The Ward 7 Democrat likely won’t step down until June, at which time the city will hold a special election to fill his seat, he said.
Ayres has accepted a position as executive director of the Chandler Center for the Arts and plans to move to Randolph, some 60 miles south of Burlington. He left a job as executive director of First Night Burlington.
Ayres had not formally announced his resignation, but said he planned to submit a letter on Thursday evening to the Bob Rusten, the city’s chief administrative officer.
The announcement comes a month after Town Meeting Day, when three Democrats won election to give the party six of the council’s 12 seats. The city must hold a special election within 90 days to fill his seat, according to Ayres.
He and his wife Anne Barrett are finalizing the purchase of a home in Randolph, Ayres said, though they won’t relocate until they sell their home in the New North End. Ayres has lived in Burlington since 2010 and in Chittenden County since 1990.
Ayres said he is not “actively looking” for a successor. He expects to leave the council at the end of June — “unless we sell our Burlington house sooner, which I don’t really anticipate,” he said.
He decided to announce “out of respect for my fellow councilors.” Council President Jane Knodell is in the process of determining committee appointments and Ayres said he won’t ask to return as chair of the License Committee.
Before working at First Night, he held positions with the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts, the United Way, and the Humane Society of Chittenden County. He started working at the Chandler on Monday.
Ayres’ term expires in March 2018.
Related Stories
Got something to say?
Send a letter to the editor and we'll publish your feedback in print!
Would you please take Tim Ayers with you?
Too bad he just cost the city thousands of dollars for a special election when a little foresight would have told him not to run again in the first place. Not weighing in on his work on the city council, however, to run for office, knowing you very well will not be able to fulfill the term is selfish and irresponsible.
No problem, like Weinberger and City Council have already done for School District Superintendent and for CEDO Director, just fudge and dilute the law and say that living anywhere in Vermont meets the “City of Burlington” residency requirement. The decisions made by Superintendent Obeng and CEDO Director Mackay arguably have as much or more impact on Burlington residents as that of one City Councilor. And the Mayor and this City Council have made clear they want non-Burlington residents with no skin in the game deciding Burlington’s future. Why not just go whole hog now – what’s good enough for Yaw Obeng and Noelle Mackay is good enough for Tom Ayres.
Hey Chris, don’t forget how much influence Don Sinex has in deciding Burlington’s future and he isn’t even a resident of Vermont.
“Hey Chris, don’t forget how much influence Don Sinex has in deciding Burlington’s future and he isn’t even a resident of Vermont.”
Every single day and every year millions and millions of non-Vermont residents and their dollars decide Burlington’s and Vermont’s future: the federal government; tourists; skiers; out-of-state students at all of our colleges; Canadian shoppers; Lake Champlain enthusiasts; mountain hikers; second home owners; out-of-staters who own many Vermont businesses and stores; out-of-staters who relocate to Vermont and buy homes and businesses; banks; investors; insurance companies; renewable energy companies; Global Foundries, etc., etc., etc.
Out of state economic investment, spending, and influence on Burlington and Vermont amounts to way, way more than the relatively puny $250 million Mr. Sinex is — fortunately — investing to restore a crappy, decrepit, and embarrassing old mall and to add badly needed housing as well.
It’s called “the economy.”
If it weren’t for the out of staters who invest and spend their money here, Burlington and Vermont would not be the wonderful places they are..
Three cheers for the out of staters.
So you only disapprove of out of state money coming in and partaking in politics when it involves a single person you don’t like? By the way, the other out of state sources of income you mention don’t involve rewriting city ordinances and campaign pacs.