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1981 Burlington mayoral election

← 1979 March 3, 1981 1983 →

Nominee Bernie Sanders Gordon Paquette Richard Bove Party Independent Democratic Independent Popular vote 4,330 4,320 1,091 Percentage 43.83% 43.72% 11.04%

Results by city council district before recount Sanders:   Sanders—40–50%   Sanders—50–60% Paquette:   Paquette—40–50%

Mayor of Burlington before election Gordon Paquette Democratic Elected Mayor of Burlington Bernie Sanders Independent

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Burlington Mayoral elections 1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2006 2009 2012 2015 2018 2021 2024
v t e

The 1981 Burlington mayoral election was held March 3, 1981. Bernie Sanders, who ran as an independent candidate, defeated incumbent Democratic Mayor Gordon Paquette, who was seeking a sixth term as Mayor of Burlington, Vermont, and Richard Bove.

Paquette had easily won reelection to the mayoralty in the 1973, 1975, and 1979 elections and the Democratic Party controlled ten of the thirteen city council seats. Sanders ran in the election due to the amount of support he received in Burlington during his 1976 gubernatorial campaign. Bove initially ran as a Democrat, but became an independent after losing in the primary to Paquette. The Republican Party did not field a candidate and the Citizens Party endorsed Sanders after failing to run Greg Guma. Sanders initially led Paquette by twenty-two votes, but his total vote lead was later decreased to ten votes following a recount.

Sanders' victory was the first time a socialist was elected mayor of a jurisdiction in New England since the election of Jasper McLevy as mayor of Bridgeport, Connecticut during the 1950s. Sanders would later be reelected as mayor in the 1983, 1985, and 1987 elections before being elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1990 and then the United States Senate in 2006.

Background

Gordon Paquette, a member of the city council, won election to the mayoralty of Burlington, Vermont, with the Democratic nomination in the 1971 election. Paquette was reelected as mayor in the 1973, 1975, 1977, and 1979 elections with him taking over seventy percent of the popular vote in each election except in 1977. After the 1980 elections the Democratic Party controlled ten of the thirteen city council seats.

Campaign

Candidates

Democratic

Paquette announced on January 6, 1981, that he would seek reelection to a sixth term. Richard Bove, a former member of the Burlington Board of Alderman and a member of Burlington's Fire Commission, announced on January 16, that he would seek the Democratic nomination for mayor against Paquette. Bove's decision to run was inspired by discontent with Paquette's raise of taxes, as well as a perceived lack of benefits from Burlington's "urban renewal" projects. Paquette defeated Bove for the Democratic nomination by a vote of 133 to 19.

Republican

The Republican Party did not run a candidate in the 1979 mayoral election, after unsuccessfully asking former Chief of Police Robert G. Abare and state Representative Theodore M. Riehle III to run.

Other candidates

Bernie Sanders announced on November 8, 1980, that he would seek the mayoral office and formally announced his campaign on December 16, at a press conference in city hall. Sanders had been convinced to run for the mayoralty by Richard Sugarman, an Orthodox Jewish scholar at the University of Vermont, had shown Sanders a ward-by-ward breakdown of the 1976 Vermont gubernatorial election, in which Sanders had run, which showed him receiving 12% of the vote in Burlington despite only getting 6% statewide. Sanders selected Linda Niedweske to serve as his campaign manager. The Citizens Party attempted to have Greg Guma run with their nomination for mayor, but Guma declined as it would be "difficult to run against another progressive candidate". The party did not run a candidate, instead endorsing Sanders.

After losing the Democratic primary, Bove announced that he would seek the mayoral office as an independent candidate. Joseph McGrath, a retired building superintendent, also filed to run as an independent candidate.

Results and demographics

Though The Burlington Free Press had projected that Paquette would win by over thirty percentage points, Sanders was elected mayor at the March 3 general election. He was initially declared the victor by a margin of twenty-two votes over Paquette, but the lead was later reduced to ten votes after a recount. His campaign spent around $4,000. Paquette did not contest the results of the recount. On April 6, Sanders was sworn in as Mayor of Burlington, becoming the first socialist mayor in New England since Jasper McLevy in Bridgeport, Connecticut during the 1940s and 1950s.

Paquette's loss of the election was attributed to his own shortcomings. He did not actively campaign, as he did not consider Sanders and Bove serious challengers, with Sanders having never previously won an election. Paquette was also considered to have lost because he proposed an unpopular 65 cent per $100 raise in taxes that Sanders opposed. There was also a significant student population in Burlington caused by the University of Vermont ending the building of dormitories in 1972.

Murray Bookchin and his friends supported Sanders and Bookchin claimed that Sanders won due to "ten anarchist votes" and that he personally knew those voters.

