8/11/2019 Changing of the Guard: Or, How Burlington Got a
Radical Mayor | Vanguard Press | Mar. 13, 1981
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'FOOD POISOBm'G:
flEvermontI~_;i.
CJlA1'lGIRG OJ!GU.AllD
OB..HOW ~ A BADICAL MAYOB.
==== he Democratic "old guard" was still inshock three daysafter
the election.Huddled around thecenter table in Nee-tor's
Restaurant, lessthan a block from
City Hall, Mayor Gordon Paquette and some key supporters looked
grim as theyshared worries.
By early April, barring yet another upset 8S a result of a
recount, Paquettewouldno longer be Burlington's mayor.He'd held
onto the job for 10 years, and had been an alderman for 13 years
be-fore that. But on April 6 a new "radical"mayor, Bernard Sanders,
would formal-ly begin to work with the board of al-dermen and city
administration.
Most city officials hadn't even methim.
The 64-year-old Paquette, cynical and angry, prophesied that
Vermont'slarg-est city would "go down the tubes" withMayor Sanders.
His friends around thetable were more uncertain. How would they
fare with a chief executive who wasa long-time leftist, a
politician whosecampaign had been, in essence, a broadside attack
on their policies? Pa-quette was considering retirement, per-haps
in Florida; City Clerk Frank Wagner and Treaaurer Lee
Austinmeanwhile wondered whether the newmayor would reappoint
them.
"I don't even know the man," saidaldermanic President Joyce
Deaautels.She had already decided, nonetheless,to step down from
her presidency and
hoped that Alderman William Blan-chard, seated beside her, would
takeover.
As perplexed as the rest, Blanchard explained that "we're used
to knowingour elected officials - growing up to-gether and raising
families." Mayor-elect Sanders was a stranger to him,too.
Marian Fisher was also there. TheDemocratic stalwart, an
incumbent,former School Board member, and mother of a past
aldermanic president,lost her seat on the board of aldermen toa
young Citizens Party candidate, TerryBouricius. She was
philosophical, buthad no answer to why she and Paquettewere
defeated, except to say that "theworld is changing."
The Democrats did "agree, however,that they weren't about to
hand over Burlington just because oftheseelectionupsets.
They had just finished a FinanceBoard meeting, for instance, at
which ahiring freeze was pro.posed.Along withPaquette, a 10percent
increase in local property taxes went down to defeat.Without the
tax hike $1.4 million in budget cuts loom ahead; when munici- pal
employees request raises there may be no funds to offer.
HIt's his budget now," Paquette said.Anchoring his own
re-election to the taxhike, he had drowned along with it. But
Blanchard and Desautels also sit on theFinance Board, along with
the citytreasurer and a lone Republican, RobertPaterson. They know
that they mustdecide whether or not to return to the
CHICKBn 0lJ'.r
voters for a smalJertax increase. IIRightnow I can't see how we
can do that,"said Desautels.
While the "old guard" considered op-tions, some of the people
who helped 39-year-old Bernard Sanders to his 22vote victory
gathered in City Hall. Themoodwas celebratory. Spokesman
GeneBergman, a local organizer for over fiveyears, called the
election "just the be-ginning of the efforts to bring the
longneglected and exploited working classto its rightful place in
the city."
With him was housing organizer SethLipschutz, part of the core
group whichadvised Sanders during the early daysof his campaign.
Lipschutz displayed astack of petitions with over 2,700signa-tures.
They call for a special election tocreate a Fair Housing
Commission. Pa-quette had criticized the plan;
Sandersenthusiastically backed it.
In addition to jubilance in theSanderscamp and shock running
tbrough thecity establishment and business com-munity, there were
some common ques-tions. What wouldthe election ofa leftistmayor
bode for the commercial hub of Vermont's most economically
dynamiccounty?
And who is Mayor-electSanders, any-way?
By now most residents know at leastthat he is a Brooklyn-born
radical whohelped build the anti-war, a n ti-
capitalist Liberty Union Party of Vermont about 10years ago. fn
1977he leftLiberty Union in disgust, yet in 1980 he backed the
Socialist Workers Party pres-idential candidate.
