Thomas Renner, Winooski’s new mayor, understands the importance of representation, particularly at a time when underrepresented groups are feeling vulnerable in the country’s third whitest state.

Some immigrants were already avoiding going out, he said, when President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigration intensified in Minnesota and killed two U.S. citizens.

“I was hearing that people were not going to the grocery store or that they were going out into the community less frequently,” said Renner, 37.

When U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials unlawfully detained three residents in South Burlington (who have since been released), Renner said it further fueled fears.

“There were a lot of people who started saying, should we consider more options? Should we consider moving? Should we consider taking our kid out of school?” Renner said in an interview with VTDigger. “So I know that communities of color are concerned and afraid. A lot of people are. And not just people who immigrated to this country.”

As Vermont’s communities of color grew increasingly concerned amid aggressive federal immigration enforcement, Winooski, the state’s most diverse city, elected its first Black and openly gay mayor. Some say the moment offers both symbolic and practical reassurance at a precarious time. Renner, 37, who grew up abroad and is a member of multiple underrepresented groups, brings lived understanding to the anxieties gripping many of his constituents.

And he understands the fears, he said, both in Winooski and across Vermont.

African Americans, who he said have long had a difficult relationship with police in this country, are now carrying their passports, afraid they will be confused for immigrants and be targeted and detained.

“As a young professional, a Black man, and a member of the LGBTQ+ communities, Mayor Renner offers a perspective that is often absent from the decision-making table,” said Bryn Oakleaf, the deputy mayor, in an email.

Majority leader of the Vermont Senate, Kesha Ram Hinsdale, said Renner’s new role is a reflection of his collaborative leadership style and the 1.5-mile city’s tradition of being an incredibly inclusive community.

“Winooski has long been ahead of its time — a dynamic, affordable, and deeply welcoming community shaped by generations of immigrant families,” she said in an email. “Thomas Renner’s election as the first Black and openly gay mayor in Vermont is both historic and a reflection of that legacy.”

Renner said he is grateful the voters put their faith in him. 

He won the uncontested election on March 3 with 796 votes out of almost 979 votes cast in the small Chittenden County city that has a population of almost 8,300 residents, according to city officials. He served as interim mayor since Winooski’s first female mayor Kristine Lott stepped down from her role last September after six years of service to start a family. 

While he is still assessing the new role, he said there is a “strong likelihood” he will run for a full 3-year term next year.

Deputy Mayor Oakleaf, who nominated Renner for deputy mayor, said she was proud to see him step into the interim role and ultimately be elected mayor. 

Renner has an “unwavering commitment” to Winooski, she said, and represents a new generation in politics. 

Knowing how systemic racism affects marginalized groups, she said Renner pushes for all facets of a policy to consider not just the intended goals but potential unintended consequences.

Winooski has a council-manager form of government, where the mayor and city councilors set policies, and the appointed city manager and staff implement them. Renner’s part-time role earns him a $1,700 stipend that voters recently approved doubling.

“What I imagine most people don’t realize is how much more crosses the Mayor’s desk than another member of Winooski City Council, even the Deputy Mayor, which he was for two years,” said City Manager Elaine Wang in an email.

Wang, an Asian American who was hired in 2022, said she appreciates his willingness to always hear people out.

Previously on the board, Renner said he is enjoying leading the city council and setting the agenda with Wang in his new role.

Early influence

Renner had an early introduction to politics and public life. Some of his earliest memories, growing up in the United Kingdom, are of his parents taking him doorknocking for candidates.

One moment that stands out from his elementary school days is his mother taking him and his sister out of school to attend a parade to see Nelson Mandela, who was visiting London after being released from prison to acknowledge the British anti-apartheid movement’s support.

“And I still remember we were right up against the barrier seeing him come by,” he said. “I just remember seeing my mom and she was crying. She was so happy to be able to see him.”

Renner’s love for Vermont  goes back to his days attending University of Vermont and his first job in former Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy’s office. 

“I loved Vermont so much, I didn’t want to leave,” he said.

When former city councilor Harold “Hal” Colston announced his retirement in 2021 and asked Renner to consider running for City Council, he did.

He currently works as a community liaison for Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vt.

He has another connection to the state and to Winooski. His husband, Michael Shepard, an army veteran who was injured in Iraq in 2004, works remotely as a project engineer for Pratt & Whitney.

A cosmopolitan, Renner grew up in the United Kingdom. He met Shepard 18 years ago while visiting his father in Vermont during a break from attending high school in Spain. 

They’ve been together ever since. 

They got married during the pandemic in December 2020, livestreaming the ceremony at home for his mother in England.

Renner said they chose to buy a home in Winooski, and they live there today with Charlie, their “lovable mutt,” and eight chickens in the backyard.

Renner said he enjoys taking walks around Winooski, or grabbing a bite to eat in town. The couple recently celebrated Renner’s 37th birthday with brunch at Onion City Chicken & Oyster.

‘At the perfect time for Winooski’

While his experience in the Green Mountain State has been largely positive, Renner said he is aware that many people of color report experiencing microaggressions.

Renner recalled an instance while campaigning during a failed bid for lieutenant governor in 2024. He was in a parade, greeting people in northern Vermont, when he said the father of a family referred to him by the N-word and refused to shake his hand.

“I said, okay, sir. And I just kept walking.”

Often the only person of color in the room, Renner said, “I think it’s important for me to be in this role so that those people can see that somebody who is like me can do this job,” he said.

Many who know him are thrilled he stepped into the mayoral role.

“I think Thomas’ leadership is needed and is coming at the perfect time for Winooski,” said Taylor Small, a former Winooski resident and state representative who worked with Renner when he was on the city council.

Small, who became Vermont’s first openly transgender lawmaker in 2020, said Thomas exemplifies how people of different backgrounds and identities can succeed in leadership roles and help create opportunities for people who haven’t historically aspired to such positions.

Wilmer Chavarria, superintendent of the Winooski School District congratulated Renner for carrying the new role “with both pride in who we are and an understanding of the responsibility that we carry on behalf of the vulnerable communities we represent.”

“In a time when our identity can make us a target for simply existing openly, it is vital that leaders of color or members of the LGBTQ+ community come into positions fully aware of the implications of occupying those spaces,” he said.