 All hands on deck. Good afternoon, everyone. It's great to see everybody here. My name is Jane Nodell and I'm the Treasurer of the Joan for Mayor campaign. I'm the Professor of Economics at UVM. I've lived in Burlington for about 35 years. And over that period of time, I've served for 20 years on the Burlington City Council as an elected progressive representing the Old North End. Over those 20 years, I overlapped with Joan for many of those years where we found ourselves on opposite sides of many issues. For me, Joan is the leader that we need now. Time and again, she has shown strong decisive leadership on the community safety issues at the forefront of Burlington's current challenges. Starting with the June 2020 City Council vote to reduce by 30% the number of sworn law enforcement officers serving the City of Burlington. Not only did Joan show the good judgment to vote against this ill-advised action she has stood strong on vote after vote in the face of enormous pressure and I've been incredibly impressed and appreciative of this leadership. Consistently demonstrating good judgment about what it will take to address our community safety issues and the ability to stand by your decisions. These are the qualities that we need in the next Mayor. These are the qualities that make Joan the right choice for Burlington. I'm also serving as MC of this event and I'd like to now introduce, as if he needs any introduction, Pat Robbins, who is the founder of the Church Street Marketplace, lifelong Burlington resident, Democrat, proud Democrat, engaged citizen and his service has included 10 years on the Blue Ribbon Committee that played a key role in resolving the Burlington Telecom problem. So Pat, you're up. My watch is telling me it's an emergency. It must be an emergency, right? Great to be here. Hi everybody. Hi there. The last time I spoke to a big crowd on these steps was at the Burlington Bicentennial and I remember asking the Chief of Police, are those steps okay? And they put all new ones in six years later. I think we're in good shape. That was a long time ago. Thanks for the kind words, Jane. I just wanted to say a couple of things. I got to meet Joan about 13 years ago. No big surprise to you. Probably she authored a resolution to put together a Blue Ribbon Committee, whatever that is, to take a look at what the hell was going on with Burlington Telecom. And somebody suggested to her that maybe I would be willing, because I'm not very smart, to get involved in that. And so as a result, I went to find her later and got to know her. And she was a great supporter through that whole wonderful six-year trip where we avoided a lawsuit that might have brought down the city and finally pulled it out the other end. And she was always on the right side of the issue, always quick to decide, always did her homework, always called back, which was a big deal to me back then. So I think here we are at another juncture. Over the years, Joan and I have had a chance to get together for breakfast pretty frequently, get to know each other a little bit. And about six years ago, I started telling her, you know, just in case that Mary Weinberger decides not to go again, you got to go. And she said, I'm not interested in being mayor. I'm not even vaguely interested in being mayor. So every three years, we'd have this discussion. And I had nothing to do with this, but thank God she made the right decision this time. So I think she's absolutely the... There's no question we're going to have a woman for mayor in Burlington. I can tell you that. And it's going to be Joan, I think. So thanks. Billy, nobody ever told Pat Robbins that. I heard yours. Okay, I got it. Get close to the mic, I guess. Yeah, yeah. Thank you very much, Pat. Our next speaker is Alganich Mikal, who is a small business owner here in Burlington. Is this... am I tall enough for this one? All right. Thank you, thank you. Seriously. All right. Good afternoon, everyone. Is it good afternoon? I think it is. All right. Get close to speak right into the mic. Okay. I can't see. Thank you, Jane. Thank you, Jane, for the introduction. My name is Alganich Mikal. I am honored to stand before you today to speak about my friend, the next mayor of Burlington, Joan Shana. My home is in South Burlington, with my husband and two daughters. My business serves greater Burlington and surrounding counties throughout Vermont. Let me share with you a story of friendship, support and unwavering vision. I met Joan almost two decades ago at our path crossed as our daughters attended preschool together. Since then, Joan and I have been friends, celebrating holidays and our children's achievement together. Joan is that friend you can always rely on. She goes out of her way to help anyone in need and her caring nature is one of a kind. When I had to make a tough decision to go back to work after dedicating all my time to my family, Joan was there to encourage and support me. As an immigrant and someone relatively new to Burlington, I did not know where to begin. But Joan was a guiding light. I am a nurse by profession and I was considering returning to my field. But I knew that was not what I was called to do. In life, I have learned that you have no idea what you can achieve until you take that first step rather than tucking yourself out of it. This is precisely what happened when Joan approached me with the idea of starting a business specializing in Eritrean and Ethiopian