The Socialist Mayor ― Bernard Sanders in Burlington, Vermont

The administration of Burlington, Vermont mayor Bernard Sanders is the focus of this study on municipal socialism. Soifer evaluates the role local electoral politics played in incorporating democratic-socialist principles in Burlington, and assesses possibilities for implementing socialism on the municipal level elsewhere. The book explores how the mayor and members of the Burlington Progressive Coalition were elected several times, and explores such issues as development and growth, citizen participation, municipal ownership, taxes, quality of life issues, and foreign policy concerns. This book takes on added significance in light of Sanders' recent election to the U.S. Congress.

STEVEN SOIFER is Assistant Professor of Planned Social Change in the School of Social Work at the University of Washington. He is a former statewide organizer for the Vermont Alliance, a citizens' group of low- and moderate-income people.