Emma Mulvaney-Stanak
43rd Mayor of Burlington
Incumbent
Assumed office April 1, 2024
Preceded by	Miro Weinberger
Member of the Vermont House of Representatives from the Chittenden-17 district
In office January 2021 – April 1, 2024
Preceded by	Jean O'Sullivan
Chair of the Vermont Progressive Party
In office November 10, 2013 – June 9, 2017
Preceded by	Martha Abbott
Succeeded by	Anthony Pollina (acting)
Member of the Burlington City Council
In office 2010–2012
Preceded by	Clarence Davis
Succeeded by	Rachel Siegel
Constituency	3rd district
In office 2009
Preceded by	Jane Knodell
Succeeded by	Bram Kranichfeld
Constituency	2nd district
Personal details
Political party	Vermont Progressive
Other political affiliations	Democratic
Spouse	Megan
Children	2
Education	Smith College (BA)

Emma Mulvaney-Stanak is an American politician who is the mayor of Burlington, Vermont. Previously, she was a member in the Vermont House of Representatives, representing the Chittenden 6-2 and 17 districts as a member of the Vermont Progressive Party. Prior to her tenure in the state house she was on the city council in Burlington, Vermont and chair of the Vermont Progressive Party.

Mulvaney-Stanak was educated at Smith College. She became involved in politics when she was director of the Vermont Living Wage Campaign and as field director for Scudder Parker's gubernatorial campaign during the 2006 election.

Mulvaney-Stanak was elected to the Burlington city council in 2009, but had to resign due to her moving. She won election to the city council in 2010, and at one point she was the only Progressive member of the city council. She was selected to be chair of the Progressive Party and held that position until 2017. She defeated incumbent state representative Jean O'Sullivan for the Democratic nomination for a seat in the state house and won in the 2020 election.

In 2023, Mulvaney-Stanak announced she would run for the mayorship of Burlington in the following year's election, which she won by just over 6 points.^[1] She is the first Progressive to serve as mayor of Burlington since 2012, when Bob Kiss left office, and the first woman and openly LGBT person to serve as mayor in the city's history.

Early life and education[edit]

Emma Mulvaney-Stanak and her twin were born to Ed Stanak, who later ran for Vermont Attorney General with the Vermont Progressive Party's nomination in 2012, and Joelen Mulvaney.^[2] Mulvaney-Stanak graduated from Smith College with a degree in political science. She married Megan, with whom she has two children.^[3][4][5]

Career[edit]

Local and state politics[edit]

Mulvaney-Stanak was director of the Vermont Living Wage Campaign.^[6] She worked as field director for Scudder Parker's gubernatorial campaign during the 2006 election.^[5]

Mulvaney-Stanak was elected to succeed Jane Knodell, a member of the Progressive Party, on the city council from the 2nd district in Burlington, Vermont, with the nomination of the Progressive Party against Democratic nominee Nicole Pelletier. However, she resigned from the city council on December 15, 2009, due to her moving from the 2nd district to the 3rd district which the city charter required her to resign for.^[7] Democratic nominee Bram Kranichfeld won election to the city council from the 2nd district in the 2010 election.^[8]

Clarence Davis, a member of the Progressive Party, did not seek reelection to the city council from the 3rd district in the 2010 election. Mulvaney-Stanak won in the 2010 election without opposition.^[9][8][10] She was the only Progressive member of the fourteen-member city council following the resignation of Marisa Caldwell in 2010, which was the lowest amount for the party since 1981.^[11][12] She did not seek reelection in the 2012 election.^[13] Rachel Siegel was elected to succeed her in the 2012 election.^[14]

Mulvaney-Stanak was selected to be secretary of the Vermont Progressive Party in April 2013. Martha Abbott did not seek reelection as chair of the Vermont Progressive Party. Mulvaney-Stanak was selected to be chair of the party on November 10, 2013, and was reelected in 2015. She resigned as chair on June 9, 2017, to focus on her job working for the Vermont-National Education Association and Anthony Pollina was selected to be interim chair.^{[15][16][17][18]}

Vermont House of Representatives[edit]

Mulvaney-Stanak ran for the Progressive and Democratic nomination for a seat in the Vermont House of Representatives from the Chittenden-6-2 district during the 2020 election. She defeated incumbent Democratic Representative Jean O'Sullivan in the Democratic primary and won in the general election without opposition. During the primary O'Sullivan claimed that Mulvaney-Stanak wasn't a real Democrat.^{[19][20][21][22]}

In 2020, Mulvaney-Stanak was selected by a unanimous vote of seven to be assistant chair of the Vermont Progressive Party's caucus in the state house.^[23] She was selected to become the caucus' leader on November 21, 2023, with Taylor Small replacing her as assistant leader.^[24]

Mayoralty[edit]

On October 16, 2023, Mulvaney-Stanak announced her run for mayor of Burlington following Mayor Miro Weinberger stepping down.^[25] On March 5, 2024, she won the election by almost 1,000 votes, beating Democratic nominee, Joan Shannon, and assumed the mayoral office on April 1, 2024.^[1] Mulvaney-Stanak is the first woman to be mayor of Burlington, as well as the first open member of the LGBTQ+ community to assume the position.^[26]

Electoral history[edit]

References[edit]