I’m still frozen in the moment. Has it really been fifteen months since revolutionary socialist Kshama Sawant brought her unique brand of municipal socialism back to a major American city after winning an at-large seat in Seattle’s nonpartisan city council race?

A well-respected activist with a reputation gleaned from her highly visible and capable role in the local Occupy effort and the fight to raise the city’s minimum wage, Sawant didn’t just adeptly mount the bully pulpit — no mean feat — but used her elected position to win palpable things.

She didn’t do either alone; she had partners, including Socialist Alternative, her small group, with roots in the Trotskyist tradition and a trademark commitment to electoral politics. She also had the help (sometimes) of SEIU Local 775 President David Rolf, who spearheaded the campaign for a $15 living wage ordinance in the city.