Burlington Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak has chosen Anthony Geraci, a longtime police official in the Albany, N.Y., area, as her choice to be the city’s next top cop.
Geraci is a veteran law enforcement officer who spent time in leadership positions at various upstate New York police departments. He began his career in 1998 with the New York City Police Department before a stint of about 15 years with the Albany Police Department. He later served as police chief of nearby Watervliet and, more recently, Newburgh.
“I am pleased to appoint Chief Anthony Geraci as Burlington’s next Chief of Police,” Mulvaney-Stanak said in a statement. “He is an exceptional candidate with the experience, character, and values to meet our community safety challenges, and I am confident he will be a strong leader to bring the Burlington Police Department into its next chapter.”
The mayor said her administration had been “working to introduce Chief Geraci to City Councilors and members of the Police Commission,” and that she looked forward to “introducing him to the community this week to learn more about his background and the skills he will offer our city.”
Geraci’s time as leader of the Watervliet and Newburgh police departments, as well as a stint overseeing security for a school district, were marked by controversy.
Geraci was furloughed in spring 2020 amid budget shortfalls in Watervliet, where he had been hired in 2019. The city claimed the removal was not politically motivated, but he was not asked to return. The Watervliet Police Benevolent Association supported him and called his departure “personal in nature and attempted to be veiled under reasons of financial burdens,” according to the Times Union.
He was subsequently hired as Newburgh police chief in 2021, but he left in 2024 after three women accused him of gender discrimination, retaliation and creating a hostile work environment. One woman interviewed for an independent investigation called him an “arrogant narcissist who has a problem with women.” Geraci was cleared of any official wrongdoing and, at the time, said the claims were part of a smear campaign.
Geraci took a job overseeing security for Newburgh schools in May 2024 before he quit in February 2025. He claimed that the resignation of a superintendent and abrupt changes in district leadership “no longer aligned with my personal values.”
Most recently, Geraci was working for Strategic Government Resources, a Texas-based recruitment firm.
Vermont News First broke the news on Sunday that Geraci was Progressive Mayor Mulvaney-Stanak’s choice for police chief, citing multiple anonymous sources amid a process that has been cloaked in confidentiality. Seven Days independently confirmed the selection.
Mulvaney-Stanak said previously that she had narrowed a field of 15 applicants to three. The 12-person hiring committee, which included Burlington city councilors Buddy Singh (D-South District) and Melo Grant (P-Central District), assisted in choosing Geraci.
The mayor was in the midst of conducting an extensive background check and had yet to officially announce her pick, but all city council councilors had been briefed on her decision. The council will be asked to approve Geraci’s appointment at a regular city council meeting on November 9.
Mulvaney-Stanak’s tenure has been marked by disruption in the Burlington police department and intense criticism from Democrats and the downtown business community over her handling of public safety issues. Former Burlington police chief Jon Murad resigned last year after he clashed with the mayor over her approach to public safety. He was replaced by interim Police Chief Shawn Burke amid a nationwide search for a long-term replacement.
The number of police in Burlington has declined precipitously since a Progressive-led effort to reduced staffing in the department. There were 92 officers in July 2020 and just 55 as of August. The department has struggled to recruit officers due to the “political landscape” in Burlington, Burke has said.
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