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2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: Insiders: Clinton would crush Trump in November [View all]Armstead
(47,803 posts)15. Na, he doesn't take politics and governing seriously
A Legacy Of Civic Engagement
http://www.wbur.org/2016/03/18/bernie-sanders-burlington-vermont
Here, on the edge of downtown Burlington are the shores of Lake Champlain, with the mountains of upstate New York visible to the west. This is perhaps the most visible part of Sanders legacy in this city. Before he became mayor, much of this shoreline was an inaccessible industrial wasteland. Sanders pushed an effort to reclaim it and open it up to the public. And today, there are playgrounds, parks, a community boathouse and an eight-mile bike path along the shore.
Almost one year ago, Sanders chose this spot to announce his run for the presidency.
As mayor I worked with the people of Burlington to help turn this waterfront into the beautiful, people-oriented public space it is today, Sanders said to cheers. We took that fight to the courts, to the legislature and to the people, and we won.
That fight went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court and established a major precedent that supported public ownership of the waterfront.
If the waterfront represents one part of Sanders view of what democracy should be about, the Champlain Housing Trust represents another.
Bernie had invited us to Burlington because in his words, I need a few new ideas for affordable housing, said John Davis, who worked as the citys housing director for Sanders, who was among the first to champion community land trusts, which promoted homeownership for low-income residents in Burlington. Land trusts make it easier to own a home by allowing families to purchase just the house, while a nonprofit agency pays for the land.
People focus on Bernie the socialist and they assume that his highest priority is going to be to expand the government sector, or to suppress the market sector. He did neither, Davis said.
Instead, Davis says Sanders pushed to make the private sector more fair and government more efficient by investing in the nonprofit sector, like the Champlain Land Trust which over the years has helped hundreds of low income families become homeowners and providing a model that cities and towns around the world have copied.
But Davis says the most significant part of Sanders legacy went beyond any one particular program or policy. McNeil, the ex-city attorney, agrees.
If I were to characterize Bernies legacy, it would be more about civic engagement, frankly, in terms of just the way he involved people in government, McNeil said.
Almost one year ago, Sanders chose this spot to announce his run for the presidency.
As mayor I worked with the people of Burlington to help turn this waterfront into the beautiful, people-oriented public space it is today, Sanders said to cheers. We took that fight to the courts, to the legislature and to the people, and we won.
That fight went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court and established a major precedent that supported public ownership of the waterfront.
If the waterfront represents one part of Sanders view of what democracy should be about, the Champlain Housing Trust represents another.
Bernie had invited us to Burlington because in his words, I need a few new ideas for affordable housing, said John Davis, who worked as the citys housing director for Sanders, who was among the first to champion community land trusts, which promoted homeownership for low-income residents in Burlington. Land trusts make it easier to own a home by allowing families to purchase just the house, while a nonprofit agency pays for the land.
People focus on Bernie the socialist and they assume that his highest priority is going to be to expand the government sector, or to suppress the market sector. He did neither, Davis said.
Instead, Davis says Sanders pushed to make the private sector more fair and government more efficient by investing in the nonprofit sector, like the Champlain Land Trust which over the years has helped hundreds of low income families become homeowners and providing a model that cities and towns around the world have copied.
But Davis says the most significant part of Sanders legacy went beyond any one particular program or policy. McNeil, the ex-city attorney, agrees.
If I were to characterize Bernies legacy, it would be more about civic engagement, frankly, in terms of just the way he involved people in government, McNeil said.
http://portside.org/2015-06-05/bernies-burlington-what-kind-mayor-was-bernie-sanders
John Davis remembers a meeting in 1986 when Bernie Sanders, then the mayor of Burlington, Vermont, confronted the owners of the city's largest affordable-housing complex. The federal program that had subsidized the Northgate Apartments for 20 years had a loophole that allowed the landlords to convert the buildings into market rentals or luxury condos.
"Bernie pounded his fist on the conference table in his office and told the owners, 'Over my dead body are you going to displace 336 working families. You are not going to convert Northgate into luxury housing,'" recalled Davis, who was Sanders's key housing aide.
Under Sanders's leadership, the city adopted a number of laws to stifle the owners' plans. One ordinance required apartment owners to give residents two years' notice before a condo conversion. Others gave residents a preemptive right to buy the units and prohibited landlords from bulldozing buildings unless they replaced them with the same number of affordable units. These measures lowered the selling price of the property. Sanders then worked with the state government and Senator Patrick Leahy to get the $12 million needed to purchase and rehabilitate the buildings. The city allocated funds to help the tenants hire an organizer, form the Northgate Residents Association, and start the process of converting the complex to resident ownership. Today, Northgate Apartments is owned by the tenants and has long-term restrictions to keep the buildings affordable for working families.
The battle over Northgate Apartments illustrates Sanders's general approach to governing. In addressing this and many other issues, he encouraged grassroots organizing, adopted local laws to protect the vulnerable, challenged the city's business power brokers and worked collaboratively with other politicians to create a more livable city.
"Bernie pounded his fist on the conference table in his office and told the owners, 'Over my dead body are you going to displace 336 working families. You are not going to convert Northgate into luxury housing,'" recalled Davis, who was Sanders's key housing aide.
