Vermont Progressive Party: Difference between revisions
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[http://www.progressiveparty.org/ The Vermont Progressive Party] is... | [http://www.progressiveparty.org/ The Vermont Progressive Party] | ||
The '''Vermont Progressive Party''' is a third party independent of corporate sponsorship and organizes on a grassroots level. They seek social justice and political equality for all Vermonters and hope to provide a successful model for the United States political system as a whole. | |||
==Origins== | |||
In 1985, Bernie Sanders (now Vermont’s junior Senator) was elected mayor of Burlington, beating a conservative “old boy” Democrat. Bernie brought the best and the brightest in to City Hall and implemented many reforms that were simply modern good government. He empowered a range of citizens to have a direct voice in city government: from students, to the poor, to the elderly. | |||
Progressives started running for the Burlington City Council and getting elected from the poor, student, and middle class areas of Burlington. They cleaned up the waterfront left trashed by industry, started city-wide recycling, and established a public/private partnership with a land trust to make low and moderate rental and home ownership available. The Progressive Administration started a women’s small business technical assistance program and an affirmative action ordinance for the awarding of city contracts. The city-owned public electric utility created nationally-recognized efficiency programs, developed a wood-burning electric facility, and provides Burlington residents with the lowest electric rates in the state. | |||
==Recent History== | |||
Recent History | |||
Progressives began to run for the Vermont Legislature from Burlington districts which elected one, then two, then three, representatives. In 2000, we attained major party status and elected our first legislator outside of Burlington. In 2002, our Lt. Governor candidate received 25% of the vote in a statewide race, the largest of any third party candidate for statewide office in the country in recent history. In 2004, we elected three new legislators, all from rural, traditionally Republican areas of Vermont. Although some of the names have changed, Progressives kept their Statehouse numbers steady in 2006 and 2008. | |||
In Burlington, Progressives have won the mayor’s office in every election but one since 1985, and remain a strong presence on the City Council. | |||
Revision as of 21:38, 11 May 2010
The Vermont Progressive Party is a third party independent of corporate sponsorship and organizes on a grassroots level. They seek social justice and political equality for all Vermonters and hope to provide a successful model for the United States political system as a whole.
Origins
In 1985, Bernie Sanders (now Vermont’s junior Senator) was elected mayor of Burlington, beating a conservative “old boy” Democrat. Bernie brought the best and the brightest in to City Hall and implemented many reforms that were simply modern good government. He empowered a range of citizens to have a direct voice in city government: from students, to the poor, to the elderly.
Progressives started running for the Burlington City Council and getting elected from the poor, student, and middle class areas of Burlington. They cleaned up the waterfront left trashed by industry, started city-wide recycling, and established a public/private partnership with a land trust to make low and moderate rental and home ownership available. The Progressive Administration started a women’s small business technical assistance program and an affirmative action ordinance for the awarding of city contracts. The city-owned public electric utility created nationally-recognized efficiency programs, developed a wood-burning electric facility, and provides Burlington residents with the lowest electric rates in the state.
Recent History
Recent History
Progressives began to run for the Vermont Legislature from Burlington districts which elected one, then two, then three, representatives. In 2000, we attained major party status and elected our first legislator outside of Burlington. In 2002, our Lt. Governor candidate received 25% of the vote in a statewide race, the largest of any third party candidate for statewide office in the country in recent history. In 2004, we elected three new legislators, all from rural, traditionally Republican areas of Vermont. Although some of the names have changed, Progressives kept their Statehouse numbers steady in 2006 and 2008.
In Burlington, Progressives have won the mayor’s office in every election but one since 1985, and remain a strong presence on the City Council.
