By Kolby LaMarche

Pomerleau Real Estate has taken out a full-page paid advertisement in Seven Days to advertise the city’s progress in tackling public safety, homelessness, and substance-use disorder. The firm, founded by Antonio Pomerleau and now led by his son, Ernest, is now the largest commercial property firm in Vermont.  

The sponsored post highlights that violent crime is trending downward in 2025 and that gunfire incidents have dropped sharply since a 2022 peak. It also reports that downtown foot patrols have already exceeded the combined totals of the previous five years.

Interim Police Chief Shawn Burke is quoted, in his report to the Police Commission, as saying the department’s top 20 repeat contacts downtown were responsible for 842 incidents, the majority involving unsheltered individuals. The department’s strategy, the ad says, is to connect those people with services rather than rely solely on enforcement to curb street-level crime and antisocial behavior.

Mayor Mulvaney-Stanak is also quoted describing the city’s approach as a series of new measures aimed at making downtown safe for everyone while investing in the area’s vibrancy. 

The post points to two major policy achievements: The Situation Table, which began meeting weekly in July, convenes law enforcement with more than 40 social-service agencies to identify high-risk residents facing overlapping crises of mental health, addiction and housing instability. The goal is to reduce risk, impose accountability and improve coordination among providers.

The second program, a short-term plan unveiled in October, emerged from discussion with Gov. Phil Scott, Mayor Mulvaney-Stanak, and Chittenden County State’s Attorney Sarah George. 

It called for the appointment of a special prosecutor to clear a backlog of criminal cases in Chittenden County and the creation of a Community Accountability Court. That court is intended to resolve pending cases, deliver restitution to victims and link defendants with rehabilitation services. State’s Attorney George supports the plan, but has noted before she disagrees with the name. 

Seven Days routinely accepts paid advertising from government entities and private businesses. The outlet’s policy requires such content to be labeled as sponsored to distinguish it from staff-written reporting.

Neither the police department nor the mayor’s office issued any press release about the advertisement.

The sponsored post follows other paid content by local Burlington organizations. Most recently, Building Burlington’s Future (BBF), a non-profit aimed at shifting the narrative on the city, purchased space on digital platforms, advertising a video on police recruitment featuring Mayor Mulvaney-Stanak, officers, among others. 

Ernie Pomerleau is a member of the BBF’s board of directors.