By Kolby LaMarche
Former state Rep. Bob Hooper, who stepped down from the Vermont House earlier this month after a sexual harassment investigation, has now resigned from his seat on a Burlington city board.
The development comes just days after Hooper’s formal exit from the Legislature, closing a short but intense chapter that began with complaints over an edited photograph shared in a House committee group chat.
Hooper, a Democrat who represented Burlington’s New North End in Chittenden-18, submitted a letter of resignation to the city board, effective immediately.
The document cites personal reasons and a desire to step away from public service amid the ongoing scrutiny.
In the letter, Hooper wrote that the “environment has changed significantly” and that he wished to focus on family and private life.
He thanked board colleagues for their service and expressed regret for any distraction caused by recent events, adding “I have no desire to allow my continued service to become a political football.”
The move follows Hooper’s March 17 resignation from the Vermont House. That departure came after the House Sexual Harassment Prevention Panel determined he violated House Rule 90(c) by taking and distributing an edited photo of a female colleague during a Government Operations and Military Affairs Committee meeting.
According to Hooper’s own account posted on the New North End’s Front Porch Forum, the incident occurred when a committee member wore a dress matching the room’s carpet and lay on the floor to demonstrate the similarity.
Hooper snapped a photo, removed the background, and shared it in a group text. He apologized the next day but faced a formal complaint roughly a week later.
House Speaker Jill Krowinski notified members March 13 that Hooper had stepped down from the committee “in response to a violation” of the sexual harassment policy.
He was not reassigned to any other committee for the remainder of the biennium. Hours later, nearly every House Democrat signed a statement demanding his full resignation.
Hooper told reporters he had planned to leave at the end of his term but accelerated the timeline “earlier than anticipated” after consulting his lawyer and informing constituents.
Gov. Phil Scott is expected to appoint a replacement to serve until the next election, though no list has yet been made public by either Scott’s office or Burlington Democrats.
A longtime Burlington resident, he had served in the House since 2012 and maintained additional civic roles, including the city board position now vacated.
Community reaction in the New North End has been mixed. Some neighbors expressed disappointment that the scandal overshadowed Hooper’s legislative work on housing and veterans’ issues. Others welcomed the accountability.
The House Sexual Harassment Prevention Panel’s investigation stemmed from at least one formal complaint. Details remain partially sealed, but public statements confirmed the photo and “inappropriate remarks” were central.
Hooper maintained the image was not sexual in nature and contested parts of the findings, but ultimately chose not to appeal. A further investigation revealed more alleged accounts of misconduct by other female representatives.
With Hooper’s departure, both the state House and the Burlington city board must now fill vacancies. The House seat will be filled by gubernatorial appointment; the city board will likely begin a search or appointment process at its next meeting.
Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak’s office confirmed the resignation was received and processed through standard city channels but offered no further statement.
As Burlington charter states, board members serve at the pleasure of the council or mayor, depending on the specific commission. And this could have potentially gone differently without Hooper’s resignation.
No further complaints or investigations have been reported against Hooper since the House panel’s ruling. He has not indicated plans to seek elected office again.
The Burlington City Council is not expected to choose a replacement or comment on the matter tonight during their meeting. Though, if they do, BDN will bring the updates.
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