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Burlington creates limited‑service interim police chief post, names Sean Burke
Summary
The Board of Finance unanimously approved a two‑year, limited‑service interim chief of police position to be filled by South Burlington Chief Sean Burke, effective March 24; the move is intended to ensure leadership continuity while the city conducts a national search for a permanent chief.
The Board of Finance for the City of Burlington voted unanimously to create a limited‑service interim chief of police position and to recommend hiring South Burlington Chief Sean Burke to fill the role, with an effective date of March 24.
City leaders said the two‑year limited‑service appointment is designed to provide leadership overlap while the city conducts a search for a permanent police chief after current Chief John Murad said in November that he would step down on or before April 7.
The mayor said the interim appointment followed a market analysis of regional police chief salaries; a memo accompanying the agenda lists a salary number but the transcript of the meeting contains an unclear figure. City staff told the board the position will be paid from the Burlington Police Department salary line for the remainder of the current fiscal year and that next year’s budget is being built with the assumption the interim chief will be in place during the recruitment process.
Mayor (not specified) described the hiring as providing “an intentional leadership transition” and said Chief Burke would provide continuity for rank‑and‑file staff and later serve as an adviser to a newly hired permanent chief. The mayor said Burke’s hire follows a regional market factor analysis and was intended to make the city competitive in a permanent recruitment.
Councilors discussed the length and cost of a possible overlap with a newly hired permanent chief. Councilor (not specified) said she supported the motion but voiced concern that a year‑long overlap might be costly and could be a negative selling point for candidates; she said the council should reconsider overlap length if the search firm identifies a candidate sooner. The mayor and other councilors said they view Burke’s institutional knowledge as an asset and that the city will define the role and any special assignments in ways intended to support the incoming chief.
The board noted the police command staff currently has vacancies: one deputy chief position has been vacant for several months and a second deputy chief position is anticipated to become vacant in the coming months.
Motion and vote: Councilor Carpenter moved to approve and recommend that the City Council approve the hiring and creation of the interim chief of police limited‑service, non‑union, full‑time exempt position; Councilor Kaine seconded. The motion carried unanimously.
Chief Burke’s first day in Burlington will be March 24, and the mayor said the city will provide more details about opportunities to meet him once he begins.
