Hero’s Welcome staff pose with Sen. Bernie Sanders. Credit: Gabby Timms

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is the proud new owner of a summer home in the Champlain Islands, Seven Days has confirmed.

The Burlington resident last week plopped down nearly $600,000 on a lakefront camp in North Hero.

Sanders’ new crib has four bedrooms and 500 feet of Lake Champlain beachfront on the east side of the island — facing Vermont, not New York. The Bern will keep his home in Burlington and use the new camp seasonally.

“We’ve traveled up to the islands many times over the years — almost always on day trips,” Sanders’ wife, Jane O’Meara Sanders, told Seven Days in a written statement. “We’ve been impressed with the North Hero community, eaten at the North Hero House and Shore Acres and have suggested them to friends who were looking for a beautiful place to stay or have dinner. St. Anne’s Shrine in Isle La Motte is my favorite church and it is nearby.”

Last Tuesday, the day of the closing, a relaxed-looking Bernie Sanders posed for a photo at Hero’s Welcome General Store on Route 2. The store, a bit south of his new abode, serves a sandwich called “Feel the Bun” in the senator’s honor. The $6.99 deli delight consists of a “HUGE” homemade roll, sliced turkey, fresh apple chutney, hot pepper relish, lettuce, tomato and provolone cheese.

“It’s not fair that the Billionaire Class controls 99 percent of the bread,” the menu description reads. “Here’s a sandwich for the rest of us … to keep us nourished until everything cool is free!”

Sanders ordered the sandwich during his visit last week. Hero’s Welcome owner, Robert Camp, told Seven Days the store once offered a Sanders sandwich that poked fun at the senator, but later pulled it. The new version captures the essence of his rise to national prominence, Camp said.

The popular general store has a line of chairs out front — one side labeled “Republicans,” the other “Democrats.” In the middle, until recently, sat a lone “Sandernistas” chair, Camp said. That chair will be back — as long as the new neighbor doesn’t mind, Camp joked.

“He’s just been great,” said Camp. “This is going to be his home, so we won’t encourage autographs.”

The small Grand Isle County town has been abuzz for the last several days with the news. O’Meara Sanders said: “The entire family is very excited about it.”

Sen. Bernie Sanders and his wife, Jane O’Meara Sanders, at a rally in Reno, Nev. Credit: Paul Heintz

“My family had a lake home in Maine since 1900, but we hadn’t had the time to go there in recent years — especially since my parents passed away,” she said. “We finally let go of it and that enabled us to buy a place in the islands — something I’ve always hoped for. ”

The Sanders also own a row house on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., and a house in Burlington’s New North End.

Island locals are happy to see a man of Sanders’ stature choose the town, which had fewer than 1,000 residents as of the 2010 U.S. Census.

“We couldn’t ask for a nicer person to move in — that’s my opinion,” said Eileen Mitchell, a member of the town selectboard. The place isn’t just for senators, she added: “We welcome anyone else that moves into town.”

Camp, who’s run Hero’s Welcome for 23 years, predicted Sanders would fit right into island life.

“He’ll be a welcome neighbor, everybody up here loves him,” Camp said. “We’re all ornery and so is he!”

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Sasha Goldstein is Seven Days' deputy news editor.

86 replies on “Bernie Sanders Buys a Summer Home in North Hero”

  3. @JUMBOJET8 — It says above that Jane sold a family home in Maine that she inherited to pay for the new house. Sanders makes a pretty nice salary and I’m thinking their Burlington home is paid for — looks like they’ve lived there for a long time. They can afford a house like that.

  5. It says in the article that Jane’s family had a lake home in Maine. They sold it and used the money to buy the summer home.

  7. Not from campaign donations… Congratulations Bernie and Jane. To many years, of just hanging out.

  8. Regardless of where the money came from, they own 4 homes, and this is a $600k CAMP!!!
    Vermonters all across the state are crippled by over- taxation, and struggling at two or more jobs to pay the taxes on $150,000.00 homes, when do we get a break? WHEN?
    Do you suppose that would rent that out for $500.00 a month in all those ” non- seasonal” months they aren’t using it?

  9. Please read again if you didn’t see that Jane sold a family summer home in Maine to buy thie ! Also, it’s three homes (Burlington, DC & this one!) HRC owns 7 homes ALL multimillion dollar homes!

