This KY Mayoral Race Has Absolutely Gone to the Dogs!

OK, That’s it, I am moving! I’ve found a town in Kentucky that has it all figured out.

In Northern Kentucky, the community of Rabbit Hash may be the smartest among us. With a population of approximately 254 fine folks, for the last 26 years, they have elected good boys and girls to serve as mayor of the town.

In 1998 when no human was interested in running for office, Goofy, “born of unknown parentage” was chosen to lead. Sadly, he passed away at the age of 16 before completing his term. However, his legacy lives on in this documentary called Rabbit Hash: Center Of The Universe. Wynonna Judd even makes an appearance.

Since then, four mayors have been elected. The second was a charismatic black lab named Junior who landed his own special on Animal Planet called Mayor Dog. A Rabbit Hash citizen shared, “He’s like Kennedy only with black fur and a wet nose.”

Lucy Lou came next, serving from 2008-2016. She was a red and white border collie who ran with a slogan that was more of a promise, “The bitch you can count on.” According to the Rabbit Hash Historical Society:

“The question Mayor Lucy Lou is most asked is, “How does a DOG become mayor”? Her answer: “As with politics in every corner of the earth, the candidate with the most money wins. In Rabbit Hash, we’re just honest about it. Anyone of any age can vote, you can vote as many times as you like, and we encourage drinking at the polls.” Lucy Lou’s executive staff have been heard to say on more than one occasion, “We bought that election fair and square!”

The next fearless female to take charge was Brynneth Pawltro- Bamforth a beautiful pittie rescue pet. During her tenure, she promoted the outdoors with her love of Red River Gorge, patrolling the town, and licking her constituents. She did accept gifts of tennis balls, but always spread peace and love in little Rabbit Hash. You can find more about her tenure as mayor and advocate on her Facebook page here.

The current mayor, a French bulldog named Wilbur, has spent the last four years on a mission “to spread smiles for many miles.” Even though he refuses to wear pants during Zoom calls, he has been a staunch advocate for animal welfare agencies and promoting the “Center of the Universe.”

Wilbur will not be running for re-election this year. His administrative assistant explained that four human years is a long time for a dog and Wilbur believes in the importance of term limits.

That means the 2024 mayoral seat is up for grabs. There are currently 10 front-runners with Pablo in the lead and Boone and Ruby the two closest behind. This year a groundhog named Bob and a vivacious chicken named Doris Jean are also on the ballot.

In recent years, the two runners-ups have also been asked to serve as ambassadors. Several years ago, the lovely Lady Stone accepted the ambassador position and won hearts all over the country. Her administrative assistant, Rob Stone, called her “a once-in-a-lifetime pup.” When she passed away, the Cincinnati Enquirer wrote a wonderful story about her you can read here.

Unlike other elections, votes are accepted from anyone who has a dollar and wants to support the Rabbit Hash Historical Society. Stuffing the ballot box is encouraged! You can cast your vote in person at the Rabbit Hash General Store, via Paypal or Venmo. To see the list of candidates and follow along to see who earns the most votes, you can join the Rabbit Hash Mayoral Race Facebook page. 

Photo credits to Rob Stone Photography (Lady Stone’s administrative assistant and personal photographer.)

This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.