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Joe Magee- Ward 3 City Councilor

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Burlington, VT
Joe Magee- Ward 3 City Councilor

Former Ward 3 City Councilor in Burlington, VT

03/27/2024

Join us in front of City Hall as we raise a Burlington Trans Pride flag in celebration of Trans Day of Visibility.

I want to extend a special thank you to the community member who created the Burlington Trans Pride flag that will fly in front of City Hall, and reached out to offer it for the month of April. Thank you, Primrose!

03/25/2024

Join us for the final City council meeting with the current councilors and mayor. Starting at 5:30, Public Forum 6:30. Hope to see you there or virtually. Learn more at https://burlingtonvt.portal.civicclerk.com/event/6977/files/agenda/10307

03/23/2024

“Overdose Prevention Centers are a desperately needed intervention in Burlington. Sign the petition in support at the link in my bio, and call your state senators to tell them to support H.72!”

03/07/2024

Research is clear that real safety happens when communities invest in taking care of each other and making sure people have what they need to thrive–affordable housing, strong public schools and supports for youth, vibrant public spaces, and access to healthcare, substance misuse treatment, and mental health resources. Criminalization is hardly the answer; think of what we could achieve if we spent the $57,000 a year that it costs to incarcerate someone on proactive support for struggling community members. By the numbers: According to a 2016 study by the Vera Institute, 49% of people with multiple arrests in 2017 had individual incomes below 10,000 year, 66% of people with multiple arrests had no more than a high school education, Those with multiple arrests were 4 times more likely to be unemployed, and serious offenses make up less than 5% of arrest. And we’ve got new studies showing that this isn’t correlated, but causal - a 2022 study showed that high-levels of adverse community experiences (divorce, poverty, discrimination) was significantly associated with criminal justice contact during young and middle adulthood, having been incarcerated in adulthood, having been incarcerated multiple times, and having spent longer periods of time incarcerated (Academic Pediatric Association by way of Burlington’s CJC). Adverse community experiences are up to us all to address.

02/28/2024

Strong democracy is core to healthy communities. Burlington has made strides in recent years and has a long way to go. The current administration has not been amply communicating with councilors and residents and has prevented transparency and democracy from taking place. The next administration can and must do better.

02/26/2024

Inclusionary zoning is supposed to ensure that affordable housing can be accessible to people with lower- and middle-incomes. Instead, we are providing loopholes and that is not acceptable. Tonight we hope to change that by increasing costs that developers must pay when they do not build housing that is affordable.

02/22/2024

Research is clear that real safety happens when communities invest in taking care of each other and making sure people have what they need to thrive–affordable housing, strong public schools and supports for youth, vibrant public spaces, and access to healthcare, substance misuse treatment, and mental health resources. Criminalization is hardly the answer; think of what we could achieve if we spent the $57,000 a year that it costs to incarcerate someone on proactive support for struggling community members.
By the numbers: According to a 2016 study by the Vera Institute, 49% of people with multiple arrests in 2017 had individual incomes below 10,000 year, 66% of people with multiple arrests had no more than a high school education, Those with multiple arrests were 4 times more likely to be unemployed, and serious offenses make up less than 5% of arrest. And we’ve got new studies showing that this isn’t correlated, but causal - a 2022 study showed that high-levels of adverse community experiences (divorce, poverty, discrimination) was significantly associated with criminal justice contact during young and middle adulthood, having been incarcerated in adulthood, having been incarcerated multiple times, and having spent longer periods of time incarcerated (Academic Pediatric Association by way of Burlington’s CJC). Adverse community experiences are up to us all to address.

02/16/2024

We know that police are not the answer to every problem. In fact, police have been telling us this for years. When someone is having a medical emergency, we send an ambulance. When there is a fire, we send firefighters. When someone is experiencing a mental health crisis, they should have access to trained mental health professionals. When someone is struggling with lack of housing or chaotic substance use, they need access to resources and care workers. These options free police up to focus on serious crimes, doing investigations, and improving response times and follow-up. While the City of Burlington has committed to moving these approaches forward in theory, implementation has taken a back seat. Progressives have been pushing for our city to follow through on these approaches for years and we have yet to effectively implement our previously set goals.

02/08/2024

Burlington is facing a public safety crisis. Last year, my Progressive colleagues and I formulated a list of detailed proposals for how to move forward to a safer, more inclusive city. I wanted to reshare the details of the proposals beyond front-porch-forum here so stay tuned for detailed posts on each proposal in the weeks ahead.

We are disappointed at last month’s vote to delay initiatives for community oversight of police yet again - especially as the proposal that was on the table was so bureaucratic and marginal that it could not really be controversial.. We re-share these proposals, in the spirit of imagining what true community safety might look like for the city of Burlington. Thanks .citycouncilor for being a contributor on this.

01/06/2024

Yesterday I traveled to Montpelier to talk to legislators about the urgent need for overdose prevention centers. I also attended the House Appropriations Committee as they discussed H.72, the bill that will authorize OPCs and provide $2 million in funding for two pilot sites.

I will be back in the State House next week when the bill is debated on the floor of the house.

We have come a long way in this movement for a more compassionate, evidence based, public health response to the overdose crisis. There’s a long way to go, but so much good work happening.

Deep gratitude to and Rep. Theresa Wood, two of the biggest advocates for H. 72. And to and who gave moving remarks prior to the committee vote.

Onward.

12/21/2023

New profile pic courtesy of my newest troll. Long but necessary caption…

You need a pretty thick skin to serve in public office these days. It’s unfortunate that our public discourse has devolved to this degree.

I can take it. And I know my colleagues who endure some of the same misguided attacks can, too. But why should we?

If you disagree with a politician, fine. That’s what democracy is about. But if you choose to hurl attacks and insults instead of reaching out and asking what role you can play in addressing the issues, then ask yourself what benefit that has to your community.

Human suffering on our streets has reached a dire level- one we’ve never seen before. This is causing many people, who maybe didn’t care or pay attention to politics and government in the past, to get involved. Many are choosing to engage in open and constructive conversations about the issues. Others just spend their time trolling online.

If we’re going to create a society where everyone is housed and has their basic needs met, it will require deep collaboration and thoughtful debate. That can’t happen online.

Show up. Do research. Ask what you can do to help shift the narrative in a more forward looking direction. And to borrow a line from - “get curious.”

Address

Burlington, VT
05401

Telephone

+18022795513

Website

facebook.com

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Videos

There are many reasons small business have struggled in the past four years: COVID, inflation, and the growth of online retailers like Amazon are among the many factors — and Burlington is no exception. This video outlines some information on the status of Burlington’s downtown and the reality of the crises we face as a community and country. #churchstreetmarketplace #mainstreetamerica #housingfirst #shoplocal #btv #supportvermonters

In December the council considered a resolution standing in support of a ceasefire and in solidarity with 3 Palestinian boys who were attacked on North Prospect Street. Myself and Councilor Gene Bergman made the following statements in solidarity and in support of this resolution, which ultimately failed. #vtpoli #btvcc #btv #burlingtonvt Thank you @black.citycouncilor for being a collaborator on this post