Results

Results by ward before recount

Endorsements

Statewide officials

• Philip H. Hoff, Governor of Vermont (1963–1969)

Newspapers

• The Burlington Free Press

Individuals

• George Albee, Professor of Psychology at the University of Vermont and former President of the American Psychological Association
• Huck Gutman, Professor of English at the University of Vermont
• Richard Sugarman, Assistant Professor of Religion at the University of Vermont

Organizations

• Burlington Police Patrolmen's Association
• Citizens Party

References

1. "SANDERS, Bernard". United States House of Representatives. Archived from the original on December 3, 2020. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
2. "William Foley Wins Bid for Rutland Mayor". Brattleboro Reformer. March 3, 1971. p. 2. Archived from the original on June 9, 2021. Retrieved June 9, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Paquette Wins 70 Per Cent of Burlington Vote". The Burlington Free Press. March 7, 1973. p. 17. Archived from the original on June 9, 2021. Retrieved June 9, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Paquette Sweeps All City Wards". The Burlington Free Press. March 5, 1975. p. 15. Archived from the original on June 9, 2021. Retrieved June 9, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Voter Turnout Is Light For Town Meeting Day". The Burlington Free Press. March 5, 1975. p. 1. Archived from the original on June 9, 2021. Retrieved June 9, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Paquette Reelected Easily". The Burlington Free Press. March 2, 1977. p. 1. Archived from the original on June 9, 2021. Retrieved June 9, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Ward 4 Switches, Picks Republicans". The Burlington Free Press. March 7, 1979. p. 3. Archived from the original on June 9, 2021. Retrieved June 9, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Sweeny Is Tops in Race In North End". The Burlington Free Press. March 5, 1980. p. 8. Archived from the original on June 9, 2021. Retrieved June 9, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Mayor Announces for Sixth Term". The Burlington Free Press. January 7, 1981. p. 13. Archived from the original on November 30, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Bove to Seek Nod As Mayor Candidate". The Burlington Free Press. January 17, 1981. p. 3. Archived from the original on November 30, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
11. ^ Marcetic, Branko (March 3, 2021). "How Bernie Sanders, an Open Socialist, Won Burlington's Mayoral Election". Jacobin. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
12. Abbey, Alan (January 20, 1981). "Paquette Easily Wins Sixth Nod As Democrats' Choice for Mayor". The Burlington Free Press. p. 3. Archived from the original on November 30, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
13. "Bernie Sanders, the Socialist Mayor". The Atlantic. October 5, 2015. Archived from the original on June 9, 2021. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
14. Abbey, Alan (October 30, 1980). "Burlington's Republicans Seek Mayoral Candidate". The Burlington Free Press. p. 6. Archived from the original on November 29, 2020. Retrieved November 29, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
15. "Liberty Unionite to Run For Mayor of Burlington". The Burlington Free Press. November 9, 1980. p. 19. Archived from the original on November 29, 2020. Retrieved November 29, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
16. "UVM Pair to Work for Independent Coalition". The Burlington Free Press. December 13, 1980. p. 3. Archived from the original on November 29, 2020. Retrieved November 29, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
17. Zeitlin, Matthew (June 13, 2019). "Bernie's Red Vermont". The New Republic. Archived from the original on March 9, 2020. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
18. "Sanders Opens Campaign Office". The Burlington Free Press. February 18, 1981. p. 14. Archived from the original on November 30, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
19. "Citizens Party Fails To Nominate Candidate". The Burlington Free Press. January 16, 1981. p. 2. Archived from the original on November 30, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
20. "Mayor Challenged To Debate Series". The Burlington Free Press. January 21, 1981. p. 11. Archived from the original on November 30, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
21. "Fourth files in Burlington mayoral race". Bennington Banner. Associated Press. January 28, 1981. p. 22. Archived from the original on November 30, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
22. Bookchin, Debbie (February 23, 1981). "Four-Way Mayoral Race a Hot One in Burlington". Rutland Daily Herald. Retrieved February 1, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
23. ^ "Sanders' Victory Affirmed". Barre Montpelier Times Argus. United Press International. March 14, 1981. p. 1. Archived from the original on December 3, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
24. Mackay, Scott (February 2, 1983). "Gilson Rejects Campaign Fund Limit". The Burlington Free Press. p. 17. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020. Retrieved December 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
25. Abbey, Alan (March 10, 1981). "Board to Conduct Mayoral Recount Friday". The Burlington Free Press. p. 11. Archived from the original on December 3, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
26. "Mayoral Recount Unchallenged". The Burlington Free Press. March 19, 1981. p. 11. Archived from the original on December 3, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
27. Clendinen, Dudley (March 2, 1982). "It's new politics vs. old in Vermont as mayor strives to oust alderman". The New York Times.
28. Conroy 2016, p. 5.
29. Margolis, Jon (March 15, 1983). "Bernie of Burlington". The New Republic. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
30. "SOCIALISM FLOURISHES IN ONCE-CONSERVATIVE VERMONT". Sun-Sentinel. March 19, 1989. Archived from the original on June 9, 2021. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
31. Biehl 2015, p. 208.
32. "Recount Puts Sanders Up By 10 Votes". The Burlington Free Press. March 14, 1981. p. 4. Archived from the original on June 7, 2021. Retrieved June 7, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
33. Statement of Votes Annual City Meeting (Report). Burlington, Vermont. March 3, 1981. p. 6.
34. "Free Press Backs Paquette". Rutland Herald. United Press International. February 24, 1981. p. 4. Archived from the original on December 3, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
35. ^ "Sanders picks up more support". The Burlington Free Press. March 2, 1981. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
36. Conroy 2016, p. 7.

Works cited

• Biehl, Janet (2015). Ecology or Catastrophe: The Life of Murray Bookchin. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199342488.
• Conroy, W. (2016). Bernie Sanders and the Boundaries of Reform: Socialism in Burlington. Temple University Press. doi:10.2307/j.ctvrdf3gv. ISBN 978-1-4399-1481-6.

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Category

• 1981 United States mayoral elections
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