  10. http://www.cowspiracy.com/facts/ http://www.mercyforanimals.org/investigations/ I love the Sanders and was so shocked that Bernie felt he needed to endorse a woman who is the epitome of everything his campaign railed against.
    I’ll never vote for her or the other lesser evil.
    Still, the point I will make is that everything Bernie is passionate about, health care for all, peace, no more war, reduce the harm and suffering in the world, caring for children properly, all suffering connected…is ALL related to eating animals and our concept of animals as property and products. He has not learned yet, that the root of violence in the human caste system, became the Pandora’s Box it IS, because our species domesticated animals so long ago. It has become a normal layer in humanity to protect certain species of animal under the law, while the most violent and abhorrent cruelty to so called farmed animals, 65 billion every year, is accepted as normal.
    I’m sure if Bernie and Jane spent any time at a turkey slaughterhouse of dairy/veal calf slaughterhouse, where their turkey sandwich and provolone cheese came from, they to, would SEE the violence that has become the signature of our food system..
    Animal agriculture and the exploitation of non-human beings built economic empires that rose, and like ours, fall.
    If Bernie wants peace, health and safety for children, ethical veganism is the path…

  13. VALERIE MINORINI FELTMAN, Jane has four siblings, do you really think her share of some 100 year old cottage was $600.00? I don’t think so. I think those $27.00 donations paid for a nice vacations home.

  14. You envious, small minded people are pathetic! Bernie gets to have a life. And to immediately think his homes are paid for by campaign contributions…mental midgets one and all.

  16. The article says that Jane’s share of the sale of her family’s vacation property in Maine “enabled” her and Bernie to buy this property. It doesn’t say whether they were able to buy the property exclusively from the proceeds of that sale. Maybe that $200,000 golden parachute Jane got for taking out a liar loan that bankrupted Burlington College came in handy for buying this new property.

  17. Bernie’s a Limousine Liberal now so join him and Elizabeth Warren and vote for Wall Street’s Candidate!

    Come on in the Water’s fine.

  18. Have any of you campaign contribution conspiracy theorists ever heard of a mortgage or savings?

  19. If Bernie and Jane Sanders would make their tax returns public, then we wouldn’t have to speculate about how they bought this property! Until then..

  20. He did release his tax returns. 30 plus years of earning a six-figure senator salary is more than enough to purchase a $600K home. Of course it would be more sexy to throw accusations if Bernie were giving six-figure speeches to Wall Street but, alas, he is not.

  23. As soon as I read the headline of this article I knew there would be people saying he spent campaign money on this new place and damned if I was right. If you want to know where the money came from then just read the article. Jane sold her family’s lake house in Maine. That’s where the money came from. I don’t know how many times people have to write that in the comments section before all these damn Bernie haters finally get it. As far as I’m concerned Bernie and Jane deserve to have a place like this. They seem like good people.

  24. So, reading the article takes too long for some, it appears. They bought it because they sold the lake home Jane’s parents left, which gave them the money for this one.

  26. Hope this IS true! But I’ll believe it when BERNIE tells us about it. Until then its subject to being just another lie from Hillarys camp.

  29. The problem is he talks about economic inequality but doesn’t seem to mind practicing it. It just looks so tacky for him to buy a lakefront house after spending an entire year talking about income inequality.

  30. From the looks of it, Bernie had no intention going the whole way in running for President. As soon as he had a meeting with Obama and then Hillary, it was all over. Payoff anyone?

  31. Multiple houses, nice cars, luxury living, absolutely nothing wrong with that, as long as you don’t preach socialism to the rest of us, while living that purely capitalist lifestyle.

  32. Nothing says income inequality like owning 2 homes when so many people can’t afford one.

  33. So Jane has a story to tell about the money – like the lying story she told the bank which brought down a college and garnered her a $200,000 severance. Jane’s good at stories and so busy telling them that she didn’t have time to do the family tax returns for 2015 and they were too poor to pay a tax preparer. You know, those tax returns which were never made public. Seems the socialist was better off than he and she implied. Why some might even call them hypocrites.

  35. Has anyone considered the 200k golden parachute Jane ripped off of the college, or the fact that the college is now closed, or that it’s in Jane and Bernie’s bank account ? Looks like she went to the Hillary Clinton School of Greed and Bernie’s now just another Washington good ole’ boy who got lucky with the timing of some words just like Trump. Elephants and Asses,,,,, Screwing the Masses !

