Owens said he had already planned to resign June 30 due to the “ongoing stress of being separated from my family.” Appointed to the post by Mayor Miro Weinberger in 2012, he often drives back and forth between Burlington and Hanover, N.H., where his family lives.
In a letter sent to Weinberger on Friday, Owens wrote that “given the recent public attention regarding an unresolved personal matter about the housing and welfare of an elderly woman in San Francisco, I have decided to accelerate my departure.”
Owens is evicting a 99-year-old woman named Iris Canada from an apartment he owns with his wife and brother in San Francisco. He claims she moved out of the apartment years ago, leaving it in disrepair and violating the terms of their agreement, which allowed her to remain there for the rest of her life.
Canada denies this, and is contesting her eviction in court. This week, housing activists drew attention to the court battle, and dozens of news outlets began covering it.
Owens’ letter to the mayor continues: “No matter the resolution of this issue, any perception that I am not fully committed to CEDO’s mission prevents me from continuing to be an effective leader and from advancing our mutual commitment to foster a livable, vibrant, and equitable Burlington community for all.”
The mayor released a statement Friday afternoon praising Owens’ leadership: “During Peter’s time at CEDO, the Department continued its proud record of creating and preserving numerous permanently affordable housing units and committed the city to new efforts to broaden housing affordability. The northern waterfront and our downtown are already considerably improved as a result of Peter’s vision, and will be even better in the years ahead as a result of the work he set in motion.”
Progressives, however, have been critical of Owens, suggesting that the department has lacked clear vision during his tenure.
His departure will leave CEDO without a permanent leader at a key time. It is overseeing multiple waterfront projects, including the potential Moran Plant redevelopment, as well as the $200 million makeover of Burlington Town Center. It’s also working on enacting an 18-point housing plan and overhauling the city’s parking system. And it’s involved in planning for the Champlain Parkway and Railyard Enterprise Project.
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Peter Ownes is exactly the kind of person CEDO has been beneficial to during the last 5 dreadful years of the Weinberger Administration – investors who have no real roots in Burlington (like Miro himself) but who see the city as their plot of dirt to sew and reap whatever financial dividends they can for themselves.
For the director of CEDO to be involved in such a dreadful eviction is a tremendous embarrassment to Burlington and to the Weinberger administration. This resignation sends the right message that this behavior is inappropriate for someone on the public payroll. I would encourage Seven Days to tell the story of Iris Canada rather than let Peter Owens portray her in the worst possible way. She didn’t violate the terms of her agreement, he got greedy and abused his power. She deserves more of a voice in this story.
Time to get someone who cares about Burlington and its future in the leadership role of CEDO… Perhaps we could even imagine a “green” Burlington if given half a chance! Doing things right can work for all of us. Can “we” the public have a voice in “our” next CEDO director?
Iris Canada is the 99 year old woman at 670 Page Street in San Francisco. I’m a neighbor. This town has many insensitive investors causing evictions of us all. Please tell us about Burlington. My name is Richard. I can be reached at artplasterer@ymail.com