlington City Council declined to place an advisory question about the renovation on the ballot, which would have allowed the city government to see if taxpayers were willing to finance their share of the park renovation project. 

Democrats voted to keep the measure off the ballot, while Progressives voted to place the measure on the ballot. 

In 2024, Weinberger left office with a budget gap that ballooned to over $14 million when multiple accounting errors were discovered.

A budget gap occurs when the projected spending is more than the projected revenue, according to a September 2023 article by the Fiscal Policy institute. 

Budget gaps in Burlington are typical, but not ones of this amount, according to a Feb. 22, 2024 VTDigger article.

Current Progressive Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak played a large role in closing the gap for the 2025 fiscal year by levying taxes on residents and businesses while avoiding layoffs. 

The city is facing a smaller budget gap for the 2026 fiscal year. 

With Mayor Mulvaney-Stanak in office, it’s time for Burlington Progressives to change the narrative on which party stands for fiscal responsibility.