Updated at 2 p.m.
Vermont Corrections Commissioner Nick Deml will depart the post next month, and Gov. Phil Scott has named former Burlington police chief Jon Murad to serve as interim commissioner, the governor announced on Monday.
Deml, a former Central Intelligence Agency official appointed by Scott in 2021, is leaving his position on August 15.
Scott praised Deml for helping build trust and transparency in the department, using technology to modernize operations, and improving employee morale, which had suffered under years of chronic understaffing.
“Nick has been a valued and strong leader as commissioner of the Department of Corrections,” the governor said. “He’s helped to quickly identify areas of our system that need improvement and implemented policies to improve efficiencies in facilities. I’m appreciative of his dedication to the Department and wish him well.”
Murad grew up in Underhill and joined the Burlington Police Department in 2018 after more than a decade working for the New York City Police Department. In Burlington, he served as deputy chief until 2020, when he was promoted to acting chief. He became permanent chief in 2023 over the objections of council Progressives, who voted in 2020 to cap the size of the police force.
Murad received strong support from the rank and file but plenty of criticism from outside the department. Some residents and city councilors objected to the way he deployed his reduced force.
When Progressive Emma Mulvaney-Stanak was elected mayor in March 2024, many saw Murad’s future in doubt. During the campaign, Mulvaney-Stanak had called him professional but “rigid” in his opinions. She nevertheless reappointed him to his post. In November, Murad announced he intended to step down in April 2025.
At times during his tenure, tension was evident. In January, Mulvaney-Stanak signed an executive order requiring the police department to get prior approval from her office for news releases it was to issue. Murad had been using news releases to criticize the court system. The mayor rescinded the order last week.
Shawn Burke, a former deputy police chief in Burlington who had gone on to lead South Burlington’s department, returned to the Queen City as interim police chief.
In a statement on Monday, Gov. Scott lauded Murad’s abilities. “Jon is a proven leader with a strong background in both managing and improving organizations,” Scott said. “As interim commissioner, I believe he will bring a valuable perspective to identify areas of improvement and continue to build on the foundation provided by Commissioner Deml.”
Murad said in a statement that he is grateful for the opportunity and excited to tackle the new role. “The compassionate custody and care of people entrusted to the Department of Corrections matters to Vermonters, and I’m humbled to join a dedicated team that accomplishes that every day.”
Rep. Alice Emmons (D-Springfield), who is chair of the House Committee on Corrections and Institutions, said she looks forward to working with Murad, though she knows he has “some baggage” from his time in Burlington.
“I think the commissioner of the Department of Corrections is one of the toughest positions in state government,” Emmons said. “You’re always dealing with something that blows up that you never anticipated.”
While Deml was “forthcoming” with information, there were “bumps in the road” in his tenure, she said. Recruitment and retention of staff remains a huge problem and likely will remain so with the state’s unemployment rate so low, she said.
This article appears in The Connections Issue.
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