- Courtney Lamdin ©️ Seven Days
- Emma Mulvaney-Stanak at Friday's Pride flag event
Mulvaney-Stanak had been weighing when to step down from her Statehouse seat, knowing that later this spring, Republican Gov. Phil Scott will likely veto a bill that would allow overdose-prevention centers to open in Vermont. The mayor-elect, who cosponsored the bill, worried that the Democrat-controlled House may not have the votes to override Scott's veto, even with support from Progressives.
On Friday, Mulvaney-Stanak told Seven Days that she'd become more confident the House will have the margin to defeat the veto — though she was less certain about the Senate. As mayor, she said she'll be well positioned to influence the vote. The measure, H.72, is now in a Senate committee.
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Mulvaney-Stanak, the first openly queer person and woman to be elected Burlington's mayor, plans to issue a proclamation next week recognizing the day, which falls on March 31 annually. On Monday, she'll announce her staff and deliver the State of the City address.
Earlier this week, Mulvaney-Stanak attended the city's monthly Community Stat meeting, a data-sharing initiative that tracks the city's response to the drug crisis. Several of the attendees, including Weinberger, reiterated their support for overdose-prevention centers.
H.72 would allocate $2 million to open two of the centers, at which people could use drugs under supervision and be revived from possible overdose. Medically-trained professionals would provide people with sterile supplies and distribute naloxone, an overdose-reversal drug. The centers' operators and the people who use them would be shielded from arrest and prosecution, according to the bill.
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Jason Maulucci, Scott's spokesperson, told Seven Days earlier this month that the governor is already contemplating a veto of the bill but would see how it "winds up" after the Senate's review. He also disputed Mulvaney-Stanak's contention that Scott wouldn't appoint someone to replace her in time to override a possible veto, which could happen any time between April and June.
The governor traditionally appoints a replacement from the departing member's political party; Maulucci has said Scott will do the same for Mulvaney-Stanak's Chittenden-17 seat — and in a timely manner.
In her resignation letter, Mulvaney-Stanak called her Statehouse service "one of my proudest moments." She thanked her House colleagues, including those she served with on the tripartisan House Commerce and Economic Development Committee.
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"I look forward to a day where this incredible job becomes more accessible to working people and Vermonters with small children," her resignation letter says. "Our legislature will be a stronger, healthier and more representative body for all Vermonters if we fairly compensate legislators and adopt rules that reflect modern times."
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