By Kolby LaMarche

The appointment follows the February exit of former chief of staff Erin Jacobsen, who left City Hall to return to immigration law after what the mayor’s office described as a “long-discussed decision.”

Jacobsen’s departure marked the fourth senior staff change of Mulvaney-Stanak’s first term, coming on the heels of three earlier resignations in October: Deputy Chief of Staff Joe Magee, Special Assistant to End Homelessness Sarah Russell, and senior public safety adviser Ingrid Jonas.

The turnover created an unusual level of flux in the mayor’s office less than two years into her tenure, as the administration faced budget pressure, on-going housing strains and public safety debates.

The mayor tapped a new chief of staff after an interim period in which Kara Alnasrawi, director of the city’s Community and Economic Development Office, temporarily assumed the role.

City officials have framed the transition as a reset rather than a rupture, but the new chief inherits an office that has seen rapid personnel change and a demanding policy agenda.

The mayor’s office has not characterized the earlier departures as connected, and aides have emphasized the pace and intensity of municipal work as a factor in staff turnover, including negative comments by residents, according to one former staffer Joe Magee. 

“This is really tough work; it’s pretty fast and furious,” Deputy Chief of Staff Jen Monroe Zakaras said earlier this year, describing the nature of the Mulvaney-Stanak administration.

The newly appointed chief of staff arrives with a political résumé that runs through Vermont’s statewide campaigns and national progressive organizing networks. 

Gerlach’s background includes work with Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman, where she gained experience in state-level policy coordination and constituent engagement as chief of staff and as well as time on the presidential campaign of Bernie Sanders.

Sanders, who served as Burlington’s mayor in the 1980s, built a model of city governance centered on activist staff and policy-driven administration, a legacy that continues to influence Progressive leadership in City Hall.

The new chief of staff’s campaign experience is expected to translate into a focus on message discipline and coalition management inside City Hall, particularly as the mayor navigates a divided City Council and competing priorities on spending and services. In 2022, Gerlach managed fmr. Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman election campaign. 

The administration is entering a budget cycle that could include cuts and layoffs, with officials previously warning of a potential multimillion-dollar gap in the coming fiscal year. That fiscal pressure, combined with ongoing challenges tied to homelessness, overdose response and policing, places added weight on the new chief of staff, who must also maintain a working relationship with the Democrat-controlled city council. 

The job typically serves as the mayor’s top adviser and gatekeeper, managing communication between departments, aligning policy initiatives and maintaining relationships with council members and outside stakeholders.

The earlier departure of Russell, who oversaw homelessness response, and Jonas, who worked on community safety, removed two policy-specific voices from the administration at a time when both issues remain front and center.

A stable and effective mayor’s office could strengthen the administration’s position, while continued turnover or internal friction could present challenges.

For now, the focus remains on continuity and execution.

The new chief of staff assumes the role at a moment when City Hall is managing both internal transition and external pressure, tasked with bringing cohesion to an administration that has undergone significant change in a short period.

Whether the appointment marks a turning point or simply another chapter in an evolving administration will likely become clearer as the city moves through its next budget cycle and into the final stretch of the mayor’s first term.