Sanders is also an elusive media wiz-ard, a writer and filmstrip
producerwho, during his own past campaignsfor national and
statewide office, effec-tively pressed forequal time.Experiencewith
the media and residual name re-cognition contributed to his win. So
d idhis ability to garner union backing -he had old contacts with
several unionsand was willing to listen to complaintsfrom the
patrolmen's union.
The Democrats also helped. "Wehaveto admit that we didn't lift a
finger for Gordie," said one party worker. "ArieRothenberg(city
Democratic chairman)d.idn't even have campaign buttons,"noted
Alderman Maurice Mahoney.
Some people, like Mahoney, insistthat Sanders' election won't
much alterthe political landscape. "The city willcontinue to
function," he said. And al-though Sanders has claimed that
hecanwork with Mahoney, ayoung Democratwho has often dissented on
the board,the alderman says he hardly knows themayor-elect and
doesn't know whattheir relationship will be.
Republicans, meanwhile, are regret-ting their failure to even
nominate acandidate. And media workers are morecurious than
shocked. "This is going to be at least three months of
excitingnews:' quipped TV newscaster Bill Fel-ling.
At his post-victory press conference,
Sanders supported that diagnosis witha promise that "there will
b e no more boring meetings."
Few Burlingtonians doubt that.Continued. on page 10
8/11/2019 Changing of the Guard: Or, How Burlington Got a
Radical Mayor | Vanguard Press | Mar. 13, 1981
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Birth ofthe Coalition"1 am extremely concerned about the current
trend of
urbaIl development 1n the City of Burl1ngton. It is my belief
that, jf present trends continue, the City of Burl1ngton will
be converted 1nto an area in which only the wealthy and
upper-middle class will be able to atrord to live."
- Bernard Sanders
~~' " ichard SarteiIe stood close behind BernieSanders during
his post-victory pressconference, held atthe Franklin Square
~~~public housing proj-'" ect. The mayor-elect
promised "chan~e~, in the BurlingtonHousing Authority - more
respect for tenants and an elected tenant represen-tative on the
authority board.
For Sartelle that statement marked the culmination of a long
quest to winsome influence in City Hall. His Owncampaign for
alderman fizzled, yet Sar-telle helped Sanders make a stronger
showing in the city's conservative De-mocratic north end than
anyone im-sgined possible. The new mayor didn'tintend to forget his
ally.
The meeting place was also symbolic.In a sense, the Sanders
campaign began
at Franklin Square, site of chronic con-frontations between
tenants and the
housing authority. A tenant himself,Sartelle runs Green Mountain
Com-munity Services, Inc., an advoca~ygroup which Sanders and
several of hisadvisors helped form.
With Franklin Square as a base ,Sanders con vened a core group
last Oc-tober to assess the prospects for a Marchmayoral fight. His
most ardent backer was University of Vermont ReligionProfessor
Richard Sugarman, who iscredited by Public Defender John Fran-co,
another Sanders advisor. with orig-inating the idea.
"He thought that someone - not nec-essarily Bernie - could win
this year,"announced Franco during the Sandersvictory bash. " .
"I have only one thing to add, said Sugarman. "It had to be
Bernie."More than a few people had doubts
about that at first. Some local organiz-ers were skeptical that
Sanders would hone in on local issues. He had his owndoubts at the
beginning, admitting that"national and state issues are more
mything!' .
But he spent hours with commumtyorganizers, raised about $3,000
and,after a slow start, seized this opportum-ty with a vigor that
drew press attentionsnd community kudos.
"I had to be impressed," said HenryFrankel a community newspaper
editor Who had also been on the BurlingtonSchool Board. Sanders
consulted him
about south end problems. According toFrsnkel he'd received the
runaround regularl~ from Paquette's administra-tion.
Sanders claimed he would recruit a' la te of candidates, but
that never materialized. Instead he developed anIndependent
Coalition which included many of the disenchanted, includingWard
3's feisty Democrat, Sadie White.Denied her seat in the state
legislaturelast fall and the Democratic nod for al-derman in
January, the elderly woma.nran as a Taxpayer's Advocate. Berme
backed her rather than the CitizensParty candidate, and she
returned thefavor.
As an Independent with radical cre-dentials Sanders made some
conservative con'nections. For instance, Whitehad alienated fellow
Democrats by op-POsing the Church Street marketplace.Sanders argued
that local merchantsshould repay the construction costs.
