Updated February 21, 2020.
In defending his ownership of three homes during Wednesday’s Democratic presidential debate, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) listed each and the justification for buying it.
One is in Washington, D.C., where he works much of the year. A second is in Burlington, where he served nearly a decade as mayor.
“And like thousands of other Vermonters, I do have a summer camp,” Sanders said, referring to the $575,000 lakefront home in North Hero he purchased in 2016. “Forgive me for that.”
So is Sanders right? Do thousands of Vermonters own summer camps?
First, one must consider that the word “camp” can be interpreted a few ways in the Green Mountain State. Some consider it a descriptor for a primitive structure, such as a deer camp for hunting season. Others — and Sanders appears to be among this contingent — use it to refer to a seasonal home. Indeed, property listings do describe Sanders’ North Hero house as seasonal, despite its price tag.
Using the latter definition, Sanders is likely not wrong that “thousands” of Vermonters own seasonal second homes, said Douglas Farnham, the policy director for the Vermont Tax Department.
Data show that Vermont has 17,000 seasonal homes that the owners don’t use as a primary residence. Of those, nearly 8,000 were owned by people or companies who provided the tax department a Vermont mailing address, Farnham said.
He warned, though, that analyzing the data in terms of Vermont mailing addresses could lead to “inappropriate conclusions.” Some addresses, for instance, could be duplicates, as in the case of a company that owns multiple seasonal cabins that it rents out. And homeowners, including someone like Sanders, could use a mailing address outside Vermont — yet still be a Vermont resident.
Still, even considering for those factors, Farnham said, “getting down to less than 2,000 would be extremely difficult — and unlikely.”
Translation: Sanders wasn’t wrong that thousands of Vermonters own summer camps.
“I think his statement was broad but fair,” Farnham said. “But exactly how many thousands is not something we’d be able to determine.”
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To Ken;
Dude, if he gives money away it wouldn’t do nearly as much good as it will if he becomes President. Relax – be angry at all the hundreds of VT millionaires who aren’t doing anything to help the poor.
He is just another Eastern Elitist that thinks he is smarter than everyone else and therefore should have a bigger slice. If he were truly concerned for the poor, he could have used his excess to help those in need. Actions always show the true nature of a person.
Yes, he’s in the one percent. Since he cares about poor people, why would that disqualify him from being a good choice? Do people think you can run for President without using millions of dollars? You can’t. Why do these comments consistently taunt Bernie for silly things? What would you do in his situation?
I guess all this about Bernie actually being in the one percent makes him a traitor to his class, just like the greatest president of the twentieth century, FDR. The twenty-first century awaits…
Just to be clear, if under 7000 Vermonters have this second “camp”, they’d be in the one percent of Vermonters who do.
Bernie, you know this was an admittance of your one percent status, right?
He Did Not Say ‘Summer Homes’ HE SAID SUMMER CAMPS! The Average Vermonter Does Not Own a $600,000 Summer ‘CAMP’! What a hypocrite!~
Yes, Bernie’s a successful person. Yes, houses cost half a million dollars now. He could afford it because he wrote a best-selling book. It doesn’t invalidate him as a person speaking up for those people who are less fortunate.
Why not look at all the millionaires in Vermont who don’t crusade for equality? There are hundreds – somewhere between 200 and 600. Being jealous of folks who have more money than you do is not proof that they are selfish.
If you wanted to make sure that everyone had the same amount of money, it would make you a socialist. [No private property; it all belongs to “the people.”] He’s not a socialist.
True. Thousands own a “camp”, but not all “camps” in rural Vermont are created equal, most are quite small and often uninsulated. The average owner-occupied, single family home in Grand Isle sold for roughly $260,000 in 2019 (according to the MLS) and didn’t feature a lakeside location or dock access.
Basically Bernie is the guy now that Bernie was actively protesting against at City Hall Park in 2010/2011, the “1 Percenters”. Hilarious.
$550,000 gets you something like this https://www.hickokandboardman.com/real-estate/grand-isle/6-8-sandy-cove/4745887.html. Not something that “thousands” of Vermonters own as a primary residence, let alone as a secondary residence or third residence. His assets put him in the top 0.2% of all Vermonters and income well inside the top 1% as well.
Is it considered a summer home if the occupants cannot afford the price of heat in the winter? That might be more common.
He and Lady Jane have never accounted for where the half million for his third home came from. First they claimed it was from the sale of a property in Maine. But then after some pretty basic math showing her share of that sale was less than a third the cost they switched to the “we don’t have to tell you” line. And nary a mention of her shady Olde Towne “media consulting” business run out of her friend’s home in suburban VA.
Based on her prior work hooking up her daughter’s failing woodworking school with lucrative Burlington College contracts (RIP) and steering other college boondoggles to her former cohort Leupold’s resort in the Caribbean, should we be surprised they’re right back at it; figuring out how to “redistribute” as much wealth as possible right into their own pockets.