By Kolby LaMarche

Progressive Councilor Melo Grant has again found herself in an unflattering spotlight. After years of alleged mistreatment of colleagues, inappropriate behavior, Burlington Democrats recently removed her from a top committee post.

Grant was first elected to the Burlington City Council in March 2023 as the Progressive Party candidate for the Central District, representing Wards 2 and 3. She won re-election in March 2025. 

Supporters pointed to her deep ties to the neighborhood and her experience on the police commission. She joined the Public Safety Committee and later served as its chair, where she promoted harm reduction, prevention, community resources and approaches to safety that extend beyond “traditional policing”. 

Grant has, for her time in Burlington politics, been a vocal critic of both friend and foe – spatting with Progressives, Democrats, and Independents on a range of issues, not least public safety. 

While her advocacy may have the support of her constituents, her time on the council has been marred by points of order related to her conduct, condemnation by fellow councilors, and an interesting term as chair of the public safety committee, which came to an abrupt end just recently.

Earlier this month, during the annual reorganization following Town Meeting Day, Democratic councilors moved to replace Grant as chair of the Public Safety Committee. They cited concerns over leadership style, working relationships and the need for more effective collaboration as the city deals with ongoing issues of crime, drug use and a short-staffed police department. 

After objections from Progressives, a compromise kept Grant on the expanded committee while naming Democrat Ranjit “Buddy” Singh as the new chair. 

Council President Ben Traverse added members including Democrat Evan Litwin of Ward 7, a frequent critic of Grant and Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak. 

Grant, in public comments given since the removal, has argued the efforts were “partisan AF” and suggested Democrats would not have attempted to sideline a white male colleague with comparable background. 

Democrats countered, saying effective public safety work requires pragmatic cooperation rather than confrontation, particularly given Burlington’s challenges with downtown conditions, homelessness and police recruitment and retention.

Interactions between Grant and Litwin, in particular, have drawn public attention. At a Ward 3 Neighborhood Planning Assembly meeting in March 2025, as covered solely by BDN, during a discussion on downtown public safety, Grant became frustrated with Litwin’s remarks. 

According to a video of the meeting, after a disagreement, Grant stood up, approached him with arms open, puffing her chest, and stated that she did not have to talk to a white man who uses the “n-word”. Litwin has, in the past, been accused of using the n-word while singing a song. 

Litwin has emphasized that councilors should avoid comments that could undermine trust in police. Grant has accused Democrats of prioritizing downtown business interests and showing excessive deference to law enforcement.

In September 2025, Democratic councilors pointed to Grant’s decision to “like” an Instagram post by a failed Progressive council candidate. 

That post included a cartoon depicting Litwin with his tongue out as another figure fumbled with a knife. 

In emails and statements earlier this year, Democrats condemned the imagery as suggesting violence against an elected official and raised concerns that a sitting councilor had appeared to endorse it. 

They warned they might issue a public statement against threats or suggestions of violence toward officials. Grant dismissed the criticism as overblown and responded that some Democrats had equated Progressive support for Palestinian causes — including wearing keffiyehs — with support for terrorism.

Residents have also commented on Grant’s conduct at public meetings, with much active backlash and comments from Grant.  

Melo Grant moved to Vermont from New York City in the 1980s as a young Black woman seeking a different pace of life. Born and raised in Harlem Heights, she graduated from the University of Vermont and settled in Burlington’s Old North End, staying there ever since. 

She has lived in the Central District for more than 20 years, hosted the hip-hop radio show “Cultural Bunker” on WRUV since the 1980s, and raised her niece and nephew through Burlington’s public schools — Sustainability Academy, Hunt Middle School and Burlington High School. 

Grant first became active in local politics through police accountability. 

High-profile use-of-force incidents involving Burlington police in 2018 and 2019, including cases that resulted in legal settlements, led her to join the Special Committee to Review Policing Policies. 

She was later appointed to the Burlington Police Commission, where she advocated for stronger community oversight, was a constant thorn in the side of Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad, and pushed to address root causes of crime rather than relying primarily on traditional law enforcement. 

She has described speaking out against the chief as something others avoided.