Beth Kennett is running for mayor of Burlington. Kennett previously ran for mayor two years ago and has not held a seat on city council before.

Kennett said her previous run for mayor allowed her to realize that she needs to capitalize on every opportunity to be in the community.

“I am constantly trying to figure out, ‘Where is the best place for me to be, where is the place that I need to listen the most? Where do I need to be?’’’ Kennett said. “And that’s not always an easy answer to that question.”

Currently, she works as a church consultant and is the director of the Center for Congregational Health. If elected mayor, Kennett said she would not initially step back from her position as director since the mayoral role is not a full time job, but if it became difficult to manage the two positions Kennett said she would step back from her role as director.

Kennett said her experience as a consultant will help her navigate differences, having conversations and planning for the future. Kennett said she feels the current city council has focused on addressing current issues in Burlington, rather than preparing for the future.

“It’s always hard to think beyond what has to be done immediately, especially when you need to tear up all the roads and repair the sewage system,” Kennett said. “So all you can think about is the present, and that’s what we’re seeing in Burlington right now — not a failure of the system but a need to repair, an emergent need to repair where there is a way to plan for that.”

Kennett is campaigning on three main platforms: community safety, economic opportunity and investment and hosting community engagement sessions.

Part of her plan for community safety is to bring different groups together to have conversations about community safety. Kennett said she believes that if there is a stronger sense of community between the citizens of Burlington, there will be a greater impact on community safety.

“How many people live in a neighborhood now and don’t know the people who live next door to them” Kennett said. “That is so common, so frequent and and I think if I know my neighbor, it’s going to be less likely for me to call the police on my neighbor. So even that kind of thing begins to build a sense of community that impacts community safety.”

PHOTO CREDIT BETH KENNETT