At several points he meshed radicaland conservative sentiments -
whensupporting the needs of the police, de-
crying the escalation of aimlessnessand delinquency among the
young, and when opposing Paquet te 's tax hike proposal.
Sanders' austere ads, placed in the Burlington Free Press,
offered a newtwist on a tested political ploy:
"Bernard Sanders believes that: Weneed to say no to the proposed
65 cent
property tax rate increase, and devise a progressive tax
approach which willtake the burden of the property tax, asmuch as
possible, offthe low and mod-erate income homeowners and place iton
those individuals and institutionswho can better absorb it."
He was appealing to people who had recently responded to
Reagan's tax rhet-oric, reaching out to beleaguered home-owners
while simultaneously urging re-forms aimed at the wealthy and
tax-exempt institutions. Always theoutsider, Sanders articulated
the rageof everyone Paquette and the aldermenhad neglected or
snubbed.
A related assault was directed againstPomerleau's waterfront
plan. Pomer-leau became the local example of con-centrated economic
power (in pastcampaigns Sanders had frequently at-tacked the
Rockefellers). Even thoughPaquette often clashed with
Pomerleau,Sanders effectively labeled Paquette asthe developer's
accomplice.
The timing was perfect. In the fallelections, Burlington had
registered a
solid 3,000 vote opposi tion to the policiesof Republicans and
Democrats throughvotes for Citizens Party congressionaland state
senate candidates. The areawas on edge after Reagan's
victory.Groups were rallying, and peace activ-ists managed to get a
nuclear weaponsfreeze referendum on the March ballot.It passed
overwhelmingly. .
The final ingredient was media ac-cess. Sanders had fought hard
for it dur-ing Liberty Union years. Still , if Pa-quette had faced
a Republic~n the mediacoverage might have been limited, As Itwas,
WCAX-TV, radio stations, and theFree Press provided Sanders with
the best showcase he'd ever had.
WCAX-TV News Director Richard
Gallagher proved generous with airtime because "Gordie thinks he
owns CItyHal!." Gallagher also thought that themayor was stretching
the truth when heclaimed never to have asked for a taxincrease
before. Conservative and skep-tical he felt that Paquette liked big
gov-ernrnent and federal grants when hecontrolled both.
Gallagher also admitted that Sandershad "matured over the
years." It wasn'tonly his salt and pepper hair. The can-didate
appeared more 8ec~re and m?rehuman than in the past. Stili
aggressiveand rhetorical, Sanders had learned how to make his point
- and then stop.
In contrast, Paquette was often rudeand came across as
contemptuous of
anyone who Questioned him. Sandersexploited the mayor's
mistakes, admon-ishing him to the cheers of the crowds.
The day after his victory, however,Bernie Sanders was very
lo,,;;keyed. ~e
. ded the media that one voiceremm .. th thecan't do it,"
readily admlttmg. aisn't ready for "specific econonu~ q~es-f Sll
and warning that there 18 no':':~ic formula for dealing with the
eco-nomic crisis 'I He asked for tIme to e : - plain his pr~gram,
and hoped that ~ ~media would play a '~e active ro ~in hel ing the
"comm'unity to see what s
. p " Th, 's could take the form of gomg on. d broadcasted
me~tings, he o~er~. h'
Sanders wants to accomp .1S mue.n government involVIng large
~~:;'bers of people, tax reform,. a. dra-matic change in
development PrIO!I~I~~,
d "the rebirth of the human spmt.anTo do all this, he will have
to beco h :ffective as a mayor thaneven moreewas as a
candidate.
BegjDDtng the ~itionEven dissenting Democrats are now
expecting to stick with the pack. JoyceDesautels, who has
sometimes voted independently, says the pressure to joina united
front is building. But MauriceMahoney argues that, in spite of
this,the party must reevaluate its philo-sophy and attract new
leaders. Former Democratic governor Phil Hoff, a Bur-lington
resident, was a liberal critic of Paquette. Now that the
conservativewing has been dealt a serious blow, the
liberal side may rally to recast the Dem-ocratic ideal.And with
one alderman and increas-
ing electoral strength - 38 percent inwards where candidates
were fielded-the Citizens Party faces organizationalchallenges and
an undefined relation-ship with the Sanders administration.
Beyond pragmatic political consider-ations, though, are other
possiblities: anew municipalism and unity among progressive groups.
