Burlington City Council confirms Geraci as new police chief with 10-2 vote

BURLINGTON — Anthony Geraci started Tuesday as Burlington’s new police chief amid some concerns about accountability related to a previous position of leadership.

In a 10-2 vote after 8 p.m. Monday, the City Council confirmed Progressive Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak’s appointment of Geraci, with Democratic councilors Becca Brown McKnight, Ward 6, and Evan Litwin, Ward 7, voting no.

The mayor and the majority of the council vigorously defended Geraci’s record and welcomed him on board after the vote. Mulvaney-Stanak, who introduced him to the public at a morning press conference, said the hire is among the most consequential decisions for the city and as mayor.

“Today marks what I hope will be the start of an important new chapter for the Queen City,” she said prior to the councilwide vote. 

Councilor Gene Bergman, P-Ward 2, said he has worked with many chiefs and is confident Geraci will be “an excellent choice.” 

Geraci, 49, appeared in the chamber Monday flanked by his wife and extended family, many of whom he said served in law enforcement, including his father.

He recognized that staffing, recruitment and retention are among the department’s immediate challenges and said he was drawn to Burlington because of a strong sense of community. He thanked the council and the community for the warm welcome.

“At this moment, I am choosing Burlington, and up to this point, Burlington is choosing me. I couldn’t be more grateful for that opportunity,” Geraci said. “Throughout my career, I have embraced leadership challenges, developed people, strengthened organizations, and addressed complex public safety issues. I remain committed to principled leadership and being part of meaningful solutions.” 

He has bought a house in Burlington and will draw a salary of about $185,000 a year for the initial term of his contract, which ends next October, according to city officials.

Council President Ben Traverse, D-Ward 5, who recently announced his campaign for mayor, said the comments of the evening are reflective of a community that cares deeply about the appointment, which he said comes with a mix of skepticism and support.

Traverse voted in favor of the appointment after saying last week that he was undecided.

Geraci, who spent much of his police career in Albany, New York, was hired as police chief in Newburgh, New York, in August 2021 after serving as chief in Watervliet, New York. He left the Newburgh department abruptly in April 2024 amid allegations of workplace discrimination. He then became the director of school safety and security for Newburgh schools but resigned in February 2025, according to News 12 Westchester.

News 12 reported that three female members of the Newburgh Police Department accused Geraci of gender discrimination, retaliation and creating a hostile work environment. It also reported that an independent probe — in which six other department members and Geraci were interviewed — ultimately found the allegations to be unfounded.

Geraci, at that time, said the investigation was closed prior to his departure from the police department. He also said news of the allegations felt “retaliatory in an effort to defame my reputation and tarnish my character.”

Burlington officials have not responded to requests for details of the incidents or the investigation that followed. 

At Monday’s council meeting, Brown McKnight said her decision not to approve the appointment was based on the workplace allegations of discrimination. She also said that no one — not the council, the mayor, the hiring committee or the recruiting professionals — has been able to review the underlying details of the claims.

“I am in no way making a judgment on anything that happened. I cannot do that because I don’t have the facts,” she said. “It could have been nothing, or it could have been something.”

Brown McKnight said she heard about favorable impressions and an agreeable personality. But she also heard about “a toxic workplace and disgruntled women.” As a result, she said, she did not believe that the city had fully vetted Geraci. 

“But that has absolutely not happened, and this is what institutional sexism looks like at every turn — another barrier prevents us from understanding what happened to the women involved,” she said, adding, “I’m really disappointed that our first-ever female mayor has brought forward a candidate with this history.”

Her comments drew the ire of Mulvaney-Stanak, who interpreted the charge as an attack on her integrity. The mayor agreed that gender discrimination claims should not be taken lightly and said, “I have vetted this personally, inside and out.”

“I really want to emphasize that IACP (the International Association of Chiefs of Police) did a deep background check,” she said, which found “no wrongdoing by any policy violation whatsoever.” 

The IACP conducted the nationwide search that netted five candidates. Geraci was one of three out-of-state finalists.

City Councilor Melo Grant, P-Central District, who was on the 12-person hiring committee, reiterated that Geraci was deeply vetted in a process that included a polygraph test. She said she was most interested in the fact that he had helped turn around a distressed police department.

Geraci restored the police department in Newburgh to full staffing and implemented strategies that led to a 50% reduction in gun violence, according to a Nov. 5 press release from the Burlington mayor’s office. He also replaced an enforcement-focused street crimes unit with a community engagement initiative in Albany that remains active, the release said.

Councilor Litwin’s no vote hinged on what he described as “a failure of the process” that led to the hire. He took issue with the time it took the mayor to begin the hiring process, although former Chief Jon Murad announced his intention to leave early in November 2024, and the length of the process. The position was posted May 18, and the hiring committee was created July 7.

“We received very little substantive updates. There were meetings that seemed quite secretive to me,” he said, adding that councilors did not have a chance to meet the finalists.

The mayor and Melo have pushed back on allegations that the process was too secretive, saying they were following the process and that top hires often have to maintain anonymity until the final stage. 

Geraci thanked Shawn Burke, who has been serving as interim chief since early 2025, and addressed other members of the department and the police union.

“I do not come to this position believing that I will have answers,” Geraci said. “I am prepared to listen, learn and lead. I will advocate for you. I will challenge you. I will support you, and I will work in partnership with you as we design a culture together that is one that is of shared vision and shared purpose.”

He said he hopes to earn the public’s trust through building meaningful relationships and working collaboratively. 

“My wish is to foster a department where community members feel comfortable approaching officers, sharing concerns and asking questions while working together to make Burlington safer,” Geraci said.

Read the story on VTDigger here: Burlington City Council confirms Geraci as new police chief with 10-2 vote.