by Greta Solsaa/VTDigger
After months of a contentious campaign that pitted first-term incumbent Mayor Mike Doenges against veteran public servant Henry Heck, Doenges won comfortably with 56.4% of the vote with 2,075 ballots cast in his favor.
The defeated candidate Heck garnered 43% of the vote with 1,581 votes.
The newly reelected mayor celebrated with supporters at his office with family, friends and colleagues in local government Tuesday night. The victory is a signal from voters to continue on the same trajectory and maintain “momentum” on city projects, Doenges said.
“Pushing Rutland forward is absolutely key,” Doenges said during an interview. “Now really is Rutland’s moment.”
Rutland City Board of Aldermen President Michael Talbott noted at Doenges’ campaign victory celebration that Doenges won by a greater percentage than he did in 2023, and he won with nearly 400 more votes than he received two years ago.
“That’s a clear mandate from the residents and voters of Rutland to keep doing what you’re doing,” Talbott said.
Voters’ concerns regarding affordability, public safety and the city’s aging infrastructure all shaped the two candidates’ campaign platforms during the race.
Doenges said he sought reelection to see initiatives that he ushered in during his first term, like a Tax Increment Financing district and the downtown hotel and housing development projects, through completion.
“We got a hotel that’s getting built. We have a new TIF district that we’re putting in place. We’ve got a capital reserve fund and a capital improvement plan that we’ve put together to really help save the taxpayers money and not spend as much from the property tax in the general fund budget,” Doenges said. “I know they sound technically complex, but in reality what it is is saving the taxpayers and making Rutland better every day by doing it.”
Newly re-elected mayor Mike Doenges celebrates victory with supporters on Tuesday, March 4.
The former city clerk Heck said his goal in running for mayor was to rein in city spending and projects that could cost taxpayers and use voters’ input to shape his plans as mayor.
Rutland City resident Charlotte Pinney, 55, who works as an office coordinator for The Pines at Rutland Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation, said she voted for Heck because she would like to see more resources allocated toward mental health services, addiction services and services for the unhoused rather than infrastructure.
“Rutland city needs a change,” Pinney said “We don’t need a giant hotel in downtown Rutland when we have so many other issues in our city that have to be dealt with first.”
In the month leading up to Town Meeting Day, Heck found himself mired in controversy with the city’s unions. Heck faced accusations of breaching the confidentiality of the police union’s ongoing contract negotiation process, and previous anti-union charges filed against him came to light. Heck characterized the allegations as a “smear campaign” before the election.
Michelle Smith-Willame, 44, an agriculture program specialist at the Vermont Association of Conservation Districts, said more progress can be made in Rutland, but she believes Doenges has set the city on the right path.
“I appreciate the work that Mayor Doenges has done over the last two years. I’ve seen a lot of progress in some of the initiatives that he’s pushed forward,” said Smith-Willame.
Heck will continue to hold a position in local government as a member of the Board of Aldermen. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday night.
At his victory celebration, Doenges told his elated crowd of supporters that when he took office two years ago, the city faced many challenges and he is grateful for the opportunity voters provided him to continue the work he started during his first term.
“We built a really solid foundation over the past two years, and we’ve seen the result of that over the past six months,” Doenges said. “I’m very grateful to the voters of our community for supporting me for another two years.”
