BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) -Burlington mayoral candidates went head to head in a debate at UVM Wednesday night.
Democrat Joan Shannon, Progressive Emma Mulvaney-Stanak and Independents Will Emmons and Chris Haessly all attended.
They discussed how they will work to support UVM if elected.
Candidates answered questions about housing – and how expensive it is for upperclassmen to live in Burlington after two years in school provided housing.
“UVM – what I’ve noticed from living here for 20 years is a continued growth of student enrollment – there’s much more than just housing one has to understand when we think about the growth of the university,” Emma Mulvaney-Stanak said.
“When you put in new buildings, you have to have infrastructure to keep up with that,” Will Emmons said.
“If you’re building more housing for freshman and sophomores only to let them loose to find their own housing in the community in junior and senior year, then you have not helped the students, and you have not helped the neighborhoods,” Joan Shannon said.
“Right now, what I see is a conversation going on between City Hall and the university, and the folks that live in the neighborhoods, the most impacted, seem to be something of an afterthought,” Chris Haessly said.
Town Meeting Day is March 5 – ballots have already been sent out for those mailing in, and you can vote in-person on the day.