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1983 Burlington mayoral election

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1983 Burlington mayoral election
← 1981 March 1, 1983 1985 →
 
Nominee Bernie Sanders Judy Stephany James Gilson
Party Independent Democratic Republican
Popular vote 6,942 4,086 2,292
Percentage 52.12% 30.68% 17.21%
Results by city council district
Sanders:
  Sanders—40–50%
  Sanders—50–60%
  Sanders—60–70%

Stephany:
  Stephany—40–50%
Mayor of Burlington before election

Bernie Sanders
Independent

Elected Mayor of Burlington

Bernie Sanders
Independent

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Burlington
Mayoral elections

The 1983 Burlington mayoral election was held March 1, 1983.[1] Incumbent Mayor Bernie Sanders won with 52.12% of the popular vote against Democratic nominee Judith Stephany and Republican nominee James Gilson.

The Democratic Party unsuccessfully sought to give its mayoral nomination to multiple politicians before choosing Stephany, who had launched her campaign hours before the selection caucus. She would later state that her late entry into the campaign had contributed to her defeat. In a 1985 survey, three-quarters of Democratic voters surveyed reported supporting Sanders in this election.[2]

Candidates

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Independent

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Following his election in the 1981 race, Mayor Bernie Sanders faced difficulties with the Burlington city council, with him being opposed by eleven of the thirteen members of the board of aldermen. The council opposed measures proposed by Sanders, overrode his vetoes on legislation, and refused to assent to his political nominations.[3] Sanders formed a coalition between independents and the Citizens Party, with this coalition winning several seats in the 1982 city council elections.[4] Sanders announced on December 3, 1982, that he would seek reelection as mayor at Burlington's city hall.[5] On January 22, 1983, the Citizens Party voted unanimously to endorse Sanders, although the incumbent ran as an independent.[6] He spent $33,000 during the campaign.[7]

Democratic

[edit]
Democratic candidates[a]

The Democratic Party of Burlington, Vermont, faced difficulties finding a mayoral candidate, as state senator Thomas Crowley, Chittenden County Chief Deputy State's Attorney Harold Eaton Jr. and Alderman James Burns all declined to run for the Democratic nomination.[9] State senator Esther Sorrell considered running for the Democratic nomination, and an unsuccessful attempt was made to draft Mark Kaplan, also a state senator.[10][11][12] Lieutenant Governor Madeleine Kunin also stated that she was not interesting in running for mayor despite polling showing her defeating Sanders.[13] Alderwoman Joyce DeSautels frequently announced her wishes to run but was rendered an untenable candidate following her defeat to a Sanders-backed candidate in the 1982 city council elections and her subsequent criticism of the Burlington Democratic apparatus, with DeSautels accusing the party of being too accommodating with the mayor.[14]

William H. Williams, a little-known gas station owner, was the first person to announce a campaign for the mayoralty when he announced that he would seek the Democratic nomination in August 1982.[15]

State Representative Judith B. Stephany, who was serving as minority leader in the Vermont House of Representatives, announced her mayoral campaign hours before the Burlington Democratic caucus was set to select the party's mayoral nominee. Stephany won the Democratic nomination against Williams by a margin of three to one.[8] Stephany initially chose to retain her seat and leadership position in the House of Representatives, but later announced that she would resign on January 30, 1983, to campaign for mayor.[16]

Republican

[edit]

James Gilson, the chairman of the Burlington School Board of Commissioners, announced on November 8, 1982, that he would run for the mayoralty as a Republican. He formally announced his candidacy at Burlington's city hall on November 12.[17][18] Gilson won the Republican nomination with unanimous support on January 20, 1983.[19]

General election

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Sanders proposed a campaign spending limit of $15,000, but Gilson rejected the offer.[20] Gilson accused Sanders of being anti-business and fiscally irresponsible, claiming that after-school programs Sanders had started were too expensive.[21]