cuisine, which we proudly call a test of Abyssinia. Joan understands the impact diversity and cuisine has on community. The idea of having my own business had not even crossed my mind at the time. But thanks to Joan, I am now a proud small business owner. She believed in me and had a vision of what my business would mean to the city of Burlington and my family. Joan's support did not end with encouragement. She connected me to the right people and followed up with a phone call until the end. I can attest to Joan's exceptional qualities. And I know there are many others who share similar experiences. Joan Shannon is not only a wonderful friend, but also a person with deep passion for our city and a dedicated advocate for our community. She is the best candidate for the job of mayor. Please join me in supporting Joan Shannon for mayor of Burlington. Thank you. Thank you so much, Alganich. You shared some important aspects of the person that Joan is. The next speaker is Dave Hartnett. Dave was born and raised on Brooks Avenue. He currently lives in the New North End, where he manages a store and he has served the good people of the New North End for eight years. He's well known to many. He has an unmatched passion for the city and wants to see it come through this crisis and on the other side in even better shape. Dave? Thank you, Jane. I always hate to follow somebody who's got their speech all written out and organized and then I'm the next speaker. I served with Joan for eight years on the Burlington City Council and I can tell you this. She is a leader in every sense of the word. She stands on principle. She's honest. She's respectful. She'll listen. She'll work across party lines and without a doubt she will be the best mayor for Burlington. My wife and I live in the New North End and we are lifelong Burlingtonians. We raise a beautiful daughter and my daughter always used to say to us, I'm not leaving Burlington, Dad. I love it here. I want to go to college here. I want to work here. I want to teach in the Burlington School District. I want to raise my family here. That's how special I believe this place is and my wife and I agree with her. And if you agree with us and you think Burlington's a special place and you want families to stay and new families to come and you want them to send their kids to our great public schools and you want new businesses to open not to close and if you believe our waterfront and our bike path, our destination along with our Church Street Marketplace and new value public safety and understand that our next mayor needs to know the importance or what it means to have good community policing that will be held accountable Joan Shannon is our next mayor. It's not going to be easy. Caucuses are very difficult. I have a challenge for everybody here today. You go out, get five of your friends. You bring them to the caucus December 10th and then you go meet five people in Burlington that you don't know that live here. You introduce yourself. You tell them how much this election means and you tell them how good a mayor Joan Shannon will be. Thank you. Thank you, Dave. The next speaker is Julia Shannon Grillo. She is the former editor of the Burlington High School Register the former editor of the Tufts Daily and Joan's daughter Julia. Thank you, Jane. And thank you to everybody who came out to kick off our campaign today. My mom moved to Burlington when she was my age. It was the summer after her dad passed away and one of her four sisters was a student at UVM. She came here on a whim to be closer to family and she never looked back. The summer my mom fell in love with Burlington she lived in an attic on Hungerford Terrace. As she laid down her roots she had a mix of professional experiences from teaching sailing to marketing puppets to sewing bathing suits for fellow long torsoed women. She rescued dogs, a lot of dogs and some of them as it turns out already had a home. She learned those dogs. She made friends, she met my dad and less than one year after she had me she was elected to the Burlington City Council. One day when I was about 13 years old we were driving home from Shelburne. As the sun set over a field through the windshield my mom turned to me and said aren't we lucky to live here? I responded with something along the lines of but it's so boring and there are so many more interesting places around the world I just don't get why anybody would choose to leave those places for Vermont. As we struggled back and forth I finally lamented mom it's just not for me. She was crushed. Crushed to the point of tears. What I saw was her anger toward my lack of gratitude for my upbringing but it was masking the profound disappointment that I failed to appreciate her chosen home. By the time I graduated from Burlington High School I would have been equally upset with the girl in the car. I grew into somebody who deeply admires the Burlingtonians who discover our city as the place where they finally feel at home. My mom made this place her own. She desperately wants to create a community where everybody who wishes to become a neighbor in our city can do so comfortably, safely, and with excitement. She also wants to support people like me those who are raised in our school system and want to find a way to feasibly stay here. My mom and I now share an emotional attachment to Burlington and when this city is hurting we feel its pain. Throughout my life I have watched my mom