After a dozen years at the helm of the Vermont Progressive Party, chairwoman Martha Abbott (pictured at right) says she’s stepping down to pave the way for younger leaders.

“Twelve years is plenty long enough,” the Underhill resident says. “Fortunately we have some wonderful young people who’ve gotten involved in the party, have a lot of ideas and have a lot of abilities — and we’re very excited about that.”

One of them is former Burlington city councilor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak, who plans to run for Abbott’s position at the party’s state convention on November 9. A labor organizer for the Vermont-National Education Association, Mulvaney-Stanak left the council in April 2012 when she moved to Winooski. 

“When I was thinking about what my next move was in politics, this seemed to be a good fit,” she says. 

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Paul Heintz was part of the Seven Days news team from 2012 to 2020. He served as political editor and wrote the "Fair Game" political column before becoming a staff writer.

2 replies on “Abbott to Step Down as Prog Party Chair; Mulvaney-Stanak Seeking to Replace Her”

  2. I’m no expert but my casual observation is that the Democratic party has attracted the lion’s share of energetic and ambitious young liberals over the last dozen years.

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