Progressive Party Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak made it official today saying she has offered the post of Burlington Police Chief to an out-of-state candidate.

The nomination of Anthony Geraci, 49, of Averill Park, N.Y., who has about 4 years of experience as a municipal police chief, must be confirmed by the Burlington City Council. That could come as early as Monday night.

Vermont News First initially broke the story on Sunday Oct. 25 that Geraci was in line for the chief’s job from Mulvaney-Stanak.

Attempts to reach Geraci directly or through law enforcement colleagues over the past 12 days have been unsuccessful.

Geraci was one of 15 candidates to apply for the post by the June 5 deadline following a nationwide search, VNF reported. There were no known serious candidates applying from within Vermont.

The top three candidates were invited to Burlington for two days of interviews, community meetings, BPD visits, and ride-alongs.

A high-ranking police woman from North Central Florida — and with ties to Plattsburgh, N.Y., — reportedly was the top candidate for the Burlington post. No agreement could be reached with her, and the Mayor apparently had to turn to a second choice, according to a source familiar with the process.

The third finalist was a police chief from a Philadelphia suburb, Vermont News First was told.

The news release from the Mayor did not say how much she has offered to pay Geraci if approved as chief.

Vermont News First reached out Thursday to speak to the Burlington Mayor or her chief spokeswoman about the police salary, but neither responded before deadline. The job was advertised up to $177,255 a year plus benefits.

The news release said Geraci’s nomination will be formally announced at a press conference on Monday. Details of the news conference were not released.

If approved by the City Council, Geraci, like other officers coming from out-of-state, will be required to go to the Vermont Police Academy in Pittsford to become fulltime certified. Some classes can be waived, but others are required.

Geraci has 24 years of experience as a municipal police officer in New York, including almost four years combined as a police chief in two cities. He served just under a year (2019-20) as police chief in Watervliet, N.Y., an Albany suburb.

He later lost the Watervliet job in early 2020 when the city opted to initially furlough Geraci due to what it said was a projected municipal budget deficit. Geraci, who did not have an employment contract, was never brought back to work.

From August 2021 to May 2024 he served as police chief of Newburgh, N.Y., about 90 miles south of Albany, N.Y. News accounts said he was expected to move there, but never did.

He quit the police department in May 2024 and was hired the next day as the chief of security for the Newburgh City School District.

For some unknown reason, Geraci did not list his time with the Newburgh school district (May 2024 to March 1, 2025) on the resume filed with the city of Burlington and shared with the news media on Thursday.

Geraci began his career as an officer with New York City Police (1999-2003). He moved to Albany, N.Y. Police, where he served from 2003-2019. He eventually was named sergeant and lieutenant and retired.

The Burlington hiring process has lacked transparency. Even the names of the three finalists were withheld from taxpayers. There was no chance for a “meet-and-greet” for the Burlington residents like some searches for top government jobs.

Mulvaney-Stanak said in her news release if approved by the Burlington City Council on Monday night Geraci is expected to begin work on Tuesday morning.

It was unclear if the nomination is tabled on Monday night how soon Geraci could be approved.

Interim Police Chief Shawn Burke, who has a two-year contract with the city, is expected to help with the transition until March.

The post of Burlington Police Chief is a yearly appointment and will be back for consideration after the annual Town Meeting Day elections. Mayor Mulvaney-Stanak’s term runs out May 1 and she has not said if she plans to seek a second 3-year term.

Burlington City Council President Ben Traverse, a Democrat from Ward 5, is expected to announce for Mayor on Friday morning. A news conference is set for 10 a.m. at the Battery Park Bandshell. He has been critical of Mulvaney-Stanak’s public safety ideas.

Burlington is seeking a permanent replacement for Police Chief Jon Murad, who left in April 2025. Burke, who was police chief in South Burlington for 7 years, agreed to return to Burlington to serve two years while the Mayor recruited a new department head. Burke served earlier with Burlington Police for 21 years.

Geraci has had an interesting police career, including about 16 years with the Albany, N.Y. Police.

During his time as chief for the Newburgh, N.Y. Police Department, three women accused him of several workplace issues, including gender discrimination, retaliation and creating a hostile work environment, according to multiple news accounts.

Geraci was later cleared, and he maintained the leak of the claims in June 2024 — after he left the department — were “retaliatory” in an effort to “tarnish” his character, the news reported. The internal investigative report into the claims by the three women was released following a public records request by News 12 TV.

As soon as Geraci arrived in Newburgh, N.Y., which has a history of high crime, the city manager put a gag order on the police chief and other officials in an effort to paint the community in a positive light. The directive was designed to keep the public from learning about major crimes, including homicides, rapes, shootings, fights, drug deals and more that were ongoing.

Mayor Mulvaney-Stanak imposed a similar sweeping gag order on Police Chief Murad in January 2025 for about six months, but eventually lifted the muzzle as she and police continued to come under fire for either not releasing the news or providing it late to the media.

One of the first things Geraci will need to address is the serious staffing shortage caused by a Defund the Police movement approved by the Burlington City Council in June 2020 that cut the authorized strength from 105 sworn officers to 74. The vote was approved 9-3 to cut the force by 30 percent.

The Burlington roster continues to shrink and recruitment remains tough.

“At a time when Burlington is facing complex and urgent community safety challenges, selecting our next Police Chief is one of the most important decisions our city can make,” Mulvaney-Stanak said in her news release.

She said she believes Geraci “is an exceptional candidate with the experience, character, and values to rise to the moment, and I am confident he will be a strong leader to guide the Burlington Police Department into its next chapter.”

Geraci said in Mulvaney-Stanak’s news release that he is honored to be nominated.

“It will be a privilege to lead alongside the dedicated members of the Burlington Police Department as we shape the department’s future together,” he said.

“I am equally committed to strengthening relationships and working collaboratively to address the public safety challenges facing our city. To the Burlington community: I look forward to listening, learning, earning your trust, and working together to build a safer, stronger Burlington.”

Detective Padric Hartnett, who is president of the Burlington Police Officers Association, praised the nomination.

“This is a welcomed and important milestone in the effort to rebuild the agency,” said Hartnett, who was part of the Mayor’s hiring panel.

“We look forward to working collaboratively with Chief Geraci as we focus on rebuilding staffing levels, strengthening the department, and ensuring that the citizens of Burlington and the greater community receive the level of police services they expect and deserve,” Hartnett said.

Geraci and his wife, Jackie, have three children, one of whom lives in southern Vermont with his fiancée. Geraci is known for skiing at Killington.

Mulvaney-Stanak said the City, in partnership with the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) conducted what she said was a comprehensive, multi-week background investigation. It included multiple reference checks and a polygraph examination, which Geraci passed, the Mayor said.

She said Geraci’s references consistently praised his integrity, professionalism, and leadership, as well as his ability to build trust, support staff, and foster effective relationships with the communities he serves.

As part of the background investigation, the City also examined the prior workplace discrimination complaint filed against Geraci, the Mayor said. A thorough investigation of the allegations had been conducted by an independent third party – Public Sector HR Consultants, LLC, which works with public sector employers and local municipal governments in New York State.

The investigation did not result in findings warranting disciplinary action, Mulvaney-Stanak said. She said she also personally checked the reference from Geraci’s supervisor at the time of the complaint as part of her own due diligence.