  36. And all y’all fools voting for Clinton, Trump or Johnson can expect the same thing….but hey Ole Hills got lady bits,
    The Don is just YUGE and Johnson…well his name says it all.

  37. Most of their assets are in his wife’s name!! What a joke!! I can’t stand the democrats!! Bunch of lying hypocrites!

  38. So are we going to address those real photographs of him in an audi super car? Those pics are REAL but no one spoke about it. Talk about establishment protection.

  40. The great thing about the USA is that you can make money and spend it on what you want. If he wants a new vacation house good for him. Now he and Hillary both want to take more of that away from us and support a bigger government. One down. One more to go.

  41. I heard the DNC or Hillary paid him off to leave the campaign and let her proceed. He got a plane for doing it!

  42. I have watched Bernie for years, first in the house, then the Senate.. on C-span and whenever I noticed he was speaking. I believe he is honest, and stands for what he believes. I follow him. He Leads, and I follow. The fact that he and Jane purchased a home doesn’t make me distance myself from his beliefs.. I do not follow #demexit, or any others . I listen intently when he speaks, and take time to digest his message. He hasn’t deserted us. He hasn’t deserted me. I’M WITH HIM. !!!

  43. Wish he was Hillarys V.P..I’m not sure why she didn’t choose him but he shared a lot of similar traits as she.He would have been a great addition to her Presidential campaign.

  44. I think this is wonderful. Mr & Mrs. Sanders can finally relax and enjoy life. You earned it!!! Thank you for Kick starting #OurRevolution.

  45. I’m sure we can all relax that Bernie came by it honestly. How he did it is none of my business.

  46. They sold a home they inherited that they never visit, and used that money to buy this place. What’s wrong with that?

  47. This is his 4th “home” and not the most expensive.
    He’s a fraud! He is now a 1% has over 4 homes, drives a Ferrari, etc and endorsed the very person he had ZERO good to say about and stood for NOTHING she did.

    And yet, liberal idiots defend him. It’s hilarious and pathetic to see.

  49. Socialism has no place in America, anyone who thinks so should learn what socialism is. Like one educated and wise person said, “Works fine till we run out of other peoples money”.

  50. Bernie Sanders is noting but a 1%er fraud…. if he gave a damm about anyone other than himself he and his wife would donate their exorbitant windfall profit to help pay for Obamacare and help siciety

  53. Amazing that Socialist Bernie, who claims to be for the poor, has 4 houses, everyone in the family has new cars, goes on a expensive trip to Rome with 50 family and friends on a private plane, family members were all on the campaign payroll,wifey stole $250.000 from the Burlington College, plus lied about the amount that people pledged..Now the so called story of selling parents home..so each sibling (4) got $600k? pretty good from a man who never drew a paycheck till he became a mayor in Burlington..For yrs he lived off of friends..yup he’s for the poor..I have some ocean front property here in Vermont for sale..

  54. “It is sad to see how hate-filled and nasty some of these commenters are.”

    Kind of like all of the comments from the Bernie supporters during the primary campaign. You reap what you sow.

  55. A LOT OF SO CALLED BERNIE SUPPORTERS BAILING. NOT SURE WHAT THE BEEF IS, THEY SELL AN INHERITED PLACE TO BUY ANOTHER. HE WAS SCREWED OUT OF THE NOMINATION, HE IS 74 AND JUST NOW BOUGHT AN EXPENSIVE HOUSE. He has served over 40 years standing up for what he believed that we should all work together. Stop being so childish, even if you lost faith in him, the belief that we should work together should not be lost. Sellout is not a label I can put on him, did you not see the tax return, if not look,then look up the cost of living in Vermont, he is not RICH

  56. Typical …Begging the little guy ,who is lucky to have one house, to send you money so you can buy your lake house. Maybe they should check Clinton Foundation for a charitable contribution into Bernie’s bank account. His supporters have been had.

  57. Jane says, “We finally let go of [my late parents’ lake home in Maine] and that enabled us to buy a place in the islands.” But we don’t know much from that–“enabled us.” What was the parents’ place sold for? We never had tax returns so we can’t evaluate this and still don’t know much about
    (a) whether their deductions were consistent with what Bernie has recommended for people making over $250K/year [they weren’t for the one return they saw]
    (b) how much they gave to charity [very little, from the one return we saw].