Stephany attempted to distance herself from the mayoralty of Gordon Paquette, which was seen as old-fashioned and unpopular; her campaign frequently stressed Sanders' poor relations with the Burlington board of aldermen, claiming that this made him an ineffective legislator.[22] In spite of her generally liberal record, Stephany was opposed to abortion, which drew ire to her campaign from the feminist movement.[22]

Polling

[edit]
Poll source Poll sample Sanders Stephany Gilson Undecided
WDOT[23] 400 people 33.75% 17.00% 10.00% 39.75%
WDOT[23] 400 people 41.75% 22.50% 11.75% -
Straw poll[23] 380 people 50.50% 11.60% 10.00% 27.90%
Straw poll[23] 380 people 53.70% 13.70% 11.60% 21.00%

Endorsements

[edit]
James Gilson (R)

Statewide officials

State officials

Bernie Sanders (I)

Labor unions

Organizations

Judith Stephany (D)

State officials

Local officials

Newspapers and publications

Results

[edit]
1983 Burlington mayoral election[29]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Bernie Sanders (incumbent) 6,942 52.12% +8.29%
Democratic Judith Stephany 4,086 30.68% −13.04%
Republican James Gilson 2,292 17.21% +17.21%
Total votes 13,320 100.00%

Results by ward

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Ward Sanders Votes Stephany Votes Gilson Votes Total votes[29] Votes
Ward 1 57.83% 1,067 29.65% 547 12.52% 231 100.00% 1,845
Ward 2 67.71% 1,210 21.66% 387 10.63% 190 100.00% 1,787
Ward 3 69.83% 1,222 22.46% 393 7.71% 135 100.00% 1,750
Ward 4 37.91% 1,394 42.21% 1,552 19.88% 731 100.00% 3,677
Ward 5 48.93% 1,007 32.41% 667 18.66% 384 100.00% 2,058
Ward 6 47.30% 1,042 24.51% 540 28.19% 621 100.00% 2,203

Reactions

[edit]

Stephany stated that her late entry into the election had contributed to her defeat, while Gilson's poor result was attributed to him being uncharismatic and a generally poor campaigner.[30][31] Governor of Vermont Richard Snelling, when asked about the result, attributed Sanders' victory to Stephany and Gilson adopting negative campaigns, which were traditionally ineffective in Vermont.[32] According to a survey of voters performed by political scientist Tom Rice in 1985, support for Sanders was strongest among working-class voters, with people making under $20,000 a year supporting him at significantly higher rates than those making above $20,000 a year.[33]

Notes

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  1. ^ The images in this gallery are in the public domain or are otherwise free to use. This gallery should not be construed as a list of major or noteworthy candidates. If a candidate is not included in this gallery, it is only because there are no high-quality, copyright-free photographs of them available on the Internet.

