This archive report was first published on 27 November 2019.
Published on November 27, 2019, a story about Bernie Sanders' early days as a mayor in Burlington, Vermont, reveals the challenges he faced in office.
At 39 years old, Sanders won the mayoral election in 1981, but his victory was short-lived. The city's bureaucracy, comprising multiple layers of commissions, constrained the mayor's power. The board of aldermen, with 11 out of 13 members aligned against him, formed a bipartisan bloc that could override his veto and thwart his proposals.
According to a former alderman, Mr. Mahoney, Sanders initially lacked understanding of the city's inner workings. The aldermen felt ambushed by his unexpected policy demands and were rattled by his temperamental behavior, which included storming out of meetings.
Mr. Mahoney recalled that Sanders would often scramble the council's agenda and inject remote issues into city politics. When Sanders submitted his nominees for top city jobs, the board rejected them in a humiliating fashion. Sanders sued the board, accusing it of usurping his authority, but lost in court.
Despite these challenges, Sanders managed to achieve small breakthroughs, including a modest property-tax increase. However, he ultimately felt that the Democrats wanted to make him a 'powerless mayor.'