According to histo-rian and philosopher Murray Bookchin,another
Burlington resident, such amovement would require popular
as-semblies and eventual links betweenthese groups and between
variouscommunities. Bookchin takes the idea
even further - to municipalizing ind U84tries, land, and
outlets, and ultimatelyto supplanting of "the national institu-
s president of the board of aldermen in1966, Gordon Pa-quette
opposed am o v s toward a"atrong mayor" formof government.
Sub-sequently he wielded
considerable power in that post, yet the position remains
limited in officialscope to this day.
The mayor, according to the City
Charter, is responsible for city fundsand is expected to
"recommend to theconsideration of the board of aldermenwhatever
measures he may deem nee-essary for the prudent and
efficientmanagement of the affairs of the city."In an emergency he
can command the police force. As chief executive his viewscan sway
the board.
But the mayor cannot make a singleappointment without the
approval of amajority of the aldermen. Hecommandsa large staff and
can recommend abouta dozen key administrators for ap- pointment
annually, yet each selectionundergoes aldermanic review. His
in-f1uence over most commission ap- pointments is even more
constrained:
his is just one voice on the city council,which selects
appointees from an openfile of applicants.
, t , - - i W ; : . - -
During his campaign. Sanders. right. joined a march at City Hall
protestingdelay in repairing the Lakeside neighborhood's
underpass,
lfBernard Sanders, as mayor, doesn't tions of the state by the
truly conf~?erallike an ordinance or appropriation, he institutions
of local commumties.can veto it. Buthecan be overruled by a For the
moment, however, the job is totwo-thirds vote. The chance that a
turn the rejection of Paquette by almostSanders veto will be
sustained currently 60 percent of the voters (fhose who voted looks
slim. for all three of his opponents) into an
Even before he picks his staff, the new effective
administration. This is moremayor will face an immediate budget
than enough to handle for Sanders, hiscrisis. He called loudly for
the defeat of coalition, and the over 4,000 people whothe property
tax increase; he can hardly voted for him.return to the voters,
even WIth a ~maller Since March 3, people have been call-req uest,
without severely cutting the ing Sanders a socialist, even
though
budget. This could also remov~ ~an- many supporters knew little
about sucheuvering room in contract negotiations ideological
underpinnings before thewith municipal employees. vo te. Sanders
says the label is irrele-
And if the tax reform advocate does vant.ask for ~ ~ax increase,
W Ill the voters I rrelevant or not, th is isn't th~ firstapprove
It. nl li dif hi time a socialist has been elected 10 the
Sanders m~~t not 0 v so 1 Y IS Green Mountain State. Barre, a
workingelectoral coahtIo~ and WIn some c?n- class town built around
the granite in.verts, he must rapidly learn to work WIth dustry had
two socialist mayors in thea board of ald~rmen that expects to use
early 20th century. The difference thisthis opportunity to flex h
"ts mU~cles. time is that Burlington has traditional-Known In th.e
past for ~s gru :: ,p . I been a "business town" in which un-
proach, Berme Sanders WIllh be dzmg i~ns were few and the men at
the Ethanmuch negotiating - on everyt 109 rom Allen Club called the
shots.salaries to federal grants. B . S d ' 1 1 b
Not expecting victory until the very As mayor l erme an era WI
e-end, he didn't plan for it. Now he must come an hon.orary member
of that club.
te ffectively into dozens of ongoing And so, haVlng won an
electoral battleen r e with the developers, merchants and
processes:. . 'h 1 Democratic power brokers
lhe will now
.. As he dl~s In" Burhngto h si~ ;:~~~s~ have to sit down
"cordially" with manyltlcal partlesthWlll ~dse:a~i~ votes on a of
the interests he has vigorously op-With a mere ree a er d fo so
lonl{ board of 13, Republicans are likely to pose r . .
k I I 'th Democrats fora while. After the vIctory he sounded
hopeful.wor c ose yWI "Th 'f thO "h 'd b k'In the long run, they
harbor hopes of . e exlcI h mg .m~: theStat'h' rea 109
., ff t' ayoral candidate mto a Ig t gnn, IS a ere are nofleldmg
an e ec lYe m d I .. in 1983. mo e s.
\ ; MARCH 13-20, 1981 f THE VERMONT VAfJCOARD PRF:SS "1
