Mount Vernon Mayor Hires Steve Sexton
Mayor Peter Donovan has announced that he will be hiring Burlington Mayor Steve Sexton to fill the role of Special Projects Manager in the City of Mount Vernon Mayor’s Office.
Sexton resigned from his part-time mayoral position, effective February 23rd, at a Burlington City Council meeting Thursday evening.
The full-time position in the Mount Vernon Mayor’s Office had previously been held by Donovan for eight years, prior to Donovan being elected Mayor, and taking office on January 1st.
“I’m incredibly excited to work in this new capacity, with Steve,” Mayor Donovan said. “His decade and a half of experience in municipal governance has produced an impressive resume filled with creative projects, strong leadership, and common-sense decision making. The two of us have always worked well together, and he will be a welcomed addition to the dynamic team that we’re building in Mount Vernon.”
The search for the position in Mount Vernon began in December of 2023. Donovan said that he was thrilled by the number of highly qualified candidates who applied for the position.
“We had a remarkable response to our job posting. I was overwhelmed by the quality of our applicant pool,” he said.
He added that Sexton’s work ethic, and his pursuit of continued education—Donovan and Sexton both earned MBA degrees during the pandemic—were also contributing factors to the decision.
“An applicant of that caliber who also happens to be a great human being is going to work wherever he wants to work,” Donovan said. “I’m grateful that Steve chose to work fulltime, here in Mount Vernon with us.”
Burlington City Council elects from among itself a Mayor Pro Tem each year. This council position carries with it the responsibility of filling in for the elected mayor in his or her absence. Upon Sexton’s resignation Thursday, the responsibilities of Mayor of the City of Burlington will fall to City Councilmember Keith Chaplin, until Burlington residents are able to officially elect a mayor to replace Sexton.
“While I’m saddened to lose Steve as mayor, the City of Burlington is in a better place now because of his leadership,” Councilmember Chaplin said. “Steve should be proud of the mark that he made on our city. I wish him nothing but the best in his new role.”
Sexton and Chaplin are both encouraging Burlington residents who are interested and qualified, to apply to be Burlington’s next Mayor.
“I appreciate this opportunity,” Sexton added. “And I look forward to working with Mayor Donovan, the Mount Vernon City Council, and Mount Vernon staff to do great things for the residents and businesses in the city.”
Sexton’s first day in Mount Vernon will be Monday, February 26th.