  58. All of you must know, by now, that Bernie was a “sell out!” If not, you’Re so damn stupid!!!!!!

  59. Lmao! BERNIE IS NOT PART OF THE 1% JUST BECAUSE HE HAS A SUMMER HOME. Bernie is not betraying our movement. He is not a hypocrite. He deserves every bit of what he’s made and has every right to spend it on himself and his family. He has had a long hard year awakening the masses and sparking a revolution. What he has done in American politics is for us. Let him relax. Geezus

  60. The man is 74 years old and has worked incredibly hard his whole life – as has his wife – If they wish to buy a retirement home after this year where he put his heart and soul into the people – then all the power to him – I hope Bernie and Jane and their family enjoy their new Retirement Home in HERO – a place aptly named for Bernie to live – you haters should be ashamed of yourselves – Enjoy Bernie & Jane – You Deserve to be Happy

  61. He was bought off by Clinton not to contest her at the convention. Selling a portion of parents house left his wife does not cover 600,000.00 for a weekend retreat. Wake up people…. you were had. He got his first job ever at 40 years old…. it wasn’t from savings.

    Vote Trump

  62. Way to go Jane and Bernie!!! May you and your family enjoy many happy years and memories/moments in your new summer home!

  63. 600k after 30 years service in Congress? He is comfortable-as anyone should be after 30 years of professional service. But to describe him as a “wealthy socialist” and a “Liar” is simply unfair, a biased smearing. Reviewing his record in Congress his speeches show a wisdom and foresight the nation would have done well to heed. Trillions wasted, nations in ruins, countless civilians and service-members lost and horrific reactionary terrorism spreading across the Middle East and North Africa. Europe destabilized by massive refugee influxes of cultures so vastly different. He warned us. The bailout of the banks which set the stage for the continued diversion of more trillions of national wealth to the 1% and impoverishment of the nation. He warned us. Decades of advocating for Veterans, the working poor and the middle class. He said from the beginning of his campaign if he lost the nomination he would back the Democratic nominee. 600K? Big deal. He just defined the consciousness for the younger generation who will clean up the mess we are in, if not this election season-someday. Within our lifetimes it will probably be that generation that saves the nation and with it the world.

  64. The house in Burlington is a rental. You ass hats that would begrudge a man who has worked in service to this country in some capacity for 30 years or more, and his family, a vacation home are unbelievable!!! How stupid of you to suggest that he spent campaign money for that house READ THE ARTICLE!!!

  65. $600,000 is a cheap payment to join Killary and bring your party with you Bernie “The sell-out” Sanders!

  66. Every single Bernout coming in here to play defense seems to do nothing but point out they didn’t ACTUALLY pay for it out of his leftover campaign funds. None of them seem willing to address the ideological inconsistency of a supposed revolutionary socialist owning a lake-side summer home worth more than a half-million dollars when that money could be used to support the poor and downtrodden he supposedly fights for.

  67. So much ignorance from the conservative side.. don’t bite that conservative spin bait! Biased, sensationalist journalism is not journalism. Faux News clones and Faux News followers.

  68. Bernie has been in politics 4 almost 1/2 a century. + this is his best home? My sister grew uo in slums + just bought house on Pander Is,off Vancouver Bernie + Jane r wonderful Hope they enjoy their latter yrs

    What is wrong with people

  69. Hope they make many good family memories in their new vacation home. He’s a once in a lifetime kind of man and I’m so proud to have witnessed his run for the presidency. May God Bless him and his family always ❤️

  70. The article says that JANE said they sold a family home to pay for it. That’s not the same as that actually happening.

  71. Truly, I don’t understand most of the commenters on this post. First of all, y’all obviously don’t understand economics because when someone plops down 600k on a home, that’s great for the economy. Second just because someone buys a house does not mean they paid cash; the article was not clear so don’t jump to conclusions. Third, he will have to file with the FCC, I’m guessing we’ll hear from them if there’s money missing, so again stop with the conclusions. He makes enough money to be able to afford his multiple homes. This does not make him a capitalist, he is not investing his money to make more money, he’s spending his money so it helps the people around him by stimulating the economy. It doesn’t mean he can’t still fight for the downtrodden. Trump makes”many millions” more than Bernie but I don’t him offering to pay for the wall.

