MEET
BEN.

Burlington is home.

My wife and I moved to Burlington’s South End because we believed it was the best place to start our family. We’re now raising three kids here, and a lot of my connection to Burlington has grown out of being a parent and a neighbor, getting to know people and finding ways to get involved. Over the years, that’s led me from volunteering in our neighborhood to representing it on the City Council.

I learned early in life how much a community can mean. When I was a teenager growing up in Upstate New York, my mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Friends and neighbors helped carry our family through an incredibly difficult time. Their kindness has stayed with me, and it’s a big part of why I’ve devoted so much of my life to public service. I know what it means to need your community, and I believe we each have a responsibility to show up for one another.

When I first moved to Burlington as a renter, I joined the Housing Board of Review to help resolve security deposit disputes and address housing conditions. I served on the steering committee of the Ward 5 Neighborhood Planning Assembly, helping neighbors have a voice in decisions affecting their lives. As a father, I joined the Parks & Recreation and Harbor Commission to care for the public places where our children play, learn, and grow. During the pandemic, I regularly delivered food and essential items to South End neighbors.

Serving Burlington.

In 2022, my neighbors elected me to represent Ward 5 on the Burlington City Council. In 2024, my fellow councilors elected me to serve as City Council President. I ran for Council because I care deeply about Burlington and believe local government has a responsibility to make people’s daily lives better. That means listening, working through disagreements, and following through on the things our community needs.

I graduated from George Washington University and Brooklyn Law School and clerked for the Vermont Superior Court. Before law school, I worked to help elect Sheldon Whitehouse to the U.S. Senate and then served on his staff on Capitol Hill. Those experiences strengthened my belief that public service is about taking responsibility, bringing people together, and doing the work to improve people’s lives.

Why I’m running.

I’m running for mayor because I love Burlington and believe in what we can do together. I want a city where people can afford to make a home, where our neighborhoods and downtown feel safe and welcoming, and where our children can imagine building their own futures. This is the place my family calls home. I’m ready to help lead its next chapter.