Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is the proud new owner of a summer home in the Champlain Islands, Seven Days has confirmed. The Burlington resident last week plopped down nearly $600,000 on a lakefront camp in North Hero.
Sanders new crib has four bedrooms and 500 feet of Lake Champlain beachfront on the east side of the island facing Vermont, not New York. The Bern will keep his home in Burlington and use the new camp seasonally.
Weve traveled up to the islands many times over the years almost always on day trips, Sanders wife, Jane OMeara Sanders, told Seven Days in a written statement. Weve been impressed with the North Hero community, eaten at the North Hero House and Shore Acres and have suggested them to friends who were looking for a beautiful place to stay or have dinner. St. Annes Shrine in Isle La Motte is my favorite church and it is nearby.
Last Tuesday, the day of the closing, a relaxed-looking Bernie Sanders posed for a photo at Heros Welcome General Store on Route 2. The store, a bit south of his new abode, serves a sandwich called Feel the Bun in the senators honor. The $6.99 deli delight consists of a HUGE homemade roll, sliced turkey, fresh apple chutney, hot pepper relish, lettuce, tomato and provolone cheese.
Its not fair that the Billionaire Class controls 99 percent of the bread, the menu description reads. Heres a sandwich for the rest of us
to keep us nourished until everything cool is free!
Sanders ordered the sandwich during his visit last week. Heros Welcome owner, Robert Camp, told Seven Days the store once offered a Sanders sandwich that poked fun at the senator, but later pulled it. The new version captures the essence of his rise to national prominence, Camp said.
The popular general store has a line of chairs out front one side labeled Republicans, the other Democrats. In the middle, until recently, sat a lone Sandernistas chair, Camp said. That chair will be back as long as the new neighbor doesnt mind, Camp joked.
Hes just been great, said Camp. This is going to be his home, so we wont encourage autographs.
The small Grand Isle County town has been abuzz for the last several days with the news. OMeara Sanders said: The entire family is very excited about it. Sen. Bernie Sanders and his wife, Jane O'Meara Sanders, at a rally in Reno, Nev. - PAUL HEINTZ
Paul Heintz Sen. Bernie Sanders and his wife, Jane O'Meara Sanders, at a rally in Reno, Nev.
My family had a lake home in Maine since 1900, but we hadnt had the time to go there in recent years especially since my parents passed away, she said. We finally let go of it and that enabled us to buy a place in the islands something Ive always hoped for.
The Sanders also own a row house on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., and a house in Burlingtons New North End.
Island locals are happy to see a man of Sanders stature choose the town, which had fewer than 1,000 residents as of the 2010 U.S. Census.
We couldnt ask for a nicer person to move in thats my opinion, said Eileen Mitchell, a member of the town selectboard. The place isnt just for senators, she added: We welcome anyone else that moves into town.
Camp, whos run Heros Welcome for 23 years, predicted Sanders would fit right into island life.
Hell be a welcome neighbor, everybody up here loves him, Camp said. Were all ornery and so is he!
Well, I guess politics does pay.