  72. ohhhh lah-dee-dah a SUMMER home for the communists! how fitting to rule over the little people, taxpayers, who paid for it. i knew he was a big phony!

  74. Great I’m glad for him. Must be really frustrating to be screwed so badly and unable to do anything substantively against it. I think with few exceptions every politician should be turned out in a massive house cleaning. Time for new blood and to get rid of the republicans and recognize them as the sell-outs they are. Regardless of which side of the house they sit on. I think the non progressive dems need to be turned out on mass. Being a conservative assumes there is something to preserve. Sorry reaganomics is a total and absolute failure. So what are the republicans going to preserve. FAILURE? The poisoned Obama’s 2nd term, essentially partisan politics held the nation hostage. The republicans cannot be forgiven for this. They have shown they have no capability to run the government and only performance has been one of stifling. It’s open season on republicans and their idiotic demogagary. They are poisoning the country with bad law and nonsense as evil as commi demagoguery on on the fascist right wing side. Be ready to be chipped like you dog.

  75. Before I read all the other comments, I was pretty excited to wish my heroes well and to brag a little that some of my ancestors came from Grand Isle, both North and South Hero. (They were Gordons and Phelpses, by the way, so you locals will know which came from which.) I still want to congratulate Bernie and Jane and wish them much happiness and PEACE during the times they get to spend there. I have always romanticized the island in my imagination, and I hope it is absolutely as lovely as I dream. As for the rest of you people, hate-filled as you are, it really doesn’t speak well of you that you can’t just welcome a new neighbor and wish them well. For the rest of you who are not Vermonters, are you so filled with venom that you just can’t help spewing it everywhere, even where you clearly don’t belong? And, lastly, thank you to the Vermonters, relatives or not, who are still gracious! You make me proud of my heritage.

  76. He is a very frugal man, by the time I was 40 I had paid off my home and cars and worked very hard to retire at 62. Now my husband and I have built an apartment efficiency to rent out as extra income, I am now 66. I had planed all of this at 30 yrs old and I’m female. I did this by sacrifice, hard work and made 38% less than a man. It can be done, oh and my husband is Cuban and spends every dime he makes and gets his hands on. I’m an artist and I still work at my passion and sell my work.

  77. I wondered how much the payoff from Obama and the Clintons would be to have Bernie back their play….SO here it is…. do you Bernie backers “FEEL THE BURN NOW” ???

  78. Bernie should give away two homes, the carbon footprint, homeless people while he has two empty homes..even if he sold them he could help fund other peoples education.
    I am pretty sure that owning 3 homes for personal use puts him closer to the 1%than it does the 99%.

  79. Ahh to be a Socialist ringleader! Sitting on the porch of your lakefront third home in the secluded island community of 1,000 Caucasian residents. Bernie thinks to himself, “all I need now is a drawbridge to keep out the 99%”. He continues, “That was so easy, they were so stupid. I wonder what Al Gore is doing this weekend”.

  80. Comrade Bernie is sitting in his $600,000 inner party dacha and laughing at all the Useful Idiots how donated money to campaign.

  81. The Democrat Party is basically a very successful organized crime family. Just think about the similarities. They have bribes, payoffs, fall guys, rigged elections, and hit men. Do I need to remind you of Bernie’s 3rd home, Super Delegates, and the murdered DNC leaker (e-mails)? Get it now?

  82. We saw one year of tax returns. Jane inherited HER PORTION (reportedly one-quarter) of the value of the house. BUT she received a nice “bonus” from Burlington College, reportedly 200K. Can you own four houses, including one in DC, on just $174,000/year?

  83. You Bernie haters, why do you call him a sell out, if you never supported him in the first place. If this was a payoff, then he got screwed again! I would have demanded way more for what they did to his/our campaign! For the 1st time in history, someone ran a clean campaign. No one deserves it more. He has been fighting for us for 35 years, I believe hes earned it! Just because he owns 3 homes, doesn’t make him part of the 1%. He owned the other properties for a very long time. Im sure he’s paid off the mortgage . I do remember reading article stating he bought his house for 200K which is now worth 500K, after 30 years! So no, owning a couple. He changed the face of politics forever and if you don’t see that, then you’re still sleeping!

  84. It doesn’t have to be campaign donations how much did he receive for backing Clinton for the democratic nod especially after he ran his whole campaign off blasting her

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