Vanguard Press Archive 1981
Select articles were re-published in the Seven Days online archive with permission from the owner of Vanguard Press, a free weekly in circulation 1978-1990.
Assessing Sanders: How Goes Burlington with a Socialist in City Hall?
A look back at Sanders’ often combative first nine months as mayor of Burlington. The big surprise? Some say he is more “fiscally conservative” than his predecessor.
Doubts about the Blues, Tops for the Hospital
Sanders speaks out against a 18.3 percent rate increase proposed by Blue Cross Blue Shield and holds up Québec’s socialized health care system as a more equitable model of delivering medical treatment.
The New Mayor in Town
On Sanders’ first day as Burlington mayor, he assures, “I don’t have any great sadistic desire to harm the business community.” He predicts, “People will look back to Burlington, Vermont, 1981, and say: it all started here.'”
Changing of the Guard: Or, How Burlington Got a Radical Mayor
An in-depth look at how 39-year-old Sanders, a “Brooklyn-born radical” and “elusive media wizard,” managed to defeat the old-guard Democrats to become mayor of Burlington.
Sanders on Sanders: Meet the Mayor
It’s 1981: Who is mayor-elect Bernie Sanders? A look at his childhood, education and first 12 years in Vermont politics.
A Dynasty Crumbles: A Fresh Start for Sanders
In an upset victory, Sanders defeats five-term incumbent Mayor Gordon Paquette by 22 votes in his first run for mayor of Burlington. (A recount later narrows the margin to 10 votes.) Two independent Sanders allies are elected to the city council.
Decaying Dynasty: Paquette Faces Dissent and Three Challengers
Capitalizing on dissatisfaction with the city’s Democratic administration and a proposed 65-cent property tax hike, Sanders and two others challenge the incumbent mayor of Burlington.
