Vermont Governor pushes public safety in Burlington ahead of meeting with U.S., Canadian officials
Vermont Gov. Phil Scott faced questions Thursday on the recent decision to send members of State Police to Burlington’s downtown area.
State troopers went on patrol in Burlington’s downtown late last month.
The questions come after Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak said she was not informed by the administration’s effort.
Scott said that Burlington businesses have reported "slippage" in the public safety initiative that both he and the mayor previously worked on.
Meanwhile, Scott is going to be hosting New England governor's and eastern Canadian premiers in Burlington on Monday. They’ll be discussing issues impacting the region.
The governor said that gathering, along with the busy tourist month as well as the return of college students is why the state police are in Burlington.
"We don't want them to have a bad experience,” Scott said. “So we just want to go in there and help out a little bit more.”
The governor said the extra patrols are paid for by the state and not the city. Those patrols will happened for a “limited period.”
Scott said he plans to meet with Mayor Mulvaney-Stanak, city councilors and businesses in the next month or two.