By Jack Brittle, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Yesterday, Burlingtonians cast their ballots in the city’s 2026 municipal election and re-elected Marianne Meed Ward as mayor for a third consecutive term.
This marks the first time since Burlington was granted city status in 1974 that any mayor has achieved this feat.
Meed Ward arrived at her election-night gathering at the Burlington Legion shortly after polls closed at 8 p.m. She was greeted with cheers and applause as her supporters anxiously awaited results to be reported on the several TVs scattered throughout the establishment.
Volunteers, as well as friends and family of Meed Ward, mingled and exchanged pleasantries while votes were counted. Each attendee was given a free drink ticket and was free to treat themselves to a selection of appetizers served buffet-style.
George Curran, who has now volunteered for Meed Ward in her three mayoral campaigns, made all the lawn signs for this year’s campaign.
Curran said that he sees Meed Ward as “less of a talker and more of a doer.”
“She’s compassionate and honest,” Curran said. “The campaign on some sides got a little bit nasty. She never went down to that level.”
Meed Ward said in her victory speech that she is “energized” by the result and inspired by the thousands of people that she’s talked to throughout this campaign.
“I know we have work to do,” Meed Ward said. “I know that there are people who are struggling, feeling anxious, and worried about affordability. Who are worried about whether they get home on time with traffic and who are watching their pennies.”
“I am so excited to get to work to do that,” she continued.
Meed Ward said that her campaign focused on what council can do to make the city a better place and not on “blame, misrepresentation, or disinformation.”
“That is a campaign that people want to be part of, and that’s what the election results showed us clearly,” she said.
Meed Ward said that she doesn’t see herself as a politician, but rather a public servant.
“I know that sounds odd,” she said. “I see myself as somebody who is here to serve you and here to work alongside you to make our city better. We have done that for eight years now, and we will do it again for four more.”
Meed Ward said that she has “so many ideas” for what council can accomplish this term and “can’t wait to get started.”
She commented on the four new councillors that were elected last night as well.
“I’m really excited to get the new voices around the table, and I’ve always been somebody who loves mentoring other people,” Meed Ward said.
Meed Ward said that she has previously given new councillors deputy mayor positions to ensure they have a seat at the table.
“I think we have a good balance of seasoned people who bring that experience and new people,” she said. “My goal is to match a new councillor with a seasoned one for mentoring. Together we’ll make sure that everyone feels like they’re a part of the council.”
Meed Ward said that she wants to hear what new councillors campaigned on and what they heard from residents.
“Let’s put all of that together, because I think we all heard similar things,” she said. “And let’s get to work on the things that we can all agree on. If there are other things that you want to bring forward, I’m going to help you do that. Whether I agree with it or not, I’m going to help you get it to the table so that we can have a democratic vote on the process in a respectful way.”
Meed Ward said that council’s first order of business will be the city’s budget.
“We have heard real concerns about affordability,” she said. “But we’ve also heard real concerns that people don’t want service cuts. They don’t want cuts to our infrastructure. So we’re going to have some pretty intense conversations.”
Meed Ward said that she wants to have a “robust conversation” with the community about what the city’s next budget may look like.
Council previously asked staff to bring forward a zero-inflation budget to see what the city’s options are.
“[Residents] want us to keep the city in a state of good repair, and that means I don’t think we’re getting to zero,” she said. “But I think we can do better than we’ve done in terms of finding a way to manage what we need to do with the affordability. So that’s something I’m very committed to and look forward to working with the community on.”
Meed Ward said that the race ultimately came down to a question of leadership.
“When you look at the platforms, they were all very similar,” she said. “And that’s not unexpected when 91% of our votes were unanimous. We were a pretty aligned council with similar goals, and the platforms reflected that. So people felt ultimately the question was ‘Who do you want to lead?’”
Meed Ward said that a proven track record and positive campaign gave her the edge in the contest.
“There was a real shift in the campaign after the last two debates,” she said. “The last two were marked by finger-pointing, blame, and misrepresentation of issues. And some of the people in this room tonight who didn’t know me before attending the final debate came up and said, ‘You kept it classy. You were grace under fire, and you talked about what you were about, and I want to be part of that.’”
Meed Ward said that she “has a big job” but that she loves it.
“When I see that the privilege of being around the table has meant that I’ve made the city a better place, there’s nothing better,” she said. “That is what gets me up in the morning and keeps me going, and that’s what made me want to run. I still thought I had something to give, and obviously, the people of Burlington did, too.”
Meed Ward said that the energy, love, and inspiration in the room are what will carry her through the next four years.