prioritize her work in a way that invites others in, her family included. When I was in elementary school you couldn't tear me away from con toys on a Monday night no matter how hard my dad may have tried. I have been there for decades of difficult votes and I have been enormously proud to watch her consistently make the decision she believes is right over the one that is politically convenient. Because of this she has been able to keep her 20 year promise that as her constituent you may not always agree with her but you will always know where she stands and you will always know why. This is the quality that builds trust in her relationships. Over the next few months you will undoubtedly hear that we are in a crisis. A public safety crisis, a mental health crisis, an affordability crisis. In times of crisis you need a leader you can trust. Not the person you always agree with not the person who's going to pander to your views. As a resident, a voter, and an active civic participant in this community I want to be represented by a person who has an unwavering moral compass. I am proud to introduce that person today as my mom Joan Shannon. I can really promise you that is the nicest thing she has ever said to me. And this is going to be hard to do through a lot of tears. But thank you Jane for your belief in me. Where is Jane? I can't see that far without glasses just for the record. Thank you Jane for your belief in me, your mentorship, encouragement, and for stepping up to be my treasurer and emcee today. Thank you Pat for your steadfast friendship. And for 12 years of telling me you should run for mayor. Thank you Dave, my Irish brother who always likes to make sure I'm on the right path. We may fight, but we always make up. Thank you Al Ganesh, my sister, cheerleader, and inspiration. Thank you to my family, my husband Ken Grillo who's been enthusiastically picking up the slack at home and keeping volunteers fed and happy for the last couple weeks. A very special thank you to my daughter Julia who came home from college to be here today. You could not make me prouder or more honored to be your mother. Thanks to all of you who are standing with me today and to those who have sent me hundreds of encouraging messages. I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for all of your encouragement and confidence in me, I truly would not. My name is Joan Shannon, and I'm running for mayor of Burlington. You couldn't hear that. For 20 years I have been serving as a city counselor and for three of those years as council president. Obviously I'm passionate about serving Burlington and making government work for all our neighbors. I'm ready and well prepared to take this next step and serve as your mayor. When I arrived in 1985, I was a college student here for a summer job teaching sailing. My sister went to UVM and set me up with a summer sublet. Thanks Deb. I was supposed to go back to school in Pennsylvania but I fell in love with Burlington's beauty, the lake, and the enthusiasm of Burlingtonians most of all. I then rearranged my life to permanently move here, figure out how to graduate from college and make a living in Burlington. I've lived in college student neighborhoods, I've lived on North Street, I've lived in the Old North End, and in 1995 I landed permanently in the lakeside neighborhood where Ken and I have raised our daughter Julia and as you've heard, a revolving door of rescue dogs. There is, now you know where to come look for your dog. There isn't a street in Burlington I don't care about. I've been searching my soul and asking the question, do I have what Burlington needs at this critical time? What I believe we need is the courage and leadership to make hard decisions on the path to success. I've been tested at times and I have stood against strong political wins and I know I have what it takes to make those hard decisions in Burlington's best interest. We face enormous challenges in the domain of public safety alone. We have a diminished police force, debilitating drug use and addiction, a significant increase in unhoused neighbors, theft, crime and other inappropriate behaviors. I stand by my record as the only candidate who consistently supported investments in public safety, supported community policing and opposed misguided efforts to defund the police while also recognizing the need for evolution and improvement. My approach is evolution, not revolution. One of the considerations for me in making this decision was that no one can do this alone. It will truly require a community effort. I can tell you that my optimism for our future rests in you. So many of you have stepped up to say, how can I help? You have offered professional skills, time and labor. Burlington, thank you for your spirit. We need and welcome your help. As your mayor, I plan to once again normalize a word that more recently gets stuck in our throats and I will say it loudly. Accountability. We recognize that we need to do better, that people are not getting the help that they need. And still while we are working to build that infrastructure, our community cannot and should not have to tolerate open drug use, open drug dealing, graffiti, car theft, bike theft, retail theft and other harmful behaviors in our parks, in our neighborhoods and in our community living room, Church Street. The plan for public safety must be two-fold. Accountability and care. The bigger the challenge, the bigger the need for