Under Sanders's leadership, the city adopted a number of laws to stifle the owners' plans. One ordinance required apartment owners to give residents two years' notice before a condo conversion. Others gave residents a preemptive right to buy the units and prohibited landlords from bulldozing buildings unless they replaced them with the same number of affordable units. These measures lowered the selling price of the property. Sanders then worked with the state government and Senator Patrick Leahy to get the $12 million needed to purchase and rehabilitate the buildings. The city allocated funds to help the tenants hire an organizer, form the Northgate Residents Association, and start the process of converting the complex to resident ownership. Today, Northgate Apartments is owned by the tenants and has long-term restrictions to keep the buildings affordable for working families.
The battle over Northgate Apartments illustrates Sanders's general approach to governing. In addressing this and many other issues, he encouraged grassroots organizing, adopted local laws to protect the vulnerable, challenged the city's business power brokers and worked collaboratively with other politicians to create a more livable city.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/peter-dreier/bernies-burlington-what-k_b_7510704.html
After Sanderss re-election victory in 1983, business groups concluded they could not defeat him and thus had to work with him. But many businesspeople also saw that Sanders shared their interest in development what he saw as good development while opposing projects that would hurt middle- and working-class neighborhoods or victimize low-wage workers.
Bernie was never anti-growth, anti-development, or anti-business, explained Monte. He just wanted businesses to be responsible toward their employees and the community. He wanted local entrepreneurs to thrive. He wanted people to have good jobs that pay a living wage. If you could deal with that, you could deal with Bernie and Bernie would deal with you.
The Sanders administration provided new firms with seed funding, offered technical assistance, helped businesses form trade associations (including the South End Arts and Business Association and the Vermont Convention Bureau), focused attention on helping women become entrepreneurs, funded training programs to give women access to nontraditional jobs, and lobbied the state government to promote business growth.
Most of Burlingtons business leaders initially distrusted Sanders. They didnt know what a socialist would do once he held the reins of power. But even many of Sanderss early opponents came to respect and even admire his willingness to listen to their views and his efforts to adopt progressive municipal policies.............
..........Pomerleau was then and remains today, at 97 one of Burlingtons richest residents. A longtime Republican, he made his money developing supermarkets, hotels, and shopping centers, and he owns much of Burlingtons commercial real estate. For decades, he has wielded considerable political influence, served as chair of the citys police commission, and been its most generous philanthropist.
When [Sanders] first ran for mayor, he was running against guys like me, Pomerleau recalled in a recent interview.
Pomerleau, who voted against Sanders in 1981, knocked on his door the day after that election. I said, Youre the mayor, but its still my town, he recalled.
Pomerleau wasnt happy when Sanders opposed his waterfront development plan, but he gradually got to know the mayor and came to admire his pragmatism, his bulldog tenacity to get things done, and his support for the local police. Bernie and I worked very well together for the betterment of the town, Pomerleau said. We were the odd couple.
Pomerleau voted for Sanders in his three successful bids for re-election. And Sanders frequently called Pomerleau to ask his advice. They stayed in close contact, even after Sanders was elected to Congress.....
Bernie was never anti-growth, anti-development, or anti-business, explained Monte. He just wanted businesses to be responsible toward their employees and the community. He wanted local entrepreneurs to thrive. He wanted people to have good jobs that pay a living wage. If you could deal with that, you could deal with Bernie and Bernie would deal with you.
The Sanders administration provided new firms with seed funding, offered technical assistance, helped businesses form trade associations (including the South End Arts and Business Association and the Vermont Convention Bureau), focused attention on helping women become entrepreneurs, funded training programs to give women access to nontraditional jobs, and lobbied the state government to promote business growth.
Most of Burlingtons business leaders initially distrusted Sanders. They didnt know what a socialist would do once he held the reins of power. But even many of Sanderss early opponents came to respect and even admire his willingness to listen to their views and his efforts to adopt progressive municipal policies.............
..........Pomerleau was then and remains today, at 97 one of Burlingtons richest residents. A longtime Republican, he made his money developing supermarkets, hotels, and shopping centers, and he owns much of Burlingtons commercial real estate. For decades, he has wielded considerable political influence, served as chair of the citys police commission, and been its most generous philanthropist.
When [Sanders] first ran for mayor, he was running against guys like me, Pomerleau recalled in a recent interview.
Pomerleau, who voted against Sanders in 1981, knocked on his door the day after that election. I said, Youre the mayor, but its still my town, he recalled.
Pomerleau wasnt happy when Sanders opposed his waterfront development plan, but he gradually got to know the mayor and came to admire his pragmatism, his bulldog tenacity to get things done, and his support for the local police. Bernie and I worked very well together for the betterment of the town, Pomerleau said. We were the odd couple.
Pomerleau voted for Sanders in his three successful bids for re-election. And Sanders frequently called Pomerleau to ask his advice. They stayed in close contact, even after Sanders was elected to Congress.....
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Can you point to an instance when she pivoted right from her campaign position?
brooklynite
Apr 2016
#8
Ray-guns was an asshole but he was smart enough to never say crap like this about women
workinclasszero
Apr 2016
#20