1981 Burlington mayoral election - Per Burlington law at the time, this election was held March 3, 1981 (and was held every two years).
Gordon Paquette ran for re-election as the
Vermont Democratic Party nominee, seeking a sixth term as
Mayor of Burlington, Vermont,
Richard Bove and
Bernie Sanders ran as independents against Paquette. Sanders narrowly defeated Paquette, earning 43.83% of the vote (versus Paquette's 43.72% of the vote). Bove came in a distant third (only earning 11.04% of the vote).