collaboration. And so to accomplish this, we will need all hands on deck. We all want a safe, clean and vibrant community where our neighbors have access to the help they need to be healthy and housed. Getting there, we will need to work together with state partners to provide the social safety net statewide that people deserve. And also work together to clean up graffiti, pick up letter. I'm going to be asking a lot of people, be ready. And hold people accountable for illegal actions here in Burlington. Community policing relies on all of us in partnership with our police. And we need to rebuild not only the department itself but the trust and relationship with the community. My intention and plan is to do both. We need to grow our police department and assure current and prospective officers that city leadership and the public support them performing their jobs according to their training and directives. We need to also work to modify protocols where appropriate and hold officers accountable to those high standards. We need to diversify the services offered by our police department and are working to do so now. For our officers to do their best work for our community and in order to hire officers in a highly competitive market, our police department needs to be a supportive environment. Both accountability and care. To truly have public safety for everyone, we need a healthy community. We need functioning physical health, mental health and addiction treatment systems. So that those suffering the most in our community can get well. And again, make positive contributions to our social fabric. Burlington cannot provide a public safety net to all of Vermont from within the boundaries of the city. And we certainly cannot do so on the backs of city taxpayers and neighborhoods. But we can and will do our share. I look forward to working with our legislators and governor to find solutions within and outside of Burlington to provide these needed supports. We will be turning to our state leaders and partnering with them to join in our movement to bring all hands on deck. Housing is a human right. And if we want to have a healthy and inclusive community, we need more of all forms of housing for people in all stages of life. Some people need supervised housing on their way to recovery. Others need supportive housing as they transition from intensive treatment to independence. And we all need affordable and desirable housing options for the workers who staff our hospital, our city departments, our hospitality industry, childcare centers, Howard Center and colleges and to meet all of our other community needs. In order for working people to be able to raise a family with financial stability, their housing must be stable and affordable. The city is currently 70% renter occupied. Renters should have a pathway to home ownership if they so choose. Home ownership is too far out of reach for too many in our community. This will be an important part of our administration's efforts to build community and financial security for everyone. I commit to working with healthcare providers, transitional housing providers, affordable housing developers, market housing developers, lenders and the city staff to help us build housing that enhances our beloved Burlington neighborhoods and provides needed homes and financial stability for our workers. We will ask them to join us bringing all hands on deck. Many residents have expressed their grave concerns about our city's affordability. While we need fiscal responsibility, we also need to ensure we have a thriving downtown and a growing tax base so that we can keep property taxes under control for the benefit of both homeowners and renters. People should not have to leave the city we love because they can't afford to live here. Protecting our downtown businesses and growing the tax base are imperative as we restore our safe and vibrant city. Businesses pay taxes that would otherwise become a residential tax burden. We want to continue to be a destination for tourists to come and enjoy our city and spend money. As a community, we have a universal value for our lake, our environment and our planet. We need to continue to find opportunities to address climate change, keep our lake clean and to stay ahead of best practices and new technology. Implementation should be both aggressive and sensitive to community needs and financial capacity. I support our Net Zero Energy Roadmap and Burlington's continued leadership on climate action. In the past 20 years, I've had countless conversations. I've heard your concerns as parents, business owners, immigrants, college students, generational Burlingtonians and chosen Burlingtonians like myself. As your mayor, I will listen to you. To move our city forward, we need to consider all viewpoints and ideas, whether they are progressive, conservative or anything in between. No one has a monopoly on good ideas. The successful path forward will require open-mindedness, careful listening and rational, evidence-based decision-making in the interest of Burlington and not for the purpose of serving blind ideology. Please know this. I think it's been noted, those of you who know me do. We may not always agree, but you will always know where I stand and why. I love Burlington and I know we can do better. With your help, I will lead the way for a better Burlington. In this effort, I invite you to join our team, Joan for Mayor, and our movement, All Hands On Deck!