References

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  1. ^ Clarke, Rob (March 2, 1983). "Sanders Easily Re-Elected As Mayor of Burlington". Brattleboro Reformer. p. 1. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020. Retrieved December 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ Rice, Tom (January 1, 1985). "Who Votes for a Socialist Mayor? The Case of Burlington, Vermont". Polity. 17 (4): 802. doi:10.2307/3234575. JSTOR 3234575. S2CID 153889856.
  3. ^ Burns, Alexander (November 27, 2019). "Bernie Sanders vs. The Machine". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020. Retrieved December 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Sanders will make it official". Bennington Banner. United Press International. December 3, 1982. p. 16. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020. Retrieved December 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Sanders Announces He's Running Again". Barre Montpelier Times Argus. Associated Press. December 3, 1982. p. 1. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020. Retrieved December 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ a b Mackay, Scott (January 23, 1983). "Citizens Party Endorses Sanders". The Burlington Free Press. p. 2B. Archived from the original on January 19, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Sanders spent $33,000". Bennington Banner. United Press International. March 14, 1983. p. 12. Archived from the original on December 6, 2020. Retrieved December 6, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ a b c d Bookchin, Debbie (January 19, 1983). "Rep. Stephany Is Democratic Candidate for Mayor". Rutland Herald. p. 9. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020. Retrieved December 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Bookchin, Debbie (January 23, 1983). "City Democrats Find A Candidate". Rutland Herald. p. 33. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020. Retrieved December 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Esther For Mayor?". The Burlington Free Press. August 22, 1982. p. 11. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020. Retrieved December 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Melvin, Don (January 10, 1983). "Demos To Push Kaplan". The Burlington Free Press. p. 15. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020. Retrieved December 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Democrats still need candidate". Bennington Banner. United Press International. January 11, 1983. p. 16. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020. Retrieved December 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Mackay, Scott (December 31, 1982). "Kunin Says No To Mayor Race In Spite of Poll". The Burlington Free Press. p. 9. Archived from the original on December 6, 2020. Retrieved December 6, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ Bookchin, Debbie (April 16, 1982). "Top Democrats blasted by ousted Alderman". Barre Montpelier Times Argus. Retrieved August 17, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ Mackay, Scott (August 14, 1982). "Gas Station Owner Wants To Be Mayor of Burlington". The Burlington Free Press. p. 15. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020. Retrieved December 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ Page, Candace (January 24, 1983). "Stephany Quitting House for All-Out Campaign". The Burlington Free Press. p. 1. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020. Retrieved December 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ Mackay, Scott (November 9, 1982). "School Chairman Throwing Hat Into Mayoral Contest". The Burlington Free Press. p. 19. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved December 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "Bernie Sanders Gets Republican Competition". Brattleboro Reformer. United Press International. November 9, 1982. p. 2. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved December 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ Mackay, Scott (January 21, 1983). "Gilson Is Easy Winner Of GOP Mayoral Nod". The Burlington Free Press. p. 13. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020. Retrieved December 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "Gilson Rejects Campaign Fund Limit". The Burlington Free Press. February 2, 1983. p. 17. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020. Retrieved December 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ Mackay, Scott (February 11, 1983). "Three Mayoral Hopefuls Trade Political Barbs". The Burlington Free Press. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
  22. ^ a b "Stephany Walks a Political Tightrope". The Burlington Free Press. February 13, 1983. p. 14. Archived from the original on January 2, 2022. Retrieved May 4, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ a b c d Bookchin, Debbie (February 22, 1983). "Polls Show Sanders Ahead; But Who's Second?". Rutland Herald. p. 4. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020. Retrieved December 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ a b Goddard, Kevin (January 21, 1983). "Morse, Coy, Endorse Gilson's Upset Bid". Brattleboro Reformer. p. 1. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020. Retrieved December 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ a b Eley, Rob (February 28, 1983). "Three Hopefuls Campaigning Down to Wire". The Burlington Free Press. p. 15. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  26. ^ Mackay, Scott (January 26, 1983). "City Police Union Endorses Sanders; Crowley Upset". The Burlington Free Press. p. 11. Archived from the original on December 6, 2020. Retrieved December 6, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ^ "Democrat Judith Stephany Challenges Mayor Sanders". The Brattleboro Reformer. January 19, 1983. p. 10. Archived from the original on January 2, 2022. Retrieved January 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. ^ "Stephany Should Be Choice of Voters for Mayor". The Burlington Free Press. February 20, 1983. p. 10. Archived from the original on January 2, 2022. Retrieved January 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  29. ^ a b "1983 election results". The Burlington Free Press. March 2, 1983. p. 17. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved August 7, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  30. ^ "Massive Turnout Keeps Mayor Sanders in Office". The Burlington Free Press. March 2, 1983. p. 3. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020. Retrieved December 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  31. ^ Soifer, Steven (1991). The Socialist Mayor. Bergin & Garvey. p. 24. ISBN 9780897892193.
  32. ^ Graff, Christopher (March 4, 1983). "Snelling: Negative Campaigns Don't Work". The Burlington Free Press. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  33. ^ Rice, Tom (January 1, 1985). "Who Votes for a Socialist Mayor? The Case of Burlington, Vermont". Polity. 17 (4): 798. doi:10.2307/3234575. JSTOR 3234575. S2CID 153889856.
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