By Kolby LaMarche

Amy Bielawski-Branch, a longtime Burlington resident and training and coaching specialist at the University of Vermont, has announced her candidacy for the Vermont House of Representatives in the Chittenden-18 District.

Bielawski-Branch, who has lived in Burlington for more than 25 years and in the New North End for the last 15, is seeking one of the two seats in the district as a Democrat. The primary election is scheduled for August 11, with the general election on November 3.

In a statement made late last week, Bielawski-Branch touted her deep roots in the community and her appreciation for Burlington life. She described enjoying simple neighborhood pleasures such as riding her bike on the bike path, eating at local spots like Butter, visiting Ace Hardware, attending Neighborhood Planning Assembly meetings, watching sunsets at Leddy Beach, and engaging with neighbors via Front Porch Forum. “Burlington is one of my favorite places in the whole world!” she added.

Her decision to run, it seems, stems from a desire to give back to the state that enabled her family’s legal recognition. Bielawski-Branch and her wife, Karen, met in the early 1990s while working at Spectrum Youth and Family Services. 

They were married three times: first in a 1995 backyard ceremony, then in a 2000 civil union following the Baker v. Vermont ruling, and finally in 2009 after Vermont legalized same-sex marriage. In 1996, following legislation securing adoption rights for same-sex couples, they became parents to Michael and Libby.

“To say that the Vermont Legislature literally allowed our family to be a family is an understatement — representatives of that body secured our right to marriage and to parenthood!!” Bielawski-Branch wrote. “I would love the opportunity to give back by serving in the Vermont House of Representatives.”

Bielawski-Branch brings professional experience in child welfare, trauma-informed care, and equity-focused training, her campaign site says. 

She works as a training and coaching specialist with the Vermont Child Welfare Training Partnership at UVM, providing trauma-informed, anti-racist, relationally and developmentally focused learning opportunities for professionals, caregivers, and parents in Vermont and nationally. Her expertise includes adolescent mental health, family dynamics, sexual abuse and trauma, attachment, adoption issues, crisis intervention, and sexual orientation.

She has been involved in local Democratic politics and community efforts. Bielawski-Branch participated in Emerge Vermont, a program supporting women in politics, and has served in roles such as ward clerk. She has connections to neighborhood planning assemblies and progressive causes in Burlington.

Chittenden-18 covers parts of Burlington’s New North End, a district that elects two representatives to the Vermont House. The seat is part of the broader, powerful Chittenden County delegation in a legislature where Democrats hold a strong majority. 

Burlington faces ongoing challenges such as housing costs, school equity, public safety, and economic pressures common to Vermont’s largest city. 

Bielawski-Branch’s background in family services and training positions her to address issues like child welfare, education, and support for marginalized families, though she has not yet released a detailed platform beyond her personal statement.

In place of a platform, Bielawski-Branch shared what thought-processes and questions will guide her voting, for example, on healthcare, she would be asking herself “Does it support people in accessing medical,  mental health and substance use disorder treatment? Will it bring the cost of health care down?”

On the issue of affordability, Bielawski-Branch – again – didn’t share policy, rather when reviewing any legislation, she says she will be asking “Can the state afford it AND can each of us as individuals and families afford it? Will it reduce the burdensome cost of housing, gas, food, healthcare, and childcare?” 

Chittenden-18 has seen drama, just this year, when former state Rep. Robert “Bob” Hooper, a Democrat, resigned from the Vermont House of Representatives in March following a legislative investigation that found he violated the chamber’s sexual harassment policy.

Hooper, who had served in the House since 2019 and was re-elected in November 2024, stepped down from his seat on the House Committee on Government Operations and Military Affairs earlier that month after an investigation by the House Sexual Harassment Prevention Panel. He submitted his full resignation from the Legislature effective March 16.

The panel’s review stemmed from a formal complaint filed in 2025. According to reports on a confidential stipulation agreement, the investigation examined an incident in which Hooper allegedly sent an edited photograph of a colleague to other committee members without consent, along with inappropriate remarks made in the committee room. House Speaker Jill Krowinski announced the findings in a memo to members, noting a “thorough and diligent investigation.”

Following the panel’s determination, the House Democratic caucus issued a letter calling for Hooper’s immediate resignation from the Legislature, citing a zero-tolerance policy for sexual harassment. Hooper acknowledged acting inappropriately but disputed that the conduct constituted sexual harassment.

Subsequent reporting revealed a broader pattern of allegations. Three women told Vermont Public that Hooper had engaged in unwanted physical contact on separate occasions, including massaging shoulders and lower back, pulling someone in for a kiss at an election night event, and grabbing another to dance in the Statehouse cafeteria. Some incidents dated back to 2018 and 2022, with at least one informal complaint filed previously. Hooper denied several of the accounts or described them as innocent or misinterpreted.

Hooper had represented parts of Burlington’s New North End in Chittenden-18. His resignation created a vacancy, which was later filled, but led to subsequent interest in the seat, including the candidacy of Amy Bielawski-Branch in this year’s election cycle.

Residents in Chittenden-18 can find more information on her campaign at amybtv.com. Burlington Daily News will cover more announcements and campaign updates as they come.