1985 Burlington mayoral election

The 1985 Burlington mayoral election was held March 5, 1985.[1] Incumbent Mayor Bernie Sanders won with 56.09% of the popular vote against Democratic nominee Brian D. Burns, Libertarian nominee William Murray, Neutral nominee Michael Hackett, and independents Diane Gallagher, Richard Sartelle, and John Tatro.

1985 Burlington mayoral election

March 5, 1985

Nominee Bernie Sanders Brian D. Burns Diane Gallagher Party Independent Democratic Independent Popular vote 5,760 3,275 1,234 Percentage 55.32% 31.45% 11.85%

Mayor of Burlington before election Bernie Sanders Independent Elected Mayor of Burlington Bernie Sanders Independent

Gallagher initially sought the nomination of the Republican Party, but later became an independent candidate. Murray and Sartelle sought the Republican nomination, but the Republican caucus voted unanimously to not nominate a candidate. Sartelle also unsuccessfully sought the nomination of the Liberty Union Party which also chose to not nominate a candidate.

Campaign

Independents

Incumbent Mayor Bernie Sanders, who won as an independent in the 1981 and 1983 elections, initially considered not seeking a third term as Mayor of Burlington, Vermont, but announced on December 5, 1984, that he would seek a third term.[2] Sanders formally launched his campaign on December 7.[3]

Richard Sartelle and John Tatro also filed to run as independents while Michael Hackett filed under the Neutral Party.[4] Richard Sartelle had worked as a aide for Sanders during the 1981 election before breaking with him during the 1983 election and later referring to Sanders as dictatorial during the 1985 campaign.[5] Sartelle sought the endorsement of the Liberty Union Party, but the party chose to not endorse any candidate.[6]

Democratic

Brian D. Burns, who served as the 72nd Lieutenant Governor of Vermont and whose brother, James Burns, was a staunch critic of Sanders on the Burlington city council until a pro-Sanders candidate defeated him, announced on December 12, 1984, that he would seek the Democratic nomination for the mayoralty.[7] Burns formally announced his candidacy for mayor on December 19.[8]

Burns defeated Terje Anderson, a gay man who supported Jesse Jackson during the 1984 Democratic presidential primaries, a member of the Rainbow Coalition, and who served on the 1984 Democratic platform committee, by a vote of 109 to 19.[9]

Republican

Diane Gallagher, a Republican member of the city council from the sixth ward, announced that she would run for the mayoralty.[10] However, on January 14, 1985, Gallagher announced that she would not seek the Republican nomination and would instead seek the mayoralty as an independent. She withdrew citing opposition to her candidacy within the Republican Party, who wanted to unite behind Brian Burns, and her desire to avoid becoming a divisive force.[11] She also stated that over sixty percent of voters in Burlington were independents.[12]

Maggie Green, who was considered as the perfect unity candidate by The Burlington Free Press, chose not to run for the Republican nomination.[10] William Murray and Richard Sartelle sought the Republican nomination, but the Republican caucus voted unanimously to not nominate a candidate.[13]

Libertarian

William J. Murray announced on January 16, 1985, that he would seek the mayoralty as a Libertarian and formally announced his campaign on January 28.[14][15]

Results

During the campaign Sanders had raised $24,428, spent $24,384, and had remaining debts of $555. Burns raised $21,465, spent $23,753, and had remaining debts of around $3,000. Gallagher had raised $10,060, spent $9,030, and had remaining debts of $1,271.[16]

Polling

Poll source	Date(s)	Sample size	Margin of Error	Sanders	Burns	Gallagher	Others	Undecided
The Burlington Free Press/University of Vermont[17]	February 13-15, 1985	537 people	± 5%	33.75%'	15.1%	6.40%	0.60%	25.50%

Election Results

1985 Burlington mayoral election[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Bernie Sanders (incumbent)	5,760	55.32%	+3.20%
	Democratic	Brian D. Burns	3,275	31.45%	+0.77%
	Independent	Diane Gallagher	1,234	11.85%	+11.85%
	Libertarian	William Murray	72	0.69%	+0.69%
	Independent	Richard Sartelle	34	0.33%	+0.33%
	Neutral	Michael Hackett	20	0.19%	+0.19%
	Independent	John Tatro	17	0.16%	+0.16%
Total votes			10,412	100.00%

Results by ward

Ward	Sanders	Votes	Burns	Votes	Gallagher	Votes	Murray	Votes	Sartelle	Votes	Hackett	Votes	Tatro	Votes	Total votes[10]	Votes
Ward 1	63.11%	982	28.15%	438	7.84%	122	0.39%	6	0.19%	3	0.19%	3	0.13%	2	100.00%	1,556
Ward 2	71.45%	911	21.33%	272	6.12%	78	0.71%	9	0.00%	0	0.16%	2	0.24%	3	100.00%	1,275
Ward 3	69.34%	995	21.74%	312	7.32%	105	0.49%	7	0.70%	10	0.28%	4	0.14%	2	100.00%	1,435
Ward 4	39.61%	1,083	39.61%	1,083	18.98%	519	0.95%	26	0.48%	13	0.15%	4	0.22%	6	100.00%	2,734
Ward 5	53.22%	958	37.06%	667	8.78%	158	0.67%	12	0.06%	1	0.22%	4	0.00%	0	100.00%	1,800
Ward 6	51.55%	831	31.20%	503	15.63%	252	0.74%	12	0.43%	7	0.19%	3	0.25%	4	100.00%	1,612

References

1. "Sanders Is Triumphant". Rutland Herald. March 6, 1985. p. 1. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "Mayor Sanders to run again". Brattleboro Reformer. December 7, 1984. p. 2. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Sanders Makes It Official". Rutland Herald. December 8, 1984. p. 6. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Not All Candidates Have Filed In Burlington; Deadline Today". The Burlington Free Press. January 28, 1985. p. 14. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Sartelle Says Sanders 'Dictatorial'". The Burlington Free Press. January 16, 1985. p. 14. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Liberty Union Party Does Not Endorse". The Burlington Free Press. January 29, 1985. p. 13. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Brian Burns to Announce Bid for Burlington Mayor". Rutland Herald. December 14, 1984. p. 18. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Brian Burns Joining Mayoral Race Today". The Burlington Free Press. December 19, 1984. p. 13. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Democrats Back Burns for Mayor; GOP Passes". The Burlington Free Press. January 24, 1985. p. 15. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Burlington Campaign Begins". Rutland Herald. December 1, 1984. p. 1. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Gallagher Doffs GOP Hat, Will Run as Independent". The Burlington Free Press. January 15, 1985. p. 1. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Burlington Mayoral candidate won't seek GOP endorsement". Brattleboro Reformer. January 16, 1985. p. 2. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
13. "Brian Burns Gets Democrats' Nod". The Burlington Free Press. January 24, 1985. p. 1. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
14. "Libertarian Murray Enters Burlington's Mayoral Fray". The Burlington Free Press. January 17, 1985. p. 18. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
15. "Libertarian candidate enters mayor's race". Brattleboro Reformer. January 18, 1985. p. 2. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
16. "Financial Reports Show Burns Big Spender in Mayoral Bid". The Burlington Free Press. March 16, 1985. p. 11. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
17. "Polls Show Sanders Ahead; But Who's Second?". Rutland Herald. February 22, 1983. p. 4. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
18. "City Elections At-a-glance". The Burlington Free Press. March 6, 1985. p. 2. Archived from the original on December 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.