The 1981 Burlington mayoral election was held March 3, 1981. The incumbentDemocratic mayor, Gordon Paquette, lost to the future U.S. senator and presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, who won with 43.4% of the popular vote, with a margin of 10 votes, and assumed office on April 6, 1981. Paquette's loss of the election is attributed to his own shortcomings, as he did not campaign or promote his candidacy since both Sanders and Independent candidate Richard Bove weren't seen as a serious challengers, as neither Sanders nor Bove had previously won an election.[1] Paquette was also considered to have lost because he proposed an unpopular 65 cent per $100 raise in taxes.[2] After the first count was completed Sanders had a 22-vote lead that shrunk to 10 votes after a recount on March 4.[3]
