NICOLE HIGGINS DESMET

Free Press

Burlington Police Chief Brandon del Pozo made affordable rent the key point of his address at a benefit luncheon for the department.

The chief spoke along with Mayor Miro Weinberger and other officials at Monday's Queen City Police Foundation and Burlington Rotary event at Burlington's Hilton Hotel.

After singing the praises of the city’s beer and farmers market, the chief criticized high rents that keep police officers from living within the neighborhoods they patrol.

He rallied the room with a quote from a New York mayoral election, eliciting laughs and nods all around. “The rent is too damn high,” he said.

“The price of an an apartment has gone up 88 percent since 2008,” del Pozo continued. “The average police officer has a difficult time living in Burlington."

He spoke of moving here last year and the difficulty of finding a place to rent. Then he quipped to Weinberger that he was “sure of a reckoning” for not vetting his speech in advance.

Weinberger could not be reached for comment later Monday afternoon. The staff did reach out to the Free Press but did not offer further comment.

The issue of high rent is familiar to Weinberger and city councilors. Over the weekend, the Burlington Free Press reported that John Vickery is looking at selective reassessments of rental properties.

Burlington assessor focuses on multi-unit buildings

2015 AWARD RECIPIENTS

The Queen City Police Foundation and the Burlington Rotary honored the following individuals and groups at Monday's benefit lunch at the Hilton Hotel in Burlington:

Chief’S Award

Crime Analyst Connor Brooks

Distinguished Service Award

Deputy Chief Jannine Wright

Distinguished Service Award

Officer Eric Kratochvil

Distinguished Service Award

Office Darren Kennedy

Coveted Badge Award

Marketing and community services director for People’s United Bank, Kathy Schirling

Team Award

Field Training Officers

Dominic Brodeur

Thomas Chenette

Jennifer Cousins

Eric Dalla Mura

William Drinkwine

Michael Henry

Paul Leclerc

Jesse Namdar

Jessica Norris

Erica Schaller

John Stoughton

Christopher Sweeney

Kristian Young

Greg Osilka

Krystal Wrinn

Team Award

State vs. Scarola

Detective Michael Hemond

Detective Thomas Nash

Office Phil Tremblay

Officer Ethan Czyzewski

Corporal Krystal Wrinn

ID Technican James Muller

ID Technician Joanna Alberts

ECS Emilie Thompson

ECS Kathryn Clark

Traffic Safety Award

Officer Darren Kennedy

Certificate of Recognition

Emergency Communications

Specialist Kathryn Clark

Certificate of Recognition

Community Service officer

David Murrish and New North End resident Elise Eaton

Antonio B. Pomerleau Medal of Honor Award (QCPF Award)

Executive director of the Greater Burlington Multi-Cultural Resource Center, Patrick Brown

Community Hero Award (QCPF Award)

City of Burlington crossing guard team

Burlington Rotary Service Above Self Award

Mark Redmond, executive director Spectrum Youth & Family Services

This story was first posted on May 23, 2016. Contact Nicole Higgins DeSmet ndesmet@freepressmedia.com or 802-660-1845. Follow her on Twitter @NicoleHDeSmet.